Turks Let Kurdish Forests Burn

The Turkish General Directorate of Forestry claims to devote the bulk of its resources to combating forest fires, but it is passively observing the Turkish army ignite forested areas in the country's predominantly Kurdish southeastern region.

Rumblings Rise Between Hezbollah and Israel

Israeli intelligence has warned that a new war with Hezbollah on Israel's northern border with Lebanon cannot be ruled out, following heightened tensions between United Nations peacekeeping forces and Hezbollah supporters in the south of Lebanon.

EGYPT: Corruption Watchdogs Bite Selectively

Anti-corruption watchdogs have shown their teeth, but Egypt's fat cats appear safe from prosecution as long as they stay in favour with the regime.

MIDEAST: These Explosions Are Saviours

At precisely 12 noon on a Thursday afternoon, among the rolling sandy hills in southern Gaza, a controlled explosion destroys another round of white phosphorous shells left in Gaza following the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza.

MIDEAST: Peace May Rest on the Future of 88 Houses

Frequent clashes and continuing tension in disputed East Jerusalem could portend a major outbreak of civil unrest, residents fear.

Talks Hit a Rock Called East Jerusalem

The sound of stun grenades and gunfire resounded through this embattled Palestinian neighbourhood. Amidst increased tension over plans to tighten Israel's grip over the occupied eastern part of the city, Israeli border police and Palestinian youths confronted each other all through Sunday night. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded, mostly from tear gas inhalation; six policemen were hurt by stones.

This Light Is Always Red

A traffic light, yet no traffic at all. In fact, a traffic light...for pedestrians only. And even they move little. There are restrictions on walking out of this village (pop. 3,000).

Israelis Keep the Trigger Tight

"Where is my daddy? Why is he not coming home? I want my daddy," sobs seven- year-old Yasmin, her big blue eyes filling with tears. She wakes up crying every night.

MIDEAST: Most Palestinians in Lebanon Stay Unemployed

Lebanon’s record of segregating Palestinians is not much better than that of Israel. Since their exodus here, after the establishment of Israel in 1948, Palestinians have been systemically denied equal employment and social rights.

Israeli Push for Sanctions Losing Legitimacy

Israel has given guarded approval to the new round of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in the international community's bid to haul back Iran's nuclear programme.

Q&A: ‘We’ll be Back – With Bigger Flotillas’

In an exclusive interview with IPS Huwaida Arraf, the chairwoman of the Free Gaza (FG) movement, which tried to break Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, explains what happened on the night of May 31 when Israeli commandos raided the FG humanitarian flotilla, shooting nine people dead and injuring dozens more.

MEDIA-ISRAEL: Beatings, Abuse, Doctored Evidence Emerge

Although Israel successfully controlled news of its deadly commando raid on the Free Gaza (FG) flotilla during the first crucial 48 hours of media coverage, emerging evidence from witnesses and survivors is challenging the Israeli government's version of events.

Now Israel Is Under Siege

The elemental reason for the outbreak of the seminal June 1967 Arab-Israel war was Israel's self-inflicted doom prophecy that "the Arabs just want to throw us in the sea".

LEBANON: Where the Bikini Finds Sisterhood With the Hijab

Hijab or bikini? That is a question that Lebanon seems to be forever balancing.

Killings Could Boomerang on Israel

What exactly happened on the high seas off the Gaza-Israel coast remains in murky waters.

Difficult Times Call for Dangerous Jobs

Life can be hard working in these tunnels, and it is always at risk. But many have no choice but to work in them, particularly since mid-2007, when Israel and Egypt, with the help of the international community, imposed a siege of staggering severity on the 1.5 million humans in the Gaza Strip.

And Not a Drop to Drink for Palestinians

A new desalination facility has come up here on Israel's Mediterranean seashore, to soothe Israel's chronic fresh water shortage. An elaborate network of pipes beneath the beach reaches westward far into the sea. Eastward, it links up with the national water system.

MIDEAST: Hamas’ Turn to Demolish Palestinian Homes

On Sunday approximately 150 Palestinians from 20 families were driven out of their homes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza strip, by heavily armed police and soldiers who menaced them with clubs.

MIDEAST: US Funds Apartheid Roads on West Bank

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping Israel to construct an apartheid road infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian West Bank by financing nearly a quarter of the segregated road system primarily for the benefit of Israeli settlers.

MIDEAST: May Is About Memories

This is the month for Palestinians to remember their Nakba, or "catastrophe", in which more than 700,000 women, men and children were pushed off their land and rendered homeless refugees by the Zionist attacks before, during and after the founding of Israel in 1948.

MIDEAST: Where Commemorations Are Split

In Israel and Palestine memory is a split matter, depending on which side of the map you come from. Especially this May, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders restart negotiating a border acceptable to their peoples.