Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Muhammad Hussein
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The mediation wars: how Turkiye and Saudi Arabia compete for the Ukraine file
When, on 11 March, talks hosted by Saudi Arabia resulted in the United States and Ukraine agreeing on a 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing war against Russian forces, it signalled possibly the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the start of Moscow’s invasion three years ago. That agreement, which included a...
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The US is targeting Saudi Arabia and the Global South
An attribute of strongmen is the uncanny ability to strike dread, confusion, panic in those around them – allies and adversaries, as well as global markets – through statements alone. Such was the case when, in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 23 January, US President...
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Is Trump’s ‘takeover’ of Gaza an American colonial enterprise or a negotiation tactic?
Barely a month into his presidency, US President, Donald Trump, has made shockwaves throughout the world with his numerous proposals and plans, each one topping the predecessor in its seeming insanity and chaotic absurdity. After talks with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last week, Trump announced at a White House...
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Israel’s men in Syria: Tel Aviv is exploiting the Kurds as proxies for its occupation
It has long been a classic hallmark of a colonial government or authority to groom a disadvantaged minority in a subjugated region to either foster long-term generational divisions or to counter a rival power – a strategy that does, tragically, exploit the real grievances of those groups. A century after...
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How will the new Syria handle its ‘Greater Israel’ problem?
When Israel’s far-right extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich acknowledged in October his aim for a Jewish state that encompasses not only all of the Palestinian territories, but also extends to Syria, some speculated about how such a goal would be achieved. In Israel’s classic strategy of “bit by bit”,...
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What challenges are on the horizon of the new Syria?
Gazing out over his new domain in the capital, Damascus, Abu Muhammad Al-Jolani – otherwise known by his real identity, Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa – witnessed the result of a revolution that had toiled through almost 14 long years of suffering, setbacks, betrayals and complex and ever-changing power politics. It was...
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The covert front: Is Israel engineering violence in the West?
In the Canadian city of Montreal last week, pro-Palestine protests, which were also in opposition to a NATO conference, turned violent when demonstrators reportedly smashed windows, burnt vehicles, attacked police officers, and set off smoke bombs and fireworks. Those were acts of vandalism that were condemned by officials including...
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2024 sees first children’s book honoured with a Palestine Book Award
The winners of 2024’s Palestine Book Awards (PBA) were announced this evening in London, with Amanda Najib’s ‘Lana Makes Purple Pizza: A Palestinian Food Tale’ becoming the first children’s book to receive a Palestine Book Award. Judges commended it for being “the perfect light-hearted book to start a conversation about...
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In the UK govt crackdown on pro-Palestine support, it may turn to lawfare against political dissidents
Throughout the past year of Israel’s war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the purported objective of wiping out Hamas, many governments across Europe have served as a kind of buffer for Tel Aviv, stopping at nothing to crush pro-Palestine protests. Demonstrators have been arrested and protests...
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Israel plans to imprison Gaza in a dystopian control system, forcing Palestinians onto the path of resistance
As Israel’s offensive against Gaza gains escalation and increasingly seems to guarantee a Zionist victory, the vision for Gaza after the war continues to post an ever-important question. Almost since the offensive and invasion began a year ago, the question has been at the centre of debate amongst Israeli officials,...
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Inside Dakhla, the potential trade and tourist hub between the Sahara and the Atlantic
Strolling through the centre of the city of Dakhla in southern Morocco — or the disputed territory of the Western Sahara, depending on where you stand on the matter — I was pleasantly surprised at the wild and cool breeze sweeping across the tiny peninsula. I expected that this...
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Out of Gaza: New Palestinian Poetry
When an Israeli air strike killed the prominent Palestinian writer and scholar Refaat Alareer in Gaza back in December, it signalled not only the random and wanton destruction of an area in Gaza City, but also the deliberate targeting of the man known as a leader of a new...
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Israel aims to control the social media sphere by any means necessary, even through abduction
In this modern digitised age, unregulated freedom of speech is a rarity, as much as it is a fashion for conservatives and political commentators to advocate for it. So when Pavel Durov, the CEO of the Telegram app, was arrested by French authorities in August, a flurry of theories...
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As the world gears up for another pandemic, Gaza’s healthcare system is in ruins
Since the apparent end of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022 – or in some regions the year after – rumours of the next worldwide pandemic have spread on- and offline. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that a new global health emergency would be declared by the end of 2023 and...
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The UK’s far-right riots are the violent spasms of a dying British society
Long gone are those days of play and relaxation by a bustling beach in a British seaside town, where you would set up a windbreaker with family and friends, take a dip in the cool waters of the summer shoreline, stroll by the pier, enjoy the numerous vibrant cafes...
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Is Trump really playing ‘5D chess’ against Israel?
Ever since UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office last month, his government has surprised many in its steps regarding commitments towards Israel and Palestine. In clear contrast to his reluctance to say anything during the election campaign, Starmer came out almost immediately following his victory in support of...
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What does Erdogan the tactician have in mind for reconciliation with Syria?
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been known as a seasoned tactician who, like few leaders on the world stage, is able to confuse his observers, critics and supporters alike on a frequent basis. One year opposed to interest rates, the next in support of them; one year...
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From Labour leader to independent, Jeremy Corbyn vows to work in the UK and Europe for a ceasefire in Gaza
Rises and falls are all part and parcel of the life of many a political figure, often in numerous occurrences and often at the hands of forces too big to be beaten. Jeremy Corbyn is no exception to that rule. Having served as leader of the UK’s Labour Party...
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If international law does not comply with Israel, then the West will build a new world order
International law has never been one of Israel’s strong points. Ever since its violent inception in 1948 when it neglected the United Nations’ resolution to share historic Palestine, and through the decades when it broke numerous ceasefires, destroyed Palestinian villages, violated virtually every human rights standard with regard to...
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Combatting academic censorship of the Palestinian narrative in the UK
Tonight MEMO hosted an event on Academic Censorship in the UK, in which a panel of experts discussed efforts to subdue the Palestinian narrative within academia, as well as to assess the methods and mechanisms used toward that suppression. Held at London’s iconic P21 Gallery, the event’s panel consisted of...
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Visiting AlUla: Inside Saudi Arabia’s mission to revive a dead past
Driving along the long road northward from the holy city of Madinah, the shifting of the scenery surrounding me was fascinating. It went from the distinctive black rocky hills and mountains of the Hijaz to the flourishing greenery – brought on by the increased rains in the region in...
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The US continues to use sanctions against developing nations for having the ‘wrong’ kind of relations
When Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan last month, the two neighbours essentially opened the door to swift reconciliation months after they both conducted light strikes on each other’s territories and suffered a diplomatic fallout. Aside from presenting an opportunity for Islamabad to further express its condemnation of Israel’s ongoing...
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The Gulf states will not move against Yemen’s Houthis without decisive Western intervention
There are few active armed movements that are as aggressive and assertive – reckless, even– as Yemen’s Houthis. Since the start of Israel’s ongoing offensive and genocide of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have launched attacks on cargo vessels linked to the occupation state passing through...
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Dune 2: a tale of Palestinian resistance against Israel’s occupation
Stories have always conveyed messages to the human subconscious. From the bedtime stories children are taught, to the movies we watch and the novels we read, the art of the story is possibly the most effective tool a propagandist can use. Speeches and the spoken word may impact the...