It’s been over a month since the Goldstone Report was published on September 15, 2009. I’ve written about this topic in the Huffington Post, and since then a myriad of reactions and repercussions to the release of the report have occurred. We’ve learned for example that there was a conspiracy by the Palestinian Authority to prevent the report from being submitted to the UN, and that the Israeli government was preparing itself to fight war crimes trials. Just today, an article in Haaretz addressed this very thing:

“The prospect that Israeli officials could face war crimes trials abroad led the political-security cabinet on Tuesday to form a committee to deal with the international legal consequences of the Goldstone Commission's report on the Gaza war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who promised a lengthy battle to "delegitimize" the findings of the United Nations commission, also instructed government officials to draft proposals for changing international laws of war.”

The coverage of the story has been all over the place – starting in Israel, where the lead investigator Richard Goldstone has been accused of anti-Semitism and of being out to get Israel, even though Mr. Goldstone is a South African Jew. Arab media has been celebrating the report and neglecting to mention that Hamas was also held accountable.

Last Friday, Al Jazeera’s Listening Post aired a report exploring the 575-page hot potato-  causing controversy with the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the global media. I was invited to contribute my two cents…the saga continues.

It's amazing what a little controversy can do to the ratings of a mediocre television show: it drives them up through the roof. And that's exactly what happened to what used to be a "barely-watched" Turkish drama series called Ayrilik: a love story that develops between the lead characters during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" on the Gaza Strip. The show, which airs on Turkey's state-owned TRT television, depicts Israeli soldiers murdering innocent Palestinian civilians. One particular segment showed images of Israeli soldiers shooting a smiling young girl in the chest, steamrolling a tank through a crowded street and lining up a firing squad to shoot at a group of Palestinians.

Ayrilik's producer owes some gratitude and thanks to Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who has recently complained to the Turkish government over its airing when he said on Wednesday that, "broadcasting this series is incitement of the most severe kind, and it is done under government sponsorship." Since then the show has been making headlines in both Turkish and global media, drawing more audience to TRT television and curiosity-seekers to YouTube to watch clips of the show.

This is not the first time a Turkish drama has caused a buzz in the Middle East. Last year a cheesy series called Noor (light) became a phenomenon when it captured an audience of 85 million viewers when it aired its last episode. The show's popularity increased when some Muslim Imams accused it of violating Islamic values and the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against watching it.

The saga between Israel and Turkey is not about a television drama, although in reality it has unfolded like one ever since the rise of the Justice and Development Party in 2002. Turkey's ties with Israel have been deteriorating rapidly since Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, which left hundreds of Palestinian civilians dead. However, tensions between the two allies hit a peak after Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stormed out of a conference during the Davos summit this year where he confronted Israel's President Shimon Peres over the Palestinian civilian casualties during its offensive on Gaza. Wagging his finger at Peres, an emotional Erdogan accused him of "murdering children on beaches" -- an outburst that made Erdogan a hero in the Arab world.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Turkey has recently banned Israel from an international air exercise in protest against its actions in Gaza, then announced that it will hold military exercises with its nemesis Syria. The announcement came after officials from Ankara and Damascus held the first meeting of a new co-operation council in the Syrian city of Aleppo aimed at ending years of tension between the two neighbors.

For decades Turkey has been looking to the West. It has been eager to please the United States, Europe, and NATO. It has been obsessed with membership to the EU, though snubbed thus far. What's more interesting is the fact that the Turkish military, which usually determines the country's strategic path, even when it goes against the will of the people, is keeping mum about the political decision which could signal a major shift in Turkey's future alliances.

For decades, Turkey has been Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world. It was the second Muslim majority country (after Iran) to recognize the State of Israel. The Islamic Revolution ended Iran's ties with Israel, and although Turkey's ties with Israel will not be severed, they have been permanently damaged.

Article first published in the Huffington Post.

It is not the first time Palestinians have called for the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas. When Hamas swept to victory in the Palestinian Parliamentary Elections in January 2006, angry mobs from the defeated Fatah party staged rallies in the Gaza Strip, calling for his resignation. Many gathered outside the parliament in Gaza City, setting fire to government cars and firing shots into the air.

Today, the anger is more subtle, but more poignant. Palestinians from all wakes of life have been stunned and disappointed by Abbas, who withdrew Palestinian support for a vote in the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva to have the Goldstone report sent to the U.N. General Assembly for possible action, the first of many steps towards possibly establishing war crimes tribunals to investigate Israel's alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Just a few days before Abbas suspended action on the Goldstone report, a poll showed the Palestinian president with a 55 percent approval rating compared to 32 percent for Gaza's Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. A new poll has not been conducted yet, but one thing is certain, Abbas today will be lucky to receive double digits. Across the board, Palestinians have been calling for his resignation.

"He is a traitor. He sold the land [to the Israelis] ... now he sold our blood," says Abed M. from Qalandia Refugee Camp just outside of Ramallah.

Abed's sentiments are not unique. Posters which first appeared in Gaza showing Mahmoud Abbas with a black X across his face and the words, "To the trash heap of history, you traitor, Mahmoud Abbas," have made their way to West Bank and even to East Jerusalem.

A few days ago, Gaza professors threw shoes at his defaced image and Hamas has called Abbas' decision "a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs."

