Gaza preparing for second phase of ceasefire, Lebanon awaiting historic funeral for Nasrallah
February 21st, 20250 As the first phase of the “Gaza Agreement” continues to be implemented, Thursday witnessed Hamas handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages. Meanwhile, Israel’s delays in initiating talks for the second phase appear to have ended. Several Arab countries are preparing to counter President Trump’s reconstruction plan, which...
Tens of thousands of Palestinians flee West Bank refugee camps
February 21st, 20250 Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank have left their homes as a weeks-long Israeli offensive has demolished houses and torn up vital infrastructure in the heavily built up townships, Palestinian authorities said. Israeli forces began their operation in the refugee camp in the northern...
What does Trump’s birthright citizenship order mean for immigrants?
February 14th, 20250 By Selen Ozturk The three weeks since President Trump’s inauguration has brought a regular slurry of executive orders — including one ending birthright citizenship. The order, issued on the first day of Trump’s presidency, January 20, argued that the policy granting automatic citizenship to babies born on U.S....
Governor Whitmer leads delegation of Michigan leaders on investment mission to the UAE and Bahrain
February 14th, 20250 DUBAI – In her first official visit to the Arab region, Michigan Governor Whitmer embarked on a trade and investment mission to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain on Tuesday. The trip, scheduled to last until February 19, aims to strengthen Michigan’s foreign relations, attract investments and highlight the state’s...
Mediators succeed in preventing Gaza truce from collapsing, Trump pushes “transfer” plan and threatens Jordan and Egypt
February 14th, 20250 Washington Awaits Arab countries' plan for Gaza President Trump has openly escalated pressure on Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians he intends to expel from Gaza, as part of his vision to transform the war-ravaged strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East." His aggressive stance was evident during his meeting with King Abdullah II...
Ahmed al-Sharaa declared transitional president of Syria, consolidating his power
January 31st, 20250 DAMASCUS – Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a transitional period and the Syrian...
The massive return of Palestinians to Northern Gaza and of Lebanese Southerners: A blow to Israel and proof of its military failure
January 31st, 20252 The sight of hundreds of thousands of Gazans returning to the northern areas of the Strip, coupled with the return of southern Lebanese residents to their villages on Sunday, served as a double blow to the Israeli occupation. It was also a practical declaration of the failure of Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon, which the...
Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza complicates Netanyahu’s war aims
January 31st, 20250 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed 15 months ago that Israel would achieve “total victory” in the war in Gaza — by eradicating Hamas and freeing all the hostages. One week into a ceasefire with the militant group, many Israelis are dubious. Not only is Hamas still intact, there’s also no guarantee all of the hostages...
Residents leave homes in Jenin as Israeli West Bank raid continues
January 26th, 20250 RAMALLAH — Hundreds of Jenin residents left their homes on Thursday, prompted by messages from drones fitted with loudspeakers, witnesses said, as the military demolished a number of houses on the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city. The operation, involving large columns of vehicles...
Rights groups warn Trump executive order would restore Muslim “travel ban”
January 26th, 20250 Immigration activists rally against the Trump administration's new ban against travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2017. - File Photo by Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. civil rights groups are warning that an executive order signed by President Trump on...
Who is Nawaf Salam, the new prime minister designate of Lebanon?
January 17th, 20250 Born on December 15, 1953, in Beirut, Nawaf Salam hails from a prominent political family. His father, Abdullah Salam, was one of the founders of Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, and represented the family on its board of directors between 1956 and 1983. Salam is married to Sahar Baassiri, a journalist and Lebanon’s...
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......
