By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 27 January 2025 (IDN) — Now that the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is in place, with some ongoing hiccups, the question is, will the second phase follow, and what lesson, if any, has Hamas learned following 15 months of horrendous death and destruction? The current first phase […]
Rabbinical Cease Fire in Gaza: A New Oslo?
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, USA | 18 January 2025 (IDN) — The Israelis are very good at two things: bombing the hell out of places all over the Middle East using American planes and bombs and writing complicated “peace” deals that wrap the Palestinians in a morass of words so that peace never comes. […]
The New Syrian Government Faces Herculean Task
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 12 January 2025 (IDN) — Recognizing the horror the Syrian people have endured over the past 14 years, the question is, will Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa follow through on his public promises to transform Syria into a democracy where freedom and equality reign, regardless of how […]
The UN Can End the Middle East Conflict by Greeting Palestine as 194th Member
The June 2025 UN Conference on Palestine can be the long-awaited turning point for the region. By Jeffrey D. Sachs and Sybil Fares* This article was published in Al Jazeera and is being republished with the authors‘ permission. NEW YORK | 11 January 2025 (IDN) — The UN, on its 80th birthday in 2025, can […]
Water Is a Key Factor in Syria’s Protracted Conflict
By Paolo Maggiolini* MILAN, Italy | 10 January 2025 (IDN) — Water security will be a key test of the new Syrian government’s credibility. Since 2011, water scarcity has been a central factor in the country’s prolonged conflict, manipulated for political and economic gain. In a region already vulnerable to climate change, prolonged drought and […]
Israel’s Attacks Have Devastating Impact on Gaza’s Hospitals
By Volker Türk* GENEVA | 4 January 2025 (IDN) — A human rights catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza before the eyes of the world. Israel’s means and methods of warfare have killed tens of thousands of people, inflicted vast displacement, and laid waste to the territory. This has raised utmost concerns about compliance with […]
U.S. Congress Members Face a Lawsuit for Funding Israel’s War on Gaza
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA | 4 January 2025 (IDN) — On the last day of 2024, the deputy general counsel for the House of Representatives formally accepted delivery of a civil summons for two congressmembers from Northern California. More than 600 constituents of Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson have signed on as plaintiffs […]
Open Sesame for War Criminals?
By Tisaranee Gunasekara* “Israel today is dynamiting the edifice of the global norms built after 1945.” — Pankaj Mishra (The Shoah after Gaza – London Review of Books – 21.3.2014) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 26 December 2024 (IDN) — In the second decade of the 21st Century, genocide is being televised. 72 Virgins—Uncensored was a […]
Who Will Stop Israel as it Defies the UN and Invades Syria?
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — The United States, Turkey and Israel all responded to the fall of the Assad government in Damascus by launching bombing campaigns on Syria. Israel also attacked anddestroyed most of the Syrian Navy in port at Latakia, and invaded Syria from the long-occupied […]
Interview: Developments in Syria Can Give Opportunity to ISIS to Bounce Back
By Manish Rai ERBIL, Iraq | 17 December 2024 (IDN) — Mr Shoresh Ismail Abdulla is the Minister of Peshmerga affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Peshmerga are the military forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and one of the most capable forces in the region, which pushed back ISIS from its […]