Discovering Palestine: to change the U.S. approach to the Middle to government's one-sided East, Christians here need to listen Christians in the region.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois. My family were members of South Park Church, whose main claim to historic fame may be that it dismissed Bill Hybels as its youth leader, sending him on his journey to found Willow Creek. Like most...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Nov 11 - Israel Allows Fuel Into Gaza As UN Warns Food Aid In Peril.
Israel reopens the terminal that handles all fuel supplies to Gaza to allow delivery of diesel to the Palestinian territory's sole power plant one day after it shuddered to a halt. A UN agency, meanwhile, warned it would have to suspend food distribution on which a majority of Gaza's...

In Advisory Opinion requested by U.N. General Assembly, International Court of Justice concludes that Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are unlawful and that, despite Israel's undoubted right of self-defense against terrorism, construction of wall on that occupied territory is violating customary international law and several conventions on human rights and humanitarian law to which Israel belongs.
On December 10, 2003, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) forwarded to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a decision the U. N. General Assembly (GA) had taken. Resolution ES-10/14 called for an Advisory Opinion by the Court. The question is this: "What are the legal...

Olmert's New Zeal.
Despite being charged with corruption, meanwhile, PM Olmert is trying to add lustre to his poor legacy. A week after he resigned his post in September, he took an unexpected position in Israeli foreign policy which shocked his countrymen and surprised others elsewhere. In an interview on Sept. 29...

Palestinian women's sexual and reproductive health rights in a longstanding humanitarian crisis.
Abstract: This paper results from a study conducted in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in September 2002 to test the usefulness of a guide for a comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health rights and needs of refugee women. In-depth interviews with key informants from 19 organisations and two focus...

ARABS-ISRAELI RELATIONS - Jan 8 - Israelis And Palestinians Gather Before Bush Visit.
The Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet and authorises the start of negotiations on the core issues of their conflict. The announcement comes a day before President George W. Bush was to arrive in Jerusalem, with Israel and the Palestinians determined to show some progress since the US-sponsored peace conference...

Veiled impunity: Iran's use of non-state armed groups.
The only strength of Iran is the weakness of the international community vis-a-vis Iran. --Shimon Peres (1) I. INTRODUCTION In December of 2006, thousands of Hezbollah supporters crowded the streets of Beirut, angrily demanding that Prime Minister Siniora's government step down. This followed...

Why plans for a two-state solution in the Middle East have failed.
From the early United Nations plans for a two-state solution in the Middle East to the present, plans for a two-state solution have come up against immovable obstacles. The original UN plan for Israel would have led to a state that was indefensible in a hostile environment. The plan...

Foreign direct investment into ME & MENA regions soar by over 50%: the Arab world stretching from Morocco to Oman is becoming more integrated into the global economy and is competing for a larger share of foreign investment by multinational corporations. This trend will have a favourable impact on economic growth and job creation, especially in countries lacking natural resources. Researched and written by investment analyst MOIN SIDDIQI.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN 2006, FOREIGN direct investment (FDI) flows to the Middle East and North Africa or MENA region of 19 economies (including the crisis-hit Palestinian Territory) grew by 51%, to an unprecedented $79,685m, making the fourth consecutive year of growth and a significant rise over the...

Evoking the guardian angel: childbirth care in a Palestinian hospital.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of maternity care in a large, public, Palestinian referral hospital, as a first step in developing interventions to improve safety and quality of maternity care. Provider interviews, observation and interviews with women were used to understand the barriers...