Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Hana Hussain
-
The Paris Protocol and the impoverishment of the Palestinian people
In 1994, still rejoicing in the apparent success of the Oslo Accords of the previous year, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) embarked upon another set of deals in an effort to aid the contentious peace process. In May, both sides signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, remembered largely for...
-
Remembering the signing of the Oslo Accords
Decades on from the signing of the Oslo Accords, Israeli military withdrawal from the West Bank has never taken place....
-
Iraq is paying the price for US sanctions on Iran
The Iraqi government does not support the US sanctions on Iran, but will abide by them, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi announced last month. He was finally speaking out about Iraq’s position following the controversial US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. “We consider them a strategic mistake...
-
Europe’s migrant crisis is the coloniser’s karma
Europe’s migrant crisis could be the make-or-break issue for the EU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned last month, ahead of an emergency summit called by European leaders in Brussels. Subsequent talks stretched on for an unprecedented ten hours overnight as officials struggled to come to a deal on one...
-
Remembering the 2014 Israeli offensive against Gaza
On this day, Israel launched one of its deadliest military offensives against the Gaza Strip in recent history...
-
Turkey's election promises fail to tackle the economy
As Turkey approaches the presidential and parliamentary elections this weekend, its economic challenges have dominated the headlines. Soaring inflation rates and a plunging lira have marked the country’s turbulent economy over the past month, after credit rating agency Moody’s slashed Turkey’s prospects again in May, predicting lower growth amid...
-
Swedish Freedom Flotilla: ‘The people of Gaza need us to act’
On Tuesday 15 May, three Swedish boats met in the Danish Straits near Copenhagen to start a voyage that would take them across channels and seas all the way to the Mediterranean and the coast of Palestine. This was a flotilla with a mission to defy Israel’s illegal siege on...
-
The world's megalomaniacs and the Middle East
History has shown that it is the personality of a global leader, sometimes more so than their politics, that is crucial in determining their impact while in office. The Middle East today is a testament to such a theory, having either produced or attracted some of the world’s most...
-
'Fake news': the mainstreaming of Syria conspiracy theories
The sight of yet another chemical attack on civilians in Douma on Saturday 7 April caused the kind of international outrage that the world now expects and has come to know so well. Scenes of children frothing at the mouth and videos of people shaking uncontrollably were denounced by...
-
Remembering the massacre at Deir Yassin
Israel denies that Deir Yassin ever happened, therefore we commemorate Deir Yassin to provide a historical context to today’s Palestine and meaning to the Palestinian struggle...
-
‘My name is not Ahmad at the checkpoint. I am number 36.’
For 19-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Azza Hebron is home. Despite living under heavy military control in the Israeli occupied half of the city simply known as H2, he is determined that no Palestinian should ever think of the neighbourhood as anything other than their hometown. “We do not want anyone to...
-
The Qatar guide to surviving an economic boycott
Qatar has weathered the worst of the Gulf’s economic boycott, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced earlier this month, the latest in a series of reports that has seemingly shattered the dreams of its neighbours. Nine months after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE cut all diplomatic and...
-
100 days since Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, the facts
On the 6 December, US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, causing widespread controversy and anger across the world. Whilst the announcement was nearly unanimously rejected by the international community, it has had severe implications for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US’ relationship with the...
-
NaTakallam: Empowering Syrian refugees through conversation
The greatest challenge faced by Syrian refugees upon arrival in a safe country is finding work. With high unemployment levels across the Middle East and stiff competition in Europe, the “refugee” label continues to pose difficulties for Syrians fleeing war and conflict, despite the fact that many are highly...
-
Power play over people for the Middle East at the World Economic Forum
Some 3,000 world leaders gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) last month, and there was a record number of Middle Eastern delegates among them. With eight heads of state from the Arab world, as well as many other senior ministers, a lot of people looked forward...
-
What is behind the US’ support of the YPG?
During a visit to Stanford University last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid out five objectives of the US military involvement in the Syrian conflict. Ranging from expelling Daesh and controlling Iran’s influence to facilitating the return of refugees, his comments on the issue seemed to be...
-
Peace activist Salam Kedan: ‘I had no idea I was Palestinian’
Salam Kedan is no ordinary 23 year old. Despite her young age, she has already acted as a Model United Nations representative for the past seven years, stood as a delegate for OPEC at the Hague International for the Model UN and founded her own non-profit organisation. But Kedan...
-
What awaits Syrian refugees in 2018?
Traditionally, the onset of the New Year is a time of hope as people around the world make resolutions and targets. For those fleeing war-torn Syria, however, there is no such luxury. Whilst the ongoing refugee crisis has not featured in the headlines in 2017 as predominantly as it did...
-
#SolidarityWithKarim: The Syrian baby without an eye
An image of a Syrian baby injured by government forces in the province of Eastern Ghouta has prompted social media activists to voice their condemnation via the hashtag #SolidarityWithKarim. The three-month-old, known only by his first name Karim, lost his left eye and suffered wounds to his skull after attacks...
-
‘Living under a black sky’: Iraq’s post-conflict environmental challenges
The departure of Daesh from various regions of Iraq has been a reason for the international community to rejoice in recent months, particularly for those invested in tackling the numerous human rights abuses and international law violations that took place during the self-declared caliphate. But as the country looks towards...
-
Remembering the First Intifada
On this day 30 years ago, the First Intifada broke out in occupied Palestine. It was an uprising which would last for over five years, and witness the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. Three decades later, the struggle for Palestinian freedom continues. What: The First Intifada When: 9 December 1987 –...
-
Turkey’s changing war in Syria
As the war against Daesh comes to a close, fringe battles in Syria are once again coming to the fore. An enemy that had seemingly united all sides in the conflict, at least in their desire to see the group eliminated, is slowly disappearing, forcing each party to consider...
-
MEMO hosts Palestine Book Awards pre-launch evening
Middle East Monitor hosted a pre-launch evening for the Palestine Book Awards in London last night, to give members of the public an opportunity to meet the authors of the books shortlisted for this year’s prestigious prize. Professor Eugene Rogan, director of Oxford University’s Middle East Centre at St Antony’s...
-
Remembering Israel’s ‘Operation Pillar of Defence’
On 14 November 2012, Israel launched “Operation Pillar of Defence” against the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. Over the following eight days, almost 175 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. Five years later, Gaza is still subject to Israeli aggression, in violation of the terms...