tunnels of love

"It's amazing what people will do for love. A Palestinian woman has braved the threat of Israeli bombs by crawling more than one kilometre through a dangerous underground tunnel between Egypt and Gaza just to marry her sweetheart." (thanks Sarah)

Thus spoke the White Man

"Afghan Election Called a Success Despite Attacks". Success? Who called it a success? The esteemed New York Times correspondent?

pirates, smugglers, and terrorists

"The captain and crew of a cargo ship seized near Manila with crates of illegal Israeli-made weapons on board are to face gun-smuggling charges, officials in the Philippines have said." (thanks Dina)

Swiss shame

"« J'exprime mes excuses au peuple libyen pour l'arrestation injuste de diplomates libyens par la police de Genève ». Avec ces mots, le président de la Confédération helvétique, Hans-Rudolf Merz a mis un terme au conflit qui opposait la Suisse à la Libye depuis l'arrestation à Genève de Hannibal Kadhafi en juillet 2008." (thanks Michel)

cash payments

"The only man convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 arrived in Libya today after he was released by the Scottish government -- drawing ire from heartbroken family members of the 270 victims who felt they had to relive the searing pain of loss all over again." Drawing ire? The families (through their association) sold their loved ones for cash payments from Qadhdhafi. (To be fair: there were families who were opposed to the deal, but the majority prevailed).

CSI, Beirut

Prime minister, boo hoo hoo of Lebanon, is opening the brand new Lebanese crime lab. You are looking at the entire lab. Kid you not. But then again: the Lebanese Army war room consists of three telephones and a grill. (Al-Mustaqbal)

David Welch

David Welch, and other colleagues in the Near East section of the Department of State in the Bush administration will go down in history as mere unquestioning puppets of the Zionist lobby in the US. They will carry with them the dubious honor of being the executors of the Bush Doctrine. Just look at Welch's justifications of Israeli occupation of Lebanese lands (and notice that this so-called expert of the Middle East thinks that only Hizbullah cares about Lebanese territory as if other Lebanese--especially the residents of South Lebanon--find Israeli occupation of Lebanese lands to be pleasurable: "Ghajar is the one place where the Israel Defense Forces are physically present in an area that even Israel recognizes as Lebanese land. There have been various attempts, including by the IDF, to figure out how to withdraw while preserving the security of the village and of Israel itself." And notice that David Welch has no qualms to tell the Arabs what the Arab interest is: "This is the fault of Lebanese politicians in failing to redefine the problem as an Arab interest." And please tell this Middle East expert that it is May 7 and not May 6 when Hizbullah took to the streets of Beirut.

Feigning mild outrage

"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had worked strongly against the decision, saying it would be “absolutely wrong” to release Mr. Megrahi." Oh, please spare me your fake sense of moral uprightness. Your government has been cuddling the real master-terrorist Qadhdhafi, who ordered the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103.

ignorance

"Some of the protesters were dressed as Native Americans in a reminder to the US authorities that their country did not exactly ask the natives where they could live or build." The protesters were too ignorant of history to know that the natives are the Palestinians. (thanks Noa)

apartheid

"The most accurate way to describe Israel today is as an apartheid state. For more than 42 years, Israel has controlled the land between the Jordan Valley and the Mediterranean Sea. Within this region about 6 million Jews and close to 5 million Palestinians reside. Out of this population, 3.5 million Palestinians and almost half a million Jews live in the areas Israel occupied in 1967, and yet while these two groups live in the same area, they are subjected to totally different legal systems. The Palestinians are stateless and lack many of the most basic human rights. By sharp contrast, all Jews -- whether they live in the occupied territories or in Israel -- are citizens of the state of Israel." Of course, the apartheid state extends to the 1948 borders too. (thanks Dina)

Joker

"Alkhateeb is a Palestinian-American born in the United States. He says he's neither a Democrat nor Republican and came just short of a full apology to the president in our interview. "I would like President Obama to know that I didn't intend for any of this to happen and of course we're all Americans and we're all rooting for him and we're all hoping he does a great job," said Alkhateeb." (thanks Sarah)

Dahlan, O Dahlan

"Muhammad Dahlan, the controversial former security commander of Gaza, was twice forced to explain how Hamas had mounted a coup on his watch. He vigorously argued that any failures were the collective responsibility of the party. Although many delegates were unmoved, even they agreed that Dahlan had come prepared to face the charges head-on. It began to seem possible he could win a seat on the executive. His hardline stance especially appealed to delegates who believed Gaza could be "liberated" only by force."

custodian of holy sites and IKEA store

"Q) Do I understand from your remarks that there are Saudi reservations on the efforts being exerted to bring about national reconciliation in Iraq?
A) Yes, the fraternal Saudi officials, headed by the custodian of the two holy shrines believe that the efforts for national reconciliation in Iraq are not up to the required level. They want these efforts to be faster and bigger. They want everyone to be included in the political process and that this process should move forward at a faster pace."

