CAIRO (IPS) - “Break my heart but don’t come near my bread” goes an old Arabic proverb. Failure to observe it has often come at a high political price. Just ask Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who has now fled. Read more about It's not just Tunisians who are hungry 

Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister, appears to have driven the final nail in the coffin of the Zionist left with his decision to split from the Labor party and create a new “centrist, Zionist” faction in the Israeli parliament. So far four Members of Parliament, out of a total of 12, have announced they are following him. Jonathan Cook analyzes. Read more about Israel's Labor party not to be mourned 

Finland’s ministry of defense has narrowed the field in its competition to provide the Finnish army with mini unmanned aerial vehicles. Of the five remaining bidders, four are Israeli firms with deep ties to the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. Read more about Finland shopping for "battle-tested" Israeli weaponry  

Canada’s tax system currently subsidizes Israeli settlements that Ottawa deems illegal, however, the Conservative government says there’s nothing that can be done about it. The exact amount is not known but it’s safe to assume that millions of Canadian dollars make their way to Israeli settlements every year. Yves Engler comments for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Canada's double standards 

A recent meeting between Chinese and Israeli military officials is only the latest in a burgeoning security relationship between Israel and China that includes drone technology, crowd control training, surveillance, intelligence gathering and more. This raises the question of how China’s official support for Palestinian self-determination will coincide with its ongoing procurement of the tools of Palestinian pacification. Jimmy Johnson comments. Read more about China imports Israel's methods of propaganda and repression 

Half a million trees planted over the past 18 months on the ancestral lands of Bedouin tribes in Israel’s Negev region were bought by a controversial Christian evangelical television channel that calls itself God-TV. Jonathan Cook reports. Read more about Christian extremists assist Israel in displacing Negev Bedouin 

The Gaza massacre, which Israel launched two years ago today, did not end on 18 January 2009, but continues. It was not only a massacre of human bodies, but of the truth and of justice. Only our actions can help bring it to an end. Ali Abunimah comments for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about The Gaza massacre and the struggle for justice 

Haaretz has an international reputation as Israel’s most liberal and reliable newspaper. But The Electronic Intifada has discovered that one of the newspaper’s regularly-featured reporters, Cnaan Liphshiz, used his news reports for the publication to promote the agenda of an extreme pro-Israel group with which he was also employed. Ali Abunimah reports. Read more about Haaretz journalist doubles as anti-"delegitimization" operative