Facing the facts: Israel cannot escape ICC jurisdiction
June 8th, 20190 The chief military advocate general of the Israeli army, Sharon Afek, and the U.S. Department of Defense general counsel, Paul Ney, shared a platform at the “International Conference on the Law of Armed Conflict”, which took place in Herzliya, Israel between May 28-30. Their panel witnessed some of the most misconstrued...
Israel dissolves Knesset after Netanyahu fails to form government, heads for new election
May 31st, 20190 TEL AVIV — Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve the Knesset on Thursday, paving the way for a new election after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline. Netanyahu preferred a new ballot, set for Sept. 17, to the alternative, under which President Reuven Rivlin could have asked another politician to...
The two narratives of Palestine: The people are united, the factions are not
May 20th, 20190 The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world. The conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating a discourse of international solidarity that is both inclusive and...
Israel’s common denominator: Why Israel will continue to bomb Gaza
May 20th, 20190 On May 4, Israel launched a series of deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, prompting a response from various resistance groups. At least 25 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 people wounded in the Israeli attacks. Four Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rockets. The clashes were instigated by Israel, when the...
Palestinian foreign minister: U.S. crafting surrender plan, not peace deal
May 10th, 20190 UNITED NATIONS — The United States seems to be crafting a plan for a Palestinian surrender to Israel instead of a peace deal, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a meeting at the United Nations attended by U.S. Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt. Greenblatt and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner have...
Israel, Gaza reach ceasefire agreement after weekend of rocket attacks, airstrikes
May 6th, 20190 GAZA — An Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement was reached with Israel on Monday to end a weekend of violence in the Gaza Strip and Israel, a report from Reuters said. “The ceasefire understanding will begin Monday 04:30 (01:30 GMT)” a Palestinian official familiar with the agreement said to the news agency. The fighting was...
Gaza laments deadly start to Ramadan, amid funerals and destruction
May 6th, 20190 GAZA - After two sleepless days and nights of Israeli shelling and Palestinian rocket fire, Gazans on Monday faced a first day of Ramadan overshadowed by funerals and the grim task of pulling bodies from collapsed buildings. As dawn brought a ceasefire of uncertain duration, few Palestinians in the impoverished coastal enclave were...
France and the EU, recognizing yet supporting apartheid reality in Palestine
May 3rd, 20190 A recent statement made by the outgoing French ambassador to the U.S. regarding the nature of Israeli apartheid accentuates a larger ailment that has afflicted the European Union foreign policy. The EU is simply gutless when it comes to confronting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. Ambassador Gerard Araud was, of course,...
Notre Dame of Gaza: Our mosques and churches are also burning
April 26th, 20191 As the 300-foot spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris tragically came tumbling down on live television, my thoughts ventured to Nuseirat Refugee Camp, my childhood home in the Gaza Strip. Then, also on television, I watched as a small bulldozer hopelessly clawed through the rubble of my neighborhood mosque. I grew up around that...
Police arrest Florida man for threatening calls to Tlaib, others
April 24th, 20190 Washington — Police have arrested a Florida man and charged him with making threats by phone last week to freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, and two other Democratic lawmakers in Congress. Police say John J. Kless of Tamarac, Florida, called Tlaib and left threatening and profane voicemail messages. Sen. Cory Booker...
Netanyahu: Israel to name new town on Golan after Trump
April 23rd, 20190 OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS - Israel said on Tuesday it would name a new community on the occupied Golan Heights after President Trump as an expression of gratitude for his recognition of its claim of sovereignty over the strategic plateau. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it, against international law. The...
War versus peace: Israel has decided and so should we
April 19th, 20190 So, what have we learned from the Israeli legislative elections on April 9? A whole lot. To start with, don’t let such references as the “tight race” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, fool you. Yes, Israelis are divided on some issues that are particular to...
Americans have the right to hear from the leader of BDS movement
April 19th, 20190 I awakened early Wednesday to listen to a voicemail message from Omar Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian movement to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) Israel. In the message, Omar told me that he was at Ben Gurion Airport and despite holding a valid U.S. visa and a boarding pass for his flight to Washington, D.C., the...
