Middle East War & Peace

Nouriel Roubini: Social unrest will spread

LJ970 — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:51:23 +0000

“Recent popular demonstrations, from the Middle East to Israel to the UK, are all driven by the same issues and tensions.” “Recent popular demonstrations, from the Middle East to Israel to the UK, and rising popular anger in China – and soon enough in other advanced economies and emerging markets – are all driven by [...]

Barak warns enemies to be ‘decapitated’

LJ970 — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:46:51 +0000

Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited an Iron Dome battery in the south on Sunday, and said the IDF would continue to go after those who are attacking Israel. “The IDF is hitting the terrorists hard, and will continue to operate as needed,” he told the troops in the area. “The heads of the Popular Resistance [...]

‘Syrian tanks enter Homs’ after protests

LJ970 — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:05:59 +0000

Tanks have entered the central Syrian city of Homs, according to activists, in a sign that President Bashar al-Assad remains willing to put down ongoing protests with force despite the impending arrival of a UN humanitarian mission. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said troops wounded at least eight people on Saturday in [...]

Arab League to meet amid Israel-Palestinian flare-up

LJ970 — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:59:34 +0000

The Arab League will hold emergency talks on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip after a series of Israeli air strikes on the enclave, the deputy leader of the group said. “The Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday, at the request of Palestine, to examine the repercussions of the [...]

Gadhafi Grows More Isolated As Rebels Push Ahead

LJ970 — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:55:49 +0000

Rebel forces have gained control of the central square in the strategic western city of Zawiya, NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reported Saturday. It’s a major victory in the rebels’ march on Moammar Gadhafi’s stronghold of Tripoli, just 30 miles to the east. Taking Martyr’s Square was also a symbolic victory, Garcia-Navarro told Weekend Edition Saturday guest host [...]

Israel-Gaza Violence Escalates After Deadly Attack on Israelis

LJ970 — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:46:59 +0000

Militants in the Gaza Strip have fired rockets into Israel after Israeli warplanes pounded the Palestinian territory in retaliation for a series of attacks in southern Israel that killed eight. Israeli authorities said militants launched at least 10 rockets into Israel Friday, damaging a school and a synagogue in the southern city of Ashdod and [...]

Hezbollah Official: Destroy Israel After U.S. Leaves Iraq

LJ970 — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:00:29 +0000

When an enemy gives insight into his strategic thinking, it pays to listen. A Hezbollah member of Lebanon’s parliament, retired Brigadier-General Walid Sakariya, predicts that Israel will be destroyed by a “Shiite crescent” in a war with hundreds of thousands of deaths. This war, he says, can only commence once two things happen: Iraq is [...]

U.N. rights chief mulls Hague court for Syria

LJ970 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:55:22 +0000

The U.N. human rights chief is expected to suggest that the U.N. Security Council refer Syria’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters to the International Criminal Court, envoys said on Wednesday. U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay will address the 15-nation council in a closed-door session on Syria on Thursday, along with U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos. [...]

Shalit Negotiations on Hold Indefinitely

LJ970 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:54:33 +0000

Renewed Egyptian-mediated negotiations on a prisoner swap for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit reached an impasse again Wednesday. The announcement came after Damascus-based Khaled Meshaal arrived in Cairo, the London-based Arabic-language daily, al-Hayat reported. Meshaal led a Hamas delegation to Cairo, primarily to discuss the stalled formation of a unity coalition with the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah [...]

UN warns over Israel-Palestinian escalation

LJ970 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:49:53 +0000

UN leader Ban Ki-moon raised fears on Thursday of an “escalation” in the Israel-Palestinian conflict after seven Israelis were killed in attacks on Thursday. Ban “is concerned at the risk of escalation and calls for all to act with restraint,” said UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq. The attacks came amid an increasingly tense diplomatic deadlock [...]