Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Jamal Kanj
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Obama and the Israel Lobby
The Israel Lobby is flexing its muscles against Barack Obama’s expected nominee to be the next Secretary of Defence. Frontrunner Chuck Hagel is co-chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board Committee. Hagel was a Republican Senator representing Nebraska from 1996 until his retirement in 2008 and was one of...
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Megalomaniac versus monomaniacs in Syria
SYRIAN President Bashar Al Assad has a penchant for blaming outside conspirators for the troubles in Syria. While plausible, he is mistaken in linking public demands for political reform with presumed plots against his country. His pompous speech three weeks ago on a political resolution for the carnage in Syria was...
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There are no short cuts in democracy
Egypt is an experimental democracy in progress, but when the evolution of this process turns bloody it begs the question: is it worth it? An Egyptian tourist guide who has lost his job, or a businessman affected by ongoing street violence, would probably respond with a resounding no. This should be...
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The definition of insanity
WESTERN media is obsessed with presenting a positive spin on everything related to Israel, while trivialising good and accentuating negative news on Palestine. It’s admirably free in many aspects, but when it comes to discussing Israel the Western media loses its spark. Disingenuous news spin and Israeli pampering are doing...
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"The invention of the Jewish people"
The Invention of the Jewish People was a book written by Shlomo Sand, an Israeli professor of history at the University of Tel Aviv. The author wasn’t probing a belief system, but Zionist fabrications of a spurious common lineage for people of the Jewish faith. Sand argues the implausibility of Jews...
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Palestine Spring in the making?
A third Palestinian uprising is simmering slowly, fuelled by the denigrating policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. With the chances for a political resolution steadily diminishing, and lacking other options, the conditions are ripe for a new Palestinian Intifada. While the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly committed to a peaceful settlement, Israeli governments...
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EU-funded Israeli theft
A leaked report commissioned by the European Union (EU) has concluded that Israeli settlement construction “remains the single biggest threat” to peace in the Middle East. The confidential, 15-page report outlines 10 recommendations for the 27 EU states to consider regarding Israel’s wanton activities in occupied Palestine. It describes proposals by the...
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Israeli appetite for US welfare funds
FAILING to agree on ways to reduce the deficit, the US president was forced earlier this month to enact the Budget Control Act (BCA) into law. The debt ceiling compromise was originally agreed to between Congress and the president in summer 2011. Known as sequestration, it forces across the board spending...
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Obama visit and Israeli penchant for conflict...
President Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East has coincided with the 10th anniversary of the killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie. She was murdered by an American-made and financed Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003. It is unlikely the President or any in his entourage will remember the young...
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The proxy war destroying Syria
Writing about Syria is emotionally draining and intellectually overwhelming. Evident by the level of destruction and killing, the mutual hatred between President Bashar Al Assad’s regime and the armed opposition surpasses their love of country. More than 70,000 have been killed and, not counting internally displaced Syrians, there are more than...
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US aid: an opiate for Palestinians
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a $3.9 billion national budget for the 2013 fiscal year just one day before the March 31 deadline. The budget was approved without the required constitutional review and endorsement of the Palestine National Council. The state’s projected revenue for this year is $2.6bn, leaving...
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Counting the cost of war
On October 10, 2002 I was driving the family during a short vacation at Yosemite National Park. Indifferent to the family’s holiday disposition, I scanned the radio for the best AM reception in the middle of the sparsely populated California valley trying to follow the US House of Representatives’...
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Lebanon: Even coffee is political
LEBANON commemorated the 38th anniversary of its Civil War last week. In the days leading up to April 13, 1975 the country was virtually divided across sectarian lines. The military presence of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its perceived alliance with the Lebanese left and Muslims against the right wing,...
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It's all about appeasing...
US Secretary of State John Kerry has succeeded in tailoring yet another peace initiative to appease Israel. But it took Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no time to effectively reject the offer, telling Kerry and company it was not occupation – it was all “about a Jewish state”. American diplomacy...
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Iran: How to rig an election
The election landscape in Iran is becoming increasingly clear. According to state-run Press TV, a whopping 686 candidates registered to run in the presidential poll. However, only eight men remain on the ballot for the first round on June 14 after candidates were vetted by the Guardian Council, which...
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The plucky professor and the last bigoted democracy
Israeli president Shimon Peres is hosting in Jerusalem this week a presidential conference called “Facing Tomorrow”. Its theme is the “human factor and its role in shaping our tomorrow”. In addition to establishing an image as a world leader, Peres envisioned in 2008 a venue to assemble top international scientific...
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Unattainable peace
But for the chap from Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza who emerged earlier this week as the winner of the “Arab Idol,” the news from Palestine is grim. The newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister resigned and Israel still insists it should be able to negotiate over dividing the pie...