Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Samira Shackle
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For Egypt's liberals to retain credibility, they should not ignore the persecution of the Muslim Brotherhood
In October 2013, the Egyptian writer Alaa al-Aswany gave a talk in Paris, to promote the French translation of his new book. The event ended in chaos, as a group of Aswany’s fellow Egyptians disrupted the talk. They were angry at Aswany’s ardent support for the military, and in...
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Palestinian athletes are truly Olympian
The Palestine Olympic team has arrived in London. Made up of five athletes, it is the largest team Palestine has ever sent to the summer Olympics. The athletes are Maher Abu Remeleh, a judo champion; Baha Al-Farra, a 400m runner; Woroud Sawalha, an 800m runner; Sabine Hazboun, a 50m freestyle...
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Premier League football to return in Egypt, but behind closed doors
Seven months after a ban on domestic football was implemented in Egypt, the country’s Ministry of Sport has announced that the Premier League will return on 17 September. The ban was put in place after Egypt’s worst ever football violence left 74 people dead. It happened at Port Said after...
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Ban on settlement goods wouldn't break EU laws
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. This is a fact, accepted by most countries in the world, so prohibition of trade with these settlements – distinct from a ban on Israel proper – might seem like a no-brainer. Such a ban is generally...
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Be careful not to overstate the significance of individual resignations in Syria
For months now, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has been described as “increasingly isolated” and “embattled”. Yet the regime has so far held fast, despite growing discomfort with massacres of civilians and a rising death toll: around 13,000 armed and unarmed opponents of Assad have been killed, and around 4,300...
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Palestinian prisoners get family visits after five years
For the first time in five years, 40 Palestinians from Gaza have been allowed to visit relatives held in Israeli jails. The visits were allowed as part of a deal to end a mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners demanding better conditions – including more access to relatives and...
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Syria hits new stage in conflict
The Syrian conflict appeared to enter a new stage last night after a bomb hit the National Security building in Damascus during a meeting of cabinet ministers and security chiefs. Three top security officials were killed in the worst losses for the Assad regime since the increasingly bloody conflict...
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Syrian threats - the drumbeats of war sound louder
In the protracted, bloody and complex Syrian conflict, practically every day brings a new development. Yesterday, it was the apparent confirmation by a foreign ministry spokesman that the country has a stockpile of chemical weapons, and might use them if it is attacked. At a press conference in Damascus, Jihad...
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Romney gaffes abound as he courts the Jewish vote
US Republican presidential wannabe Mitt Romney’s overseas tour may have been intended to bolster his foreign policy credentials, but so far it has been a catalogue of gaffes. Kicking off in Britain, Romney caused offence across the board with a series of faux pas, the crux of which was...
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Bloody attack in Sinai causes closure of Gaza lifeline
Violence in the Sinai Peninsula is nothing new, but last night saw the bloodiest attack for some time. On Sunday evening around 8pm, masked gunmen attacked Egyptian soldiers as they broke their Ramadan fast. The attack, which took place at a checkpoint along the border with Gaza and Israel,...
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Will he, won't he? Morsi dilemma over Non-Aligned Movement conference in Tehran
If there is one thing Mohammed Morsi can be sure of, it’s that his every move is being scrutinised, as regional powers and world observers alike watch to see where the new Egyptian president will forge allegiances and alliances. His latest diplomatic headache is over an invitation to the Non-Aligned...
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Will Dichter's caution on Iran strike morph into hawkishness to suit new role?
In recent weeks, the Israeli media has been dominated by speculation about a unilateral strike on Iran. If reports are to be believed, this could take place before the US presidential election in November. The time pressure is partly due to it being politically difficult for Barack Obama to...
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US places Jewish settler violence on list of terrorist incidents
For the first time, the US State Department has included violence by Jewish settlers on a list of “terrorist incidents”. Given that America is hardly known for criticising attacks on Palestinian individuals or property, this has been reported as a significant move, and indicates concern that settler violence is...
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Israel issues disproprtionate response to South African move on settlement produce
South Africa’s cabinet has decided that all goods produced in illegal Jewish settlements must be labelled as originating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is the culmination of several months of consultation, with the trade ministry inviting public comment back in May, saying that the labels should be introduced...
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Court claims that Israel was not at fault over killing of Rachel Corrie
A court in Israel has found that the State was not at fault for the death of 23 year old American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003. Corrie’s family had brought a civil case for negligence against the Israeli...
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Good news over Iran - for now
If you listened to all the hints being dropped by senior Israeli politicians last month, a war with Iran seemed almost inevitable. It was being speculated that Israel could make a unilateral strike against its neighbour in the next few months, before the US presidential elections. An anonymous “decision...
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Protests escalate as Palestinians hit back at economic stagnation
Days of demonstrations about price increases in the West Bank escalated yesterday, with protesters burning tyres and attempting to storm a government building. Protests have been taking place for days in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem and Jericho, although the biggest confrontations were in Hebron, the West Bank’s most volatile...
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Netanyahu plays a risky election game
What is going on between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mitt Romney? The rapport between the two is no secret, dating back to the 1970s when they both worked in the Boston Consulting Group. Romney has made it clear that if he becomes US president, he will pursue a more hawkish...
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Meshaal decision to stand down sparks struggle for soul of Hamas
Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, has indicated that he will not stand for re-election this year. The decision leaves the way open for the movement to choose a new leader for the first time in nearly 16 years. Two senior officials said that Meshaal announced his decision...
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Obama and Netanyahu agree to a truce
It is no secret that relations between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have been strained in recent months. Netanyahu has been so open in his support for Obama’s rival in the presidential election, Mitt Romney, that members of the Israeli government have felt the...
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Church leaders demand investigation into US military aid to Israel
On 5 October, 15 prominent American Protestant leaders sent a letter to Congress, calling for an investigation into US military aid to Israel. Referring to the “pain and suffering” of both Palestinians and Israelis, the letter suggested that “unconditional US military assistance to Israel has contributed to this deterioration,...
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The Netanyahu-Lieberman alliance will accelerate isolationism and discrimination
When I interviewed Professor Avi Shlaim last month, he said that the current Israeli government was “is the most right-wing, the most hawkish, the most uncompromising … in Israel’s entire history”. That could be about to get worse. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has announced that he is to join...
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Cyber warfare is key priority for Israel
Cyber warfare may sound like something out of science fiction, but it is an increasingly important aspect of modern conflict. It refers essentially to politically-motivated hacking; one nation-state penetrating another’s computers or networks for sabotage or espionage purposes. William J Lynn, the US Deputy Secretary of Defence, has said...
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Netanyahu's electoral weak spot
Benjamin Netanyahu would be an easy opponent in a game of poker, if his behaviour during the US election is anything to go by. The Israeli Prime Minister made no secret of which candidate he wanted to see in the White House. His open support for Mitt Romney was...
