Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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The politics of selective compromise
“They already have a certain amount of self-determination – something that’s less than a state but covers almost all of the Palestinian population.” Elkin’s statement refers to the alleged lack of control over 60 per cent of the West Bank, dismissing Mahmoud Abbas’ constantly criticised economic dependency and security...
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Abbas forfeits Palestinian right to land and memory
Diplomacy and submission have been propelled to prominence with Mahmoud Abbas’s recent concession to Israel. Allegedly speaking on behalf of Palestinians, Abbas declared that the Palestinian Authority would agree to an epilogue to the “conflict” if a just agreement was offered. In return, he added, the Palestinian Authority would...
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Making the preservation of Palestinian memory a priority
Yasser Arafat’s assassination, confirmed by the Swiss report detailing the discovery of polonium in Arafat’s exhumed remains, has been mired within a political debate in danger of ensuring further depletion of Palestinian right to memory. Proof of assassination after years of hypothesis regarding the subject should have led to...
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Reinforcing compromising discourse regarding Palestinian refugees
An overview of the Fourth Committee’s meeting during the 68th UN General Assembly regarding the humanitarian work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was mired within discrepancies and allegations, creating the detachment of Palestinians from their own historical narrative....
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In defiance of internationalism - Israel's manipulation of humanitarian aid
As Israel’s heavily publicised humanitarian mission in the Philippines commenced, the IDF has been constantly updating its achievements in the ravaged land through a twitter account which briefly utilised the hashtag #IDFWithoutBorders, until activists exploited the irony implied within the chosen vocabulary, relating the implied lack of confines to...
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Questioning Israeli and imperialist implementations of legitimacy
The question of legitimacy has recently been the subject of a report by Israel’s secret agency, Mossad, claiming that a peace agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was impossible to achieve because of his failure to establish a wide support base among Palestinians. The report, which was discussed recently...
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Deconstructing the UN's symbolic solidarity with Palestinians
After decades of United Nations complicity allowing Israel’s colonisation of Palestine, the yearly International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has been upgraded symbolically to encompass a whole year. On November 26, the UN General Assembly voted to declare2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian...
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Foreign dictates support the colonisation of Palestine
Opposition to the Palestinian prisoners’ release reverberated during a meeting organised by Deputy Defence Minister Danny Danon. According to reports in Maariv, Danon called upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “reconsider the release of terrorists given the recent terror attacks,” adding that the meeting was a commemoration of...
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Transforming Palestinian solidarity into 'themes'
Contradictions regarding human rights and the exploitation of oppression emanating from the United Nations have culminated in Ban Ki-moon’s statement regarding the death of Ariel Sharon. Mingling sadness and glorification, the UN Secretary-General stuck to the imperialist strategy of obliterating the effects of Sharon’s policies endured by Palestinians. Pain...
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Visit of Arab foreign ministers shifts Palestinian discourse from isolation to unity
Operation Pillar of Cloud has shifted political rhetoric from concessions to resistance. After twenty years of negotiations which culminated in an Israeli policy of colonialism and apartheid, aided by an international community embracing the role of spectators, Gaza has catapulted to a prominence which contrasts sharply with the attention...
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Israel failed in its duty to protect journalists in Gaza
The targeting of journalists reporting on the Gaza massacre in recent days appears to have been a deliberate attempt by Israel to distort media coverage. On November 18, two buildings housing Palestinian and international media outlets were targeted. Eight journalists were injured; cameraman Khader al Zahhar’s leg was blown...
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Mobilisation of worldwide solidarity with Palestinians
Yesterday marked the commencement of the World Social Forum for a Free Palestine, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The global mobilisation is aimed at strengthening solidarity with the Palestinian people through diverse activities which encourage debate and the formulating of effective proposals. Today is the 65th anniversary of the...
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In the name of security and profits: Israeli-EU arms dependence
Israel seems to have acquired a permanent battleground with its defiant occupation of Palestinian territory and savage assaults upon Gaza. In Israeli terminology, as well as that of its allies, the definition is “security”. As defined by the Homeland Security Conference just a few days prior to the Gaza...
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UN resolution puts pressure on Israel to allow nuclear inspection
Israel’s ambiguity with regard to nuclear weapons is well known, as is its refusal to sign-up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This tactic has shifted attention away from Israel for decades, as government officials keep dictating the necessity of “security” for a state built upon ethnic cleansing and illegal...
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Palestinian delegation visits Venezuela
Following the UN vote which recognised Palestine as a non-member observer state last month, a delegation from Ramallah has visited Venezuela with the aim of consolidating existing agreements, as well as establishing new accords in other areas, such as health, education, sport, culture and tourism. The visit was confirmed...
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Official discourse blanks out discussion of human rights violations in occupied West Bank
International rhetoric continues to focus on Israel’s new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank in retaliation for the UN vote granting Palestinians non-member observer status. European criticism has been constant, albeit far removed from any form of punitive measures. Nevertheless, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has deemed an...
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The manipulation of justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
‘Eyes on Israel’s Military Court’ is Addamer’s latest report about the manipulation of justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The report contains recollections by volunteers who visited Israeli jails between 2009 and 2011 and portrays the vivid difference between Israel’s assumed stance as a state built upon the foundations...
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The politics of resistance versus security coordination
In the aftermath of “Operation Pillar of Defence”, the Israelis have diverted their attention to the occupied West Bank. Mass arrests have been carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) for alleged “recent violent and terrorist activity”. Palestinian detainees protesting against administrative detention have embarked upon a hunger...
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Political discrimination in "democratic Israel"
Haneen Zoabi’s disqualification from standing as a candidate in Israel’s general election in January has failed to stir controversy within the Western world, keen as it is to ensure the portrayal of Israel as “the only democracy in the Middle East”. Yet the decision to disqualify the elected Knesset...
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Human rights report highlights Israel's ongoing disregard for international law
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has issued its weekly report detailing Israel’s continuous efforts in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to undermine and disregard international law. The report details Israeli human rights violations committed from December 20 to December 26 and emphasises the apparent permanence of...
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Netanyahu's politics of necessity
With elections looming in Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu finds himself cornered to defend Likud and its objectives, after Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party emerged as a potential threat pulling right-wing voters away from the incumbent prime minister. Bennett, a millionaire and former chief of staff under Netanyahu’s government until 2008,...
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Preliminary progress on reconciliation challenged by political strategy
Egypt’s attempt at brokering reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas has produced initial diplomatic progress. Yesterday’s talks in Cairo – organised by President Mohammed Morsi, were an initiative towards constructing Palestinian unity within factions embracing divergent strategic tactics. Unity, however, remains embroiled in a battle between different political organisations which...
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Western acceptance of discriminatory Israeli practices based on citizenship and nationality
Ben Gurion’s requirement of achieving Jewish supremacy in the ‘State of Israel’ has been a continuous and discriminative historical process. Demography has been consistently approached from an obsessive preservationist viewpoint to the detriment of Palestinians. Netanyahu’s re-election and the rise of the religious right in Israel will continue to...
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Israel's boycott of the UN human rights scrutiny session
In another attempt to degrade the universal definition of justice, Israel failed to attend the UN Human Rights Council meeting last Tuesday, boycotting the session and suspending its participation indefinitely. Expecting criticism on various aspects of its illegal occupation and ensuing violations against Palestinians, Israel feigned ‘concern’ of a...