Israel’s long-standing ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip has made accurate and up-to-date reporting on the now week-long war among the most difficult propositions in the modern era. Most stories rely on official reports from Hamas, the United Nations, and the Israeli government. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) has engaged in a protracted [...]
As was widely expected, the United States rejected an attempt by the Arab League to push a legally-binding resolution through the United Nations Security Council calling for Israel to immediately halt its attacks on the Gaza Strip. As a permanent member of the council, the United States can veto any resolution, and has traditionally done [...]
2008 was the most violent year yet of the seven year war in Afghanistan, and nowhere was this more apparent then in the nation’s south. Attacks were not only on the rise, but in many places the Taliban is setting up “shadow governments” to compete with the US-backed Karzai government. 2009 is shaping up no [...]
“There is no humanitarian crisis in the (Gaza) Strip.” Those were the words of Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni today during her visit to Paris, as she defended Israel’s rejection of a proposed 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire to allow food and medicine into the strip. But with at least 425 already dead and thousands wounded, the [...]
As the international community continues to pressure Israel for a humanitarian ceasefire, they are racing not just against a growing humanitarian disaster, but against the clock, for once the troops are in the strip a 48-hour halt will become a much tougher sell. And while its been talked about essentially since before Israel started its [...]
An Israeli air strike today killed Nizar Ghayan, an influential Hamas figure, as well as nine women and 11 children. Though the overall toll in the strip is difficult to ascertain amid the chaotic situation on the ground, reports are that the toll is now at least 425 dead and over 2,000 wounded. And as [...]
With the Gaza toll rising, nowhere is popular outrage at the Israeli attacks more apparent than in the Arab world. As it rallies its public relations team to placate concerns about the carnage, it is only natural that attention should be given to the Arabic language media, and indeed Arabic speaking Israeli officials are increasingly [...]
As Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continue, so do the protests worldwide. While polls show most Israelis firmly behind the air strikes, and police have done their best to shut down protests in Arab towns in the north, a small but vocal minority of Israelis in opposition to the continued strikes seeks to make [...]
Only a few hours after the United Nations Mandate for Iraq expired and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) went into effect, US forces have sparked an incident which may prove to be the first major test of the SOFA’s power and the Iraqi government’s authority. Earlier today near th al-Jadiriya bridge in Baghdad, US [...]
Israel ratcheted up diplomatic activities across the world today, as its attacks on the Gaza Strip continue to net a growing death toll of both militants and civilians. As its ground forces prepare for an invasion of the strip, the diplomats hope to win international acquiescence for continuing the attacks far into the future. The [...]