Dahlan laws

"Anyone violating the sanctity of the Holy month of Ramadan will be arrested under the Jordanian Penal Code number 16, article 247 from 1960, the police department in Ramallah said Wednesday." (thanks Olivia)

Gender Segregation in Israel

"A[n Israeli] Transport Ministry's committee convened Tuesday to discuss whether to legalize segregation between men and women on public transportation lines." (thanks Diab)

Protection

"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are guarded by Israel's Shin Bet security service on some of their trips around the West Bank." (thanks Tarek)

Plagiarism in Hariri rag, Al-Mustaqbal

Cases of plagiarism in Hariri rag, Al-Mustaqbal. (thanks Mirvat)

Furiously?

"Israel and the Swedish Embassy responded furiously Wednesday to a Swedish newspaper article that suggested Israeli troops killed Palestinians and harvested their organs."

My article on Ghada `Id

My article in Al-Akhbar: "Ghada `Id: In the Shadow of Elie Maruni"

American news coverage of the Middle East (and its attention to gender issues)

You really can't say that the American media is ignoring the Middle East: they sometimes have deep and profound coverage of Middle East politics and society. (thanks Fadi)

Emir of Kuwait

Emir of Kuwait: who fainted* during an Arab League meeting in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait when the Iraqi delegate threw a plate at him, has just issued a warning to the Kuwaiti press: there are red lines, he said. I kid you not. I bet you that the Committee to Protect Certain Journalists will not notice.
* He was foreign minister at the time.

Queen Youtube...tweeting

Maryam sent me recent tweets by Queen Youtube. Look how insightful and amusing: "Just had lovely casual lunch with President Sarkozy & Carla at their holiday retreat..Nice to see him so well and relaxed..Such natural surroundings only infuse him with more passion & focus 4 advancement of his people. Carla of course, is gorgeous, inside & out." I follow Larry King on Twitter but not Queen Youtube.

Uranium beverage

"Workers at the nuclear reactor facility in Dimona were made to volunteer to drink uranium in 1998 as part of an experiment, according to a lawsuit filed four months ago in the Be'er Sheva Labor Tribunal by a former worker at the facility."

Doubts

""I personally doubt if the Americans will pressure Mubarak to improve his regime's human-rights performance," Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights EIPR told The Times." (thanks Dina)

Israeli terrorism

"The information provided by Israel concerning the locations of dropped cluster bombs during the summer 2006 war was useless, according to the head of the Lebanese Demining Center Brigadier Mohammad Fahmi. “What benefit can we get from such information after three years, and after witnessing 50 deaths and 350 injuries?” he asked on Friday during the launch of a new NGO, the Peace Generation Organization for Demining (PGOD)."

Tariq `Aziz's son

Iraqi refugees in Jordan are mistreated, and the son of Tariq `Aziz (Saddam's chief propagandist) received Jordanian citizenship. (thanks Sinan)

No permission

"In April, Arafat was permitted to travel to Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem where he received three series of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. He was scheduled to return for further treatment, but has not been granted permission by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza. (thanks Ali)

Moroccan lobbying

"By comparison, lobbyists for the government of Morocco had 305 contacts with members of Congress and their staff. Morocco paid $3.4 million in lobbying expenses — putting it among the top foreign government spenders for FARA filings in the period." (thanks Olivia)

hanging out with Arabs

"Soldier O., suspected of being involved in the brutal lynch of Leonard (Arik) Karp over the weekend sent a message on Wednesday to young women like herself. "Stop hanging out with Arabs. Don't get in trouble. Take care of yourselves and be careful," said O. She refused to speak about the details of Friday night's violent incident that resulted in Karp's death."

No results

"After a last-minute decision to have the president go to Saudi Arabia yielded no tangible results, Mr. Emanuel pushed to ensure that future foreign trips had “deliverables,” or achievements secured in advance."

But...he was critical of Israel

"Mr. Novak grew up Jewish and was in a Jewish fraternity in college, but, like Mr. Evans, he was critical of Israel." Just read this sentence. It is as dumb as saying that somebody grew up Muslim but is critical of Saudi Arabia. How dumb is that?

sectarian politics

"With profound differences over the contours of the national political community, and a political system structured on religious lines, secular or cross-confessional forms of social organization have little if any opportunity to compete effectively. The ex ante structuring of politics around religion simply increases and entrenches the political salience of religious identity and undercuts the influence of non-religious groups in the system. In effect, elections become contests over who can best defend the interests of her sect. Virtually all of the major politicians resort to sectarian appeals -- whether overt or more discreet."

