I am composing these lines while looking through the window at the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and thinking about the young man who is being held not far from this sea, a few dozen kilometers from here. Can Gilad Shalit look out on the same sea through his...
This Light Is Always Red
SHEIKH SA'AD, East Jerusalem -- A traffic light, yet no traffic at all. In fact, a traffic light... for pedestrians only. And even they move little. There are restrictions on walking out of this village (pop. 3,000). The 1,200 villagers who carry Palestinian identity...
‘Let Them Eat Coriander!’
Israelis Keep the Trigger Tight
RAMALLAH - "Where is my daddy? Why is he not coming home? I want my daddy," sobs seven-year-old Yasmin, her big blue eyes filling with tears. She wakes up crying every night. "My life only began when I met him. I will never meet such a wonderful man...
Punishing Turkey
A Flash of Lightning
Night. Utter darkness. Heavy rain. Visibility close to nil. And suddenly – a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second, the landscape is lit up. For this split second, the terrain surrounding us can be seen. It is not the way it used to be. Our...
Arab-Israeli Parliamentarian Fights Death Threats
RAMALLAH - "I stopped counting after I had received 50 death threats. I told my secretary not to tell me about them any more," Arab-Israeli Knesset (parliament) member, Hanan Zoabi told IPS. "As a result of the death threats I've been given personal...
Israel Navigates Between Inquiries
JERUSALEM - Israel's easing of its land blockade of Gaza is unlikely to lessen international pressure for a change in its policies towards the Palestinians. Nor can Israel be expected to give up its battle to undermine Hamas' control of the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, a...
Israeli Concessions on Gaza Fall Short of a New Policy
Israel's announcement Thursday that it would ease the restrictions on goods entering Gaza has been received by NGOs and the international community as a move in the right direction, but as not going far enough in lifting the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip. Details of...


