My critical review of Seth Anziska's book, "Preventing Palestine"

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "From the history of the American "peace process": On Preventing Palestine", Part I.

the worst corruption scandals to hit the New York Police Department in years

“The brothel empire was always one step ahead of the law. Last week, prosecutors disclosed why: They said the brothels were run by a retired police detective who had been repeatedly tipped off about planned raids by officers on the force, revealing one of the worst corruption scandals to hit the New York Police Department in years.” (thanks Amir)

Saudi regime media standards

Meanwhile, Asharq al-Awssat newspaper quoted security sources and other extremist groups in Pakistan as saying that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi arrived in the state of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan after crossing the Iranian territory. Baghdadi relocation, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified, came after the arrival of hundreds of ISIS members to the province after crossing the Iranian territory, through the city of Zahedan in eastern Iran, where sources said that the terrorist organization maintains a headquarter of the hospitality of its fighters with the knowledge and coordination with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards." (thanks Basim)

Bob Woodward Versus Donald Trump

My weekly article for Al-Akhbar: "Bob Woodward versus Donald Trump: the media of the invisible State".

Comrade Joseph Massad on Self-determination

"The 1993 Oslo Accords, in contrast, made no mention of that right whatsoever, let alone of “independence” or “liberation.”60 Instead, the Oslo Accords stipulated PLO recognition of the legitimacy of Israel as a state established on Jewish-colonized Palestinian lands. Thus, the Oslo Accords were in effect the best expression of the century-old Berlin Conference’s “right” of the Palestinians “to dispose of themselves” through ceding their “hereditary” right to their “soil” to a foreign power.61 Upon the orders of the United States and on the occasion of U.S. president Clinton’s visit to Gaza in 1998, the Palestinian Authority (PA) convened the PLO’s Palestinian National Council (PNC) to modify the Palestinian National Charter, for the express purpose of canceling articles Israeli officials found objectionable in it, including Article 19, which based itself on jus soli, though the PNC did keep Article 24, which bases itself on jus sanguinis.62

What emerges from the colonial and anticolonial use of the principle of self-determination in the Palestinian-Zionist context is its dependence on the same legal references to the question of nationality, not least the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act of 1914, and its 1918 amendments, namely, the two main definitions of the right to nationality: blood and land, or, jus sanguinis and jus soli.63 These became the two bases invoked by the British Mandatory authorities and the Zionists to establish a Jewish claim to Palestine."

By far, my favorite passage of Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear"

How Yasser Arafat led the Palestinian people to Trump's "Deal of the Century"

My article for Consortium News on Yasser Arafat's disastrous path of leadership.

Arrested in Israel for Facebook posts

"On Tuesday morning, September 11, while Israel was celebrating the Jewish New Year, the Israeli police raided the home of Raja Eghbarieh, one of the leaders of the Abnaa Al-Balad movement, in Umm Al-Fahm. They searched the house, confiscated documents, smartphones and computers, 

and carried Eghbarieh with them. On the next day he was brought before a remand judge in the Israeli court in Hadera. The police representatives clarified that they were interrogating him for his posts on Facebook. They said they have already waged a “covert investigation” for a long time and now want to carry on while he is under detention. They claimed that some of his posts consisted “incitement to violence” and “support for a terrorist organization”." (thanks Eyal)

The US political crisis

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "The American Crisis of Governance: Will Trump Stay as President"?

Border agent accused of killing 4 women, abducting another

“A US Border Patrol agent was arrested on Saturday on the suspicion that he killed four women and abducted a fifth, who escaped.”

Manafort & Israeli official meddled in Ukraine & the U.S.

“The document further states that “Manafort coordinated privately with a senior Israeli government official to issue a written statement” that would highlight the alleged anti-Semitism of his client’s political rivals in Ukraine. Then, “with secret knowledge of that Israeli statement,”  Manafort worked to spread the story in the American media." (thanks Amir)

My comments on John McCain for Consortium Podcast

You can listen to my comments on John McCain on Consortium Podcast here.

Bashir Gemayyel and the "rights of the Christians"

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "Bashir Gemayyel and the (Stripped) Rights of Christians".

Beirut, the movie

By far, my favorite scene of Jon Hamm’s movie, Beirut: Camels on the beaches of Beirut. Some Israeli assistant director must have come up with this touch.

Resistance in the White House

The "resistance" official in the White House: There is a historical precedence. There was another "resistance" in the Nixon White House who leaked to the press that the president is unhinged and that he is being controlled by the wise staff. The name of that person is Henry Kissinger.

McCain and the Middle East

My article for Consortium News on McCain and the Middle East.

Sometimes Western media ignore what de Mistura has to say if it was not favorable to the Syrian rebels

"de Mistura said there was a high concentration of foreign fighters in Idlib, including an estimated 10,000 fighters designated...as terrorists...belonged to the al-Nusra Front and al Qaeda. “both the government and al-Nusra have the capability to produce weaponized chlorine.”"

The Doctrine of John McCain

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "The John McCain Doctrine and the Ronald Reagan Revolution".

Learn about the Middle East from Newsweek Magazine

"In 2015, the death of the Saudi King Abdullah, grandfather of MBS" (thanks Basim)