Israeli Officials Now Promoting Impunity for Settler-Colonial Violence

RAMONA WADI ( Middle East Monitor ) – If Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, can find excuses for the hilltop youth’s colonial violence, how much more is the concept of settler-colonial presence as a form of violence normalised? During a meeting called by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir described the hilltop youth as “sweet boys” forced into… Read More Israeli Officials Now Promoting Impunity for Settler-Colonial Violence

Europe Ignoring Israeli War Crimes under Guise of Combating anti-Semitism: new report

( Middle East Monitor ) – The chilling repercussions of the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism have been revealed in a recent report by the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC). Titled “Suppressing Palestinian Rights Advocacy through the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism”, the report by the independent Dutch-based organisation uncovered shocking examples of the IHRA’s… Read More Europe Ignoring Israeli War Crimes under Guise of Combating anti-Semitism: new report

Netanyahu is leading a coup against his own country. But the threat is not only to Israel

Jonathan Freedland I look at the contrasting journeys taken by Northern Ireland and by Israel in the last 25 years and conclude that one got on the right train and the other missed it – with consequences that get only more tragic. To be sure, not everything in Northern Ireland is rosy. The institutions of self-government remain… Read More Netanyahu is leading a coup against his own country. But the threat is not only to Israel

A poisonous dictatorship has been built in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab spring

Sihem Bensedrine I was relieved when Hervé, a young man from Ivory Coast who occasionally helps me around the house, finally called. It had been four agonising days of radio silence. Since his landlady had evicted him, he had been wandering the streets of Raoued, a suburb of Tunis, trying to avoid the marauding gangs.… Read More A poisonous dictatorship has been built in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab spring

Juan Cole: The Meaning of Historic China-Brokered Deal Between Saudi Arabia and Iran

A major shift in global relations has recently transpired. To some in America, it may look like the second coming of the Evil Empire. Too much of the rest of the world, it’s a welcome chance for a renewed multipolar order, where the sovereign desires of nations are respected and new collaborations can be established.… Read More Juan Cole: The Meaning of Historic China-Brokered Deal Between Saudi Arabia and Iran

We Iraqis had survived Saddam Hussein. It was the US invasion that destroyed our lives

NB: Will George Bush & Tony Blair ever be held accountable for war crimes? DS We have a saying that captures the devastation of our country: ‘Saddam has gone, but 1,000 more Saddams have replaced him’ Balsam Mustafa Twenty years ago, around this time, the US-led military operation to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein’s… Read More We Iraqis had survived Saddam Hussein. It was the US invasion that destroyed our lives

Israel is at a crucial crossroads: it can save itself or slide into despotism

Dahlia Scheindlin Israel’s right wing is no stranger to political victory. Rightwing parties have governed for the better part of more than four decades and each time Benjamin Netanyahu has won an election since 2009, euphoric supporters have cheered King Bibi, while losers have gloomily prophesied the end of democracy. But Netanyahu’s sixth government, formed in the final… Read More Israel is at a crucial crossroads: it can save itself or slide into despotism

With over 20,000 dead, can President Erdogan Survive Turkey’s Earthquake Politically?

JUAN COLE Monday’s massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake in south-central Turkey, in which at least 20,000 have died — and probably tens of thousands more — has shocked that country and the world. It inescapably has political implications, with Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for mid-May. President Tayyip Recep Erdogan is facing widespread criticism for… Read More With over 20,000 dead, can President Erdogan Survive Turkey’s Earthquake Politically?

Saudi Arabian academic on death row for using Twitter and WhatsApp

Stephanie Kirchgaessner A prominent pro-reform law professor in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to death for alleged crimes including having a Twitter account and using WhatsApp to share news considered “hostile” to the kingdom, according to court documents seen by the Guardian. The arrest of Awad Al-Qarni, 65, in September 2017 represented the start of a crackdown against dissent by… Read More Saudi Arabian academic on death row for using Twitter and WhatsApp