Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Adnan Abu Amer
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Turkey-Palestine relations are growing
A recent development is the growth of relations between Turkey and Palestine politically and economically, with Ankara dealing with both Fatah and Hamas. This is an indication of Turkey’s ability to strengthen its links with both poles in the Palestinian political arena, which are currently almost totally estranged. The Turkish...
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The PA and the UAE have a long-standing estrangement
The relations between the Palestinian Authority and the United Arab Emirates are not at their best; the two are almost totally and officially estranged due to their growing differences over various issues. These include the UAE’s growing normalisation with Israel; Abu Dhabi’s support for PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s archenemy,...
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Hamas is worried and silent about Saudi Arabia’s policy towards it
The relationship between Hamas and Saudi Arabia is not the best at the moment and is experiencing estrangement that has lasted for several years. Perhaps the main reason for this estrangement is not Palestinian, but due to the regional polarisation occurring between the various components of the region, specifically...
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Hamas and Jordan are gradually getting closer, after a long estrangement
In recent weeks, Hamas has been receiving positive messages from Jordan in the form of praise for its stance on the US “deal of the century”; its refusal to establish an “alternative homeland” in the Hashemite Kingdom; and its support for Jordan’s demands to keep its guardianship over Jerusalem....
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Political and military readings of the Israel attack on Gaza
The latest Israeli attack on Gaza took place between 3-5 May as the Israeli killing machine continued to target peaceful demonstrators on the Gaza border as part of the Great Return Marches on one hand, and because of its continued policy of procrastination and stalling adopted by Israel in...
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Hamas, Israel and a new prisoner exchange deal
There has been more talk recently of the possibility of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel following the return of an Israeli soldier’s body from Syria and the Islamic movement’s announcement of receiving European offers to move forward with such an agreement. Hamas has also threatened to...
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The PA is unable to stop the security chaos in the occupied West Bank
There have been repeated incidents of Palestinian public figures being shot at in the West Bank, including a Palestine Legislative Council members, doctors and Palestinian Authority officials, along with the increased use of weapons to resolve personal differences. We have also witnessed an increase in family conflict and the...
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Israel’s elite undercover units are increasing their activities against the Palestinians
In recent weeks and months, Israel’s elite undercover Special Forces units, known as the Musta’ribeen (Mista’arvim), have increased their activities against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The units are responsible for the arrest and assassination of Palestinian resistance members wanted by the Israeli occupation authorities. For example, the...
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The West Bank: Israeli annexation, the deal of the century and the pursuit of Hamas
The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has announced that his country understands Israel’s need to have dominant security control in the West Bank as part of any peace agreement reached with the Palestinians. He said that this is because Washington understands the threat to Israel’s existence if Hamas...
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The PA is targeting Hamas’ student body in the West Bank
Over the past few days, there have been several incidents at universities in the West Bank. The first incident is Hamas’ student council list suffered an overwhelming defeat at the University of Hebron. A few days before this, An-Najah University in Nablus banned the Islamic bloc, associated with Hamas,...
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Hamas’ weapons are the focus of Israel and the region’s targets
In coincidence with the latest round of military escalation between Hamas and Israel in Gaza after the rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, twice within ten days in the middle and end of March, Israel’s talk about the future of Hamas’ weapons and the extent of the danger posed by...
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Palestinians target Israel’s deterrence by bombing Tel Aviv
There have been many updated on the Gaza Strip since a rocket which targeted north Tel Aviv at a distance of 120 kilometre and which was followed by Israeli shelling and an increasing Palestinian state of alertness. The missile was fired days before the millions march in Gaza to...
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With a clear shift to the right, the Palestinians can’t expect much from Israel’s General Election
After a period of relative silence, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced his hope that the Israeli elections will end with someone at the helm who believes in peace, meaning an opponent of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This announcement, the first of its kind, provoked reactions from Hamas...
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Fair demands and political exploitation of the Gaza protests against Hamas
The Gaza Strip has just witnessed a series of demonstrations against poor living conditions. They prompted widespread reactions critical of Hamas’s way of dealing with protesters, with some within the movement talking about stepping down from the de facto government of Gaza and calling for a new leadership. Who...
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A new government in Ramallah with its eye on Gaza
Since Rami Hamdallah became prime minister of the Palestinian National Unity Government, it has been clear a senior-level official in the office of President Mahmoud Abbas. His role was to implement the President’s policies. The truth is that Hamdallah – unlike his predecessor, Salam Fayyad, who dealt with the...
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Israeli declarations shake the 'national' consensus behind the occupation
In recent days several strong statements have been made, condemning the occupation, in the Israeli media. In the words of Israel’s Channel 13 reporter, Oshrat Kotler, “When you send your children to the army, they are kids,” Kotler said. “You send them to the territories, and they come back as...
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Israeli perceptions on the danger of the PA’s collapse
The recent Israeli government decision to make financial cuts to the Palestinian Authority’s budget has led to some warnings of negative potential repercussions on Israeli security. Israel’s security establishment encourages continued support for the PA because it protects the Israelis. The Israeli decision comes in the context of deteriorating Palestinian...
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Saudi-Palestinian relations appear to be warming up
Relations between the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia appear to be warming up after a period of remoteness. The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, met with King Salman, and Fatah leaders expressed their confidence in Saudi Arabia, especially that the Saudi monarch has taken back the Palestinian file from his...
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Why is Egypt disallowing Haniyeh's foreign tour?
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip for Egypt on 3 February on a visit that was supposed to last for several days. It is now entering its fourth week amid leaks that he is in intensive talks with the Egyptian intelligence to allow him to leave Cairo...
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A Palestine-Jordan Confederation is becoming a very real possibility
There has been more talk recently from the Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians about the option of a confederation as an alternative to the two-state solution in light of the political impasse reached between Ramallah and Tel Aviv. So what are the true positions of the three governments on this...
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The West Bank is a battlefield between Hamas, the PA and Israel
Israeli operations to pursue Hamas cells in the occupied West Bank, including residential areas of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, are ongoing. They take place near the Palestinian Authority headquarters and the home of its President, Mahmoud Abbas. Officials close to the president have said that they would not confront the...
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Hamas considers Gaza options: Local administration, administrative committee and municipal elections
Immediately after the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah late last month and the growing talk within the Palestinian Authority that the future government intends to isolate Hamas in Gaza, regaining control of Gaza from Hamas, and imposing more measures in order to suffocate it, we heard growing calls...
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Uniting Iran, Lebanon and Gaza against Israel
While I was writing this article, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced that any operation launched by Israel against Lebanon will be dealt with as a declaration of war. If Israel makes any mistakes, he claimed, the entire “axis resistance” is ready to retaliate. Nasrallah made his statement after a silence...
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The significance of electing a new Hamas leadership in Israeli prisons
The Central Elections Committee for Hamas prisoners held by Israel announced the end of the elections in late December for the senior leadership of the movement’s prisoners for 2019 to 2021. The elections were held in accordance with the regulations followed by Hamas prisoners and included all 22 Israeli...
