Hero or zero: who is Hamas? As the dust settles on Israel’s longest-ever attack on Palestine , let’s rationally assess this Islamic resistance movement which can so easily be painted as poster boys for every point-of-view. Its evolution is complicated (in its infancy, it was nurtured by Israel!) and can’t neatly be summarized in a slideshow. But if we share some facts and sidestep spin, we might incite you to dig deeper towards a fresh and (relatively) unbiased view. During the heyday of Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization, Hamas provided ...

As the U.S. sends more airstrikes in the north in Iraq against the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) , otherwise known as the Islamic State (IS), another war is brewing in Baghdad between ousted Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki, current President Fuad Masum, and a man eyeing the now-available position as Iraq’s new leader. Until two days ago, Haider al-Abadi wasn’t really making headlines. A former communications minister and advisor to Maliki himself, Haider al-Abadi arrived quietly in Iraqi politics in 2005 after spending the last several decades exiled ...

Right now approximately 20,000 men, women and children from Iraq’s minority Yazidi community are trapped atop mountains in Iraq’s north, penned in by Sunni militants for days on end without food or water. U.S. military planes dropped in basic supplies last night, but not before dozens of Yazidi children died of dehydration. Kurdish troops recently helped escort thousands to safety , but thousands more remain marooned. With Gaza still fending off Israeli shelling and Syria battling barrel bombs, why has America’s military might moved to help these persecuted peoples in ...

Israeli civilians have seized upon social media to express strong support of the IDF’s offensive - examples range from reasoned to ridiculous. Supporting the forces is understandable - we hate the war, but comprehend that warriors are human pawns - people with families and friends anxious for their safety, organizing messages of comfort and care packages. But what are we to make of increasingly goofball messages of support? Bizarre “ bomb shelter selfies ” are trending out of Tel Aviv as residents vow to “keep on smiling!” Facebook forums flood ...

While a war of weapons takes place in Gaza, a war of words over the conflict takes place in Hollywood - which has close ties to Israel - and the rest of the world. With the death toll reaching over 1,800 and up to 10,000 injured in the occupied city, it’s no shock that international celebrities are taking to social media to voice their opinions. A few small words from one influential celeb can shake-up millions of people around the world. Team Palestine v Team IDF! While One Direction star ...

A century ago, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida boarded a 23-minute flight across the bay and became the world’s first paying airplane passenger . The humble “flying boat” carried Mayor Abram C. Pheil the 21-mile distance from St. Petersburg to Tampa. We’ve come a long way since that flight. And while it may be the home of flying carpets, the Middle East hasn’t always been known for aviation. Now, things are changing. First off, the region is a natural link between Asia and Europe — much of the world’s ...