Palestinian presidential elections are looming, and several Palestinian groups have announced that they will boycott the elections, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, who scored victories in the recent municipal elections.

Democracy is knocking on the Middle Easts door, but no one appears to be noticing. With Turkey set to join the European Union in due course, and Cyprus already a member of the Brussels club, the Arab world should come to realize that it will be le

If you had asked most Egyptian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in human rights what Egypts new National Council for Human Rights - set up under the chairmanship of former UN secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali in January - had accomplish

The latest spy tale in Washington, DC, involving Larry Franklin, an intelligence analyst at the Defense Department, and some of Israels most important lobbyists in America, is becoming deeper by the week.

Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe performs a genuine public service by calling our attention to yet another screw-up in Americas war against the "Axis of Evil".

A review of the Arab press.

Frances airwaves have become the latest battleground in the Arab-Israeli dispute. At the center of a brouhaha that attracted the attention of Frances Jewish lobby and garnered the interest of the prime minister is Al Manar, a Lebanese satellite T

Arab leaders meeting in Morocco for the G8 industrialized countries Freedom Forum told US Secretary of State Colin Powell that "their support for reform in the region will go hand-in-hand with their support for a just, comprehensive and lasting se

When Tel Avivs market resounds to fruit sellers shouting, "The boss has gone crazy!" it means that produce is being sold at ridiculously low prices.

Iraq approaching its first elections is a study in politics that accords with the Book of Ecclesiastes. The first has become last and the last is becoming first.

There have been several calls over the past few years to end the armed Palestinian resistance in favor of a nonviolent approach. But, as with so many aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, nonviolence only stands a chance if respected by the

Palestinians have a great hurdle to overcome in order to move forward and score any progress against the setbacks of recent years. Our future will have to be shaped by the combined efforts of Palestinian, Israeli, and American leaderships.

"If we dont believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we dont believe in it at all." - Noam Chomsky - American Linguist

A review of the Arab press.

My immediate reaction to Marwan Barghoutis registration as a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority was positive. First of all, I am always in favor of the underdog.

The issue of incitement returned to the debate recently when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon downgraded Israeli conditions for resuming negotiations from stopping Palestinian attacks on Israelis to stopping Palestinian incitement. Thi

Incitement against Israel and Jews in the Palestinian media and educational system is one of a number of serious issues that divide the two sides and fuel hostility. The critical question is, how much weight should be assigned to incitement in Isra

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday ousted his last coalition partner and will try to form a new government with which it might be easier to govern and implement his withdrawal plan. The ouster seemed like a deliberate effort to remo

The late president of Egypt, Anwar Al Sadat, used to say Arabs were always willing to fight Israel until the last Egyptian. That is why, at some point in the 1980s, he disconnected from the Arab world, signing a peace treaty with Israel that return

"The leadership vacuum created by the sad demise of [Palestinian] president [Yasser] Arafat can only be filled by Osama Bin Laden and [Taliban leader] Mullah [Mohammed] Omar, the real leaders that are the only dedicated individuals with the mass su

Iran has been dancing a diplomatic tango over its nuclear negotiations - taking two steps forward for every one step back. The end result, diplomats and analysts believe, is that Iran seems to be gradually inching toward acquiring the potential to

The Palestinian Authority presidential elections, which are to be held on January 9, will infuse Palestinian political life with new vigor, according to analysts. But Palestinian analysts also say that no incoming president will be able t

"Give me some credit!" the new Israeli prime minister, Levi Eshkol, cried out at the Labor Party convention in February 1965, addressing David Ben-Gurion.

A newly-invigorated George W. Bush administration accuses Iran of making an atom bomb, which is a true story but also an old one.

Arab press roundup for November 29: Arab newspapers on Monday highlighted Jordans royal succession surprise, disbanding of Gaza "death squad" Kuwaits Al Rai Al Aam commented on Jordans King Ab

The involvement of East Jerusalem residents in the upcoming Palestinian elections may become Condoleezza Rices first challenge in Middle East peacemaking as secretary of state. US action on the issue will set the tone for how the new Bush administ

I recently taught my little first-graders about the first Thanksgiving. It was an exciting story about how the Native Americans taught the European settlers how to survive the harsh winters and what foods to cultivate and what animals to raise.

George W. Bush is a product of the Wild West myth.

Last week a number of newspapers published a picture of US Marines relaxing inside a mosque in Fallujah after storming it. The marines, shown in full-battle gear trampling prayer carpets with their boots, were members of Charlie Company, First Battalion,

When important people die it is customary to remark that a chapter has been closed in the life of the collective they led and within which they acted. In many cases this is an empty phrase; in Yasser Arafats case it is precise.

"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth, lest the Lord see it, and it displease him." This biblical injunction (Proverbs 24:17) is one of the most profound Jewish moral tenets.

The long-expected offensive to take Fallujah is underway. Approximately 10,000 American Marines, soldiers and Iraqis, supported by British forces, have surrounded Fallujah and its escape routes.

Wherever he may be buried when he passes away, the day will come when his remains will be re-interred by a free Palestinian government in the holy shrines in Jerusalem. Yasser Arafat is one of the generation of great leaders who arose after World War II

Transparency in government is one of the values nobody talked about in the recent elections. Yet it is among Americas more important attributes; it distinguishes the United States from most other governments.

Libya is embarking on a new era of world relations and is opening up to foreign investment, but the country finds itself trying to undo much of what was done during the Great Revolution. Indeed, Libya finds itself in need of a great deal of catching up

I remember standing on the roof of a warehouse near Beirut harbor and observing the armed and uniformed PLO fighters, headed by Yasser Arafat, getting on the ships that took them westward. "End of the Arafat era!"

We all knew the moment was coming. Now that the storm has begun to hit Arab shores, we stand before it in awe wondering what happens the day after.

With his latest video sally, Osama Bin Laden, still the worlds most wanted terrorist, has repositioned himself as the only leader willing to confront the worlds sole superpower. Bin Laden has been living in hiding in Pakistan for almost three years, whe

Mr. Ibrahim complains that the US Global Anti-Semitism Awareness Act stops at Jews, in a recent Middle East Times article titled "Why stop at Jews?"

Fear is deeply ingrained in the Arab psyche, a gene implanted in the Arab mind. There is fear of speaking, writing, reading, or even hearing the truth.

"In order to reach the Promised Land, we must begin to think outside of the box and to propose even the most preposterous ideas that might in the end lead to something much better for all of us."Israelis and Palestinians have many shared water resourc

Recently at the United Nations, the leaders of India and Pakistan expressed their desire for peaceful coexistence, and called for confidence-building measures. This development, which offers a glimmer of real hope toward ending the decades-old conflict be