Common Ground News Service

‘We Can Matter’: Young Israeli Addresses Arab Idol Winner

‘We Can Matter’: Young Israeli Addresses Arab Idol Winner

NATAN ODENHEIMER, CGNEWS: In an open letter a former IDF soldier praises Mohammed Assaf and spells out how he believes he can help unite the two communities

 Ramzy Baroud

Scratch, Scratch: The Western Itch To Intervene Is Insatiable

Scratch, Scratch: The Western Itch To Intervene Is Insatiable

RAMZY BAROUD: You can be sure that whatever turmoil is happening in the Middle East the hands of the West will be present

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Children’s Puppet Show: A Threat to Israeli Public Security

Children’s Puppet Show: A Threat to Israeli Public Security

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Children’s puppets represent a new target for the Israeli authorities.

 Tabsir

“Game Changer”: Is This The Phrase That Will Haunt Obama?

“Game Changer”: Is This The Phrase That Will Haunt Obama?

DANIEL M. VARISCO: For George W. Bush the phrase was ‘Mission Accomplished’. For his successor there could be another phrase that defines his foreign affair policy

 Jonathan Cook

Palestine Reclaimed: A Return to The Hill-Top of Iqrit

Palestine Reclaimed: A Return to The Hill-Top of Iqrit

JONATHAN COOK: A dozen young men have returned to the village from which their grandparents were expelled in 1948 and set up camp

 Mondoweiss

‘Two State Solution? No Chance!’ Israeli Minister Speaks Out

‘Two State Solution? No Chance!’ Israeli Minister Speaks Out

MONDOWEISS: ‘We do whatever we want, whenever we want’. Danny Danon injects a bit of plain speaking into the debate about the future, or not, of Palestine.

 Richard Silverstein

Israel’s Connection to the NSA Surveillance Scandal

Israel’s Connection to the NSA Surveillance Scandal

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Israeli companies have consistently led the way in internet monitoring and surveillance technology.

 Jonathan Cook

Israel’s ‘Football Coup’ Prompts BDS Focus on Sport

Israel’s ‘Football Coup’ Prompts BDS Focus on Sport

JONATHAN COOK: Israelis are basking in the warm glow of playing host to a major international sporting event. Is it though the beginning of a South African style campaign focused on sport?

 Ramzy Baroud

Gaza Is ‘Paying a Heavy Price’ For Egypt’s Political Turmoil

Gaza Is ‘Paying a Heavy Price’ For Egypt’s Political Turmoil

RAMZY BAROUD: Gazans rejoiced when their neighbours in Egypt experienced freedom. The consequences for Gaza of two years’ revolution in Egypt though are dire

 Mondoweiss

Guilt, Responsibility and a Special Relationship: Why Palestine’s Vital

Guilt, Responsibility and a Special Relationship: Why Palestine’s Vital

SAM BAHOUR, MONDOWEISS: There are three essential reasons why the fate of Palestine is a matter for global concern.

 Jonathan Cook

‘Palestine? Not a Priority’: Internal Fissures Evident in Israel

‘Palestine? Not a Priority’: Internal Fissures Evident in Israel

JONATHAN COOK: As the physical threat against their security has waned so Israelis have been free to examine other areas of their society.

 Ramzy Baroud

‘We Can Blow Things Up’: America’s Power in the Middle East

‘We Can Blow Things Up’: America’s Power in the Middle East

RAMZY BAROUD: America’s current role as impotent looker-on is unprecedented in recent Middle Eastern history. This situation won’t continue indefinitely

 Jonathan Cook

Israel’s Samson Complex: Will Anyone ‘Pick Up the Phone?’

Israel’s Samson Complex: Will Anyone ‘Pick Up the Phone?’

JONATHAN COOK: Here we go again with another re-heated so-called peace initiative. But the foundations on which it’s built are familiar and fragile

 Mondoweiss

Beinart v Dershowitz On Israel, Hawking and Zionism

Beinart v Dershowitz On Israel, Hawking and Zionism

MONDOWEISS: The heat surrounding Stephen Hawkin’s withdrawal from a conference in Israel added heat to a debate between two prominent commentators last week

 Richard Silverstein

In China Or Israel: ‘Something There Is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’

In China Or Israel: ‘Something There Is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Benjamin Netanyahu waxed enthusiastic about the inspiration that the Great Wall of China has provided for him.

 Ramzy Baroud

Thriving: The ‘Hate All Muslims Industry’ Is ‘In Full Flow’

Thriving: The ‘Hate All Muslims Industry’ Is ‘In Full Flow’

RAMZY BAROUD: The anti-Muslim brigade who take to the media at every possible opportunity received another boost with the Boston bombing.

 Mondoweiss

‘Sauce, Goose, Gander’: Political vs Family Ties in Public Debate

‘Sauce, Goose, Gander’: Political vs Family Ties in Public Debate

PHILIP WEISS, CGNEWS: Josh Landis’s marriage to a Syrian Alawite was judged fair game in a discussion on his views on the political situation. Why only him?

 Ramzy Baroud

The History of Palestine: ‘We Must Seize Our Narrative’

The History of Palestine: ‘We Must Seize Our Narrative’

RAMZY BAROUD: Palestine’s history has traditionally been told through the prism of an accepted Israeli or Western narrative. It’s time for Palestinians to tell their own story.

 Mondoweiss

“Arabs! I Hate Arabs”: An Independence Day Encounter

“Arabs! I Hate Arabs”: An Independence Day Encounter

MONDOWEISS: A drunken racist comment at an ATM showed how the expression of hatred against Palestinians is accepted within Israeli society.

 Mondoweiss

‘Come and See A Skeleton’: Response to Issawi’s Invite

‘Come and See A Skeleton’: Response to Issawi’s Invite

IRA GLUNTS, MONDOWEISS: The Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi sent a letter to prominent Israelis inviting them to see him in prison. There have been radically different responses.