Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Sawsan Ramahi
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Are Palestinian elections going to be held?
This is not the first time that President Mahmoud Abbas has called for elections, whether for the Palestinian National Council, the Palestinian Legislative Council or the presidency. On every occasion, his political opponents in Hamas have responded positively to the call, but the election process never goes ahead, for...
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On International Women's Day, stand with the Palestinian women of Jerusalem
On International Women’s Rights Day, which falls on 8 March every year, we need to take a moment to look at whether all women are able to exercise all of their rights around the world. Are women’s rights limited to specific countries, while those elsewhere continue to suffer from...
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Administrative Detention: A Legal & Lethal Tool of Israeli Repression
A largely neglected instrument of legal Israeli repression used against the Palestinian people is that of administrative detention. Thousands of men, as well as women and children, are held indefinitely and under horrendous conditions in detention centres dotted across the Occupied Territories without charge, access to a fair trial...
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On the anniversary of the Nakba: I haven’t forgotten, Mum
The Nakba left a large wound in the conscience of the Palestinian people. On every anniversary of the Nakba, this wound reopens, causing a mixture of anger and pain, especially in those who experienced it or those who have found themselves being directly affected by it through the course...
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Is the involvement of PA security officers in the intifada a blow to security coordination?
There is no doubt that the participation of Palestinian security officers in resistance efforts during the current intifada is a “frightening scenario” for Israel. Observers of Israeli decision-making circles and media sense that this may move the uprising towards a more dangerous phase. According to a senior army officer quoted...
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Palestinians and Jordanian citizenship
The ethnic origins of those living in Jordan are many and contrasting. The current ruling royal family are “Hashemite” descendants of the Sharifs of Makkah and the Hijaz, while the vast majority of those living in Jordan are Arabs from various other backgrounds, some of which come from the...
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The boycott of Israeli goods
Ancient and modern human history has witnessed many instances and forms of boycott. Oppressed peoples have resorted to it as a form of peaceful popular protest and resistance, and there are many examples that prove the effectiveness of a boycott to weaken and exhaust an opponent. The many forms...
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The suffering of Palestinians seeking family reunification
Since the establishment of the state, Israel’s policies have been based on racism in all of its aspects. They crystallise in many issues and are aimed against the indigenous Arab population. The most recent example is the idea of the “Jewish state”, which implies the further expulsion of the...
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Al-Aqsa is at the core of the conflict
Recent events in Jerusalem, especially in Al-Aqsa Mosque, open the door to many possibilities, the most important of which is the outbreak of a third Intifada that will not favour the main players in the region. That includes the US and Israel; the recent meeting between US Secretary of...
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The Land Exchange Project
Zionist political thought continues to propose projects based on the eradication of the Palestinians as a people or, at the very least, their marginalisation inside the state of Israel. So-called ‘population transfer’ is a fundamental and unequivocally non-negotiable principle of political Zionism. It has been used to devastating effect...
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The pillars of Israeli education
There has been much talk over the past ten years about the “new Middle East” which America has called for. This US project is based around four main areas: The reformation of the political structure and governance in Arab countries. Making fundamental economic changes. Changing cultural values through the influence of the...
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Hebron: the endangered city
Briefing Paper – October 2010By Sawsan Ramahi Hebron is one of the oldest cities in Palestine, perhaps one of the oldest in the world, and is located in the south-central area of Palestine. Archaeological remains suggest that people were living on the site more than 6000 years ago; it was...
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Israel's discrimination against its Arab citizens
Briefing Paper – June 2010By Sawsan Ramahi Racism was, and still is, an inherent feature of Zionism and the state established on its back, Israel. From its declaration of independence up to this day, the 20% of Israel’s citizens who are Arabs have suffered from the state’s racist policies and...
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Land Day: its origins and significance
Briefing Paper – Mar 2010 By Sawsan Ramahi Background Land Day is considered to be a milestone in the history of the Palestinian struggle. It is the day when the Palestinian people declared their commitment to defending the land of their forefathers, and maintain their identity and national rights, despite the ongoing...
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Israel is stealing Palestinian and Arab water
Briefing Paper – Mar 2010By Sawsan Ramahi World Water Day is upon us. Initiated by the United Nations in 1992 during its Conference on Environment and Development, 22 March 1993 was chosen as the first international day for water aiming to draw attention to the importance of fresh water and...
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Israeli attacks on Muslim-and Christian-owned buildings and religious sites in Palestine
FACT SHEET The recent escalation of Israeli attacks on Muslim and Christian religious sites in Palestine, including Jerusalem, other cities in the occupied West Bank and the area occupied in 1948, can be viewed as part of Israel’s assault on all things Palestinian since 1967. It is a war declared...
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The environmental impact of Israeli settlements on the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Human beings are endowed with essential basic rights. These include the right to freedom, equality and prosperous natural living conditions. As such, every individual has a public duty to safeguard and improve the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. The Draft International Treaty on Third-Generation Rights, which...
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Israel's Judaisation of Jerusalem
In the framework of Israel’s policy of Judaising Jerusalem and making the Holy City its eternal capital, Israel has pursued a number of measures following its occupation and illegal annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967: 1 – The confiscation of land “in the public interest”, using a British law of...
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Pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea
The agreement signed by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to build a pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea came as a shock to many politicians and analysts. There is some disparity in Arab and international reactions to the project, while the Israelis view it as...
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Corruption in the Palestinian Authority
Corruption is endemic in the Palestinian Authority, the private sector and NGOs. It is spreading across all sections of Palestinian society. A report prepared by the European Union stated that financial corruption in the PA led to the “loss” of aid amounting to around €2 billion, which was transferred to...
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Egypt-Gaza tunnels: the lifeline under threat
After the Arab-Israeli war in 1948-1949, the Gaza Strip was left under Egyptian military rule until Israel occupied it during the June 1967 “SixDay War”. When Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Peace Treaty with Israel in 1979, the border city of Rafah was divided; part went...
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Jordan and Jerusalem's Islamic sanctuaries
The issue of Jerusalem is at the core of the Palestinian cause, which in turn is at the core of the conflict with Zionism. In other words, the issue of Jerusalem cannot be viewed in isolation from the Palestine-Israel conflict. Thus, when examining the dimensions of Jordan’s relationship to...
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Increasing psychological and neurological illness among Palestinian prisoners
The phenomenon of prisoners of war is one of the most significant consequences of conflict between nation states or in countries subject to occupation. There is no doubting the fact that the experiences of these individuals are brutal and constitute severe trauma psychologically, socially or economically. Moreover, their return...
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The health risks posed by water pollution in the Gaza Strip
The worsening problem of water in the Middle East is one of the most significant and dangerous struggles currently facing the region today. From issues of continuous deterioration in quality, to those of limited availability and high competition for that available, the situation is critical. All of this and...
