In 2006, I found myself working with a variety of Palestinian groups who wanted to establish an educational center downtown, to create a space for discussion of their legitimate grievances, both about the right of return to Palestine and their situation within Lebanon. The center went up, but then a few days later Israel started […]
Geography Archives: Middle East
STL Redux
Opportunistic Leb Tribunal changes indictment to now finger Syria. Oh please. http://bit.ly/jCNnIK #STL #Bellemare #Imperialism Sharmine Narwani is a Senior Associate at St Antony’s College, Oxford University. Read her blog Mideast Shuffle at <mideastshuffle.com>. Follow Narwani at <twitter.com/#!/snarwani>. The text above is one of her tweets today. Cf. Elias Muhanna, “Syria: Conveniently Vulnerable Once Again?” […]
To the Spanish People, a Message of Solidarity from Ard al-Liwa, Egypt
“All of the Egyptian people are behind you and anyone who wants to make a revolution, anyone who wants to achieve something. There is a saying: If the people want life, destiny should give it to them.” Hamdy Reda is an Egyptian visual artist. Artellewa Space for Contemporary Art in Giza, established in 2007, […]
The Revolt in Syria
The movement, which I’d call a popular movement for a Syrian revolution, has sought the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad since it first began in the southern city of Daraa when [two teenagers were arrested for painting a slogan on the walls] that has been the main one at every demonstration ever since: “The people […]
Obama on the Middle East: Sticking with a Failed Script
May 18, 2011 In an effort to define the dominant narrative about the ongoing Arab awakening and America’s role in the Middle East, President Obama will give what the White House is billing as a major address on Middle East policy. However eloquently delivered, the address will not be able to overcome or compensate for […]
Who Benefits from Sanctioning Syria’s Assad?
Sanctioning President Assad — what can it accomplish? Most importantly, it will help President Obama in his presidential campaign. He can stand as someone who acts firmly against Arab dictators. He killed Bin Laden and sanctioned Bashar al-Assad. He takes decisive action and stands with the Arab street and for democracy. This will serve him […]
Who’s Winning the Great Game in the Middle East?
Meanwhile, Iran keeps growing its nuclear program (Bushehr, Natanz, Isfahan, etc.) . . . Fahd Bahady is a Syrian cartoonist. This cartoon was first published in his blog on 17 May 2011; it is reproduced here for non-profit educational purposes. Cf. “‘Sit long enough by the river and the corpse of your enemy will float […]
Tariq Ali on Syria and Libya: “Whenever the West Intervenes, It’s a Disaster”
Tariq Ali and Rory Suchet
Tariq Ali: I don’t think sanctions work. They are essentially a symbolic measure. Usually when sanctions are applied against a country, they affect the poor people in that country more than the ruling elites, as we saw for years before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. They had imposed a bloody sanctions regime, […]
Notes from the Liberation Without Borders Tour in Tunisia
13 May 2011 Tonight, the transnational delegation from the Knowledge Liberation Front (KLF) reunited in Tunis to begin the Liberation Without Borders Tour. This delegation is a project of activist research that was initiated at a meeting in Paris last February. It aims to reinforce the relations with the Tunisian movement activists that were forged […]
Opposition’s Call for General Strike Falls on Deaf Ears in Syria
DAMASCUS, May 18 (RIA Novosti) The Syrian opposition’s calls to hold a general day-long strike on Wednesday have been largely ignored, Aljazeera reported. The Syrian opposition called for a general strike as the government denied reports that it has been burying anti-government protesters in mass graves. “Wednesday will be a day of punishment for the […]
On Syria and Libya
Question: Today, Clinton stated that the US considered it necessary to step up pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. How can you comment on this? Foreign Minister Lavrov: No one is happy when in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, as in all other states there are disturbing developments, with blood […]
Returning to Jaffa: The Triumphant Odyssey of Palestinian Refugee Hassan Hijazi
Hassan Hijazi, a Syrian-Palestinian youth, is as surprised as the Israeli police. Hassan, who is a civil servant in the Education Ministry of Syria, had never imagined, even in his wildest dream, that one day he would be able to stroll on the streets of Jaffa, a city annexed to Tel Aviv. “My parents […]
Jaffa: Arabs and Jews Commemorate Nakba, Defying Israeli Censorship
“We say to the Israeli establishment in the name of each and every one of us: I am not a stranger in my homeland, I am not a hostage to your ideas, I am free, despite your accusation, I am the owner of this land, despite your oppression.” — Omar Siksik, 14 May 2011 Cf. […]
Egypt: Protesters, Police Clash Outside Israeli Embassy
Abdus Shuman and Ian Lee
Scores of protesters in Cairo clash with Egyptian security forces in front of the Israeli embassy. They were gathering to urge Egypt to cut ties with Israel and also show support for the Palestinians’ Third Intifada. As tensions grew, security forces used live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. According to […]
Egypt: The People Want to Liberate Palestine
“There must constantly be an intifada. I am for the one state solution, so there must be an intifada in Palestine. The liberation of Palestine is a part of every one of these Arab revolutions. Now, even after the revolution, the [Egyptian] army is banning these peaceful convoys [to Gaza] and this show of solidarity […]
The Nakba Law: In German It Sounds Worse
“It is forbidden to mourn on the founding day of the state.” — Israel 2011 Tel Aviv, Israel, 9 May 2011 Zochrot is an NGO whose goal is to introduce the Palestinian Nakba to the Israeli-Jewish public, to express the Nakba in Hebrew. This is in order to promote an alternative memory to the […]
Post-3/11 Japan: Learning from Crises Past, Facing the Critical Present
Two months after the disasters of March 11, most of the rhythms of everyday life have returned to Tokyo. Although dimmed city streets remain as daily reminders of the critical nuclear situation 140 miles north, the university campuses that were deserted over an extended spring break have refilled. Although the earth still shivers, the anxious […]
Syria: Releasing Detainees, Government Seeks to Meet Opposition Demands
With the release of some detainees, the Syrian government has met at least partially one of the demands of the Syrian opposition, according to Reuters, which interviewed Ammar Qurabi of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria on Thursday. Hassan Abdel Azim, who is 81 years old, and Hazem al-Nahar were released on Monday. […]
Finally in Gaza
The sun had not yet risen in Cairo, as the Stay Human convoy began to prepare the departure for Gaza. The journey about to be embarked upon was one filled with expectations and hope. The importance of crossing the border at Rafah following the protests that brought down the Mubarak regime was on the […]
Russia and China on Syria
Moscow against UN Security Council Taking Up Syria — Source MOSCOW, May 11 (Interfax) — Moscow is against the Syria issue being put before the UN Security Council, a Russian Foreign Ministry source said on Wednesday. “Syria mustn’t be discussed in the Security Council, that is obvious,” the source told Interfax. China Calls on […]
