Conflict Blotter

A few thoughts on the controversey involving the two Israeli journalists who reported from Lebanon under false pretenses.
First, I think it is ridiculous that Israeli journalists can’t report from Lebanon, especially if they have non-Israeli passports. The Arab world’s posture on this issue in general is absurd. Syria, Lebanon, every Arab government knows that scores […]

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Lebanon is fuming after two Israeli journalists with dual nationality reported from Beirut and the Shiite south. Canadian-Israeli blogger Lisa Goldman filed TV spots for Channel 10 news from the Beirut’s Shia suburbs while Brazilian-Israeli Rinat Malkes filed stories for the Yediot Aharanot newspaper.
The Daily Star in Beirut had this to say:
When two Israeli re-porters […]

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Here is Conflict Blotter’s first attempt at going multimedia. I’m new to shooting and new to editing so it’s going to be a little rough in the beginning. This was shot today in Ramallah at the Beituniya Checkpoint and the Palestinian Authority headquarters.

NOTE TO READERS: Any readers with video experience who have any advice whatsoever, […]

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In an interview with NPR yesterday evening Colin Powell had some pretty tough words for the Bush administration. Here’s Powell calling for engagement with Hamas:
I think you’d have to find some way to talk to Hamas. I don’t want to insert myself into what Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice is doing or what the president […]

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Iraq Slogger has this photo essay, “The Signs of Baghdad”, by Getty’s Chris Hondros.

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Arafat died of AIDS, charged PFLP Secretary General Ahmed Jabril. MEMRI has this transcript of an interview with Jabril which it says aired on July 5 on Al Manar TV:
When Abu Mazen came to Damascus with his team, I asked them: “What happened to the investigation into the death of Abu Ammar [Arafat]? The Israelis […]

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Here’s the declassified summary of the National Intelligence Estimate. Pretty much a waste of time and nothing we didn’t already know. The seven page document consists of five pages on how to read the NIE and just two pages rehashing what we already know: Al Qaeda is out to get us and thus “the United […]

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Here’s the latest example of the politicization of pork in Israel:
The Netanya City Council approved a bylaw prohibiting the sale of pork in the city on Tuesday. Those opposing the law called it “religious coercion and violation of the dominant status-quo in the city”.
Council Member Adir Benyamini, who also opposed the law, said, “The supporters […]

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The Israeli cabinet approved a list of 256 Palestinian prisoners to be freed this Friday. Meanwhile, however, Israel quietly released former Hamas minister Nasser Shaer from prison today. Freeing the most senior Hamas lawmaker to be rounded up since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit over one year ago may be a strong indication of progress […]

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At last, a US-sponsored peace conference for Israelis and Palestinians. At last, the Bush administration is heeding pleas that it get vigorously involved in Mideast peacemaking. Of course, it won’t work. The time in which a sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could have proved fruitful has long passed. Abbas rules over just two […]

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