Israel and Palestine: The Language of Force
Soon after coming to power, Ariel Sharon started to commission public opinion polls. He kept the results to himself. This week, a reporter of Israel's TV Channel 10 succeeded in obtaining some of them.
Deportation of 50 Africans from Israel Sparks Human Rights Concern
Israel deported to Egypt on 19 August some 50 asylum seekers who had illegally crossed the border over the weekend. The move has been legalized by the state's attorney-general but criticized by rights groups.
Afghanistan: UN Highlights Conflict’s Impact on Civilians
Armed conflict in Afghanistan has not only caused hundreds of civilian deaths but has also had a negative impact on many aspects of people’s lives.
A Palestinian Miracle at the UN?
Since the foundation of the United Nations' Security Council, the Palestinians did not manage to have any kind of sway that would allow them to block or amend a proposed resolution in any meaningful way.
OSLO REVISITED
ON THESE hot, sticky days of the Israeli summer, it is pleasant to feel the coolness of Oslo, even if the visit is only virtual. Fourteen years after the signing of the Oslo agreement, it is again the subject of debate: was it a historical mistake?
Politics Trespass Humanitarian Borders in Gaza
The major political players who are involved in sealing off 1.5 million Palestinians into an open air prison in the world’s most densely populated 360-square-kilometre area of the Gaza Strip are unmercifully trespassing humanitarian borders there.
Bush Launches A New Middle East Initiative. Middle East Peace Is At Hand. Again.
Pretty much no one is taking it seriously. Even mainstream analysts usually willing to take Bush administration Middle East initiatives at face value are rolling their collective eyes.
White Elephants
The Middle East is now being invaded by a herd of white elephants. This week it became known that President Bush is about to supply Saudi Arabia with huge quantities of the most advanced weapons. The price tag is $20 billion dollars.
Middle East: A Warning to Tony Blair
LAST WEEK, James Wolfensohn gave a long interview to Haaretz. He poured out his heart and summed up, with amazing openness, his months as special envoy of the US, Russia, the EU and the UN (the 'Quartet') in this country - the same job entrusted now to Tony Blair.
Israel: Court Overturns Dismissal of Young Communist Labor Organizer
The Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court on Sunday ruled that the dismissal of Alon-Lee Green from his job at the Coffee Bean coffee shop chain three weeks ago was unlawful, and instructed the company to rehire him.
