IPS Inter Press Service - Middle East

IPS, civil society's leading news agency, is an independent voice from the South and for development, delving into globalisation for the stories underneath.

MIDEAST: Olmert Survives Again, For Now - (Found June 29, 2008 )

JERUSALEM, Jun 27 (IPS) - Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert won yet another reprieve this week, just hours before the parliament was set to vote to dissolve itself in a move that would almost certainly have led to new elections and Olmert's ouster from office.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42990

MIDEAST: Hamas and Hezbollah Gain, Almost Hand in Hand - (Found June 29, 2008 )

CAIRO, Jun 26 (IPS) - Hezbollah's dramatic seizure of Beirut last month stunned observers and dealt a heavy blow to Washington's Lebanese allies. In Cairo, analysts compared the episode to last year's takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, noting that both actions were pre-emptive -- rather than offensive -- in nature.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42973

MIDEAST: Israel Training to Attack Iran - (Found June 29, 2008 )

JERUSALEM, Jun 25 (IPS) - Israeli defence experts were not surprised by a New York Times report over the weekend that the Israeli air force had recently conducted what appeared to be a rehearsal for an attack on Iran&39;s nuclear facilities.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42953

LEBANON: After Accord, the Inevitable Bickering Begins - (Found June 29, 2008 )

BEIRUT, Jun 24 (IPS) - A month has gone by since the May 21 Doha agreement between warring Lebanese factions, which ended a week-long civil conflict that erupted on May 7, and led to the death of 67 people. Painstakingly brokered in Qatar's capital with the support of the Arab community, the peace deal also stipulated the election of consensus president Michel Suleiman. But ever since, Lebanese politicians have been bickering relentlessly over ministries in the future government.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42938

Q&A: State Main Opponent of Abolition in Morocco - (Found June 29, 2008 )

RABAT, Morocco, Jun 24 (IPS) - Ambiguous statements and contradictory policies make it impossible to predict when Morocco will abolish the death penalty. But the "great confusion" on the issue is not deterring human rights activists pressing forward with their public campaigning -- especially among the youth.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42934

MIDEAST: Ceasefire Makes Israelis Uneasy - (Found June 29, 2008 )

JERUSALEM, Jun 23 (IPS) - The rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza have stopped for now. So have the Israeli raids into the coastal strip. But the majority of Israelis are deeply sceptical that the truce with Hamas, which went into effect last Thursday, will endure. Many also believe that it represents a major achievement for the Islamic movement, not for Israel.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42923

MIDEAST: Answering Attacks With Smiles and Smileys - (Found June 29, 2008 )

USH GHRAB, West Bank, Jun 23 (IPS) - East of Beit Sahour in Ush Ghrab, the tree line stops and the bronze, rocky desert begins. In a flat clearing on this hilltop, a small, abandoned military post is being slowly transformed from an assorted collection of cement-grey barracks into a virtual oasis for the region's children, families and tourists.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42921

LEBANON: Wine Flows Under Hezbollah&39;s Shadow - (Found June 29, 2008 )

BEIRUT, Jun 23 (IPS) - Pine trees adorn majestic mountain flanks separating south Lebanon from the Chouf region in the village of Jezzine. Amid the shrubbery, lush vines, their crisp leaves tinted emerald green, bear the promise of a future harvest as the grapes start to form on the twisted branches. Bordering known Hezbollah strongholds, wine production seems to be thriving, in an area where the peaceful co-existence between the culture of the vine and the &39;party of God&39; is indeed.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42920

Q&A: "Neglecting Democracy Is More Dangerous Than Nuclear Weapons" - (Found June 29, 2008 )

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 20 (IPS) - While the United States and Britain are talking about tougher sanctions on Iran, including sanctions on its gas and oil industry -- Tehran&39;s major source of revenue -- Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Noble Peace Prize laureate and international human rights defender, argues that this tactic has not weakened the government, but the Iranian people.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42907