Book Summary & Reviews

Historian David Littman is a representative to the United Nations (Geneva) of the Association for World Education. He has spent years tracking the rise of Islamic influence at the UN. According to him, “In recent years, representatives of some Muslim states have demanded, and often received, special treatment at the United Nations.” “As a result, non-diplomatic terms such as ‘blasphemy’ and ‘defamation of Islam’ have seeped into the United Nations system, leading to a situation in which non-Muslim governments accept certain rules of conduct in conformity with Islamic law (the Shari’a) and acquiesce to a self-imposed silence regarding topics touching on Islam.”

Two weeks into the war in Lebanon, the United States is reported in the Israeli press to be giving the Ehud Olmert government at least another week to pursue its military campaign before agreeing to discuss a ceasefire. This contrasts with the other - pro-ceasefire - message coming from Washington, even if the Bush administration regards the possibility only as an interim step that must be followed by the disarming of Hizbollah.

The United States has given Israel the thumbs-up to pursue its offensive on Lebanon for at least another week, senior Israeli officials told Haaretz daily on Sunday, July 23.

The one-week extension is aimed at giving Israeli ground troops operating in southern Lebanon to make some gains before American intervention, Al-Jazeera reported, quoting Israeli experts.