Israel destroyed Gaza “for generations to come” and the world stayed silent
January 17th, 20250 The first official reference to Gaza becoming increasingly uninhabitable was made by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2012, when the population of the Gaza Strip was estimated at 1.8 million inhabitants. The intention of the report, “The Gaza Strip: The Economic Situation and the Prospects for...
Lebanon: A race on two fronts
January 17th, 20250 In Lebanon, citizens welcomed the election of a president after more than two years of vacancy. However, a political crisis emerged when the "Shi'a duo" — the Amal Movement and Hezbollah — felt an agreement had been breached regarding their support for President Joseph Aoun. The duo was taken aback when 88 parliamentarians designated...
Gazans may breathe the air of peace after 467 days of genocide
January 17th, 20251 Finally, on Wednesday, January 15, a detailed ceasefire agreement was announced, bringing a much-needed end to the suffering in Gaza after 467 days of brutal Israeli aggression. During this period, Israel employed all forms of killing and destruction, but Gaza’s resistance stood firm. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip endured unimaginable...
Ramping up criticism of Israel, Pope Francis calls situation in Gaza “shameful”
January 10th, 20250 VATICAN CITY – On Thursday, Pope Francis stepped up his recent criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful." In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in...
U.S. House votes to sanction International Criminal Court over Netanyahu and Gallant arrest warrants
January 10th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court to protest its issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The vote was 243 to 140 in favor of the "Illegitimate Court...
U.N. body accuses Israel of destroying Gaza healthcare
January 4th, 20250 Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza have devastated the Palestinian enclave's health system and raised serious concerns about Israel's compliance with international law, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report on Tuesday. The 23-page report, documenting various attacks between Oct. 12, 2023, and June 30, 2024, concluded that...
A Palestinian year in review: Genocide, resistance and unanswered questions
January 2nd, 20251 The story of the Israeli war on Gaza can be epitomized in the story of the Israeli war on Beit Lahia, a small Palestinian town in the northern part of the Strip. When Israel launched its ground operations in Gaza, Beit Lahia was already largely destroyed due to many days of relentless Israeli bombardment which killed...
Death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000 Palestinians, health officials say
December 30th, 20240 More than 45,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, health officials in the embattled territory said Monday, as often-stalled ceasefire negotiations appeared to be gaining ground. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire deal in recent days, and Israeli...
Unity above else: The only road to the liberation of Palestine
December 30th, 20240 A new kind of unity around Palestine is finally finding its way to the Palestine solidarity movement worldwide. The reason behind this unity is obvious: Gaza. The world’s first live-streamed genocide in the Gaza Strip, and the growing spontaneous compassion, thus solidarity, with the Palestinian victims, helped recenter priorities...
Palestinians sue Biden administration for creating loopholes for Israel on military aid and human rights abuses
December 30th, 20241 The State Department has carved out exceptions for close ally Israel that block a U.S. law restricting foreign military support over human rights abuses, a lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives asserted Tuesday. Former State Department officials and crafters of the 1997 Leahy law were among those advising...
Trump’s picks of pro-Israel “dream team” worry some Arab and Muslim Americans who voted for him
December 13th, 20240 Just weeks after winning several of the nation’s largest Arab-majority cities, President-elect Trump has filled top administration posts with staunch Israel supporters, including an ambassador to Israel who has claimed “there is no such thing as Palestinians.” The selections have prompted mixed reactions among Arab Americans and...
The fall of Assad’s regime leaves Syria at a crossroads, as the people celebrate amid challenges
December 13th, 20240 After more than six decades of Ba'athist rule of Syria, 54 years under the Assad family, and 24 years of Bashar al-Assad’s presidency, the Syrian regime crumbled in a matter of just 11 days. This dramatic turn of events was driven by a rapid advance of armed opposition groups from Idlib to Damascus, supported by Turkey, timed with...
Abu Mohammed al-Golani: The former al Qaeda chief, now leading Syria’s rebels
December 6th, 20240 As the commander of al Qaeda's franchise in the Syrian civil war, Abu Mohammed al-Golani was a shadowy figure who kept out of the public eye, even when his group became the most powerful faction fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Today, he is Syria's most recognizable insurgent, having gradually stepped into the limelight since...
