Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Syrian Refugees face White Hill Nightmare By Abdennour Toumi Akçakale, Turkey — Tel-Abyad, a strategically-placed town on the Syrian-Turkish border under the control of the ISO since 2013, was seized in a brief take-over operation by Kurdish brigades of Burkan el-Furat and the united forces of the YPG-YPJ. This success may well signal a decisive shift in…
Painful Refugee Day, Feverish Year for Ankara By Abdennour Toumi Ankara, Turkey — The Syrian conflict has produced the most compelling humanitarian challenge of the last fifty years. According to the UNHCR (U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees) office, there re 12.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance including 3.9 million who fled Syria and 7.6 million…
President Obama hosted his annual Iftar dinner, a tradition at the White House originally started under the administration of former President Bill Clinton and organized by then First Lady Hillary Clinton. The guest list was inclusive and consisted of representatives of several American Muslim communities and also the diplomatic corp representing Islamic nations including those…
For years, American Arabs were either forced to play behind-the-scenes roles in the mainstream news media, or had to distance themselves from their heritage in order to maintain high profile news positions. Only a very few would wear their Arab heritage on their shoulders, usually facing immediate personal attacks and challenges from their media colleagues. But…
Read More “Middle Eastern hosts on HLN TV break stereotypes” »
Solidarity Hunger Strikes Continue in Tampa, FL for Khader Adnan By Dezeray Lyn Several organizers of a BDS group in Tampa continue hunger striking as mass action is planned this week at the Red Cross building in Tampa in solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian prisoners. In a Tampa courtroom today, a Palestine solidarity activist made a statement on…
Read More “Solidarity Hunger Strikes Continue in Tampa, FL for Khader Adnan” »
By Eileen Fleming Israel’s former ambassador to Washington, USA born Michael Oren exemplifies the latter and Kameel Nasr from Lebanon and Boston the former. Oren served as Israel’s ambassador in Washington from 2009 to 2013 and is now a Knesset member in Israel’s center-right Kulanu party. Launching his new book “Ally: My Journey Across the…
Read More “Ambassadors for Peace and Divisiveness: Nasr and Oren ” »
Jordanian Supreme Court imprisons journalist for criticizing corruption By Ali Younes The Jordanian Court of Cassation made legal history yesterday when it reversed itself and convicted Jordanian journalist Husam Abdallat of trying to “ undermine the Jordanian regime” for his criticism of powerful government officials and close friends of King Abdallah II. The court which…
Read More “Jordanian Supreme Court imprisons journalist for criticizing corruption” »
When an American Arab was celebrated as contributing to the professional hockey Stanley Cup championship of the Chicago Blackhawks, you would think American Arabs would have recognized it as an opportunity to showcase their contributions to America. Other communities would be celebrating Saad, who happens to be a proud Syrian American of immigrant parents. Yet…
Read More “Arabs miss boat on Brandon Saad Blackhawks win” »
The Zionist Organization of America’s Morton Klein has expressed racist, anti-Arab hatred in posts from the New York based organization office. This week, he exposes his hypocrisy by blasting Lufthansa, demanding to know why it “discriminates” against passengers to Israel, but not against Arabs. No mention in his letter is made of how El Al, the…
The BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) is a legitimate non-violent form of protest that most Israelis and American Jews should support. But the BDS movement itself is not defined and waffles between an extreme rejection of everything Israeli that calls for turning back the clock to 1948, to a focused campaign that targets Israeli extremist,…
Read More “BDS means different things to different people” »
Two leading Civil Rights organizations in Israel have challenged and condemned an internal investigation by the Israeli military that the killing of four children on a Gaza Beach on July 16, 2014 was not intentional but an “accident.” But eye witnesses say the Israeli soldiers intentionally targeted the four boys, aged 9 to 11 years…
Read More “Israeli report on Children killed at Beach flawed” »
American Arab player Brandon Saad made a critical goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 4th game of the Stanley Cup Play-offs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The goal helped the Blackhawks gain momentum to tie up the series and then go on to win two more games taking the championship Monday night By Ray…
Read More “American Arab Saad helps Blackhawks win Stanley Cup” »
By Eileen Fleming Everything is connected and when it comes to Israel Palestine: America is deeply connected! The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.-Gandhi Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense and lets go of negative…
Read More “Healing Israel Palestine Requires Truth, Justice and Forgiveness” »
In 1969, two years after Israel invaded and occupied all of Jerusalem and the remaining areas of Palestine, it was clear that the Arab World was incapable of recovering the lands stolen by Israel’s colonization in 1948. The Palestinians stood up on their own and began to defend themselves against Israel’s brutal aggression. To commemorate the event,…
Read More “Al-Fatah Palestine Stamps: remembering the revolution” »
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are among the world’s top 10 worst places when it comes to worker’s rights according to a new study released by the International Trade Union Confederation, but Egypt tops the MENA region as 3rd worst in the world. Study shows rights violations in Israel, and that workers…
Read More “Gulf States among worst places for workers rights” »
Turkey’s Democratic elections show that the HDP opposition can win support, but not enough to oust the AKParti, the party President Erdogan founded. But now the HDP is a more formidable voice in defining Turkey’s Democratic future. The vote suggests Turkish voters may want a multi-party coalition leadership By Abbdenour Toumi Ankara, Turkey — In order to…
Read More “In Turkish elections: Ağa Selahattin Dethrones “Sultan” Tayyip” »
Global support for Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan grows as a Mass Solidarity Hunger Strike is organized to rally against Israeli civil rights violations and civilian abuses. Protestors target illegal policies of administrative detention and urge international support to free dissidents from Israel’s prison Gulag By Dezeray Lyn Members of the Palestine solidarity organization the International Women’s Peace…
Read More “Global support grows for hunger striking Palestinian prisoner” »
To normalize or not to normalize. How much is too much or too little? There is an in between called compromise.It’s clear that the direction most Israelis and Palestinians are headed is away from peace and actions that might help end the conflict. When the brutality of the Israeli occupation increases, the thought of reaching…
Read More “Peace in Israel, Palestine doesn’t come by building walls” »