Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ramzy Baroud
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Clamoring for Israeli Approval: Trump’s Election Promises Will Haunt Him
US President Donald Trump promises to be pro-Israel in every aspect. ‘I’m the best thing that could ever happen to Israel,’ he boasted at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Presidential Forum in Washington DC, in December, 2015. For a brief moment, Trump appeared as if rethinking his unconditional support for Israel, when...
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The Paris Peace Conference: Signaling an end to a Western-dominated era?
No, it was not just ‘another Middle East peace conference,’ as a columnist in Israeli ‘Jerusalem Post’ attempted to depict the Paris Peace Conference held on January 15, with top official representations from 70 countries attending. If it was, indeed, just ‘another peace conference’, representatives from the Israeli government...
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The Balancing Act is Over: What Elor Azaria Taught Us about Israel
For some, the ‘manslaughter’ conviction – following the murder by Israeli army medic, Elor Azaria, of already incapacitated Palestinian man, Fattah al-Sharif – is finally settling a protracted debate regarding where Israelis stand on Palestinian human rights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFkq4wJ9yn8 Nearly 70 percent of the Israeli public supports calls to pardon the convicted...
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Enough Fear-mongering: Only One Democratic State is Possible in Palestine and Israel
Long before 28 December, when Secretary of State, John Kerry took the podium at the Dean Acheson Auditorium in Washington DC to pontificate on the uncertain future of the two-state solution and the need to save Israel from itself, the subject of a Palestinian state has been paramount. In fact,...
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A blessing in disguise? The Trump presidency may be better for Palestine
Israel is dizzy. January 20th has been like another Christmas Day and Donald Trump is jolly old Santa Claus bearing gifts. The writing is already on the wall as President-elect Trump has appointed an extremist, David Friedman, as the next US Ambassador to Israel who intends to relocate the...
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Palestine 2017: Time to bid Farewell to Washington and embrace the globe
There is no doubt that the UN Security Council condemnation of Israel on Friday was an important and noteworthy event. True, the United Nations’ main chambers (the Security Council and the General Assembly) and its various institutions, ranging from the International Court of Justice to the UN cultural agency, UNESCO,...
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Stifling the debate on Israel: For Palestinians, Zionism only means one thing
On 12 December, the British government officially adopted a new definition of anti-Semitism that includes legitimate criticism of Israel. The definition was adopted earlier in the year by pro-Israeli group IHRA, although it was considered but abandoned by the European anti-racism agency in 2005. It is a rather dangerous move which...
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Navigating War: Has the War in Syria also Destroyed Journalism?
When a veteran war reporter like Robert Fisk constructs his argument regarding the siege of Aleppo based on ‘watching’ video footage, then one can truly comprehend the near impossibility of adequate media coverage on the war in Syria. In a recent article in the British Independent, Fisk reflects on the...
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Hold your applause, Fatah, the Palestinian body politic is rotten to the core
In July 2003, the then Palestinian Authority Chairman, Yasser Arafat, described Mahmoud Abbas as a “traitor” who “betrayed the interests of the Palestinian People.” Arafat loathed Abbas to the very end. This particular outburst was made during a meeting with United Nations envoy Terje Larsen. The meeting took place...
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Less symbolism, more action: Towards meaningful solidarity with Palestine
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) has designated the week, November 25 to December 3, as the ‘Biggest-Ever Campaign’ aimed at boycotting Israeli products and those of companies that contribute to the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. In a recently issued press release, the civil society-led group highlighted “99...
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What Should Palestinians Expect – Can Trump Be Any Worse?
Fear and trepidation are slowly building up, as US President-elect, Donald Trump, is fortifying his transitional team with people capable of bringing about a nightmare scenario, not only for Americans but for the rest of the world, as well. For Palestinians, however, the signs are even more ominous. From former...
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Praying for Freedom: Why Is Israel silencing the call for prayer in Jerusalem?
As I was growing up, I was always reassured by the sound of the ‘Muadhin’ making the call for prayer in our refugee camp’s main mosque in Gaza. Whenever I heard the call very early in the morning, announcing in a melodic voice that the time for the ‘Fajr’...
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The infamy of the Palestinian elites: An imminent split within Fatah?
The Fatah movement is involved in a massive tug-of-war that will ultimately define its future. Though the conflict is between current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and once Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan is in no way motivated by ending the Israeli occupation, their war will likely determine the future...
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Why Palestinians want to sue Britain
On the 99th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, Ramzy Baroud looks at the continuing impact of that letter...
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The War on UNESCO: Al-Aqsa Mosque is Palestinian and East Jerusalem is illegally occupied
Did Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, actually read the full text of the UNESCO resolution on Palestine and Israel, before he raved with anger? “I think this is a mistaken, inconceivable resolution,” he said. “It is not possible to continue with these resolutions at the UN and UNESCO that aim to...
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The many ‘truths’ on Syria: How our rivalry has destroyed a country
“The United States has the power to decree the death of nations,” wrote Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe. Kinzer’s article was entitled: “The media are misleading the public on Syria.” In his piece, the scholar at a Brown University Institute contested that his country’s media misinformation on Syria is...
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For the love of football: Gaza comes alive in ‘Team Gaza’ documentary
Usama’s face is haunting. He is only 27, yet the palpable anguish evident on his gentle demeanor by far surpasses his years. He only becomes alive when playing football, as a member of the Beach Camp Club. Otherwise, outside the pitch, his life speaks of undying hope and lingering...
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The convoluted discourse: Was the Women’s Boat to Gaza an existential threat?
The Israeli official narrative regarding its conflict with the Palestinians is deliberately confounded because a muddled up discourse is a convenient one. It allows the narrator to pick and choose half-truths at will, in order to create a falsified version of reality. For instance, this is part of what Israeli...
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Israel’s nuclear man: Peres, a brand without substance
Former Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres was a very successful brand. He was presented to the world as stately, wise, a relentless advocate of peace, and a sane voice amidst a conflict deemed senseless and unending. Now that he is dead at 93, international media are rife with...
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Ban Ki-moon’s legacy in Palestine: Failure in words and deeds
Ban Ki-moon’s second term as UN secretary-general is ending this December, he was the most ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. Of course, there will always be other Ban Ki-moons. In fact, the man himself was a modified version of...
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Honouring Alan Kurdi by ending the war in Syria
“A photograph, no matter how emotionally wrenching, can only do so much,” wrote Paul Slovic and Nicole Smith Dahmen in QZ.com. The photograph referenced in their comment was that of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, whose body was washed ashore on some Turkish beach in September 2015. It has been over a year since that tragic...
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The native American, the Palestinian: A spirited fight for justice
Thousands of Native Americans resurrected the fighting spirit of their forefathers as they stood in unprecedented unity to contest an oil company’s desecration of their sacred land in North Dakota. Considering its burdened historical context, this has been one of the most moving events in recent memory. The standoff, involving...
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Is Israel pushing for a Palestinian civil war?
Division within Palestinian society has reached unprecedented levels, becoming a major hurdle on the path of any unified strategy to end Israel’s violent occupation or to rally Palestinians behind a single objective. Newly-appointed Israeli ultra-nationalist Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman understands this too well. His tactic since his ascension to office last May...
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‘Activism’ and its consequences: Syrian refugees are not subjects for a social media gallery
The Italian ‘activist’ was keen on that photo, as if her social media activism career was dependent on it. As if the misery of the poor Syrian child was not palpable enough in his dejected face and his rash-infested skin, she wanted to define a point of absolute misery...