Habib Siddiqui

  The world is, very reasonably, horrified at what is happening in Ukraine. Russia is apparently committing war crimes and crimes against humanity as it bombs residences, hospitals and any other sites its warplanes encounter. The headlines are jarring: “Russia bombs five railway stations” (The Guardian). “Russia bombs Ukraine Steel Plant” (Daily Sabah). “Russia using cluster bombs” (The Guardian). “Russia restarts bombing” (iNews). These are just a few examples. Let us look now at some other headlines: “Israel Airstrikes Hit Gaza After Rocket Fire” (Wall Street Journal). “Israel Airstrikes Target Gaza” (Sky News). “IDF Says it Struck Hamas Weapons Depot” (The Times of Israel). “Israel Military Launches Airstrikes” (New York Post). Is it just this writer, or does it appear that ‘airstrikes’ seems a lot more benign that ‘bombs’? Why not say ‘Israel Bombs Gaza’ rather than sugar-coating the deadly bombing of innocent men, women and children? Would anyone find it acceptable to say that...

  Starting on April 15, the Israeli occupation army and police   raided   Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem on a daily basis. Under the pretence of providing protection to provocative ‘ visits ’ by thousands of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers and rightwing fanatics, the Israeli army has wounded hundreds of Palestinians, including journalists, and arrested hundreds more. Palestinians understand that the current attacks on Al-Aqsa carry deeper political and strategic meanings for Israel than previous raids. Al-Aqsa has experienced routine  raids  by Israeli forces under various guises in the past. However, the significance of the Mosque has acquired additional meanings in recent years, especially following the popular Palestinian rebellion, mass protests, clashes and a war on Gaza last May, which Palestinians tellingly  refer  to as Saif Al Quds – Operation Sword of Jerusalem. Historically, Haram Al-Sharif – or the Noble Sanctuary – has been at t...

  It has become increasingly clear to the world that there is not one, but two, actually three, distinct levels of conflict embedded in what the world’s media and political leadership deceptively insist of calling the ‘Ukraine War.’ The first level was clearly initiated on February 24, 2022 when Russia launched an aggressive war against Ukraine imperiling its sovereign rights and territorial integrity. The second level was difficult to discern in the first weeks of the war, but became soon evident as the NATO countries led by the United States placed an increasing emphasis on lending escalating support to Ukraine’s adopted goals of achieving an unexpected military victory. This support took various forms including the steady supply of heavy weaponry, robust economic assistance, punitive sanctions, and a drumbeat of ‘official’ demonization of Russia and its leadership. In the beginning it seemed appropriate to lend support to Ukraine as the target of aggression, and hail the resista...

  Hassan bin Attash, Guantanamo Bay's youngest detainee, has been cleared for release. This marks the latest departure from the controversial prison camp that every US president has promised to close since it was opened two decades ago. The Yemeni national, who grew up in Saudi Arabia, has been held since 2002, when he was captured in a raid in Pakistan. He and his brother Walid have been at Guantanamo since 2006. He has been accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks, though he has never been formally charged. The main stipulation for his release is finding a country where he can be "rehabilitated", according to the Pentagon, which made the announcement on Tuesday. Though known to be Guantanamo's youngest inmate, his exact age is unclear. A  New York Times  report says he was born in 1982 or 1985.

  After 19 years, hundreds of millions of dollars and just two successful convictions, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh is approaching its end. The only case now ongoing for atrocities committed in Cambodia by Pol Pot’s brutal regime is an appeal by Khieu Samphan, who was convicted in 2018. The country’s youthful population is anxious to move on from a national identity characterised by a genocide it does not remember, while an ageing political elite is  keen to limit chains of accountability  before they edge too close to home. KEEP READING list of 4 items list 1 of 4 ‘Using citizenship as a weapon’ Myanmar military targets critics list 2 of 4 Misreading the room: Why Hun Sen is failing on Myanmar list 3 of 4 A haven from the civil war, Cambodia’s Hotel Le Phnom list 4 of 4 Cambodia convicts opposition politicians in ‘unfair’ mass trial end of list Cambodia’s National Assembly, where the ruling party has every seat, has voted unanimously to wind up the court’s acti...