Middle East & North Africa

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J Street, AJC on CNN
November 22, 2009 3 min. read

CNN’s Christiana Amanpour interviewed “pro Israel, pro peace” lobby J Street’s Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami and American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris. J Street recently held a controversial conference in DC that had unexpectedly high turnout. However, critics of the group contend J Street’s agenda and supporters do not have Israel’s best interests in […]

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Jordanian and Israeli Rodents
November 21, 2009 2 min. read

For once in discussions on the Middle East, ‘rats’ actually refer to rodents, or more specifically, hamsters and similar species. A new study finds Israeli rats are more cautious than their Jordanian cohorts. Even though rats can freely cross the border between Israel and Jordan (humans are limited to three border crossings and Israelis can actually use […]

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The Dualities of Abbas
November 21, 2009 4 min. read

He announced he’s quitting. He halted the peace process. He condemned Israel for not stopping settlement activity. He criticized Hamas for not using popular resistance. He wants to unilaterally declare statehood. He still says he wants peace. He kind of backtracked on quitting. He rejected a U.S. peace negotiations effort. That’s right, Palestinian President Mahmoud […]

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Another Vote for the Fayyad Plan
November 19, 2009 1 min. read

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius casts another vote in support of Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad’s institution building plan. While nothing new, Ignatius’ op-ed provides some interesting context of the state building initiative and distinguishes it greatly from the unilateral declaration of Palestinian independence currently being floated by some PLO members. Ignatius concludes: “Don’t get […]

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British Documentary Takes Cheap Shots on Israel
November 19, 2009 3 min. read

A new British documentary on the pro-Israel lobby in England should re-title itself to “This Is How Lobby’s Work.” The documentary, aired on the Dispatches program, explores the use of money and luncheons to gain influence in British politics. Well, I hate to break it the show’s producers, but that’s what lobbies do. The Israel […]

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Hizballah arms issue tabled for now
November 19, 2009 4 min. read

The week-old Lebanese government has made it clear that it has no intention of taking up the subject of Hizballah’s arms until the distant future. For now, the matter has been relegated to the abstract and ambiguous category as  being part of the “national dialogue”. This is a polite way for the new Hariri government […]

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More on the Hostile Relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia
November 18, 2009 1 min. read

Here is a quick analysis presented by the Link TV on the growing tensions between Iran and Saudia Arabia over Yemen’s conflict between the government forces (backed by the Saudis) and the Houthi rebels (supported by Iran). The report also answers questions like why did Arab satellites carriers drop Iranian Al Alam TV? And will […]

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Israel-U.S. Dispute Over J'lem Construction Rekindled
November 18, 2009 2 min. read

The row between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government and the Obama Administration flared up again today, as the Israeli government approved a plan to build 900 homes in Gilo, a disputed Jewish settlement outside Jerusalem on the Palestinian side of the Green Line. Increased settlements in Gilo serve two functions detrimental to the peace […]

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Watch PBS Tonight
November 17, 2009 4 min. read

Today, on your local PBS channel, Frontline will have a documentary investigating Iran’s controversial election and how Neda Agha Soltan became a potent symbol for the reform movement.  Frontline has a press release that provides more detail on this documentary: FRONTLINE INVESTIGATES THE CONTROVERSIAL IRANIAN ELECTION AND THE DEATH OF ONE YOUNG PROTESTER SEEN AROUND […]

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A U.S. Approach to Palestinian Unilateralism
November 16, 2009 3 min. read

As debate swirls on the ramifications and reality of a unilateral declaration of independence by the Palestinians, speculation and analysis revolves around how the United States should react to the move. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly expressed support for a Palestinian state through negotiations, and not unilateral declarations. He said: “We support the creation of a Palestinian […]

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An Antipathetic Relationship
November 16, 2009 1 min. read

Continuing with the theme of the troubled relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, especially over Yemen, here is an Al Jazeera report examining how Yemenis are reacting to foreign interference in their country’s civil war: [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ybK4-DveFQ8″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] On Sunday, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament,  criticized the Saudi government […]

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A Unilateral Declaration of Independence?
November 15, 2009 1 min. read

Comments made by Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat indicate that the Palestinians will unilaterally declare independence from Israel along the June 4, 1967 border, effectively on the green line that would include Jerusalem in the sovereign country. Palestinian leaders are actively lobbying countries for their support on the proposal and reports indicate that a measure could reach […]

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