From applause to arrest warrants: The distance between the U.S. Congress and the ICC
December 6th, 20240 The way the U.S. Congress and the International Criminal Court (ICC) view and handle matters involving the Israeli prime minister is significantly different. The U.S. Congress demonstrates unwavering support for the Israeli prime minister despite widespread international concerns over potential criminal actions. On the other hand, the...
Who is Massad Boulos, Trump’s advisor for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs?
December 6th, 20240 On Sunday, President-elect Trump announced his selection of Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos as his senior advisor for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. This appointment has garnered significant attention from media outlets both within and outside the United States, including in the Arab world and in Boulos' homeland,......
Amnesty International investigation concludes Israel is committing genocide
December 6th, 20240 “We will look back and say, ‘Why did we not do more earlier?” Amnesty's director tells Zeteo. By Prem Thakker A young Palestinian man walks in the rubble following Israeli airstrikes on Khan Yunis, Gaza, on April 7. File photo Israel is committing...
Escalating offensive in Syria: Strategic advances and geopolitical realignments
December 6th, 20240 On Israel’s timing: Turkey turns against the “de-escalation” agreement as armed groups overrun northern Syria and advance southward The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has described the recent sweeping offensive involving formerly rival factions as a meticulously coordinated and long-prepared operation. This multi-faceted......
Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon brokered by the U.S. and France, war on Gaza rages
November 29th, 20240 On Wednesday, tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese residents began returning to their homes in Southern Lebanon as a ceasefire was called, halting the fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah. After a nearly 14 month cross-border fight and Israel's invasion into Lebanon last month, with thousands killed, displaced and...
Don’t expect predictable foreign policy in Trump’s second term
November 22nd, 20240 The voters have spoken, and Donald J. Trump will be the 47th president of the United States. With a Republican-controlled Senate and strong backing in the House, Trump will be in position to implement his agenda, starting in January. What does that mean for foreign policy? It’s hard to say with certainty. In Trump’s first term, from...
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
November 22nd, 20241 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself under mounting international and domestic pressure as he continues his aggressive attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Despite failing to achieve his stated war objectives, Netanyahu persists in his policy of "forward escape," attempting to deflect attention from his legal troubles. He is...
Israeli aggression faces firm resistance in Lebanon and Gaza amid escalation and internal pressures on Netanyahu
November 15th, 20240 The Israeli offensive in Gaza and Lebanon continues to face significant challenges on multiple fronts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is grappling with an intensifying internal political crisis and a looming corruption trial while the Israeli military faces an emboldened and well-organized resistance on the ground. Military stalemate......
Arab Americans’ perspectives on the Middle East crisis
November 15th, 20241 It is time to realign our compass with the values that we and this nation stand for and reshape our narrative to leave a heroic and meaningful legacy for future generations. For months, countless children, women and the elderly have lost their lives or severely injured. An immeasurable number of children are now orphans, women have lost...
Israeli strike targets media personal in Lebanon, kills three journalists
October 26th, 20240 BEIRUT – An Israeli strike early on Friday morning killed at least three journalists and wounded several others as they slept in guesthouses used by media in Hasbaya in southern Lebanon, Lebanon's health ministry and local media reported. Those killed were camera operator Ghassan Najjar and engineer Mohamed Reda of the pro-Iranian......
Hezbollah fighters repel Israeli ground incursions in Lebanon and escalate strikes on Israeli heartland, while Gaza endures intensified onslaught
October 26th, 20240 Lebanon frontline and Israeli setbacks: Over a month into Israel’s comprehensive and vicious military campaign against Lebanon, the Israeli army struggles to accomplish any significant gains along the northern border. Hezbollah forces, meanwhile, are not only repelling ground incursions but also intensifying their missile...
“text me you haven’t died”— my sister was the 166th doctor to be murdered in Gaza
October 18th, 20240 “Your lives will continue. With new events and new faces. They are the faces of your children, who will fill your homes with noise and laughter.” These were the last words written by my sister in a text message to one of her daughters. Dr. Soma Baroud was murdered on October 9 when Israeli warplanes bombed a taxi that carried......
