Politics

Arab League ministers meeting in Libya walked a diplomatic tightrope on Friday, issuing a statement that put the Israeli-Palestinian peace process on notice but also giving American brokers another month to resolve an impasse over Israeli settlement construction and restart the talks. This compromise, reached after intense American lobbying to avoid a total collapse of … Continued

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Libya on Thursday to seek Arab League backing for his decision to quit direct talks with Israel until the settlement construction moratorium is renewed, amid no signs that the US and Israel have a formula in hand to break the impasse. Although Ambassador to the US Michael Oren … Continued

The call for peace in Israel/Palestine within interfaith dialogue is being waged by Dr. Mark Braverman, author of “Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews, and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land” The book was “written as a result of my shock, my horror, my sadness, and my anger at what is happening in historic Palestine.” … Continued

A poll of Arab American voters completed just one month before the 2010 mid-term elections shows that they favour Democrats over Republicans by a wide margin. The poll also reveals the community divided in its assessment of President Barack Obama’s job performance, with pluralities satisfied with his handling of most major issues, except the economy … Continued

Forty years after the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the late Egyptian president, his position remains unfilled: No other leader has emerged as a symbol of pan-Arab unity and the struggle for independence from Western influence. Nasser, who was the president of Egypt between 1956 and 1970, wielded great influence on the Arab intelligentsia and … Continued

Political stagnation presents a pressing challenge for the Arab world. In a new Q&A, Marwan Muasher identifies the major obstacles to reform in the region and talks about the path forward and role the international community can play in encouraging reform. Muasher argues that the Arab world is trapped between two major forces—an entrenched political … Continued

At a seminar held by the Echaab Centre for Strategic Studies in Algiers on Tuesday (September 21st), experts and academics discussed the role played by the Arab-American community in public policy and decision making. Arab-American political activist Maram Abdelhamid addressed the issue of Arab participation in American policy-making, speaking of the positive role that Arab … Continued

HE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary United Nations Building New York, New York 10:01 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, my fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor to address this Assembly for the second time, nearly two years after my election as President of the United States. … Continued

It’s hard to find anyone with a positive word to say about this latest round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), and with good reason. Having just spent a week there meeting with senior intelligence, military and diplomatic officials, as well as Palestinian negotiators and Arab-Israelis, I can say categorically that … Continued

Israeli Arab politicians responded furiously Sunday to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s suggestion suggesting that “disloyal” members of that sector should take Palestinian citizenship. The question of Israel’s citizens needs to be one of the central issues on the negotiating table, in light of the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state,” Lieberman said … Continued

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday the United States planned to involve Syria and Lebanon in talks with Israel with the aim of reaching “comprehensive” peace in the Middle East as enshrined in the Arab peace initiative. “US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is on his way for consultations in Damascus and … Continued

One paradox stands out in the Middle East. The lands of the three monotheistic faiths – essentially messages of peace – remain awash in conflict. The Holy Grail is peace in this region. The search for it has included Arabs – despite orientalist stereotypes to the contrary. Thomas Hardy’s apt observation that ‘war makes good … Continued