Author: ALJAZEERA

Idlib, northwest Syria – At the top of a green hill separating the Syria-Turkey border from the small village of al-Allani in the northern countryside of Idlib, Ibrahim al-Aswad stands contemplating rubble that a year ago was a two-storey home. “We were 15 people and only six of us survived,” Ibrahim still remembers the first seconds of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck – followed by a second, nearly as strong – southern Turkey and northwestern Syria at 4:17am on February 6, 2023. He was woken up by the sound of his mother shouting from downstairs, telling him to leave…

European organisations have no plan to ban Israel, unlike swift action that was taken against Russia.European organisations have no plans to ban Israel from events such as the UEFA football championships and Eurovision song contest, despite its war on Gaza. Meanwhile, swift action was taken against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. So, why does Israel compete in Europe? And why are European organisations defending its continued participation? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Andrew Feinstein – Writer and campaigner who served as an MP under former South African President Nelson Mandela Omar Barghouti – Co-founder of the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions…

President Joe Biden’s stance on Gaza has angered many people who elected him, especially Arab Americans. Could they tank his re-election prospects?United States President Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Israel’s assault on Gaza has alienated many voters who helped elect him in 2020, especially young voters and the Arab-American and Muslim American communities. Some of these one-time supporters have begun to organise in key swing states to oppose what they call “Genocide Joe’s” re-election under the slogan “Abandon Biden”. Based on polling, it seems they could be successful but would have to face the prospect of another Donald Trump presidency…

In this week’s episode, Marc Lamont Hill challenges Mossad’s former director, Efraim Halevy, on Israel’s war on Gaza.As Israel’s war on Gaza enters its fifth month, over 27,500 people have been killed and 85 percent of the total population has been internally displaced. The war has also spurred regional tensions and threatened stability across the Middle East. Efforts to halt the war have been in vain, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently rejected a truce offer, saying there will be no end to the war until Israel wins. So, when will the attacks and killings stop? And what…

Rights groups say repeated attacks on medical facilities, doctors and ambulances must be investigated for war crimes.Israeli snipers have killed at least 21 Palestinians after they opened fire on displaced civilians trying to reach Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah, said on Friday that snipers had surrounded the hospital and were “shooting at every moving object” as people were trying to reach it from two densely populated residential neighbourhoods near the facility. “The area around the hospital is very dangerous, and it has turned into a combat zone,” he said, noting that the…

The Israeli military has bombed targets in overcrowded Rafah, hours after United States officials warned Tel Aviv against expanding its ground offensive to the southern city, where more than half of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge. US President Joe Biden called Israel’s conduct in the war “over the top” in the harshest criticism yet from Washington of its close ally amid concerns about the soaring civilian death toll in the enclave. With the war now in its fifth month, Israeli ground forces are still focusing on the city of Khan Younis, just north of Rafah, but…

In the last two weeks, the Israeli government put on a masterclass on how to use the Western media to spread fake news and propaganda and to justify anti-Palestinian actions taken by the United States and its allies. It worked – but only in part. On January 26, in a landmark preliminary ruling on South Africa’s genocide charge against Israel, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found it “plausible” that Israel is committing acts that violate the Genocide Convention; and demanded that it take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance…

Such a major agreement could boost the Egyptian economy, which is facing a dire foreign exchange crisis.The United Arab Emirates is in advanced talks to purchase and develop a large piece of land on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in a deal that could bolster the troubled economy of the North African nation. An UAE consortium has been picked to work with Egyptian partners to develop the land in Ras el-Hekma, about 350km (217 miles) northwest of Cairo, an Egyptian official was quoted by CNBC Arabia on Wednesday as saying. Hossam Heiba, the chief executive officer of the state-run General Authority for…

When the cameras stop rolling and the press vests come off, how do the journalists who cover war cope?We often forget that journalists covering wars are regular people, too. They are parents, siblings, friends and colleagues. And sometimes, they, too, are struggling to survive whatever story they are trying to tell. Journalists in Gaza, including our own teams, have had to deal with the horrific consequences of Israel’s war – some have paid with their lives. Others have lost loved ones, colleagues, and their homes. Yet, they have carried on. We invited them for a more personal take on what…

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – For decades, international investors shunned Japan’s stock market, whose meagre gains mirrored the country’s protracted economic stagnation. These days, Japanese stocks are the hottest game in town as the Nikkei 225 index rides a 34-year high. After limping through Japan’s “lost decades” following the collapse of a massive asset bubble in the 1990s, Tokyo’s benchmark index last year gained 28.2 percent, comfortably beating the S&P 500 in the United States. There are no immediate signs of the buying frenzy slowing down. In January, the Nikkei 225 climbed a further 8 percent, with foreign investors buying a…