In the Mideast, America Casts an Imperial Shadow

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Written by Rashid Khalidi Rashid Khalidi
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
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Most Americans think that our role as a world power began with World War II, the "good war," and then continued with the similarly noble Cold War. We like to think that the United States acts in the world exclusively in the name of ideals such as freedom and democracy.

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'Hidden costs raise' US war price

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Written by BBC News BBC News
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
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The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing nearly double the amount previously thought, according to a report by Democrats in the US Congress.

They say "hidden costs" have pushed the total to about $1.5 trillion - nearly twice the requested $804bn (£402bn).

Higher oil prices, treating wounded veterans, and the cost to the economy of pulling reservists away from their jobs have been taken into account.


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Fatah members rounded up in Gaza

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Written by BBC News BBC News
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
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Hamas says it has rounded up dozens of Fatah activists in Gaza, a day after a huge rally commemorating Yasser Arafat ended in gunfire killing seven people.

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Israel shaken by troops' tales of brutality against Palestinians

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Written by Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Published: 12 November 2007 12 November 2007
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A psychologist blames assaults on civilians in the 1990s on soldiers' bad training, boredom and poor supervision . . .

 A study by an Israeli psychologist into the violent behaviour of the country's soldiers is provoking bitter controversy and has awakened urgent questions about the way the army conducts itself in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Nufar Yishai-Karin, a clinical psychologist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, interviewed 21 Israeli soldiers and heard confessions of frequent brutal assaults against Palestinians, aggravated by poor training and discipline. In her recently published report, co-authored by Professor Yoel Elizur, Yishai-Karin details a series of violent incidents, including the beating of a four-year-old boy by an officer. 

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The importance of a failed summit

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Written by Gideon Levy, w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Gideon Levy, w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Published: 12 November 2007 12 November 2007
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Do not belittle the Annapolis summit. Despite all the prophecies of failure, justified as they are, this summit could still make an important contribution to the history of Israeli-Arab negotiations: For the first time, it will become crystal-clear who aspires toward peace and, more important, who flees from it as if from fire.

{josquote} An Israel that refuses to discuss the core issues is an Israel that does not want peace.{/josquote}

Israel is going to Annapolis as if by force. The prime minister's hands are tied. If he were to dare to raise the core issues, which are the only thing to be discussed there, then his political fate would be sealed. Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu have already announced that in such an event, they will bring down his government. One can assume that Ehud Olmert, the survivor, is aware of this danger. Despite the lofty agreements that he will achieve - or not, it will seem as if his biweekly talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas never took place. Eli Yishai won't permit it, Avigdor Lieberman is making threats and even Ehud Barak is making sour faces. An Israel that refuses to discuss the core issues is an Israel that does not want peace. There's no other way to put it.

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