Mahdi Army Transforming into Salvation Army?
The Mahdi Army might soon be the Iraqi equivalent of the Salvation Army, Gina Chon reports for the Wall Street Journal. Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- long a thorn in the side of the U.S. military and Iraqi government -- intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization. The transformation would represent a significant turnabout ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on August 5, 2008 12:14
Fulbright Scholarships Restored for Gaza Students
A bureaucratic SNAFU almost cost seven Palestinian students their ability to study abroad on prestigious Fulbright scholarships. The U.S. has reinstated the Fulbright scholarships of seven Gaza Strip students blocked by Israel from leaving the Hamas-ruled territory, the State Department said Monday. The students were informed Thursday that their scholarships for the upcoming academic year would be deferred because ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 2, 2008 14:35
Rachael Ray, Donut Terrorist
Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an ad spot featuring Rachael Ray wearing a scarf around her neck because some thought it was a subtle nod of support to Palestinians. Does Dunkin’ Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 28, 2008 07:51
More Allegations in Olmert Corruption Case
Prosecutors in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ongoing corrpution case have added taking cash bribes from a U.S. businessman to Olmert's ever-expanding list of allegations:State Prosecutor Moshe Lador, speaking at a Supreme Court hearing, said investigators suspected New York businessman Morris Talansky had given Olmert "dollars, in cash and in envelopes, during brief meetings from time to time". Olmert's attorneys were ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 19, 2008 13:58
McCain’s Hamas ‘Hypocrisy’
Jamie Rubin, formerly Bill Clinton's State Department spokesman, takes to the pages of the Washington Post to call out John McCain for hypocrisy in claiming that Barack Obama wants to "appease" Hamas. Riffing on John Kerry's famous gaffe, the piece is subtitled, "McCain Was for Talking Before He Was Against It." McCain is the last politician who should be ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 16, 2008 08:49
“Hamas’ Worst Nightmare”
Sean Hackbarth reports on a recent weblogger conference with John McCain. I don't know if my colleague James participated in this one, though I know that he has in the past. What Hackbarth highlighted from the conference, and no doubt everyone else will, too, is this:Jennifer Rubin asked if Obama has given an unhelpful signal to Hamas? McCain ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on April 25, 2008 13:13
Mullen: We ‘Will Have to Deal with Iran in the Very Near Future’
Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a very profound statement at Monday night's Atlantic Council awards dinner that has received virtually no press notice: That we "will have to deal with Iran in the very near future." Here's the context: We also live in a time where Iran routinely pushes its way ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on April 24, 2008 15:27
Aksa Brigades Call for Murder of Palestinian PM
The al Aksa Martyr Brigades put out a leaflet advocating the assassination of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, on Sunday called for the murder of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad for "collaboration" with Israel and the US. This was the first time the group has openly called for Fayad's assassination. In ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 31, 2007 09:58
Most Saudis Oppose al Qaeda
A recent survey of Saudi Arabian adults finds a complicated view of America, terrorism, and freedom. Most Saudi Arabia citizens interviewed in a poll oppose terrorism and want closer ties with the United States. But many Saudis remain opposed to making peace with Israel, according to what researchers call an unprecedented survey of the kingdom. Ten percent of Saudis have ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 18, 2007 08:43
American Hubris in the Middle East
I was listening to a discussion on the Diane Rehm Show this morning on the Annapolis Mideast Peace Conference this morning, featuring Hisham Melhem, Washington bureau chief for Al-Arabiya TV, Glenn Kessler, diplomatic correspondent for the Washington Post, and Martin Indyk, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and director of the Saban Center. It was, as would be ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on November 28, 2007 12:25
