Ethan (who drew the above cartoon) writes:

I am writing to spread a very cool project this Valentine's Day to which I am proud to have contributed a very small amount: a new website, Love Under Apartheid, a space for Palestinians to tell their stories of how Israeli policies of separation and apartheid have kept them from having a happy Valentine's Day.

You can check out the introductory video to the project at, of all places, FunnyOrDie.

And view the video testimonies at www.loveunderpartheid.com and find them on Facebook.

You can also follow the twitter hashtag #LoveUnderApartheid.

✪ Middle East Report 253: Beyond Compare by Julie Peteet | On the similarities of the Israeli occupation to Apartheid, its differences, and a call for a new advocacy strategy.
✪ Newsweek Reporter's Ordeal in Iran | Newsweek International | Newsweek.com | Maziar Bahari's story.
✪ The sixth war - The National Newspaper | Greg Johnsen on the Huthi-Saudi-Yemeni war(s), and their socio-political underpinnings.
✪ Daily News Egypt - Shalit Release Imminent, Claim Egyptian And Israeli Press | Heard that before - who will be the spoiler for prisoner exchanges now?
✪ Morocco: Endangered 'Model'? | Human Rights Watch | HRW's Eric Goldstein on Morocco's slide to more and more rights abuses.
✪ MEI - Middle East International | Another new issue.
✪ Saudi Arabia goes to war | Mai Yamani | On Riyadh's attack on Huthis marks the first solo military venture for the Saudi army.
✪ Hey, preacher – leave those kids alone | Ariane Sherine | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk | I'm a rabid atheist and even I think this goes too far. People can choose sooner or later anyway, parents have rights over their kids. But of course religious schools should get no state funding.
✪ Syria's crusade for tourism | Travel | The Guardian | Damascus wants to double the number of tourists that visit it. Quick, get there before the country is ruined...
✪ Homeland Security Today - preparedness and security news - Obama Dilutes Power of Top Intel Officer; Elevates DCI | Interesting piece on failed attempts to restructure US intelligence community, caused by fight between CIA and DNI.
✪ International Journal of Žižek Studies | It would be funny if this was satire, but it's not.
✪ Interview / Reporter Helen Thomas criticizes Obama's Mideast peace efforts - Haaretz | "I don't think they are working very hard for peace."
✪ Will Turkey benefit from Ergenekon? - Le Monde diplomatique | Remnants of Turkey's deep state and Cold War networks.
✪ Le Figaro - La lutte des princes saoudiens pour succéder au roi Abdallah | As Sarkozy visits, creepy old geezer princes fight for kingdom.
✪ Little behind Obama's tough Mideast talk: analysts - Yahoo! News | In foreign as in domestic policy, Obama has no balls.

Automatically posted links for February 4th through February 5th:

• The Experiment in Gaza -- In These Times - Argues blockade is about breaking the Pals' backs


• Bernard Kouchner - Profiled in the NYT, a bit silly at times but interesting


• The Strangulation of Gaza - The Nation on how Israel decided to put, in Dov Weiglass word's, Gaza on a diet


• Israeli Apartheid Week 2008 - Official site of movement, events across the world


• Annals of National Security: A Strike in the Dark - Hersh on the disinformation campaign around Israel's raid on Syria


• Libyans advance in Al Qaeda network - Because people tend to forget that over half of Arabs are in North Africa