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement co-founder denied entry by U.S. government
April 12th, 20190 Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli financial interests, has been denied entry to the United States after airline staff informed him he wouldn't be flying. Barghouti was at Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday when he was told by U.S....
Trump congratulates Netanyahu: “U.S. with you and Israel all the way!”
April 12th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to congratulate him on his re-election, and Netanyahu said he thanked his ally for “tremendous support for Israel.” Netanyahu tweeted that Trump had called him from Air Force One. The president was on a flight to Texas. Netanyahu......
For Palestinians, it doesn’t matter who wins the Israeli elections
April 12th, 20190 Israeli elections have just concluded and the results indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu is set to win a fifth term as Israeli prime minister. The race between Netanyahu and his strongest challenger, Benjamin Gantz, who is a former chief of staff of the Israeli military forces, was very tight. But even if Gantz and his associated political...
The unfinished Gaza war: What Netanyahu hopes to gain from attacking Palestinian prisoners
April 12th, 20190 The current violence targeting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails dates back to January 2. It was then that Israel’s public security minister, Gilad Erdan, declared that the “party is over.” “Every so often, infuriating pictures appear of cooking in the terrorist wings. This party is coming to an end,” Erdan was quoted in......
Standing up for Golan and Jerusalem: Dearborn rally held in defiance of Trump, Netanyahu
April 11th, 20190 DEARBORN — A rally was held inside the Dearborn Civic Center on Sunday, April 7 in defiance of President Trump and newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proclamation that the Golan Heights belongs to Israel, a move that has been denounced by many as being illegal under international law. Hosted by the local...
Israeli elections: Netanyahu wins the 2019 election
April 9th, 20190 By Farah Harb The Arab American News TEL AVIV — Despite legal trouble and after a tight race, Benjamin Netanyahu will continue to be Israel's prime minister. He will now be able to form a governing coalition able to withstand a bribery indictment by Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, according to the results of the April 9...
Jerusalem’s Bishop Attallah Hanna visits Metro Detroit next week
March 27th, 20190 LIVONIA — The Palestine Aid Society of America will be hosting Jerusalem's Bishop Atallah Hanna on Sunday, March 31 at St. Mary's Cultural Center in Livonia. Hanna will serve as a keynote speaker during the Day of the Land Commemoration. Born in the Galilean village of Al Rameh, Theodosius (Atallah) Hanna attended Thessalonica...
Ivy League university passes divestment referendum in favor of Palestinians
March 22nd, 20190 PROVIDENCE, RI —The student coalition at Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school with an enrollment of nearly 7,000 students, has passed a landmark divestment referendum. The coalition, Brown Divest, garnered around 69 percent of the vote in favor of divestment, according to an article from the Brown Daily Herald. The......
Israeli ministers pledge to settle ‘2 million Jews’ in West Bank in the heart of Palestinian communities
February 26th, 20190 The Arab American News WEST BANK - Israel has approved some 4,000 new settlement units as part of a massive settlement project spanning across occupied East Jerusalem and into West Jerusalem, Israeli media reported. Jerusalem’s planning and construction committee approved the project earlier this week, paving the way for 4,416...
Israeli pharmaceutical firms test medicines and weapons on Palestinians
February 24th, 20190 JERUSALEM - In yet another violation of Palestinian rights, the Israel occupation authorities issue permits to large pharmaceutical firms to carry out tests on Palestinian and Arab prisoners, according to a report by Israeli Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian issued yesterday. In addition, the Hebrew University lecturer also revealed......
False ‘victories’: Is the PA using the ‘State of Palestine’ to remain in power?
January 26th, 20190 The "State of Palestine" has officially been handed the chairmanship of the G-77, the United Nations' largest block. This is particularly significant considering the relentless Israeli-American plotting to torpedo the Palestinian push for greater international recognition and legitimacy. It is now conclusive that the main mission for...
Israel will authorize thousands of illegal settler homes in occupied West Bank
December 14th, 20180 TEL AVIV — Israel will authorize thousands of the settler homes built illegally in the occupied West Bank, some of them decades ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. The move is likely to please pro-settler members of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition while further angering Palestinians, who want the West......
