Jehan Alfarra

Gaza: The Last Shore

Gaza is the last stretch of the Mediterranean that remains Palestinian. On 22 May 1948, Zionist militias killed hundreds of Palestinians in the coastal village of Tantura, buried their bodies in unmarked mass graves and drove their families out. Over their graves now stands a parking lot to a tourist…

Palestine’s last authentic Keffiyeh factory stands strong

The occupied West Bank city of Hebron is home to Hirbawi, the last remaining factory of authentic Palestinian keffiyehs inside Palestine. Founded in 1961 by Yasser Hirbawi, the historic factory has withstood occupation, economic hardship and a flood of cheap imports to keep a vital piece of Palestinian heritage alive–the…

Gaza exposes Europe’s hypocrisy on the Day of the Righteous

On 6 March, Europe commemorates the Day of the Righteous, a day meant to honour those who have stood against oppression, genocide and crimes against humanity, resisting the injustices of their time. The concept is rooted in recognising moral courage — especially in times when speaking out or taking action…

Surviving Gaza Genocide: ‘All my previous war coverage is like a picnic compared to this one’

READ: 5 newborns freeze to death in Gaza as Israel continues to block entry of caravans

Discover the Great Omari Mosque, Palestine

In the heart of Gaza’s Old City stood the magnificent Great Omari Mosque, a place that has borne witness to the ebb and flow of conquerors and civilisations, the rise and fall of empires, carrying in its stones the scent of ancient tales. What was once a majestic symbol of…

‘Bethlehem is a small cage’: Palestinian psychologist on Christmas 2023

As Israel’s war on Gaza rages, Christmas 2023 has been a muted affair, with celebrations cancelled in Bethlehem. “As a Palestinian, you cannot celebrate while the massacre and genocide is going on. You can’t be happy while your brother and sister are being killed,” the founder of Psychology Spa, which…

Bethlehem marches in silence as Christmas is cancelled over Gaza

Christmas celebrations are cancelled in Bethlehem. The streets of the occupied holy city, usually adorned with festive lights and bustling with holiday cheer, now stand in solemn silence as Israel continues its bombing campaign and ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip. In just two months, up to 20,000 Palestinians,…

Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza

“Bread in those days was like gold.” These were the words of a survivor of the siege of Leningrad, arguably one of the darkest chapters of World War II and a haunting reminder of the horrific toll exacted upon populations deliberately deprived of essential resources. The use of mass starvation…

As Israel rejects a two-state solution, is there a viable alternative?

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Middle East Monitor (@middleeastmonitor) OPINION: There is ‘absolutely no’ chance of a two-state solution because Israel killed it

Growing concerns over ‘culture of impunity’ within Israel’s military

The Israeli army will ‘hug’ the soldiers who killed three hostages in Gaza, an IDF spokesperson told Sky News yesterday, as concerns mount over a ‘culture of impunity’ within the Israeli military. “We are, first of all, supporting these soldiers in every way possible,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in an interview following revelations…

Gaza’s will to survive against all odds

  Our neighbour’s small clay oven is now serving an entire neighbourhood in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza; you bring your dough, they will turn it into bread. It is one of the ways people in the besieged Strip are coping without electricity, fuel or cooking gas.…

From Scratch: ‘Greater Israel’

As Israeli leaders are becoming increasingly and publicly dismissive of the notion of an independent Palestinian state and the rights of Palestinians to their lands, and as illegal Jewish-only settlements continue to swallow Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, is the pursuit of a Greater Israel, whether explicitly or…

Explained: The power struggle behind fighting in Sudan

Sudan’s residents woke up on Saturday 15 April to the sounds of gunfire and explosions as intense fighting broke out in several parts of the country between its two most powerful military components, the Sudanese army and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Two military men lie at the…

Where has Iraq’s oil wealth gone?

Iraq is the second-largest crude oil producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia. Yet despite the country’s vast oil wealth and significant revenues from crude oil exports, Iraq imports some 40 per cent of its gas from Iran and is still struggling to meet the basic energy needs of its residents.…

Netanyahu’s coup over Israel’s judiciary explained

A wave of massive demonstrations has taken Israel by storm. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets for weeks on end to protest against a proposed judicial reform plan put forward by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to power for a sixth term…

Home on the Edge of Sheikh Jarrah

Discover Babylon, Iraq

Unlike Egypt, home to the pyramids of Giza, or Italy, where the colosseum stands in all its might and glory, Iraq is not on the world’s top list for tourist destinations. Nearly two decades of war and instability have left the country and its historical and archeological treasures out of…

Discover Meidan Emam, Iran

Iran, known historically as Persia, is home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations, stretching as far back as the fourth millennium BC when the ancient Elamite Kingdom was formed. The Middle Eastern country was also the seat of the Persian Empire, the world’s first superpower founded around 550 BC…

Discover Jeddah Al-Balad, Saudi Arabia

Known as ‘the Bride of the Red Sea’, Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia with a fascinating history that spans thousands of years of civilisation pre-dating both Islam and Christianity. According to legend, it was Jeddah that Eve chose to live in when Adam and Eve descended…

Discover the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

The earliest traces of Islam in Malaysia are believed to go back to around the 13th-14th century, brought in primarily by Arab and Indian Muslim traders. ‘Batu Bersurat Terengganu’, an ancient inscribed stone discovered in the state of Terengganu, dates back to approximately 1303 and is considered to be the…

Discover Nizwa Fort, Oman

Despite its volatile location between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, sharing a border with war-torn Yemen, and sitting on a key oil shipping route that has been the site of several oil tanker attacks, the Sultanate of Oman is among the world’s safest and most fascinating destinations for travel.…

Discover Souq Waqif, Qatar

The tiny oil-rich peninsular Arab country of Qatar has much to offer beyond its lofty skyscrapers, lavish hotels and luxurious shopping malls. Overlooking the Qatari capital’s imposing skyline sits a charming historical souq, mere metres from the entrance to Doha’s much-adored, palm-tree lined waterfront promenade. Souq Waqif literally translates to…

Discover Pamukkale, Turkey

Hanging off the side of a valley in Turkey’s picturesque southwest is a spellbinding snow-white cascade of travertine terraces where mineral-rich thermal water flows down from 17 hot springs. Pamukkale, which literally translates to ‘cotton castle’ in Turkish, owes its name to enchanting formations of white limestone and calcium deposits…

Discover Cleopatra’s Needle, England

On the North Bank of the River Thames stands London’s most ancient monument. Older than the British capital itself, Cleopatra’s Needle dates back nearly 3,500 years. It is one of three similarly named ancient Egyptian obelisks re-erected in the nineteenth century in Paris, London and New York. Despite the name,…