Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ramzy Baroud
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As Abbas ages, Fatah moves to consolidate power
Five years after spearheading what is inaptly referred to as a ‘government of national reconciliation’, Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, has finally resigned. “We put our government at the disposal of President Mahmoud Abbas, and we welcome the recommendations of the Fatah Central Committee to form a new government,” Hamdallah...
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Gaza rallies for Caracas: On the West’s dangerous game in Venezuela
Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of the besieged Gaza to show their support for the democratically-elected government of Venezuela and it’s legitimate leader, President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela is struggling to defeat a coup attempt that is supported by the United States, Israel, and many Western governments. The relationship between...
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Now Chad, then Mali: Why African countries are normalising with Israel
Forget the hype. Israel’s “security technology” has nothing to do with why some African countries are eager to normalise relations with Israel. What is it that Israel is able to offer in the technology sector to Chad, Mali and others that the United States, the European Union, China, Russia, India,...
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‘My mother died proud of me’: Palestinian prisoners share their stories
150 Palestinian prisoners were wounded when Israeli Prison Service officers stormed the Ofer military prison near Ramallah on January 21. A day later, thousands of Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza rallied in support of the prisoners who, in response to Israeli repression, staged a mass hunger strike. The latest ordeal...
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False ‘Victories’: Is the PA using the ‘State of Palestine’ to remain in power?
The ‘State of Palestine’ has officially been handed the Chairmanship of the G-77, the United Nations largest block. This is particularly significant considering the relentless Israeli-American plotting to torpedo Palestinian push for greater international recognition and legitimacy. It is now conclusive that the main mission for former United States Ambassador...
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War on BDS: How AIPAC-Israel agenda became US priority
The Israeli-US war declared on the Palestinian boycott movement is coming to a head, culminating in a well-orchestrated effort aimed at suffocating any form of tangible protest of the ongoing Israeli colonization of Palestine. But an Israeli ‘victory’, even with blind US government support, is still too elusive if at...
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The moral travesty of Israel demanding Arab and Iranian money for its own ‘Nakba’
The game is afoot. Israel, believe it or not, is demanding that seven Arab countries and Iran should pay $250 billion as compensation for what it claims was the forceful expulsion of Jews from Arab countries during the late 1940s. The events that Israel cites allegedly occurred at a...
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When Bolsonaro and Netanyahu are ‘brothers’: Why Brazil should shun the Israeli model
Newly-inaugurated Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, is set to be the arch-enemy of the environment and indigenous and disadvantaged communities in his country. He also promises to be a friend of like-minded, far-right leaders the world over. It is, therefore, not surprising to see a special kind of friendship blossoming between...
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Early elections: Who will dethrone ‘the king of Israel’?
“A historic mistake” is how Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu responded to calls for early elections last November. A few weeks later, he spoke, in exaggerated confidence of the “unanimous” agreement of his right-wing coalition that early elections must be held next April. So why the change of heart? Netanyahu may...
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Tested in Gaza: How Europe uses Israel war technology against refugees
The border control industry is thriving, both in the United States and Europe. In both cases, Israel is serving the task of the successful role model and the technology supplier. While Europe, in particular, has paid much lip service to urging Israel to use proportionate force against Palestinians and to...
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A question every American must confront: Apartheid Israel or US democracy?
Bahia Amawai is a US citizen and Texas-based language specialist who helps autistic and speech-impaired children overcome their impairment. Despite the essential and noble nature of her work, she was fired by the Pflugerville Independent School District, which serves the Austin area. Every year, Amawai signs an annual contract that allows...
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Is there a plot to depopulate Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon?
An eerie video of a photo of one “Hajj Jamal Ghalaini” with a prayer on a backing track pops up occasionally on Facebook. The voice is that of an allegedly religious sheikh, praying for the well-being of the man in the photo for saving the Palestinian refugee youth of...
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The real face of Justin Trudeau: Are Palestinians Canada’s new Jews?
How does one explain Canada’s contradictory foreign policy regarding Palestine and Israel? On December 4, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, praised Canada’s commitment not to follow the footsteps of the US Donald Trump Administration by transferring its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But there is...
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From Central America to Syria there is a conspiracy against refugees
Watching the ongoing debate between liberal and right-wing pundits on US mainstream media, one rarely gets the impression that Washington is responsible for the unfolding chaotic situation in Central America. In fact, no other country is as accountable as the United States for the ongoing chaos and resulting refugee...
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Netanyahu's predicament is that the era of easy wars is over
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his army to carry out a limited operation in the besieged Gaza Strip on 12 November, he certainly did not anticipate that his military adventure would destabilise his government and threaten the very survival of his right-wing coalition. However, it did, far...
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The tide is turning: Israel is losing on two war fronts
The botched Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip on 12 November is delineating Tel Aviv’s failure to utilise its army as a tool to achieve Palestinian political concessions. Now that Palestinian popular resistance has gone global through the exponential rise and growing success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction...
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In breach of human rights, Netanyahu supports the death penalty for Palestinians
Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is escalating his war on the Palestinian people, although for reasons almost entirely related to Israeli politics. He has just given the green light to legislation that would make it easier for Israeli courts to issue death sentences against Palestinians accused of carrying...
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Israel is afraid of Khalida Jarrar because she shatters its false democratic image
When Israeli troops stormed the house of Palestinian parliamentarian and lawyer Khalida Jarrar on 2 April, 2015, she was engrossed in her research. For months, she had been leading a Palestinian effort to take Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Her research on that very evening was related...
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It Is a new era, but China’s balancing act will fail in the Middle East
Although ties between Washington and Tel Aviv are stronger than ever, Israeli leaders are aware of a vastly changing political landscape. The US’ political turmoil and the global power realignment – which is on full display in the Middle East – indicate that a new era is, indeed, in...
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‘A cruel choice’: Why Israel targets Palestinian schools
Several Palestinian students, along with teachers and officials, were wounded in the Israeli army attack on a school south of Nablus in the West Bank on 15 October. The students of Al- Sawiya Al-Lebban Mixed School were challenging an Israeli military order to shut down their school based on...
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The UN ‘Sheriff’: Nikki Haley elevated Israel, damaged US standing
US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has made her post a “more glamorous” position than her predecessors – as President Donald Trump described Haley’s 2-year term at the UN, following her resignation announcement. We may never know the nature of Haley’s purported ‘glamour’ at the UN, but we certainly...
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That Single Line of Blood: Nassir al-Mosabeh and Mohammed al-Durrah
As the frail body of 12-year-old Nassir Al-Mosabeh fell to the ground on Friday, September 28, history was repeating itself most tragically. Little Nassir was not just another number, a ‘martyr’ to be exalted by equally poor refugees in Gaza, or vilified by Israel and its tireless hasbara machine. He...
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End of hegemony: UN must reflect changing world order
There is a rational explanation of why India and Brazil, two countries with vast populations and significant and growing economies, are not permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The Council – made up of 5 permanent and ten rotating members – was designed to reflect a world...
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Why Israel Demolishes: Khan Al-Ahmar as Representation of Greater Genocide
Like vultures, Israeli soldiers descended on Khan Al-Ahmar, on Sep. 14, recreating a menacing scene with which the residents of this small Palestinian village, located East of Jerusalem, are all-too-familiar. The strategic location of Khan Al-Ahmar makes the story behind the imminent Israeli demolition of the peaceful village unique amid...