( Middle East Monitor ) – At a recent conference in Istanbul that brought many Palestinian scholars and activists together to discuss the search for a common narrative, a member of the audience declared at the end of a brief, but fiery intervention, “We are not Red Indians”. The reference was a relatively old one. […]
The Biden Administration Says it will Push Back against Israeli Annexation of Palestine; but Will It?
( Middle East Monitor) – The US will push back against annexation, according to US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, as the Abraham Accords are set to feature as a continuation of an internationally approved US policy. “Our position is quite clear: We do not support annexation. We will fight any attempt to do so,” […]
Will the United Nations ever deliver Justice for Palestine?
( Middle East Monitor ) – In his anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to, once more, make a passionate plea for the recognition of Palestine as a full member. Abbas’ ‘landmark speech’ would not be the first time that the President of the […]
How Coverage of Palestinians and Israel in NYT and Western Press Obscures the Occupation
( Middle East Monitor ) – While US and western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favour of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article […]
Despite Abraham Accords, Palestine is a deeply rooted emotional, cultural and spiritual issue for Arabs and Muslims
( Middle East Monitor ) – It seemed that it was all but a done deal: Israel was finally managing to bend the Arabs to its will, and Palestine was becoming a marginal issue that no longer defined Israel’s relations with its neighbours. Indeed, normalisation with Israel was, well, normal, and the Arabs, it seemed, […]
Palestinians ‘are not animals in a zoo’: On Kanafani and the need to redefine the role of the ‘victim intellectual’
Years before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, US media introduced many new characters, promoting them as ‘experts’ who helped ratchet up US propaganda, ultimately allowing the US government to secure enough popular support for the war. Though enthusiasm for war began dwindling in later years, the invasion of Iraq had begun with a […]
Chomsky on Israeli Apartheid, Celebrity Activists, BDS and the One-State Solution
( Middle East Monitor ) – This is, said Italian socialist Antonio Gramsci, the “interregnum”; the rare and seismic moment in history when great transitions occur, when empires collapse and others rise, and when new conflicts and struggles ensue. The Gramscian interregnum, however, “is not a smooth transition”, for these profound changes often embody a […]
The Death of a Thousand Cuts: This is how Israel is illegally Annexing the Palestinian West Bank
(Middle East Monitor ) – Israel’s Supreme Court has decided that the Palestinian region of Masafer Yatta in the southern hills of Hebron is to be appropriated entirely by the Israeli military and that the local population of more than 1,000 Palestinians is to be expelled. The court’s decision on 4 May was hardly surprising. […]
Right of return: The Nakba (1948 Calamity) is back on Palestinian Agenda
( Middle East Monitor ) – For nearly three decades, Palestinians were told that the Nakba – or Catastrophe – is a thing of the past. That real peace requires compromises and sacrifices; therefore, the original sin that has led to the destruction of their historic homeland should be entirely removed from any ‘pragmatic’ political […]