( Middle East Monitor ) – In politics, context is crucial. To truly appreciate the recent decision by Ireland, Spain and Norway to recognise the State of Palestine, the subject has to be placed in proper context. On 15 November, 1988, Yasser Arafat, then Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, declared Palestine as an independent […]
With Biden’s Bear Hug of Israeli Atrocities, World’s View of American Democracy Craters
( Middle East Monitor ) – The Democracy Perception Index (DPI) issued its 2024 report on 8 May, revealing important and interesting shifts in global perceptions about democracy, geopolitics and international relations. The conclusions in the report were based on the views of over 62,000 respondents from 53 countries, representing roughly 75 per cent of […]
Makes me feel Sad for the Rest: Why Palestinian Journalists in Gaza are the Real Journalists
( Middle East Monitor ) – By granting its 2024 World Press Freedom Prize to Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli war on Gaza, UNESCO has acknowledged a historic truth. Even if the decision to name Gaza’s journalists as laureates of its prestigious award was partly motivated by the courage of these journalists, the truth is […]
Israel wants to destroy Gaza and annex the West Bank, but what do the Palestinians want?
( Middle East Monitor) – What is taking place in occupied Palestine is not a conflict between more or less equals, but a straightforward case of illegal military occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and outright genocide by one, heavily-armed side — Israel — against the largely unarmed other, the Palestinians. Those who insist on using “neutral” […]
The Ideological Coup: How Far Right Kahanist Extremists Became the Face of Israel
( Middle East Monitor ) – Throughout history, fringe religious Zionist parties have had limited success in achieving the kind of electoral victories that would allow them an actual share in the country’s political decision-making. The impressive number of 17 seats won by Israel’s extremist religious party, Shas, in the 1999 election was a watershed […]
To Defend Israel’s Actions, the US is Destroying the Int’l Legal System it once Constructed
( Middle East Monitor ) – In a conversation in 2020 with Princeton Professor Emeritus, Richard Falk, he told me that historically, colonised nations that have won the legitimacy war have always won their freedom. Palestine is unlikely to be the exception. The Gaza war, however, is confronting the world with an unprecedented challenge, specifically […]
Is the Int’l Community concluding it is Time to End the World’s Longest Occcupation?
( Middle East Monitor) – Left to its own devices, Israel would never grant Palestinians their freedom. In the past, though, some people, whether in ignorance or otherwise, claimed that peace in Palestine can only be achieved through “unconditional negotiations”. This mantra was also championed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he cared enough […]
Netanyahu’s Last Battle Promises no Victory, just Slaughter in Rafah
( Middle East Monitor ) – The Palestinian city of Rafah is not only older than Israel, it is also as old as civilisation itself. Rafah has existed for thousands of years. The Canaanites referred to it as Rafia, and Rafia has been almost always there, guarding the southern frontiers of Palestine, ancient and modern. […]
Moscow and Gaza: Is Russia ready for a major Shift in its Middle East Policy?
( Middle East Monitor ) – Gaza was among the main topics on the agenda of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrived in the Middle East on 6 December. Some news reports referred to the trip as “rare”, especially since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. We know that the situation […]
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