The trials and tribulations of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem continue to attract the attention of Palestinians, Jordanians and Greeks alike.

The decision by more than two thirds of the Holy Synod of the Church to expel Patriarch Irineos I from his position is the first in the church’s 2,000 year history. No one knows what will happen now that the name of the patriarch has been struck out of the prayers of all the faithful throughout Jordan and Palestine and the synod has chosen a committee of three bishops to run the affairs of the church until a new patriarch is elected. Continue Reading »

The demand by the US Congress to divert $50 million of President George W. Bush’s $200-million pledge of aid to the Palestinian Authority for Israeli checkpoints is something like requiring the Vatican to contribute air-conditioners to abortion clinics or divorce lawyers’ fees as part of its policy of easing the plight of Catholic women. Continue Reading »

The corridors of the normally quiet Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University were crowded on Tuesday as students and their supporters from various political groups were busy worrying about elections.

After a five-year hiatus, students at Al Quds University were given the chance to cast their votes for the 51-seat student council. Students wearing various colours were clutching rosters, crossing those who had voted, hoping they had cast their votes in favour of their faction. Continue Reading »

There is something powerful about personal experience. No matter how much you read or hear about something, there is no substitute for actually experiencing it. I have thought of this phenomenon after meeting Israelis or foreigners who, after visiting Palestine, become emotionally engaged in the Palestinian cause.

This sense of engagement is happening to me more and more as my daily travels make concrete – literally – the difficulties of getting around the northern West Bank. On the road between Jericho and Tiberias one is struck by the changes near the Green Line. Continue Reading »

It all started as a nuisance in 1993. Twelve years later, this nuisance is becoming a major catastrophe for the over 200,000 Palestinians of East Jerusalem, following the abduction by Hamas activists of an Israeli soldier, who was later killed along with his captor in an Israeli army storming of the location where the captured Israeli soldier was held. A checkpoint was located near Al Ram intersection. At first Palestinians going into Jerusalem were delayed slightly by the checkpoint. The fact that Jewish settlers used the same road meant that the Israeli soldiers were careful not to allow long delays. Those returning were usually not stopped. Continue Reading »

During the peaceful demonstrations in Lebanon last week, protestors carried huge photo posters of the heads of the intelligence services in Lebanon calling for their resignation or ouster. The thousands of protestors clearly broke the fear barrier by making such a public call against the dark forces that they accuse of running a police state. Continue Reading »

For the past few weeks, Los Angles-based Palestinian director Hanna Elias has been very busy in Ramallah. He has been casting, auditioning and rehearsing with actors who will take part in an important movie. He needs to find some 120 voices in order to dub into Arabic the world-class movie Gandhi. Continue Reading »

A curious thing is happening in Lebanon and other parts of the Arab world. Democracy might be the rule of the people by the people, but once people take up this right, there is no telling what they will decide. Anti-US forces (like those of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah) are temporarily (at least in Beirut) putting their guns aside and taking up democratic tools like non-violent demonstrations and public rallies. Pro-democratic groups in Lebanon are also not automatically embracing the US but are publicly supporting the anti-Israeli resistance. In the run up to the March 9 rally and during it, Nasrallah’s actions and words were clearly in favour of what he calls “silm al ahli” (community peace) in which he insisted on the need to discuss and debate issues. Continue Reading »

US President George Bush tickled the fancy of lovers of democracy the world over when he focused his inaugural address in Washington on the priority of fighting tyranny and standing up for the rights of people to liberty and freedom. While it is obvious that Bush will pursue this policy in regards to countries like North Korea and Iran, it is still an open question whether this will be the US policy in pro-US countries. In the world at large, and in the Arab world in specific, there are many who doubt the sincerity of Bush when it comes to his administration’s position regarding the human rights and other rights that people living under the rule of some of America’s allies. Continue Reading »

I participated in the Palestinian presidential elections very early on Jan. 9. I drove to the village of Anata just outside the municipal borders of Jerusalem, showed them my ID card, got my right hand thumb inked and was given a ballot which I used to cast my vote.

The ink, which some claimed could be easily removed, has stayed on my thumb for a week. Not that it bothered me. Instead, I used it as a badge of honour, showing it off to relatives and friends in Amman and even in Beirut. Continue Reading »