Ihsan Alkhatib

In The New York Times of March 31, 2008, Helene Cooper writes in “Israel Agrees to Ease Access for Palestinians” that Israel agreed to remove 50 checkpoints and roadblocks from the West Bank and Gaza. This is a baby step in the right direction- a step that needs a major push by the US. Israel has done very little and needs to do a lot more. A lot more is needed to increase the numbers of the moderates that believe that peace is possible after all. My late father- in- law hailed from El Bireh in the West Bank. My wife, often and despite the Israeli- created inconveniences and obstacles, visits there. I have never been there. A few years ago she was there for her brother’s wedding. When she got back she told me how harsh Palestinians’ life is under the forty-year Israeli occupation. The Israeli occupation visits many hardships on the almost defenseless, colonized, and occupied Palestinians. One of the major hardship is the checkpoints and roadblocks. There are so many of them. They creat...

The US is helping the Iraqi government face down the Sadrist militia (Jaysh al Mahdi or JAM). Dealing with the Sadr group, which is represented in the Iraqi parliament, has been a challenge to the US. There is a video of Moqtada Sadr on youtube that might help understand why the US finds it difficult to reason with the group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os4ojDDE6Dc In this clip Mr. Sadr argues that the hugely popular sport, soccer, is forbidden in Islam. He states: "Shariah forbids soccer…The West creates these things— why a grown up Muslim man runs after a ball? Why run after a lowly target, the so-called goal? Why not run after high and noble goals? Why not run after a path leading to God’s blessing? Israel and the Jews do you see them playing soccer like we do? Have Israel or the US won any international trophies in soccer? No! they make us indulge in soccer, smoking, singing, watching haram/forbidden satellite programs, while they turn to science. Are they better than us? I...

There is a joke about the mental patient who goes to the psychiatrist for help. The patient can’t stop thinking of sex. Everything is sex to him. So the doctor starts showing him pictures and asking him what does he associates the pictures with. The patient answers” sex” for everything. The doctor is frustrated and ask the patient how is it that all his answers are about sex. The patient responds: “it’s not my fault; you are the one showing me all the dirty pictures.” [ I heard this joke from the character of Bob in the classic comedy What About Bob]. When it comes to Lebanon, Jordan’s Islamic Action Front is the mental patient and the unhealthy obsession is the US. The King of Jordan has made crystal clear statements about Lebanon, supporting the international tribunal and the government of PM Fouad Saniora. Jordan’s Islamists go out of their way to disagree for "ideological purity." The Islamic Action Front, as to Lebanon, in a press release asked the Arab Summit to: “…end...

Syria is an Arab country that is hosting the Arab Summit. Syria is also an Arab country that has thousands of Arab political prisoners: Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, and others. The Lebanese have been the most vocal on the issue of their political prisoners. Prime Minister Saniora pointedly and honorably raised the issue in his Summit address. But there are others. For endless painful years they linger in the prisons of the dizzying alphabet soup of Syrian intelligence services. At the same time, Syria alleges to be holding the banner of Arabism of unity, freedom, and socialism! Freedom, yes, freedom! The Arab leaders should demand that Syria translate its inflated rhetoric of Arab brotherhood and unity into action. The prisoners, many who have been thrown in prison to be forgotten, should be released to be free or to serve the balance of their sentence in their home countries. It is time to end the agony of the prisoners' families who don't know if their children are dea...

The Syrian government refused to air Mr. Saniora’s speech to the attendees of this year’s low –profile Arab Summit. This is a mistake reminiscent of the refusal of the Syrian-imposed President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud, of airing the address of PA President Yasser Arafat. At the time Mr. Arafat was imprisoned in Ramallah by Israeli troops. Similarly, Mr. Saniora is surrounded by Syria’s allies who wish him the same end that Israel imposed on PA President Arafat. External pressures stopped Israel from storming Arafat’s compound and arresting or killing him. Saniora is surrounded too- surrounded by [tents donated for humanitarian reasons now used for political reasons] the Syro-Iranian axis groups. They would storm the Ministerial compound had it not been for serious external and internal pressures. One of the things that Lebanon and Palestine have in common is the fact that the Syrian regime thinks of them as lowly spheres of influence that should have the independence of a mukhtar/mayo...

One can only hope that it is true that the Iraqi government is taking on the militias. It is not possible to have the rule of law, or even the appearance of it, with private armies running amok. It is even harder to have the dignity of a state when the militias are sectarian and the minions of foreign regimes. Looking back one wonders how things in Iraq would have turned out if, in the aftermath of the brilliant military conquest, the militias were disbanded and the Iraqi army reconstituted and strengthened. Would there have been the nihlist alQaeda, with its hate and thirst for blood ideology, in Iraq offering itself as a protector of the Sunnis? Would it have had any appeal of significance? Much of the bloodshed and chaos would have been avoided. Only if.

The sex scandal of Eliot Spitzer reminded me of the few solicitation cases I handled. Particularly one case. My client, a married man in his late forties, living away from his wife and children, was caught soliciting a prostitute. The “prostitute” was an undercover police officer. My client screamed entrapment since the alleged “prostitute” was really good looking and therefore hard for a red blooded man like him to say no to. I told him while I completely understand his point, that defense would not fly in court. When he was arrested his car was impounded. He had to pay a few hundred dollars to reclaim it. It’s a lot more than he would have had to pay for the sought after service. There is money for everyone in the prostitution business-the workers, the lawyers and the government as well. Counties bring in money from forfeiture of the vehicle used to advance the crime even if the car belonged to the unknowing wife, girlfriend or a George Fox. Since my client had rudimentary command of...