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Politics prevails at Iran-Israel Olympic match

Washington – Politics seem to have trumped sportsmanship Sunday when the Iranian competitor in the inaugural Youth Olympics taekwondo championship withdrew from the final match against Israel, Associated Press reported.

The Iranian delegation told the games’ internal news service that the Iranian athlete, Mohammad Soleimani, had withdrawn because of injury. “[It is] my understanding is that he was taken to hospital and unable to compete,” said International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams.

Mazzi & Sneakas: Jewish-Muslim duo raps for mutual understanding

By Sarah Harlan

Washington - Meet Mazzi & Sneakas. This Israeli-Iranian hip-hop duo formed in 2007. Both had been in the rap game for some time, Jewish-Israeli "Sneakas" performing in Israel and Muslim-Iranian "Mazzi" performing in New York.

Sneakas (left) and Mazzi (right). Photo: Amy Hume

West Bank rapper brings fiery lyrics to peace hip-hop

By William McKeithen

Washington – With a new album “Rising with the Flames” set to launch next month, the West Bank rapper Phoenix the Renaissance Man brings a new voice to Palestinian hip-hop. It is a voice for peace, but it is also an angry one.

Pink Floyd reunites for Palestinian benefit concert

Washington – For the first time in half a decade, rock legends Pink Floyd reunited for a benefit concert in England to raise money for young Palestinian refugees, MSNBC reported Tuesday.

Roger Waters and David Gilmour, joined by a full stage of keyboardists and drummers, both picked up the guitar to play for the more than 200 fans gathered to see the Oxfordshire concert. The reunion was unpublicized prior to the curtain's rise.

Elton John keeps Israel tour date

Washington - A number of musical acts - Elvis Costello, Gorillaz Sound System, Klaxons, the Pixies, Devendra Banhart - have canceled their Israeli tour dates this summer either as a personal statement against Israeli policies or because of the charged political climate, pop icon Elton John kept his date, The Jerusalem Post reported Friday.

"Shalom, we are so happy to be back here! Ain't nothing gonna stop us from coming, baby," spouted John with a pumped fist in the air. "Musicians spread love and peace, and bring people together. That's what we do. We don't cherry-pick our conscience," John said at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv.

His Thursday night show was a collections of his best-loved songs, from "Friday Night's Alright for Fighting" to "Your Song."

Playing Israel (or not playing Israel) has become a loaded issue for musical acts who usually keep their distance from geopolitics. Elvis Costello made intended to make a public statement when he canceled his May gig. Days prior to his show, the Israeli government barred Noam Chomsky from entering the state.

After the May 31 flotilla raid, others canceled their dates more for reasons to keep out of the political cross-fire than draw a line in the sand. The Pixies said in a statement: "We’d like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans, but events beyond all our control have conspired against us... We can only hope for better days, in which we will finally present the long-awaited visit of the Pixies in Israel."

"Freak folk" artist Devenda Banhart communicated his distaste for the pressure to received to cancel his show on his website:

Freak folk icon Devendra Banhart cancels Tel Aviv shows

Washington - American freak folk singer Devendra Banhart canceled a pair of Tel Aviv shows three hours before he was scheduled in arrive in Israel Monday night.

Indie rocker Devendra Banhart said he hopes to return to Israel under less political circumstances. [Zendave - Flickr]

Paris artist started in Israel, stayed in Palestine

Washington – While so many artists focus on the conflict when exploring the Palestinian people, French anthropologist-cum-photographer Valerie Jouve prefers to excavate the soul of a place that has its “own culture, its history, and its people.”

Jouve began her photographic work after she was first asked to undertake a project in Israel, but after crossing the Green Line she now says her work in the Palestinian territories has only just begun.

Al-Jazeera gets Emmy nom for Gaza war coverage

Washington – Al-Jazeera English has been nominated for an International Emmy for its news coverage of the 2008-2009 Gaza War.

