Tony Karon in The National on the dawning realisation by the US-backed Palestinian Authority: The sad truth dawning on Ramallah, now, is that there will be no salvation from Washington. Not now, possibly not ever. A sad truth, perhaps, but the kind that can set free those who recognise it. In the shocked aftermath of…
Showing all posts tagged Iran
Banning Gmail won’t solve Iran’s problems
The Iranian regime, already isolated internationally (well, the West doesn’t like her) continues to arrest dissenters. But this news places the country in the dubious role of copying China’s most draconian web censorship: On Wednesday, authorities temporarily blocked all access to e-mail programs such as Gmail and Yahoo during the demonstrations to prevent people from…
Not everyone in Iran is green
Opposition to the Iranian regime is real and continues to display remarkable tenacity in the face of brutal repression. But, reports Graeme Wood in the Atlantic, there appears still to be massive support for the status-quo: In the center of the street, the Quds Day protesters flowed toward me on foot, in groups representing different…
Anniversary of the Islamic Republic has show of strength
The cry for freedom in Iran (from us, the West and a brutal dictatorship) continues: It was meant to be a highlight of the Iranian revolutionary calendar, a day of mass rallies sponsored by the government to showcase contempt for America and the West. But the official commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the storming…
Iranian blogger Hoder in dire shape
The case of imprisoned Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan has long interested this website. The latest, according to Californian-based writer and blogger Cyrus Farivar, is that Hossein remains in jail and in pretty bad condition. It is now one year since his disappearance: I have also been in regular contact with Hossein Derakhshan’s brother, Hamed Derakhshan,…
Don’t think bombing Iran is off the table
Two peace-loving nations get together to discuss poetry and Shakespeare: Nine soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard have joined 1,000 U.S. troops and the Israeli Defense Forces in joint military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea that include preparation for an Iranian missile attack on Israel. The major air defense drill, called Juniper Cobra 10,…
War with Iran is not inevitable, no matter what Zionists say
Israeli hardliner Yossi Klein Halevi says that his people have accepted war: In tabloid cartoons and dinner conversations, Israelis brace themselves for war with Iran.
Zionist myths spread wide at J Street
The J Street conference in Washington DC is over. There is so much to say, reflections, criticisms, praise and exhaustion. Until I have the chance to fully re-engage, Mondoweiss have two good pieces about the event (here and here). The challenges facing anybody in the US to seriously shift the dialogue was revealed once more…
The Jewish background of Aceh
My following article is published in Crikey: In the shadow of Aceh’s tsunami memorial museum sits a colonial, Dutch-era cemetery. Framed by overgrown grass and red flowers, graves lie disjoined, the result, I was told by writer Fozan Santa, of time and the tsunami’s raging water. At the back of the space, behind ornate statues…