Nepotism and Lebanese politics

Comrade Khaled on the nepotism factor in Lebanese politics.

What is happening in Yemen

Comrade Fawwaz gives the most concise and sharp analysis of the Yemen situation, which does not get any US coverage although the US is involved in supplying the weapons with which the government is bombing refugee camps.

LBC Offices in Saudi Arabia

The partly Saudi-owned LBC-TV's offices were closed down in Saudi Arabia. And no Arab media voice has been raised in support or solidarity with LBC except...the leftist Al-Akhbar newspaper. Hell, even LBC-TV did not say a word about the matter. Such is the dominance of the House of Saudi in Arab media. Last week, Al-Akhbar's CEO, comrade Ibrahim Amin, expressed solidarity with LBC-TV on LBC. The anchorwoman, Shada `Amr, quickly changed the subject.

Al-Akhbar banned in Syria Yesterday

Al-Akhbar was banned in Syria yesterday. The Syrian censor did not like my references to the Syrian regime in the article on Bashshar and Jumblat.

Lebanonese achievements

"Lebanon emits more greenhouse gases per capita than the world average, said an environment ministry expert during a workshop held at AUB." Oh, no. Now some Lebanese would think that this is some great achievement worthy of awards.

MEMRI and Arab intellectuals

This is very funny. When MEMRI sends a bulletin of some article by some obscure writer who wrote something that fits into the Zionist agenda, they always go out of their way to make that writer more important than he/she is, and they always don't provide further information on that person. Today, I saw one bulletin from MEMRI about what some "Palestinian intellectual" has written. I knew what to expect. The person in question, Ahmad Abu Mater, as the bulletin does not tell you: was in fact a senior leader in Fath-Revolutionary Council: Abu Nidal's organization for potato's sake. He later moved to Olso where he became active in Saudi propaganda.

Beaten for being gay

"A Portage teen has a skull fracture and other injuries after he was attacked and beaten up last week. He says he was beaten because he's gay. 15-year-old Steven Harmon was hanging out with a friend when he says two 17-year-olds attacked him in the parking lot at Walnut Trail Apartments."

Hamid Karzai: the candidate of the Feminist Majority

"Last week, though, Human Rights Watch discovered that a revised version of the Shiite Personal Status Law had been quietly put into effect at the end of July — meaning that Shiite men in Afghanistan now have the legal right to starve their wives if their sexual demands are not met and that Shiite women must obtain permission from their husbands to even leave their houses, “except in extreme circumstances.”"

Workers in Lebanon

Ziad sent me this picture. He took it in the Biqa`: he says that the men on top of the car are workers but he could not identify their ethnicity or nationality.

MEMRI would love this

Sometimes columnists in Saudi media write not for their readers but for MEMRI and Zionist organizations in Washington, DC. Here, Hazim Saghiyyah, columnist in Prince Khalid bin Sultan's mouthpiece, Al-Hayat (and in Hariri media like NowHariri) calls on the Palestinians to surrender to Israel. Fortunately, Hazim Saghiyyah speaks only for himself, and barely: he does not even speak for mini-Hariri who he now allegedly advises. (thanks Shara)

This is Zionism

"The dream underlying Israel's plans is encapsulated by a wall that separates a settler's town from the Palestinian town on a nearby West Bank hill. The Israeli side of the wall is painted with the image of the countryside beyond the wall – but without the Palestinian town, depicting just nature, grass and trees. Is this not ethnic cleansing at its purest, imagining the outside beyond the wall as empty, virginal and waiting to be settled?" (thanks David)

Lebanonese news

Laure sent me this: "You will find this very funny. In connection to what ziad sent you earlier re Lebanon VS China basketball game, a new group was created on facebook named "Petition for FIBA to give Lebanon a Wildcard invitation to the World Cup" The reason listed are: that the refree was the main reason Lebanon lost to China, Basketball is the # 1 sport in Lebanon, Lebanese players are interesting!!!.... but the most funny is that " Lebanon can be full of surprises, remember we won France in 2006, for example"!!!!! 13,510 members already joined the group and it is growing by the minute in the potato land! "

killings in Iraq

"The killings began in the vast Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, and spread to many cities across Iraq. Mahdi Army spokesmen have promoted fears about the "third sex" and the "feminization" of Iraq men, and suggested that militia action was the remedy. Some people told Human Rights Watch that Iraqi security forces have colluded and joined in the killing." Good for Human Rights Watch for issuing this report. I just hope that they notice that the American invasion of Iraq has killed Iraqi gays, lesbians, heterosexuals, and asexuals alike. (thanks Laure)