The Huffington Post reported Thursday:

Cinema returns to Jenin for first time since 1987 Intifada

Washington – After a 23-year hiatus, Jenin’s largest movie theatre has reopened with a grand Hollywood-style ceremony and three-day film festival, Ma'an reported Thursday.

Cinema Jenin last heard the buzz of film projectors in 1987, when the first Intifada forced it to close. After decades of neglect, it began to decay and crumble. The building was then rescued by Ismael Khatib, a resident of Jenin’s refugee camp, along with German director Marcus Vetter who raised the funds for the project, Haaretz reported yesterday.

UNESCO: Lack of Palestinian state jeopardizes heritage sites

Washington – As UNESCO expands its list of prospective world heritage sites, the debate over Palestinian candidates continued during meetings this week, AFP News Agency reported Monday.

"We are trying to promote discussions between Israel and the Palestinian representatives," said Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO's assistant director general for culture. Bandarin continued, explaining that the lack of a Palestinian state and the bureaucratic issues between Israeli and Palestinian officials mean that the Palestinian prospects will remain in purgatory for world heritage status.

Keffiyeh industry unraveling in West Bank

Washington – The keffiyeh has become an internationally recognized symbol of Palestinian culture and political resistance. For decades, its threads have been sewn by those who know it best, but now under the grip of globalization, the West Bank’s last keffiyeh factory is close to closing.

Former PLO leader and PA President Yasser Arafat in his iconic kefiyyeh. [WikiMedia]

Where the hell is Matt? ...In Gaza

Washington – Matt Harding, the YouTube sensation infamous for his bad dancing all around the world, has turned up in Gaza with the UN Relief and Works Agency, Ma’an News Agency reported Monday.

Matt Harding, the infamous jet-setting bad dancer, in Madrid. [darkomen - Flickr]

Middle East's largest flagpole planned for Bethlehem

Washington - The largest flagpole in the Middle East is currently planned to be set in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Ma'an News Agency reported Monday. A local radio station announced that it will fly a 65-meter Palestinian flag.

The Palestinian flag as it's seen today was created in 1964. [Perealbiac - Flickr]

Palestinian refugee kids visit math museum

Washington – Palestinian refugee children, part of the US-back Camp Discovery summer program, visited the Math Museum at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, Ma’an News Agency reported Wednesday.

Palestinian children painting a mural at their summer camp. [delayed gratification - Flickr]

Martha Stewart expands empire to Middle East

Washington – The American homemaker maestro Martha Stewart is expanding her magazine empire to the Middle East, the Muslim culture blog Elan reported last week.

After first establishing a foothold in the United Kingdom, she plans to distribute her publications in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria, Elan said. The media mogul also hopes to take her decorating and kitchen tips to the UAE, with plans to launch “Everyday Food” and “Martha Stewart Weddings” in Dubai by the end of this year, according to the food news blog SlashFood.

The Palestinian hamburglar?

Washington – A Palestinian man from Nazareth was detained Wednesday after being caught smuggling over 1,300 pounds of mutton into Israel, Ynet News reported.

A young girl marvels at a butcher shop. [Credit: Anam Raheem]

Palestinian architect has refugee style

Washington – Architect Omar Yousef is building a new space for Palestinian voices in the conflict, making it clear to his Israeli audiences that no design question in Israel and the occupied territories is void of political meaning, Haaretz reported Thursday.

For architect Omar Yousef, the cramped buildings of Silwan, as well as the nearby separation barrier, define his spatial imagination. [WikiMedia]

Turkey trumps Israel in heavily guarded volleyball match

Washington – Israel lost 3-0 to host country Turkey in the bronze medal competition of the Euroleague women’s volleyball championship, Haaretz reported Monday.

The real battle was happening off the court, however, as over 2,000 riot police gathered outside the stadium in Ankara. Other protections for the Israeli team included rooftop snipers, a special police transport to the match, and alternating cordoned-off routes.

