As Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is officially inaugurated as the President, the question on everyone’s mind is what does the future hold for Iran. The one thing that is confirmed is the election crisis is far from being over. Ahmadinejad’s reformist opponents, along with the two former presidents and notable members of the family of Ayatollah Khomeini, […]
One ghost hovered over the Fatah conference this week. Not quite the ghost of Yasser Arafat, rather that of the conspiracy theory that Israel poisoned, gave AIDS to, or murdered the late Palestinian leader. Many Fatah members who adored Arafat criticized the Palestinian Authority for failing to launch an investigation into Arafat’s death. Some Fatah […]
President Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term by the country’s parliament today. Once again the ceremony had notable absentees. The New York Times reported that all but 13 of the 70 lawmakers forming a reformist bloc in Parliament were absent from the inauguration, and some of those who did attend walked out as […]
Merely three years since the Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah, the terror group substantially increased its military capabilities and poses an extreme risk to Israel. Hezbollah reportedly has 40,000 missiles targeting Israel, with some of the rockets capable of striking as far as Tel Aviv. During the 2006 war, the Israeli military attacked […]
Today the Washington Times reported that the United States is discreetly trying to stop Iraq from closing the Camp Ashraf, home to over 3,000 Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK) members. As discussed in my previous blog, MEK is regarded by both the Iranian and the U.S. government as a terrorist group. The group had been operating from […]
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has announced his departure from the March 14 coalition. Jumblatt takes with him a bloc of eleven votes, which greatly dents the victory of pro-Western March 14 coalition in the June parliamentary elections. Jumblatt has stated that his bloc will not be joining the pro-Syrian March 8 bloc, but will maintain […]
The first Fatah conference in 20 years launched today, with the leading Palestinian faction gearing up to elect new leadership. Due to the inability of some Fatah officials in Gaza to attended the event in Bethlehem, Fatah intends to hold a concurrent conference in the Strip to ensure Gaza-based party members have input. The primary […]
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei officially endorsed President Ahmadinejad on Monday for his second term in office. Ahmadinejad was declared the victor of the disputed elections that took place on June 12th in which he allegedly won almost two-thirds of the vote. In the ceremony marking the official start of his second term in office, Ahmadinejad […]
U.S. officials sharply condemned today the eviction of approximately 50 Arab families from East Jerusalem, calling the move a violation of the Road Map. The Israeli government forcefully removed the residents in order to clear room for Jewish settlers in the city who claimed previous ownership of the area extending to Ottoman rule. The annexation […]
There’s a joke in Israel that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wakes up from his coma. He asks the nurse to send him his number two, Ehud Olmert. “Unfortunately,” the nurse responds, “police suspect Olmert of accepting bribes.” “OK,” Sharon responds, “then send me President Moshe Katsav.” The nurse informs Sharon that Katzav resigned in […]
Here is an update on some of the stories I have previously blogged on: 1) Iran’s Role in the Latin America (July 30) The Iranian lawmakers have questioned the $280 million loan given to Bolivia. Their disapproval arises due to the Article 80 of the Iranian Constitution, which states that the Parliament must first approve […]
A shooting last night in Tel Aviv left two Israelis dead and approximately a dozen injured. A masked gunman entered a gay-lesbian support event for teens, began shooting indiscriminately, and fled the scene. Even though police determined that the crime was anti-gay in nature, and not with nationalistic motives, the reaction to the event within […]
About 100 protesters arrested for their involvement in post-election violence were put on trial today. The defendants included supporters of reformist opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and aides of former reformist president Mohammad Khatami. The Tehran Times reported that according to the indictment, a number of protesters confessed that the post-election unrest […]
Defying the government ban, ten of thousands of Iranians gathered yesterday at Tehran’s main cemetery for the 40-day commemoration of those killed in the aftermath of the election. Police used tear gas and baton to break up the demonstration. The Press TV reported that 50 people were arrested in the protest. Renowned Iranian filmmaker Panahi […]
The 2003 death of Evergreen student Rachel Corrie still seems to stir debates and outrages from both sides of the Israel-Palestine debate. Corrie protested Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip and attempted to stop an IDF bulldozer by standing in its path. The IDF claims that the bulldozer could not see Corrie, who did not […]