Even though the possibility of the return of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit lost significant momentum this week, some Egyptian sources indicate that a deal may still be possible before PM Ehud Olmert leaves office. His term may last longer than expected, seeing that Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu intends to request additional time to form […]
… of thinking about Iraq, Reidar Vissar argues for a. continued international and U.S. attention to the security and political development of the country, even as focus shifts to Afghanistan, b. a disaggregation of Sunni/Shia issues from Arab/Kurd issues, thus taking the idea of three-chunk partition off the table, and c. constitutional reform, hopefully with […]
A recent Haaretz expose describes abuse of Palestinians by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip in December and January. The article bases the claims on the accounts of soldiers regarding their experiences in the territories. A New York Times story outlines the potential isolation of Israel due to the recent Gaza offensive and the accession […]
Jehan Sadat answers questions for Deborah Solomon in the Sunday Times. I don’t know how enthusiastic I would be about taking her course on the status of women in the Middle East after reading it.
Lebanon’s June elections are shaping up to be a referendum on who the Lebanese people want to meddle in their affairs less: “Our course is justice, independence, freedom, sovereignty and most importantly — Lebanon first,” Hariri told AFP in an interview, referring to his coalition backed by the West as well as Saudi Arabia and […]
The Israeli government declared an uncompromising stance yesterday regarding negotiations to free abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shilat in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. PM Ehud Olmert stated that certain Hamas demands would “cross a red line,” effectively ending the most recent efforts to ensure Shalit’s release. Hamas finger-pointed blame for failure in the […]
Khouri’s op-ed in the Middle East Times cautions against seeing the US’/Britain’s/et cetera’s choices to engage governments like the al Asad regime in Syria or the Iranian theocracy as necessarily evidence of a shift in viewpoints. Isolation was not really getting the West anywhere it wanted to go, so reversing that policy isn’t necessarily a […]
With the new American administration, the global financial crisis, and the intra regional wranglings much is happening in the broader Middle East. The very presence of Israel within the region remains a major problem for some. Lebanon tries hard to be an independent state; as much as it can in the regional and international context. […]
The possible agreement between Israel and Hamas for the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit may have derailed negotiations. Hamas may toughen its stance due to confirmation of the immense domestic pressure in Israel to ensure Shalit’s return, thereby weakening the government’s hand. Moreover, with PM Ehud Olmert nearing the culmination of his term, many […]
There has been a lot of chatter lately regarding Hizballah’s relationship to the West. The Lebanese political/social/guerrilla group has been meeting with British officials for the past two years. Such meetings have led people to suspect a possible thawing in the relations between the United States and Hizballah, an idea that the U.S. is quick […]
With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reaching his final moments in office, he set a deadline for the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit for yesterday while his envoys to negotiations with Hamas in Cairo attempt to hammer out the final prisoner swap deal. Hamas originally requested over 1000 soldiers for Shalit and Syrian President […]
The Lebanese Embassy in Damascus opened today. What does that mean in practical terms? Not much if Syria continues to meddle in Lebanon’s internal affairs. Time will tell if the exchange of diplomats is more than a (short lived) PR stunt.
Popular from Press