Abu Dhabi to host comic convention

Washington - Sci-fi and comics enthusiasts in the Middle East will rejoice when Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates hosts its own version of the San Diego, CA Comic-Con International expo in March 2011, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday:

A model of actor Hugh Jackman as X-Men character Wolverine looks eerily real at the San Diego Comic-Con. [Loren Javier - Flickr]

Arab states ranked in Newsweek 'World's Best Countries' List

Washington – In a recent Newsweek ranking of the world’s 100 best countries to live in, many Arab states ranked well in terms of quality of life and education, though most fell short in political freedoms.

Nations were evaluated on five categories. In evaluating “education,” Newsweek looked at literacy rate and average length schooling. Life expectancy was the sole determiner in the “health” category. “Quality of life” depended on unemployment, environmental health, consumption, and gender equality. Economies were rated based on GDP and an innovation index. And the political environment was judged by the country’s Freedom House rating and political participation.

Historian Tony Judt, who imagined Mideast 'alternatives,' dies

New York - The renowned historian Tony Judt, known as a leading critic of Israel and US foreign policy, died on Friday.

[Photo: John R. Rifkin]

Ramadan report: Politics on the plate

Washington – With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan close approaching, the food industry has been shaken. With everything from boycotts to surpluses to food shortages, Muslims around the world have a lot on their plate this season.

Market food for Iftar, the meal to break Ramadan fast every night after sundown. [WikiMedia]

IRIN: Gaza humanitarian timeline

Gaza - IRIN - A four-year Israeli blockade, a 23-day military assault in 2009 and political infighting between Hamas and Fatah have created what a number of UN agencies and governments have described as a "humanitarian crisis" in the Gaza Strip.

Map: Wikimedia Commons

Turkey launches contest to honor Handala cartoonist

Washington – A Turkish organization has launched a new cartoon contest to honor the memory of Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali, the late creator of Handala, the most well known mascot of the Palestinian people, World Bulletin reported Wednesday.

The international contest is being organized by the Association for Solidarity with Palestinian People (Turkey) and HOMUR Humor and Cartoon Group. The groups have called on “everyone who want to support this heritage as well as to support this struggle” to participate in the contest.

Jordan organization launches meals-on-wheels program for Ramadan

Washington – While millions of Muslims across Jordan will abstain from food and water during the holy month of Ramadan, one organization will be zipping across the country to help them break their daylong fasts, the Jordan Times reported Thursday.

The program is called "A Decent Iftar at Home for a Decent Family" and will deliver more than 100,000 meals to over 14,000 underprivileged families across the kingdom, said Mahmoud Saif Al-Sharif, the director of Tkiyet Um Ali, the organization behind the meals-on-wheels program. (The “iftar” is the meal Muslims eat to break the Ramadan fast.)

Trimming: A Poem

The following is this week's message from the Israeli group Peace Now:

Israeli soldiers use a crane to cut trees on the northern side of the border fence on Tuesday. [Lutfallah Daher / AP]

Louvre collaborates on new Bethlehem museum

Washington – The Palestinian Authority (PA) and France signed an agreement this week to establish a new museum in Bethlehem, with the help of French institutions like the world famous Louvre, Ma’an News Agency reported Friday.

The PA Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities signed the agreement Wednesday. The collaboration will establish a new national heritage museum in the Old City of Bethlehem, aimed at increasing and improving the tourism industry of the West Bank city.

PHOTOS: Mahmoud Darwish Square dedicated in Paris

Washington - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë inaugurated on Monday "Mahmoud Darwish Square," named for the late Palestinian national poet, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Poet Mahmoud Darwish [Wikimedia Commons]

West Bank teacher wages peace through poetry

Washington - Karen AbuZant is an American living with the "love of her life" and their five children in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Karen is a Seeds of Peace delegation leader, a former nurse and an instructor of conversational English. She is also a poet passionate about the importance of writing and education in the Palestinian struggle against occupation and inhumanity.

AbuZant calls a pen and ink her "best friend." [Photo: B1gw1ght - Flickr]

Saudi poet challenges and inspires

Hissa Hilal is a journalist, wife and mother of four, and a poet whose verse is "setting her conservative Arab homeland alight," BBC reports.

Saudi woman dressed in an abaya and niqab

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