The New York Times and Washington Post misrepresented the views of Arab leaders on Iran.
Do Arab States Really Want the U.S. to Attack Iran?
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Israel
Turning Stuxnet to More Constructive Ends
If responsible for the computer worm, there’s a less controversial end to which Israel can put it than Iran’s nuclear program.
Housing Demolition in East Jerusalem
The most recent East Jerusalem protest ensued on October 25th after the Israeli police gave 231demolition orders to Palestinian families all across East Jerusalem, including Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in close proximity to the Old City. According to Human Rights Watch, Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes peaked this year, reaching 141 in July. This is the largest number of demolitions per month since 2005. Meanwhile, the Israeli government subsidizes Jewish settlements all over the occupied territories and in East Jerusalem as well.
Though Israel places most its inexcusable violent measures under the banner of “security,” this particular form of destruction is purely discriminatory and does not fall into the category of Israeli defense. If Israel intends to continue the peace process, it must stop demolishing Palestinian homes and building Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.
Israel’s Shrinking Minority Rights
Palestinian Arab citizens are a sizable minority in Israel who make up 20 percent of the country’s population. They experience institutionalized discrimination in their daily lives much like the African-American community before and during the U.S. civil rights movement. But consistent, trustworthy information about the problems and specific concerns of this community is in short supply.
If Israel Wants Peace…
The current right-wing government of Israel wants to negotiate with the Palestinians for their independent state as much as China wants to negotiate with Taiwan for its independent state. I have very little faith that this Israeli government will negotiate in earnest with the Palestinians. Netanyahu wants to negotiate for the sake of negotiation.
Canada on Ice: at the UN
Canada’s defeat in elections for a temporary seat in the UN Security Council has implications that reach beyond being an upset for Stephen Harper’s conservative government in Ottawa. It reinforces how far most UN members are from supporting other nations that unconditionally accept Israeli behavior in the Middle East. It also, ironically, lends some support to Ottawa’s longstanding opposition to increasing the number of permanent Security Council members.
U.S. Scrambles to Save Peace Talks
With a key Arab League meeting delayed until Friday, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is scrambling to keep one-month-old direct Israeli- Palestinian peace talks alive.
Middle-East Peace Talks: Thin Pickings for Abbas
Essentially, Palestinian President Abbas has been invited by the U.S. to either negotiate without a leg to stand on or accept a face-saving endorsement that changes nothing on the ground.
Senate Again Undermines Obama’s Middle-East Peace Efforts
It appears that to Sen. Barbara Boxer and other Congressional Democrats blaming the Palestinians for the possible collapse of peace talks is of greater importance than the actual success of the negotiations.
No Mean Feat: Justifying Israel’s Nukes Without Acknowledging Them
Apparently it’s obvious to everyone but Israel and the United States that the Middle-East can’t take the first step to becoming a nuclear-weapons-free zone until Israel acknowledges its own program.