Month: November 2012

By the controversial move to rush to a vote on the draft constitution today, putting the draft before a public vote within 15 days, the constituent assembly hopes to finesse both judiciary attempts to dissolve the body and Mursi’s polarizing decree immunizing himself from judicial review: Egypt to Vote on New Constitution in Effort to…

Mursi’s claim that “temporarily” granting himself Draconian authority will save Egypt’s fledgling democracy leads to threatened strikes by judges and journalists, rival demonstrations, a stock market fall, and death … President Morsi Stands Firm Despite Egypt Protests (Christian Science Monitor) Morsi Tries to Defuse Egyptian Decree Crisis by Emphasising Dialogue (Guardian) Egypt Crisis: Mohammed Mursi…

The fragile Gaza truce is holding so far despite accusations of violations on both sides … Rockets Fall Silent in Gaza Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas (abc News) Gaza Crisis: Palestinian ‘Shot Dead near Border’ (BBC) Gaza Ceasefire Holds but Mistrust Runs Deep (Reuters) … providing political capital to both Hamas and Morsi, but the…

“Gilad Sharon, the son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,” calls on Israel to “flatten all of Gaza[,]” adding that “Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima – the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too[,]” but “there is a growing consensus that a military operation every few years”: Israelis Ponder Alternatives to…

Largely immune from retaliation by its sophisticated anti-missile defense system, Israel expands its targets to include the media as well as residential areas … Israel Strikes Media Buildings in Gaza, Expanding Its Range of Targets (Washington Post) Israeli Strikes Kill 23 in Gaza: Babies and Women Killed in Air Strike (Herald Sun) BBC Gaza Journalist Loses…

As the American media lies about the sequence of events that lead to Israel’s breaking of the effective truce to resume its massacres in Gaza where “two days of Israeli air strikes have killed 19 Palestinians, including seven militants and 12 civilians, among them six children and a pregnant woman. A Hamas rocket killed three Israelis” … How…

Anticipating the upcoming elections, Israel resumes its policy of assassination: Israeli Airstrike in Gaza: Hamas Confirms Its Top Commander Killed (Christian Science Monitor) Israel Has Long History of Killing Hamas Leaders (AP / abc News) For Israel, Costs and Benefits of Striking Gaza (Christian Science Monitor) Egypt Recalls Envoy to Israel After Gaza Strike (AP…

In the wake of the Petraeus scandal  the CIA flatly denies Paula Broadwell’s allegations that “the CIA annex … had taken a couple of Libyan militia members prisoner and they think that the attack on the consulate was an effort to try to get these prisoners back”: Why Did Paula Broadwell Think the CIA Had Taken…

“These encouraging results clearly show that mainstream Americans reject anti-Muslim bigotry by candidates for public office and will demonstrate that rejection at the polls”–Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations: American Muslims Celebrate Defeat of Congressional Islamophobes Allen West and Joe Walsh (RNS / Huffington Post) The dispute to replace the words…

Under a law that state media said allows the government to “re-evaluate the nationality” of citizens, Bahrain’s government revoked the citizenship of 31 Shias  for “breaching national security and damaging the supreme interests of Bahrain,” even though, according to Amnesty International, many had been acquitted previously of such charges: Bahrain Revokes 31 Opposition Activists’ Citizenship…