Meanwhile, rumors have been spreading like wildfire in the West Bank and Gaza. A news segment aired on al-Aqsa TV, a Hamas-controlled satellite station broadcasting out of Gaza, featured a guest analyst who claimed that Israel threatened to release a video tape showing Palestinian leaders urging Israel to be tougher on Hamas during the Gaza offensive unless the PA backed down over the Goldstone report. Another story circulating on the Palestinian street is about Abbas' children and their investments with Israeli partners. The Israeli government has reportedly threatened the PA that it would refuse to license a new Palestinian mobile phone company, partially owned by one of Abbas' sons, if the PA pushed for the adoption of the Goldstone Report in Geneva.

On Wednesday one senior Palestinian Authority figure, Yasser Abed Rabbo, conceded the move was a "mistake."

"A mistake?" fired back former Knesset member Azmi Bishara on Al Jazeera TV. "A mistake is when I press the wrong floor on the elevator."

Just an hour after the Goldstone debacle erupted, when I called a colleague of mine (who shall remain anonymous) working in Ramallah as a stringer for a foreign news agency to ask him whether this issue will have a lasting damage on the Palestinian Authority, he quickly corrected me and said, "You mean the Vichy Government of Palestine."

Article first published in Huffington Post.

Jamal Dajani's latest Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV looks at Palestine, and the upcoming congress of the Fateh (or Fatah) political party, a faction of the PLO that is facing its own internal squabbles and charges of corruption. As the video makes clear, there is no love lost between rival factions Fateh and Hamas, and the divide between the Fateh base in the West Bank and Hamas-controlled Gaza seems far wider than the mere 25 geographic miles would indicate. And for most Palestinians, neither Fateh nor Hamas provide effective governance, or any real hope for a unified Palestinian state.

Read Dajani's article on the Huffington Post for more, including a very lively discussion. And check out daily episodes of Mosaic: World News from the Middle East and Dajani's Twitter feed for updates.

In the meantime, don't forget that right now Mosaic, the Mosaic Intelligence Report and Link's Global News Hour with Al Jazeera English need your support! Keep this unique and unparalleled news resource alive by making a donation to Link TV today.

The war of information that goes on about Gaza includes a lot of propaganda and denial of wrong doing. It was a classic case of disinformation when the Israeli Army launched a 3 day investigation to find out if Israeli soldiers performed war crimes in Gaza. Of course, it found out and published a statement that Israel's Army is the most MORAL army in the world.

The Hamas also engaged in its investigation about Palestinian pro-Fatah prisoners and how they were treated.  This investigation is a spin on facts that everyone knows. Mistreating pro-Fatah supporters in Gaza has been established before.

So the competition of spin and denial is an ongoing feature of all people in power and movements that claim moral superiority. Disinformation and the work by the Ministry of Truth on all sides is a given. The power of spin and PR

are always evident. But you cannot fool all the poeple all of the time.

What Rep. Ellison has done should be commended. Getting information from different sources is exactly what Link TV is all about. Particularly on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The American public needs to see the world from different perspectives. There are a plethora of news outlets that provide alternative information. Take Al Jazeera English. Watch this Al Jazeera report about Gaza after the recent war. This is an eye opening account of the suffering that continues after the war. You won't find this kind of reporting in the U.S.

I think that the Muslim community inside the Beltway is still wet behind the ears. It will take time, greater organization and political clout before it can have a stronger presence inside the beltway.

Read the www.forward.com article about the visit by Keith Allison, the only member of congress from the Muslim community. He made a video which shows the horror of Gaza daily life. But he does not use it as a weapon of propaganda. He is trying to make a point about the US Congress needing to be more open to other sources of information.

He is an example of a difficult balancing act, any Muslim American working inside the beltway-DC- of American power has to make do with. Maybe he is a bridge to other members of Congress who are not afraid of AIPAC. It could also be that GAZA has been a turning point, as it raised a lot of eyebrows even among American Jews. Obama in

Turkey repeated his 2 state solution emphasis, which contrasts with BIBI silence on the issue.

Turkey’s stance on Gaza has been better than the Arabs. But as you said, Israel and Turkey, both have to gain by maintaining their strong relations. Turkey will not likely risk its military partnership with Israel. Perhaps there needs to be a Chinese intervention. It has influence in the world and it wants to be a leader among nations. But seriously, I think Turkey’s stance has been strong. But until Arab nations can put aside their differences and come to a unified stance, negotiations between Israel and the Arab world will likely fail and the prospect for peace will be yet further away.

I think that Iran is willing to listen if it ensures that the current regime stays in place. Obama needs to ensure that any reconciliation will not mean the end of the current regime. If Obama can turn a new page with Iran and bring Israel into the picture, then we can say he will have done the impossible. But tensions between Iran and Israel are too high let alone Iran and the U.S. Iran has been courting the U.S for years. Certainly, Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial has not been helpful. Neither has  recent Israel’s wars against Lebanon and the Palestinians in addition to its past wars and invasions, which many of us has forgotten. These aggressions have served to fuel the anti-Israel rhetoric coming out of Tehran. The gap between the two countries is large. By bold moves, I hope you mean by both Israel and Iran in addition to the U.S...

Today an Israeli soldier was killed and four others were wounded by an explosive device that targeted their vehicle on the Gaza Strip border. Israel retaliated and a Palestinian farmer was killed while tilling his field. It seems that the cycle of violence continues despite a fragile ceasefire.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Obama recently spoke to Al Arabia news station about the Middle East conflict. This was his first official interview since becoming president. He is calling for better dialogue between the U.S. and the Arab/Muslim world. Dialogue is good but doesn’t go far enough. Words must be followed by tangible (not symbolic) actions. The Arab and Muslim worlds should respond by calling for better policies from the U.S. and the West, particularly towards the Israeli-Arab conflict.