The United Nations named yesterday the new chairman of the Commission on Population and Development as well as the head of an investigation into allegations stemming from Israel’s recent Gaza Strip operation. Danny Cameron, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UN, will chair the Commission on Population and Development even though many Arab nations opposed the […]
Hamas and Fatah agreed to resume reconciliation talks in Cairo at the end of the month, with a tentative date scheduled for April 26. The latest round of negotiations stalled yesterday due to disagreements between the two parties regarding a variety of issues, with some officials even calling the talks ‘unproductive.’
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman continues to dominate the headlines due to both his controversial comments as well as an ongoing investigation into his dealings that could result in fraud and money laundering convictions. Pro-peace American Jewish think tank Jstreet released a scathing video accusing Lieberman of racism and encouraging communities to protest the appointment. The […]
A recent story in the independent newspaper Al-Masri Al-Youm has the American University in Cairo up in arms after it insinuated that AUC was providing the US Department of Defense with “information about Egypt,” i.e. “spying,” through the US Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU – 3) program. From the Daily News Egypt: NAMRU-3, which was […]
Moody’s credit rating agency has increased Lebanon’s bond rating to B2 from B3. This means that the capacity for Lebanon to honor its debt obligation is stronger in the eyes of the ratings agency. A stronger rating enables a country to borrow money at lower interest rates because of the perception of lower risk. “Lebanon’s […]
Two headlines from today: ‘Israel unlikely to attack Iran this year’ AND ‘US general: Israel might choose strike Iran.’ Moral of the story: even the Pentagon has no idea. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates does not believe that Israel will launch an attack, a notion that reveals his disagreement with the generals. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad heightened his […]
With the installation of the new government in Israel, one statesmen appears to be getting all the attention, and its not Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The appointment of Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman to Foreign Minister led to international criticisms and domestic concern that one of the most polarizing local political figures would become the […]
Legendary Middle East historian Bernard Lewis penned an oped today in the Wall Street Journal describes the inadequacies of the Israeli electoral process. Lewis commends the democracy as, in and of itself, an accomplishment due to the failures of this type of system in the rest of the region. However, he still encourages electoral reform. He […]
The State Department intends on pursuing a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, an inter-governmental working group dedicated to human rights. Notably, the council often criticizes Israel for human rights violations, thereby drawing critiques from pro-Israel advocates. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman released the following statement, noting his interest in altering the […]
New Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with The Atlantic on his first day in office, declaring the need for the United States to prevent a nuclear Iran. Netanyahu did not reject President Barack Obama’s attempts to use diplomacy with Iran, instead focusing on the eventual outcome of a nuclear-free Iran as the only important […]
The latest op-ed from left-wing journalist Amira Hass describes the need to dismiss democracy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in order to secure the future of the peace process. She claims that the Palestinian Authority must first establish a sovereign state, accomplished partially by a strong government not weakened by small or extreme […]
Even before the next government officially takes over, the ideologically divided Likud-led cabinet appears fragile and faces the threat of withdrawal of one coalition partner. Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu supposedly promised his greatest inter-party challenger, Silvan Shalom, the post of Foreign Minister in the event that Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, tapped to head the […]
Speaker Nabih Berri criticized the government Saturday for its procrastination in the reconstruction efforts in South Beirut and Southern Lebanon. Those areas suffered major damage during the 2006 War with Israel. The areas, predominantly Shiite, were the targets of Israeli bombs in that country’s effort to exterminate Hizballah, the resistance group that forced out Israel […]
Following recent accounts of human rights violations from soldiers fighting in Operation Cast Lead, the IDF concluded an investigation into the accusations and deemed them categorically untrue. The international community as well as human rights groups condemned Israel for the supposed abuses, leading to major criticisms of Israel for using inhumane force. However, some groups […]
Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu intends to finalize his cabinet with the appointment of party members to the remaining posts, the most prominent of which is the Finance Minister. However, his chief Likud rival Silvan Shalom, may refuse all positions aside from vice-Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Netanyahu originally intended on chairing the Finance Ministry himself, but […]