Jordan and Lebanon no longer safe havens for refugees fleeing Syria
September 8th, 20230 On September 7, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced that the Hashemite kingdom could no longer accept Syrian refugees. He stressed that the future of displaced Syrians lies within their own country. During a joint press conference in Amman with Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, Safadi said, “Jordan will not be...U.N. warns Israeli government that a mass deportation of Eritrean migrants contravenes international law
The United Nations is urging the Israeli government to refrain from the mass deportation of Eritreans after clashes over the weekend involving refugees. The U.N. warned the response would “contravene international law.” On Tuesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman, William Spindler, told reporters in Geneva,...
According to reports, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh met with Mossad chief last year to discuss Libyan-Israeli normalization in Amman
September 4th, 20230 The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar has obtained a classified diplomatic cable confirming that Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh met David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad, to discuss “practical steps to normalize relations” between the two countries last year in Amman, Jordan. The meeting specifically focused on “the...
Arab American activists urge DHS to declare temporary protected status for Lebanese nationals in the U.S.
September 2nd, 20231 Arab American community activists are urging the Department of Homeland Security to declare Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanese nationals in the U.S.. It would grant temporary immigration status for people to live and work in the U.S. due to challenges in their home country. Adam Beddawi, policy manager for the National...
Palestinian American journalist says she was discriminated against by employees of Israel’s airline, stripped half naked
September 2nd, 20230 A Palestinian American journalist who was barred from boarding her flight from Newark to Tel Aviv in July says that she was humiliated and discriminated against by employees of Israel's flagship carrier. Now, the U.S. Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into the incident, it confirmed to Insider by email. The...
U.S. officials plead with Yemeni leaders to start negotiations with the current Saudi-appointed government
August 29th, 20230 Washington is urging Yemen’s National Salvation Government, the NCG, to start negotiations with the Saudi-appointed parallel government currently controlling Yemen’s southern regions to “resolve” the 9-year war. “We urge Ansarallah to seize this unprecedented opportunity and sit with the government to draw a prosperous...
U.S. General Mark Milley: U.S. military forces in Syria depends on ISIS threat
August 29th, 20230 The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, told Jordanian TV on August 24 that U.S. military forces would remain stationed in northeast Syria to “fight ISIS” for the foreseeable future. “The ideology is not dead yet, and there are some ISIS terrorists that are still roaming the deserts of Syria and...
Friend or foe? Russia’s West Jerusalem consulate is very worrying
August 23rd, 20230 Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, a global cold war has also kicked in. As a strong ally of Washington and the home of a massive constituency of Russian, Ukrainian and East European Jews, it was only natural that Tel Aviv would be at the heart of the global conflict. When the war began, Israel was then ruled by an odd...
Syria’s U.N. representative claims U.S. is providing Syrian armed groups with chemical weapons
August 18th, 20231 Syria’s representative to the United Nations said that the U.S. has provided armed groups in western Syria with chemical weapons, training the groups to use the weapons to launch a possible false flag attack during a U.N. Security Council session on Wednesday, August 9. “U.S. occupation forces provided terrorists in Al-Tanf with...
Forensic audit into Lebanon’s central bank reveals misconduct and “illegitimate” commissions
August 18th, 20230 BEIRUT — A forensic audit into Lebanon’s central bank by a New York-based company has revealed years long misconduct by the bank’s former governor and $111 million in “illegitimate commissions,” according to a report by the company. It’s the latest chapter in the saga of Lebanon’s embattled former central bank governor...
Opinion: Faith in democracy is vital
August 18th, 20230 Americans are pessimistic about our democracy, according to a recent poll. It’s a worrisome finding. Of course, it’s easy to watch the news and conclude our government isn’t working. But we must not get to the point where we think we can’t solve our problems in a democratic fashion. That’s a danger line. The poll, by The...
Israel-Hezbollah tensions elevate risks of conflict
August 18th, 20230 An escalating war of words between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon echoes heightened tension at the border, with each vowing to return the other to the "stone age" and preparing for a possible conflict even as they deny seeking one. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash...
