New York Times Correspondent Taghreed El-Khodary describes the current situation in the Gaza Strip in an interview with Middle East Progress. Her account provides an interesting look at the mentality of many Gazans, some of which remain pleased with the overall situation because of the infrastructure set up by Hamas to provide social services. However, […]
Comparing a topographical map of Palestine in the early 1900s to a modern Google Map of Israel, one striking differences juts out. No, not the separation fence (wall, hedge, whatever you want to call it). The Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate primarily due to over-mining from both Jordanian and Israeli companies. Even […]
The first Fatah conference in 25 years may cause significant tensions between the Palestinian Authority, Israel, the United States, and Egypt, according to a news report. Next week’s conference is expected to boost the legitimacy of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but recent hurdles may torpedo the event while taking Abbas and the peace process with it. […]
New figures from the Israeli Defense Forces estimate that over 300,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, with numbers increasing at a rate of 2.3 percent this year. The rate of growth is expected to inch higher due to family re-locations to the settlements during the summer. The figures do not include Jewish populations in East […]
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unequivocally stated that the United States would not permit Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, she said this morning on NBC’s Meet the Press. Her comments come amidst speculation that Israel is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. […]
In the midst of the Israel-U.S. dispute over settlements and a potential Israeli strike on Iran, four senior American officials will arrive in Israel this week, although U.S. officials contend that the high concentration of American presence in the region is purely coincidental. U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on […]
The Israeli government embarked on its first major financial initiative to strengthen Arab-owned businesses by releasing a 160 million shekel ($40 million) tender late last week to support the integration of these companies into the overall economy. The program provides 80 million shekels of government money to the winning bidder of the tender who must […]
The U.S. government delivered the first $200 million of an expected $900 million to the Palestinian Authority yesterday. The State Department pledged the donations in March at a conference in Cairo meant to raise funding for Gaza Strip reconstruction and Palestinian Authority initiatives. The State Department released the following data on U.S. investments in the […]
The latest line in pro-Israel new media is a Facebook widget that changes an individuals Facebook status to read as a fun fact about the Jewish State. A group of students from Hebrew University in Jerusalem created the application and already 3,000 people use the widget on their Facebook accounts. Some fun facts include: the […]
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak travelled to Paris this week for discussions with European leaders to improve regional cooperation, however some reports indicate that the trip was a guise for surgery. Reportedly, the procedure is likely far more serious than Egyptian media accounts that claim Mubarak had back surgery. Moreover, many medical procedures performed on geriatric […]
The Turkish government seeks to resume facilitating an Israeli-Syrian peace process, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today after meeting with Syrian President Basher al-Assad. Resumption of the peace process could result from increased overtures from the United States towards Syria, most notably the appointment of an ambassador to Damascus alongside various trips from […]
The majority of Palestinians lack trust in Fatah, Hamas, or any other political party, according to a recent poll. Conducted by Near East Consulting, the poll found 38-percent of Palestinians maintain confidence in Fatah, compared with only 11-percent for Hamas and five-percent for other groups. Of likely voters, the poll found that 35-percent of those […]
The ultra-orthodox community in Israel and the settlements continues to gain increased political clout in Israeli politics, according to a new report from the International Crisis Group. Due to high birthrates and political mobilization, these communities will likely prove to be a significant hurdle in the evacuation of settlements and the realization of a two-states […]
The Obama Administration’s mandate of a settlement will include any Jewish construction projects in East Jerusalem, according to U.S. officials cited in various news reports. The clarification comes amidst plans to transform a hotel in predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem into apartments for Jews. Protestors rallied yesterday to show opposition to the construction project. Opposition to construction […]
The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip released its first major motion picture in an effort to transform a small lot in the embattled territory into an Islamic Hollywood. The film, produced by Hamas with $200,000 over 10-months, depicts the story of 23-year old Hamas commander Emad Akel who was killed in 1993 by Israeli […]