Friday: 13 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded

Updated at 8:02 p.m. EDT, May 7, 2010 At least 13 Iraqis were killed and 24 were wounded in violent attacks. Meanwhile, Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister whose Iraqiya list won the most seats in parliamentary elections, insisted his party has the right to form the next government. Should Iraqiya, which was favored by Sunni Iraqis, be squeezed out, it could signal a return to sectarian violence.

West Bankers Made Refugees in Their Own Country

RAMALLAH — Several Palestinians have set up a protest tent in no-man’s land in the northern Gaza Strip, near the Erez border crossing into Israel, as they protest their deportation from the Israeli occupied West Bank into Gaza where Hamas authorities have refused them entry. Tens of thousands of other Palestinians face a possibly similar … Continue reading “West Bankers Made Refugees in Their Own Country”

Blood or Treasure? Obama’s Crucial Choice in the Middle East

It does seem as if something may be changing, however slowly, in Washington when it comes to policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.  Rumors, for instance, are spreading in the media that the Obama administration is threatening to take Middle East peace negotiations out of the hands of the Israelis (and Palestinians) and put them in the hands … Continue reading “Blood or Treasure? Obama’s Crucial Choice in the Middle East”

Aborted Bomb Plot Tests US-Pakistan Ties

Amid mounting evidence that Saturday’s aborted car-bombing in New York’s Times Square was linked to violent Islamist groups in Pakistan, observers here are expressing concern that recently enhanced cooperation between Washington and Islamabad could be negatively affected. Thus far, the two governments appear to be cooperating well in investigating the activities of the alleged terrorist … Continue reading “Aborted Bomb Plot Tests US-Pakistan Ties”

Muslim Blowback?

It is hard to overstate just how deeply unpopular the United States is in the Muslim world. A 2008 poll of six majority Muslim countries found that overwhelmingly large portions of the population, ranging from 71 percent in Morocco to 87 percent in Egypt, held unfavorable opinions of the United States. A 2009 poll in Pakistan revealed that … Continue reading “Muslim Blowback?”

Thursday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 13 Wounded

Updated at 10:28 p.m. EDT, May 6, 2010 At least five Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, a mass grave containing 55 Iraqis soldiers killed in Kuwait during the 1991 war was discovered there. Also, a day after terms of a political alliance were leaked to the press, one important condition came under closer scrutiny.