West Asia

Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied territories of Palestine is about more than constructing houses for Jewish settlers. Palestinian farmland is being turned into industrial space and illegal outposts on Palestinian land are protected by Israeli military. Roads, if Palestinians are allowed to drive on them, are often blocked without warning. In this video, Sam Mayfield tours Illegal settlements and outposts in the West Bank with Dror Etkes.

As troops and planes headed toward Afghanistan in October 2001, few people questioned the reasons for military engagement. But the causes of war are rarely simple and, as time has passed, other powerful motives have come into focus. As it turns out, the US war plan was in the works months before the 9/11 attacks.

Gaza's troubles have somehow been relegated, if not completely dropped from the mainstream media's radar, and subsequently the world's conscience and consciousness. Weaning the public from the sadness there conveys the false impression that things are improving and that people are starting to move on and rebuild their lives. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In this interview, Bethlehem Mayor Victor Bartarseh speaks candidly about what life is like for the citizens of this West Bank city. Bethlehem has the highest rate of unemployment in the West Bank and is entirely surrounded by the separation wall. Mayor Bartarseh describes the physical and psychological impact of living with the wall. 

With elections just around the corner in Afghanistan, it might be timely to reflect on the US engagement with that stricken nation and consider just how much foreign intervention has contributed to the prospect and possibility of free and democratic elections. More, it is fitting to consider what kind of example the US and its allies have given to the people of Afghanistan, if they have bestowed any wisdom and guidance for a nation facing a turbulent and uncertain future.