Middle East

Iraq’s marshlands, nearly destroyed under Saddam, are coming back

It’s easy to believe, when you’re in Iraq’s southern marshes, that civilization really did begin there. Sunlight sparkles as herons dart from the reeds to spear fish, while women in long wooden boats glide through the water. The wetlands span thousands of square miles in the middle of desert. Some students of ancient history believe […]

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Jewish History, Middle East

Erdogan issues decree to shutter 2,340 institutions in Turkey

Istanbul (dpa) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a decree to close 2,341 institutions – including schools, charities, unions and medical centres – in the wake of an attempted coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Saturday. The decree, which local media noted as being the first taken under the powers of the

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Middle East

Whispers of a US conspiracy swirl in the Turkish president’s home neighborhood

Kasimpasa is a different neighborhood today than it was when Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, sold lemonade on its streets as a teenager. This working-class area has had a reputation for being a little rough around the edges. On Turkey’s version of Monopoly, it used to be the lowest-priced property on the board. But

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Middle East, USA

Germany and Austria Warn Erdogan on Coup Crackdown

Germany and Austria’s foreign ministers have warned Turkey not to use the current state of emergency in the country to persecute political opponents, German public broadcaster DeutscheWelle reports. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, after a group of military personnel attempted to topple his government over the weekend. Erdogan

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International, Middle East

Rabbi Amar: PM’s support of gay pride parade is an embarassment

Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar spoke out on Thursday against the gay pride parade in the capital, and condemned statements in support of the parade made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Kol BeRama, Rabbi Amar lambasted the parade, calling it an embarrassment. “This desecration of God”s name in Jerusalem is an

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Middle East

Cornel West rips ‘vicious Israeli occupation’ outside of RNC

Former Princeton professor and Sanders campaign adviser Cornel West spoke to reporters during a protest against the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Tuesday, praising the “struggle against Israeli occupation” and condemning “Jewish reactionaries” supporting the candidacy of Donald Trump. West, an outspoken critic of Israel, was appointed by the Sanders campaign to the Democratic

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Middle East, USA

Did Turkey help Gaza terrorists fire rockets at Israel?

A series of internal Turkish government emails released by the Wikileaks site include what appear to be instructions to Palestinian terrorists on how to conceal their rockets from Israeli airstrikes. The “AKP Email Archive” was released by the whistleblower website in the aftermath of the attempted military coup against the rule of the Islamist AKP

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Middle East