Saudi Arabia, Iran relations “on the right track,” Iranian minister says after Riyadh visits
August 18th, 20230 Saudi Arabia and Iran are making progress on mending ties, Iran's foreign minister said after meeting with his counterpart in Riyadh on Thursday, as two regional heavyweights seek to overcome past hostility and boost cooperation. "Relations between Tehran and Saudi are on the right track and we are witnessing progress," Hossein...
Palestinians welcome China’s new Middle East role, but it is not mediation they need
August 16th, 20230 It is feasible for China to continue playing an important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly the issue. Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last April, Chinese...
COVID makes a comeback, but new vaccines are around the corner
August 16th, 20230 By Sunita Sohrabji The U.S. is experiencing a summer swell of infections, though hospitalization rates remain relatively stable. Three eminent experts conclude that COVID-19 will continue to pose a health threat over many years, as it continues its evolution. But updated vaccines are expected to mitigate the severity of......
Two killed in clash between a Hezbollah truck driver and armed Christian villagers
August 12th, 20230 The clashes on Wednesday between Hezbollah members and armed Christian villagers in the town of Kahaleh, which is a Lebanese Forces stronghold, stole the limelight and overshadowed all other events in Lebanon. The clashes that claimed two casualties — a member of Hezbollah and a Christian villager — came after a series of security...
Iran’s navy unveils new vessels equipped with 375-miles-range missiles, Tasnim reports
August 7th, 20230 Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy has unveiled new vessels equipped with 600-km (375 miles) range missiles at a time of rising tensions with the U.S. in the Gulf, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday. The announcement was made during a military exercise off the coast of Abu Musa island, one of three Gulf islands......
Hamas looks to Hezbollah for help restoring peace in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
August 4th, 20230 The Hamas resistance movement has asked the secretary general of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to make the best effort he could to end the deadly clashes between factions in the Palestinian Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, requested that Nasrallah get...
Balancing act is over: Israeli protests are not about democracy, but ideology
August 2nd, 20230 The late Israeli commentator Uri Avnery wrote, “I am increasingly worried that the Israeli-Palestinian struggle… is assuming a more and more religious character.” At first glance, the statement may seem baffling. If Israel is a “Jewish State” that serves as a “homeland” for all Jewish people, everywhere, does it not...
Swedish PM “extremely worried” what could happen if further Quran burnings go ahead
August 1st, 20230 STOCKHOLM — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is "extremely worried" about the consequences if more demonstrations go ahead in which the Quran is desecrated, he said on Thursday, amid growing Muslim anger at a series of attacks on Islam's holy book. Attacks on the Quran in Sweden and Denmark have offended many Muslim countries,...
Palestinian clashes continue for a third day at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Saida, Lebanon
July 31st, 20230 According to local media, heavy fighting between armed Palestinian groups at a refugee camp in Lebanon continued for a third consecutive day on Monday morning. At least nine people have been killed since the clashes began on Saturday. More than 40 people have been wounded. Tensions sparked at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Saida......
12-year-old Dearborn native Aaminah Abdrabboh makes history, brings gold home
July 29th, 20230 DEARBORN —12-year-old Aaminah Abdrabboh recently made history by becoming the first hijabi female to win gold at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Kids Tournament. The tournament took place in Kissimmee, Florida from July 21 to July 23 and is the world's largest kids' Jiu-Jitsu tournament. With 2,700...
In 2024 Americans will need a “visa” to visit Europe — Here’s what you should know
July 29th, 20230 U.S. passport holders have long traveled throughout most of the world without having to worry about visa applications. American travelers currently have visa-free access to 184 destinations worldwide, according to this year’s Henley Passport Index, which ranked the U.S. passport as the eighth most powerful in the world. But that’s......
U.S. and Israel: Is the “unbreakable Bond” finally breaking?
July 26th, 20230 Israeli President Isaac Herzog added nothing of great value in his speech at the United States Congress on July 19. His was the typical language. He spoke of a “sacred bond”, touted the shared experience between both nations as “unique in scope and quality”, and celebrated the great, common “values that reach across...
U.S. Congress tries to wish away Israeli racism and apartheid
July 22nd, 20230 On July 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution by the kind of lopsided vote (412 for, 9 against, 1 present) normally reserved for proclamations lauding members' hometown Little League programs. Unlike most legislation, Concurrent Resolution 57 is short enough to fit comfortably into newspaper op-ed length: "Resolved......
