In a first for the New Arab Debates, the audience was split with 50 percent for and against the motion: "The Occupation is Destroying Israel". Before the debate the Jerusalem audience voted 48 percent for the motion and 52 percent against the motion. More...

Ankara's human rights and media record came under sustained attack at a public forum in Istanbul as a majority-Turkish audience warned against growing totalitarianism ahead of the June parliamentary elections. More...

"If you bring people from the whole world, even from Norway or Sweden, and make them live in the same conditions as the Arabs, you will get extremists coming from those nationalities," - Professor Adnan Hayajneh (speaking for the motion).

"We are not democratic people,..."Freedom is a Western word." - Dr. Musa Shteiwi (speaking against the motion). More...

A majority in a Ramallah audience rejected further peace talks with Israel in the short term after a heated public debate that saw wide-ranging criticism of their own leaders and tactics. This was the first of the New Arab Debates (NAD) to be held in the Palestinian Territories. More...

Egypt's human rights' record came in for sharp criticism from a mainly Arab audience in Amman, just days before the country votes in presidential elections.Dr. Hani al-Mulki and Manar Rachwani debated the motion, 'Egypt is a disappointment to the rest of the Arab world.' More...