Lebanon fails to elect a president for third time amid financial meltdown
October 21st, 20220 BEIRUT — Lebanon's parliament failed to elect a president for the third time on Thursday, bringing the country closer to institutional deadlock amid a deep financial crisis. Outgoing President Michel Aoun's term ends on Oct. 31 and divisions remain among political blocs over the makeup of a new cabinet. Lebanon has been without...
U.S. envoy in Lebanon next week with maritime deal to sign
October 19th, 20220 BEIRUT — U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein will be in Beirut next week, carrying a copy of the maritime agreement with Israel for Lebanese officials to sign, Lebanese negotiator Elias Bou Saab told Reuters on Wednesday. The deal — hailed by all three parties as a historic achievement — marks a diplomatic departure from decades...
Strangers behind the trees: On the death of Rayan Suliman and his fear of monsters
October 16th, 20220 Children of my Gaza refugee camp were rarely afraid of monsters, but of Israeli soldiers. This is all that we talked about before going to bed. Unlike imaginary monsters in the closet or under the bed, Israeli soldiers are real, and they could show up any minute — at the door, on the roof or, as was often the case, right in the middle...
Iraq elects new president and premier, ending stalemate
October 14th, 20220 On Thursday Iraq’s parliament elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as president, who immediately named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani prime minister-designate, ending a year of deadlock after a national election last October. The presidency, traditionally occupied by a Kurd, is a largely ceremonial position, but the vote for...
“Historic agreement” struck between Lebanon, Israel in maritime dispute
October 12th, 20220 BEIRUT — Negotiators in recent talks between Lebanon and Israel over a maritime border dispute said this week a "historic" deal had been struck between the two countries. “Lebanon has obtained its full rights, and all of its remarks have been taken into account,” said Lebanon’s Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab, who submitted the...
Hidden motives: Why Lapid is not serious about a Palestinian state
October 8th, 20220 Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid threw a wrench into the works when he declared from the United Nations General Assembly podium, “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.” The statement took many...
Lebanon says maritime deal “make or break” after Israel snubs request for changes
October 6th, 20220 BEIRUT — Lebanon said U.S.-brokered talks to demarcate its maritime border with longtime foe Israel were at a "make or break" point on Thursday after Israel rejected revisions to a draft deal requested by Beirut, throwing years of diplomatic efforts into doubt. The draft, which has not been made public, had a warm preliminary...
From Exodus to Marvel: A brief history of Hollywood’s justification of Israeli war crimes
October 3rd, 20220 The introduction of an Israeli Mossad agent as the latest Marvel movie character crosses the line, even by Hollywood's poor moral standards. However, the Israeli superhero, Sabra, must be understood within the rational progression of the Israelification of Hollywood, a phenomenon that is surprisingly new. Sabra is a relatively old...
A team of doctors is bringing joint replacement surgeries to besieged Palestinians, here’s how you can help
October 1st, 20220 The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and Fajr Scientific will host a charity fundraising dinner on Oct. 8 for resources to bring joint replacement surgeries to Palestinians living under a brutal occupation. The situation for Palestinians, like those living under a crippling economic blockade in Gaza, has made the routine...
Death toll rises in Iranian protests over young woman’s killing
September 29th, 20220 TEHRAN — Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of a young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested...
Lebanese dance troupe crowned winners of “America’s Got Talent”
September 16th, 20220 A Lebanese dance troupe has won the top prize on the popular American television show America’s Got Talent, becoming the first Arab participants to do so. Mayyas, an all-female dance act, won the $1 million prize, and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show, after they received the most votes from the public, beating the other 10...
Factbox: Just how bad is Lebanon’s economic crisis?
September 16th, 20220 Savers held up two banks in Lebanon on Wednesday to demand access to their own deposits frozen in the country's paralyzed financial system, underlining desperation among citizens unable to access savings since an economic crisis began in 2019. There were similar incidents in Beirut in August and in eastern Lebanon in January. The...
