‘Join Us, Israel’: A Radical Proposal for Arab League
JUAN COLE: Throwing money at Palestine is no substitute for diplomacy so here’s a radical idea to bring Israel to the negotiating table
Rachel & Rafah: A Legacy of Resistance, Pain & Death
RAMZY BAROUD: She is one of many ‘martyrs’ who’ve met their demise at the hands of troops in Rafah.
Iran-US Relations Thaw, Politics Continues
Iran and the US have growing technical agreement over the nuclear dispute, which will only become useful if the political leaders on both sides want to make a deal.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: A technical agreement over the nuclear dispute will only be useful if leaders on both sides want to make a deal.
Israeli, U.S Detention Policies ‘Damaging Society’
Last month I posted an article on Israel's wholesale detention of Palestinians and several readers observed similar patterns between Israel's detention practices of Palestinians and US detention policies.
MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: The detention policies that the U.S and Israel are currently pursuing are having a corrosive effect on their own societies
Obama The Tourist: Little Hope Among Palestinians
ALLISON DEGER, MONDOWEISS: You won’t find many people in Ramallah whose expectations of President Obama’s visit are higher than rock bottom
10 Ways the Iraq Conflict has Diminished America
As the tenth anniversary of the launching of the Iraq War approaches, I’ll be making some comments about the episode on Informed Comment, which for the years 2003-2010 intensively covered events in Iraq. A decade is long enough for some things to become clear.
The first set of issues I want to discuss has to do with the harm the war did to the United States. Coming into 2003, the US enjoyed a great deal of sympathy and solidarity from the rest of the world (including Iran) over the al-Qaeda strikes of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of […]
Iraq 10 Years On: The Benefit of Hindsight
The attempts by President George W. Bush to justify the American-led invasion of Iraq followed so many wildly different reasons with no coherent link that the liveliest of conspiracy theories have flourished. This has been fuelled by the obvious political failure that has caused no pain to Bush and his neo-conservative allies who launched the war, while the companies with links to those same neo-conservatives have taken a significant share in the billions spent in reconstructing Iraq.
In the aftermath of the terrible attack on the World Trade Centre on 9/11, the first reason given was that Saddam Hussain supported Al Qaida, although Saddam had been ruthless in suppressing Islamists. Then Bush and Blair used Saddam’s alleged plan to manufacture and prepare to use weapons of mass destruction. When eventually this reason […]
Forget Netanyahu, Let’s Speak to Obama Instead
JEROME SLATER, MONDOWEISS: American Jews concerned about settlement expansion are wasting their breath on Netanyahu.
“5 Broken Cameras”: A True Testament to Courage
RAMZY BAROUD: It may not have won the Oscar for which it was nominated but it is a compelling story nonetheless.
Syria US Foreign Policy: Assad Seizing Opportunity
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The problem with this approach is that by going gently, it allows Al Assad to think that he might still win by fighting. And it also places a huge strain on the opposition not ready to fight a long war of attrition.
Turkey and Israel: A Thaw’s In the Air
RAMZY BAROUD: There are unmistakeable signs that the atmosphere between Turkey and Israel is becoming distinctly warmer
Death In an Israeli Prison: It’s All Too Routine
MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: The deaths of two individuals detained in Israeli prisons – one Palestinian, one Israeli – have made headlines. But it’s a very common occurrence
Thickening Plot: The Curious Case of Prisoner X
MONDOWEISS: No wonder Binyamin Netanyahu was so keen to keep a lid on the story behind Ben Zygler. We still have a way to go with the story though
The, ah, ‘Peace Process’ Is On A Road To Nowhere
RAMZY BAROUD: There are whispers about whispers and rumours of various parties prepared to do business but don’t expect much to change in the near future
New Kennedy: Ask Not What He’ll Do for Palestine
PHILIP WEISS, MONDOWEISS: A new generation of Kennedy’s is set to appear on the political scene. How do they see the Palestine-Israel conflict?
Qatari Silence Feeds ‘Wilder’ Foreign Policy Theories
DAVID ROBERTS: Qatar’s involvement in Mali is subject to some colourful speculation. It’s a familiar feeling for the peninsula state.
Israeli Election Upset: Good News for Peace? Ah, No.
MONDOWEISS: The surprising blow to Netanyahu suggests good news for Israeli-Palestinian relations. Let’s look at Yair Lapid’s statements on the issue.
Obama’s Speech: Is Era of ‘Perpetual War’ Closing?
JUAN COLE: President Obama’s inauguration speech is sure to trigger panic among the ‘we must have war’ crowd. But does he really mean it?
An ‘Israeli Spring’ for Palestine? The Call Is Out
MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: It’s a bold move and one that is sure to cause much aggression and derision to be directed his way. What’s the story behind the brutality?
Elias Khoury’s ‘Beautiful Letter’ to Bab Al Shams
M. LYNX-QUALEY: The novelist Elias Khoury has written a letter to Palestinians who began building a village on land seized by Israel. A haunting, elegiac letter
