The day of the dead
Cindy Sheehan I was on an airplane flying to Orange County from Sacramento to attend the al-Awda Conference, which is a Palestinian Right's Conference (al-Awda translates to "The Returning"), when the pilot's voice filled the cabin to make an announcement that I think went unnoticed by most of my fellow passengers, but I...
Obama defends Guantanamo closure, Cheney defends torture
May 23rd, 20090 NEW YORK — President Barack Obama cautiously minced his way Thursday through a political minefield filled with imminent explosions from human rights advocates, national security hawks, and a Congress terrified by the potential political backlash of any move to bring Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the U.S. for trial or...Yemen on the brink of war?
On May 3, the US Embassy in Sana'a issued a statement on the political violence in South Yemen that claimed eight lives last week. The United States stressed that "Yemen's unity depends on its ability to guarantee every citizen equal treatment under the law." What the Yemeni government calls unity, the protesters call...
The question of our time
May 9th, 20090 Why does Israel have a right to exist, but Palestine doesn't? A Palestinian protester runs from incoming tear gas fired by Israeli security forces during a protest against the construction of the controversial Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah May 8, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside This is...Obama faces Israel’s angst
"Could the Taliban get the bomb before Iran does?" read the headline in my favorite Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. The columnist, Bradley Burston, was joining Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in thinking the unthinkable, that the Taliban in Pakistan might soon have their hands on what the country's former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...Israel is more a liability than an asset to the U.S.
The Zionist Lobby (AIPAC), which is a tiny segment of the U.S. population, has gained an outrageously disproportionate and dangerous influence over our political machinery and as a result our country is on a foreign policy path that is counter to its best interests. The power of the Israeli lobby has brought about a situation in...
Do you have your organ donor sticker?
April 18th, 20090 There are approximately 3,000 of our family members, friends and neighbors in Michigan currently awaiting an organ transplant—and the miracle of a second chance at life. For some, the wait for a donor organ may take years. For others, the phone call announcing that one has been found may never come. The difference a lifesaving...Obama’s trip a success
U.S. President Barack Obama participates in a town hall meeting with university students at the Tophane Cultural Center in Istanbul April 7, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed The Obamas' European Odyssey was a success — despite the predictable complaints of some U.S. critics. The president and first lady took the continent by storm,...ADC addresses immigration reform on the Hill
Each week, ADC receives numerous inquiries about how and when comprehensive immigration reform will be passed. The Obama administration has indicated that the president will publicly address the issue in May, with hopes of having reform a reality before 2010. ADC has been addressing the issue of reform with Congressional members and...
Intifada: A third chapter?
March 28th, 20090 Israeli border police officers detain a Palestinian woman in east Jerusalem March 23, 2009, during an event marking Jerusalem's tenure as the Arab League's "capital of Arab culture" for 2009. According to an Israeli police spokesperson, several activists were detained as the police dispersed an illegal gathering. REUTERS/Ammar...America must find courage to stand up to Israel, injustice
During a recent visit to Washington, I met with several members of Congress to discuss the prospects for Palestinian and Israeli peace. This included a marvelous, unexpected introduction to Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the courageous civil rights advocate. The Palestinian National Initiative, which I head, works to emulate the nonviolent...Obama rides the same old policies in Palestine
President Obama has ridden in on the winds of change, promising diplomacy rather than belligerence as U.S. foreign policy; but he has yet to speak clearly against the policy of underdevelopment and "removal" Israel deploys against Palestinians living under occupation. Unfortunately, Obama's voice overseas, Secretary of State Hillary...The United Nations is a useless, toothless organization
I used to think the U.N., both in principle and in practice, was the closest thing we'd have to a world government, coming together to tackle the challenges faced by all humanity. Now I feel that the U.N. is an utterly useless organization when it comes to protecting human rights and enforcing security. U.S. President Barack...FBI losing partnership with Arab, Muslim communities
The revelation this week that the FBI used paid informants and agents provocateur in U.S. mosques who have participated in law enforcement outreach efforts undermines the decade-long relationship that Arab Americans and American Muslims have built with law enforcement. This news sends a devastating message to community leaders and imams...Why we must boycott Starbucks
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against apartheid Israel is gaining momentum around the world. The boycott of Starbucks is Michigan's modest contribution to the worldwide movement. Here are a few other examples: • South African dock workers refused to unload Israeli ships (Feb. 3rd 2009) • Church of......
Please, no more charades
James AbourezkAbe Foxman, head of the "Anti-Defamation League," claims that George Mitchell is too fair to be a broker between Israel and the Palestinians. I guess that Foxman, in denouncing the choice of Mitchell for Middle East negotiator, shows that he is accustomed to such impartial mediators as Dennis Ross, who, when he...
The horror of Gaza witnessed
February 7th, 20090 A Palestinian girl carries her sister in front of a destroyed house in Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, February 4, 2009. Thousands of Palestinians are living in tented camps after Israel's three-week assault on the Gaza Strip, hoping for a swift end to Israel's blockade so they can rebuild their homes. Reuters Over the...
After Gaza genocide, what next?
January 30th, 20090 Palestinian students study at the yard of al-Fadilah Islamic school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 26, 2009. The school was destroyed in an Israeli air strike during Israel's 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa The recent tentative ceasefire may have halted Israel's military thrashing of...Not to remain silent
I write simply not to remain silent in the face of U.S. and Israeli aggression against the Palestinian population in general, and the Gaza population in particular. A Palestinian woman sits amongst the ruins of her destroyed house in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip January 20, 2009. Israel planned to complete a troop pullout......
Video: UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza
...Children of Gaza, run to the angels
Loay Soboh, a 10-year-old Palestinian boy, waves at Shifa hospital in Gaza before his transfer to Saudi Arabia for treatment January 12, 2009. According to doctors, Soboh lost his eyes in an Israeli air strike. REUTERS/Ismail Zaydah Ironically, it was in Palestine, 20 years ago, that I concluded that there is no God. For how......
The shoe heard round the world
December 20th, 20080 Donated shoes labeled with names of Iraqis who died during the war in Iraq are displayed during a protest in front of the White House in Washington December 17, 2008. REUTERS/Molly Riley It's not surprising that since the George W. Bush shoe-dodging incident the U.S. media has been recalling the infamous "shoeing" of the...Defeat for U.S. in Iraq?
Residents gather at the site of bomb attacks in Baghdad's Nahdha neighborhood December 17, 2008. Twin blasts killed 18 people and wounded 53 in central Baghdad on Wednesday as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an unannounced visit to Iraq, police said. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani On November 27, the Iraqi parliament voted by......
