Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Adnan Abu Amer
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The coronavirus crisis has revived relations between the PA and Israel
The spread of coronavirus in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the West Bank, has resulted in increased Israeli coordination with the Palestinian Authority in order to tackle the pandemic. There has been intensive work around the clock, direct Israeli intervention and a PA request for the Israeli army...
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Palestinians are awaiting the consequences of the Israeli government formation
The Palestinians, the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are closely following the announcement of the formation of the new Israeli government, given the profound impact it will have on them. This includes the expected annexation of settlements and the Jordan Valley,...
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Humanitarian concerns could swing it for a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel
The issue of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip is back on the political agenda. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to start talks through mediators with the movement’s leader in the enclave, Yahya Sinwar, who has expressed his willingness to negotiate a prisoner swap. Israel has...
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Hamas rejects Israeli conditions to help Gaza confront coronavirus
In recent days, Hamas and Israel witnessed a clear row over providing medical assistance to the Gaza Strip to counter the coronavirus, as Israel stipulated the return of its soldiers captured in the 2014 war as a condition of providing medical assistance. The Israel media has been calling for...
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Israel failure to deal adequately with the pandemic could have long-term effects
Israel is possibly one of the few countries in the world that carries out regular military and security drills to check its readiness to face threats and challenges, including natural disasters and epidemics. Nevertheless, its performance so far in the face of the coronavirus crisis has been disappointing; its...
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Houthi prisoner exchange with Saudi: The difference between ‘seriousness’ and posturing
In a sudden initiative, Yemen’s Houthis have expressed their willingness to conclude a prisoner exchange deal with Saudi Arabia, whereby Saudi prisoners in Yemen will be released in exchange for the release of 60 of Hamas detainees in the kingdom. The following lines discuss the impact of the Houthi intervention...
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Hamas politically active to combat COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip
Once the first infections with the coronavirus were announced in the Gaza Strip, Hamas showed intense political engagement by making contacts with several countries to provide aid to the strip. The movement’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, contacted the emir of Qatar, the Turkish president and the Iranian foreign minister, while...
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Israeli calls for dialogue with Hamas are prompted by common interests
When Israel revealed that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and the chief of the Israel Defence Forces Southern Command, General Herzl Halevi, made a “secret” visit to Qatar recently, the Qataris and Hamas leadership denied any intentions to arrange high-level meetings between the Islamic Resistance Movement and Israeli leaders. According...
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There is more to Haniyeh’s overseas tour than meets the eye
On 2 December last year, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing on a visit that was supposed to last for a few days. He was to hold extensive discussions with Egyptian intelligence officials on the situation in Gaza; ways to stop the Israeli...
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The Palestinians refuse to give up their cause, deal or no deal
Given the Palestinians’ rejection of Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, there is talk about “buying” their approval with financial inducements and privileges. Political pressure will be exerted until they consent. The so-called “peace plan” was unveiled piecemeal, first at the Bahrain Conference last June, under the banner of “Peace...
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The PA is provoking the Palestinians with its Israel normalisation meetings
After the massive Palestinian protests against the recent normalisation meetings between PA leaders and Israeli figures, a member of the Fatah Central Committee and head of the PLO’s Committee for Interaction with Israeli Society resigned. Surprisingly, President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Muhammad Al-Madani’s resignation and granted the members of the...
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Corrupt Israel has re-elected a Prime Minister charged with corruption
Israel has re-elected Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing camp, in a surprising result given the corruption charges against him and a forthcoming trial. Nevertheless, he duly went ahead and defeated his opponents. Netanyahu’s victory provides us with an opportunity to consider whether corruption has permeated Israeli society as...
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A coincidence? UNRWA downsizes as deal of the century revealed
There is a rising tension between the UNRWA Staff Union and the administration, as the last two weeks have witnessed, with waves of strikes and protests being held following the UN agency’s decision to downsize and reduce its services. This includes cancelling all privileges granted to Palestinian employees, stopping...
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The latest Israeli attack on Gaza was intended to satisfy the electorate
Just days away from its third General Election in less than a year, Israel launched another attack on the Gaza Strip which began with a war crime when a military bulldozer dragged the corpse of Mohammed Al-Naim in front of journalists and in broad daylight. The Palestinian resistance responded...
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US-Palestinian intelligence talks focus on Abbas’ successor
Just two days after the announcement of the “deal of the century” in late January, Gina Haspel, director of the CIA, secretly arrived in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and met with Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Intelligence Service, and a number of senior Palestinian officials. They...
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Israel is preparing for the situation in the West Bank to explode
At the height of monitoring the Palestinian reactions to the “deal of the century”, Israel warned of the possibility of the outbreak of escalations on the ground in the West Bank. There were fears of members of the Palestinian security services and members of Fatah joining these escalations, as...
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Why has Hamas extended Haniyeh's foreign tour?
Hamas has announced that its leader’s foreign tour will continue throughout 2020 in order to complete a very busy political and speaking schedule. The fact that Ismail Haniyeh will thus be out of the Gaza Strip for an entire year raises several important questions. Why will he be abroad for...
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The US deal polarises Palestine-Jordan-Saudi relations
With the announcement of the “deal of the century”, Jordanian circles spoke about reversing the the decision to disengage from the West Bank, in order to maintain Jordanian influence in it, which raised the PA’s concern for fear of annexing the West Bank to Jordan. Israel allowed the Palestinians...
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Palestinians in Israel are the next target for the deal of the century
Israelis of all political persuasions welcomed the Trump “peace plan”, but the Palestinian citizens of the self-styled Jewish state are angry because the deal refers to land and population swaps between Israel and Palestinian Authority territory. This confirms that Israel wants to displace them, fulfilling right wing aspirations. Arab members...
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Russia is using religion to strengthen its influence among Palestinians
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the city of Bethlehem this week, and not Ramallah. The choice of venue gave the meeting an unmistakably Christian aspect, something that has been used by Russia recently in its foreign relations. Last month, Putin met with the Patriarch...
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The West Bank was and still is the primary battleground of Israel
Israeli circles have been accusing Hamas of continuing to aggravate the front in the West Bank, in order to destabilise the security situation within, against the army and the settlers. This translated into increased tensions on Israel’s part, especially as one of the reasons for the rise of Israeli...
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The resumption of limited US support for the PA does not solve its financial crisis
In December, the US Congress agreed to transfer $150 million to the Palestinian Authority and renew the aid that President Donald Trump had frozen for civilian projects, including $75 million to support security services. The rest will support civilian projects in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, but...
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Hamas and Iran: More than an understanding, not quite a complete alliance
The Palestinians and Iranians are still reading the consequences of the US assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force on Iraqi soil, in early January. This occurred amid great interaction, especially Hamas and Iran, as the movement used this event to try to restore its relationship...
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Barghouti is preparing for the presidential elections amid expected support from Hamas
Once again, the name of Marwan Barghouti, the Fatah leader who is serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, has returned to the Palestinian political arena. This comes after the revelation that Hamas is exchanging messages with him regarding the upcoming elections, to ally with him, which causes President Mahmoud...
