By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 4 December 2024 (IDN) — On 26 November, Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement for a 60-day truce, during which Israel and Hezbollah are both supposed to withdraw from the area of Lebanon south of the Litani River. The agreement is based on the […]
Relief Deliveries to Gaza and Syria Halted — Yet Another Summit Seeks to Combat Desertification
NEW YORK | 3 December 2024 (IDN) — While organized looting has constrained UNRWA to pause relief deliveries to Palestinian refugees, the sudden escalation of fighting in Syria’s northwest is continuing to impact aid deliveries there. Meanwhile, UN summit has got underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to combat desertification, drought and promote land restoration, writes […]
Criminal Court Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu Implies Indicment of US Complicity
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 21 November 2024 (IDN) — It’s official now. America’s closest ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the one accorded more than 50 standing ovations in Congress just months ago, is under indictment by […]
US, Under Fire, for Vetoing Resolutions Demanding Ceasefire in Gaza
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 20 November 2024 (IDN) — The US veto on a Security Council (UNSC) resolution—demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza—was highly predictable. The resolution, which was vetoed November 20, also called for the release of all hostages and full humanitarian access for civilians. Since 1945, a total […]
A New Report Finds Israel’s Warfare Methods in Gaza Consistent with Genocide
By J Nastranis NEW YORK |14 November 2024 (IDN) — A UN Special Committee has found that Israel’s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians there. The report of The United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human […]
A Chabad House in Arugam Bay: Bringing Gaza Home?
By Tisaranee Gunasekara* “Gaza was the first time I held a baby’s brains in my hand. The first of many.” — Dr Mark Perlmutter, orthopaedic and hand surgeon (Open letter from American medical professionals who served in Gaza https://www.gazahealthcareletters.org/usa-letter-oct-2-2024) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 10 November 2024 (IDN) — Last December, a group of ultra-religious Israeli soldiers […]
The Mystery of Arab Disloyalty to Palestine
By Salman Rafi Sheikh LOS ANGELES, California USA | 1 November 2024 (IDN) — It has been more than a year since Israel began its war on Gaza following Hamas attacks on Israel in October, yet the Arab world – which claims the closet geographical, political, and religious proximity to Palestine – has neither a […]
After Israeli Strike Iran Holds the Trump Card
By Emad Kiyaei and Sharon Dolev* Following Israel’s recent strike on Iran, Tehran finds itself in a unique position to curb the cycle of violence. The question is whether Iran and the U.S. can leverage this moment to strike an immediate freeze-for-freeze deal to steer the region towards stability. LONDON | 30 October 2024 (IDN) […]
War Sets Back Development in Gaza by 69 Years
By Bernhard Schell CAIRO | 27 October 2024 (IDN) — Without lifting economic restrictions, enabling recovery, and investing in development, the Palestinian economy may not be able to restore pre-war levels and advance forward by relying on humanitarian aid alone. A new assessment that the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic and Social […]
Sinwar’s Death Presents a New Challenge to Israel and Hamas
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 24 October 2024 (IDN) — The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is significant only if Netanyahu and Hamas use it to advance a ceasefire agreement and release the Israeli hostages while providing desperately needed supplies of food, fuel, and medicine to the devastated Palestinians. This should be followed […]