Month: January 2009

Updated at 10:10 p.m. EST, Jan. 17, 2009At least six Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in the latest attacks. Also, one U.S. soldier was killed during an I.E.D attack in Baghdad yesterday. In Baghdad, two civilians were wounded during a roadside bombing in Ameriya. A driver was killed and a bystander was … Continue reading “Saturday: 1 US Soldier, 6 Iraqis Killed; 6 Iraqis Wounded”

As Israel entered the third week of its Gaza blitz, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert regaled a crowd in Ashkelon with an astonishing tale. He had, said Olmert, whistled up George Bush, interrupted him in the middle of a speech and told him to instruct Condi Rice not to vote for a U.N. resolution Condi herself … Continue reading “Is Ehud’s Poodle Acting Up?”

CAIRO – Since the outset of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, calls have been renewed for an "international force" to protect the civilian population. But Palestinian resistance factions, chief among them Hamas, reject the idea outright. "The resistance will not accept international forces (in the Gaza Strip)," Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas’s Damascus-based political … Continue reading “Palestinian Resistance Rejects International Gaza Force”

At the request of President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush convened an awkward meeting of all living former presidents at the White House to meet, and presumably give advice and encouragement to, the new guy. The body language of the participants in the summit photo, taken in the Oval Office, said it all. The … Continue reading “Who Should Obama Look to for Advice?: Jimmy Carter”

In answering questions before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton acknowledged what she called the “tragic humanitarian costs of conflict in the Middle East, and the pain and suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians." She continued by saying that "we cannot give up on peace." As the bombardment of Gaza enters … Continue reading “Israel and the United States: Up In Arms”

Will Obama-Biden administration national security policies look remarkably like Clinton-Gore’s? On the basis of the Obama-approved statement Hillary made to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at her confirmation hearings last week, it sure looks that way. After noting that “the gravest threat that America faces is the danger that weapons of mass destruction will fall … Continue reading “Shoring Up the NPT Regime”

This article is based on a letter sent to a friend who had written me toward the end of the first week in January to wish me a happy new year as well as to express her concern for the friends she knew I was worried about in Gaza following the Israeli invasion. I replied … Continue reading “Letters from Gaza”

This week the death toll in Gaza passed the 1,000 mark, after nearly three weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks. But surprisingly, no one has reported an even more appalling statistic: that there are some 1.5 million injured Palestinians in Gaza. How is is possible that such an astounding figure could have passed the … Continue reading “Israeli Assault Injures 1.5 Million Gazans”

Updated at 9:35 p.m. EST, Jan. 16, 2009At least seven Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, a journalist known for throwing shoes at U.S. President Bush is in good condition and being treated well, according to his brother. Three civilians were killed and five more were wounded … Continue reading “Friday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 16 Wounded”

Israel’s relentless air attacks on a besieged Gaza, which have killed over 1,000 Palestinians and destroyed hundreds of homes, continue to take place away from the gaze of the international news media. A country that claims to be the only multiparty democracy in the Middle East, Israel has barred all foreign journalists from entering Gaza, … Continue reading “Israeli Attacks on Gaza Escape Global Media Scrutiny”