Syria may “return to larger-scale fighting,” U.N. warns in new report
September 16th, 20220 Syria's simmering 11-year war is at risk of boiling up once again with a return to large-scale combat after several frontlines across the country flared up in recent months, the United Nations warned on Wednesday in a new report. "Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be heading," said Paulo...
“Avenging Sabra and Shatila”: On Israeli massacres and Palestinian resistance
September 14th, 20220 September 16 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the killing of around 3,000 Palestinians at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors of the massacre. Many of them have...
Depositors hold up two Lebanese banks to grab their own money
September 14th, 20220 Two seemingly armed and desperate Lebanese depositors held up banks on Wednesday to force access to their own money, which has been blocked during a national financial meltdown. One woman with a gun, that she later said was a toy, and some associates briefly held hostages at a branch of BLOM Bank in the capital Beirut, before leaving......
Lebanon-Israel maritime talks to conclude in “days”, official says
September 13th, 20220 Maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel that could help allocate oil and gas resources are close to concluding after around two years of negotiations, a top Lebanese security official told Reuters on Tuesday. "We're talking about weeks — actually, days — to finish the delineation issue," the head of Lebanon's General...
The road to fascism: How the war in Ukraine is changing Europe
September 11th, 20222 As soon as I landed in Rome, I discovered that I was no longer able to access any Russian media whatsoever. Unfortunately, threats by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe should sever all links with “Russia’s propaganda machine” were taken seriously by the Italian government. As a journalist, having......
Chances of accountability remain slim, as Biden administration welcomes Israeli report on Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing
September 9th, 20220 This week, the U.S. State Department officials said they "welcome" a report by Israel’s occupation forces that there was a "high possibility" renowned Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was "accidentally" killed by Israeli gunfire last May. Though the Biden administration has made gestures towards accountability over...
Qatar World Cup organizer says country has faced “unfair” criticism
September 9th, 20220 DOHA - Qatar has faced a lot of unfair criticism over its hosting of soccer's World Cup that was not based on facts, but it has responded to any fair criticism, Qatar 2022 Chief Executive Nasser Al Khater said on Thursday. He told a news conference, the first held by organizers in months, that 70 days prior to the tournament's...
Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96, ending an era for Britain
September 8th, 20220 Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the nation's figurehead for seven decades, died at her home in Scotland at 96 on Thursday. "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to...
Investigating the victim: On Abbas’ “holocaust” and the depravity of Israeli Hasbara
September 4th, 20220 “There was no Massacre in Jenin” was the title of a Haaretz editorial on April 19, 2002, one week after Israel ended its deadly onslaught on the besieged Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The unwarranted conclusion by Haaretz, other Israeli media and, ultimately, numerous Western outlets was not the outcome of a......
U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, Biden tells Israel’s Lapid
September 3rd, 20220 WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday the U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, the White House said, as Tehran seeks stronger guarantees from Washington for the revival of a nuclear deal with world powers. Israel opposes a return to the 2015 deal, which imposed curbs on...
Deadly clashes rage in Baghdad in Shi’a power struggle
August 30th, 20220 BAGHDAD — Iraq is seeing a fresh wave of violence in a power struggle between the powerful Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Shi'a parties and paramilitary groups. On Thursday, clashes among rivals in the Iraqi city of Basra killed at least four people, as violence from a worsening political crisis hit the south of the country. Heavy......
Fake neutrality: How Western media language misrepresents Palestinians, shields Israel
August 27th, 20220 While U.S. and Western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favor of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times' coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article on August 6, “Israel-Gaza Fighting Flares for a Second Day” is...
Lebanese chess champion withdraws from international competition
August 23rd, 20220 LEBANON — Nadia Fawaz, a Lebanese chess champion, was matched with an Israeli player, Elia Grozman, in the fourth round of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. Lebanese outlet The961 has reported that Fawaz, however, decided she did not want to play with an Israeli and has withdrawn from the international chess......
