Tag Archives: Middle East

Among the nine people killed during Israel’s raid on the flotilla headed to Gaza was 19 year-old Furkan Dogan, a New York-born man with dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship. According to one report, Dogan was shot four times in the head. And not that it’s necessarily relevant to this tragedy, I’ve gotten three emails today speculating that Dogan may have been gay. …

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) says that as a Jew, he’s ashamed of Israel’s “victimization” of Palestinians. Frank is calling for an independent international inquiry into this weekend’s raid on the ships heading for the Gaza Strip. Frank’s words are not winning him friends among Jewish leaders in his district. “They weren’t innocent at all, it’s pretty clear,” said Nancy K. …

While desperate American mail their gold jewelery to corporate scamsters in return for cash, a hotel in Abu Dhabi has installed an ATM machine that dispenses tiny gold bars when you feed it money. Because there’s so little conspicuous consumption in the region. (Tipped by JMG reader JM)

More than twice as tall as the Empire State, the Burj Dubai officially opens today in a heavy cloak of security. Dubai is set to open the world’s tallest building Monday as the city seeks to revitalize its economy after a debt crisis in 2009 that forced the once-hot financial center to turn to neighboring Abu Dhabi for help. The …

Gizmodo notes that the Burj Dubai, “the world’s tallest, most absurdly ostentatious building,” has become the literal lightening rod of the Middle East. That lightning seeks out the Burj Dubai isn’t particularly surprising; the Empire State Building gets hit all the time. But given the relative infrequency of electrical storms in that region of the world, folks are starting to …

The glittering city-state of Dubai, home to uncountable brand new skyscrapers and whimsical artificial islands, has asked for a six month reprieve on its $60B debt, sending the world’s markets into something of a tumble. Wall Street turned sharply lower at the open on Friday, as traders scrambled to play catch-up after sharp downturns in Asian and European markets over …

For about as long as I can remember, Beirut has been the go-to comparison for describing another place as desolate and dangerous. As in “the Bronx is the Beirut of America.” But according to a lengthy travel piece in yesterday’s New York Times, Beirut is now the “Provincetown of the Middle East.” While homosexual activity (technically, sexual relations that officials …

Attending a protest on anniversary of the Six Day War, this time Max Blumenthal talks to some native Israelis and finds strong support for Barack Obama. You may recall that in his previous clip, Blumenthal interviewed many anti-Obama dual American-Israeli citizens. (Via JMG reader Osman)

On the eve of the president’s speech in Cairo last week, filmmaker and writer Max Blumenthal and blogger/Israeli peace activist Joseph Dana took to the cafe-laden streets of Jerusalem to ask young people one simple question: “What do you think of Obama and Israel?” The video they captured is very disturbing. NSFW. Joseph Dana: Most of the people that we …

Yesterday the Israeli army launched their own channel on YouTube so the world can witness the mighty mighty power of their American-made-and-paid-for technology.

Despite earning the wrath of the left and the right for meeting with Hamas, Jimmy Carter seems to have made some progress where others could not. Jimmy Carter says Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, and other senior members of the Islamic militant group he met with in Damascus have told him they are willing to accept a peace agreement negotiated by …