So the United States is bombing targets in Iraq from the air, is active on the ground with hundreds of its special forces, and is exploring targets to bomb in Syria. Who is the enemy the U.S. is now attacking? Well, judging from domestic public political discussions, the simple answer is, “We’re not really sure.”… اقرأ المزيد
Those watching the terrible situation in Gaza today are focusing on whether or not the parties can agree to a humanitarian cease-fire that would also trigger negotiations on more profound issues of disagreement, to try and resolve the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This conflict has some common elements with the chaotic situations in… اقرأ المزيد
The bizarre role of the United States government in current events in Israel and Palestine has reached such a peak this week that someone in the realm of the absurd should create a prize for this and award the inaugural one to Secretary of State John Kerry. Washington’s quest for a cease-fire in Gaza, while… اقرأ المزيد
Words matter. They help us better understand our world and ourselves, especially at complex times such as this latest round of military attacks by Israelis and Palestinians. The prevalent global analysis of the fighting is inadequate for anyone who seeks seriously to grasp the three critical dimensions of the fighting – its causes, nature and… اقرأ المزيد
As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, we can get a better understanding of the conditions of that time by following closely events in Palestine this week. That is because Israeli behavior provides the best window we have into the mindset of the Western colonial powers a century ago,… اقرأ المزيد
The last two weeks of attacks by Israelis and Palestinians and street clashes in Jerusalem have raised questions about whether Palestinians will launch a new intifada to shake off the Israeli occupation. That is a reasonable expectation, in view of the two previous intifadas and the continuing abuses that Palestinians suffer from Israel’s occupation, colonization… اقرأ المزيد