Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Yassir Zaatreh
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Netanyahu’s agenda in Warsaw was to target the Palestinians, not Iran
Benjamin Netanyahu looked like the groom at an upmarket wedding at last week’s Warsaw Summit on the Middle East. Everyone else looked like extras, props for the main man in centre stage. Those who have listened to the Israeli Prime Minister’s discourse over the past two years will rarely find...
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Mahmoud Abbas has just made an openly defeatist speech
In his speech at the Forum on Freedom and Peace at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah on Wednesday, in the presence of Israeli politicians, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas went further than ever to reiterate statements that he has made before but which are denied by his supporters. “I want to...
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US withdrawal from Syria will not signal the end of the conflict
There are many aspects for us to consider regarding the announcement that the US is withdrawing its troops from Syria. There is no need to discuss Donald Trump’s fluctuating positions on Syria, which have gone from rejecting any intervention to strengthening US forces and threatening the Syrian regime and...
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Normalisation and a ‘regional solution’ are back on the agenda
Normalisation with the state of Israel and a “regional solution” to the Palestinian issue appear to be back on the agenda. What is such a solution? The “regional solution” was proposed repeatedly over many years before the “deal of the century” was mooted. It now seems to be back...
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Temporary modification of priorities to stop the bleeding
Only those who are too proud deny the fact that our region’s axes are suffering from bleeding. By these axes, I mean the Arabs, Iran and Turkey. Meanwhile, the fourth party in the region, Israel, is profiting from this. In the Arab group, there is a significant group of Arab...
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Trump and Netanyahu’s hysteria and what’s behind it
Netanyahu and Trump are acting like a bull in a china shop. But this behaviour is unlikely to end soon. Instead, there are reasons to suggest that both men will pursue further hysteria, madness, and extremism in the future. In Netanyahu’s case, there are two main factors. First, is his...
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Kushner is basically talking about a business deal
This is perhaps the first time that we have had direct access to the ideas of Jared Kushner, the adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, regarding the Palestinian issue. He is, apparently, the engineer behind what has become known as the “deal of the century”. Kushner’s thoughts came...
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Who is Mike Pence, and what does he want?
Our situation with US Vice President Mike Pence seems to be worse than that with his boss Donald Trump, although the latter chose the former and is loyal to his programme in support of Israel. The celebratory welcome that Pence received in Israel reflects the magnitude of the hopes that...
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The PCC convened and dispersed but nothing changed on the ground
There were no surprises in the recent decisions made by the Palestinian Central Council (PCC). The decisions made were the same ones leaked before the meeting and can be summed up in the following three decisions: Transition from the phase of autonomy to the phase of a state that is...
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Fatah and the test of a new intifada
Several statements by Fatah over the past few days have called for confrontation with the Israeli occupation forces in response to US president Trump’s recent decision over the recognition of Jerusalem. Fatah Deputy Chairman, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, stated that the Oslo Accords “are over” and that the Palestinians have the right...
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Will those supporting Trump's ‘deal of the century’ reconsider?
Leaked information about Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” varies in some details, but the one thing that is consistent is that there will be no more on offer than autonomy for parts of the West Bank, without Jerusalem. There will be no Palestinian sovereignty and no return of...
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Palestinians must reject any conference that brings Arabs together with Zionists
Many reports are talking about a US-Israeli agreement that’s being negotiated with some Arabs to convene a new peace conference. This is intended as preparation for the launch of a political process preceded or accompanied by Arab normalisation with the Zionist entity. This comes at a time when some...
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A prolonged crisis and growing losses
The Gulf crisis has entered its fourth month without any indications of it ending soon. While Qatar has prepared itself for a long crisis, both on the economic and political level, and has proven that it is capable of withstanding it, the other side is in a state of...
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What’s the latest on the ‘deal of the century’?
Donald Trump no longer talks about the “deal of the century” that he promised would end the Arab-Israeli conflict, while those who spoke about a regional solution as part of the deal have largely stopped talking. When the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is very close to the...
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Only in Trump’s time
The crisis broke out amongst the brothers in the Gulf while Trump tweeted accusations about Qatar supporting terrorism. Only hours later, the US secretary of defence made a statement about the partnership with Qatar to combat terrorism, without criticising the president’s words. Trump then changed his position and called...
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Netanyahu’s new condition for those who are listening
In his latest remarks, made last Tuesday, two weeks after a series of remarks regarding Jerusalem, 50 years after its occupation, stressing that it will remain united under Israeli sovereignty, Netanyahu added another new condition for settlement when he told Army Radio: The idea of abandoning the territories and achieving...
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Advocates of the criminalisation of the Brotherhood face crises
Western officials are currently wavering over proposals to list the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. This applies to the Trump administration, despite its extremist rhetoric and its proximity to circles known for their hatred of the Muslim Brotherhood. This also applies to some Arab regimes, which are caught between...
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Abbas in Washington… what does it have in store for the cause?
Today is the day Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will have the chance to meet with the head of the White House, unless the schedule has been changed. This meeting raises a number of questions, especially in light of the talk about the so-called “deal of the century” being chased...
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Erdogan wins again… Indications and consequences
If there is any indicator that draws one’s attention away from the traditional analysis of the Turkish referendum, then it is the battle’s confirmation that Erdogan is a stubborn fighter who does not hesitate to fight a knife-edge battle. This was apparent on the day of the coup and...
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Iranian attack on Hamas
Khamenei’s circles did not hide their outrage at Hamas because of the movement’s position on Aleppo’s battle. It was clearly expressed by Hezbollah’s newspapers and media outlets in Lebanon, as well as by some Iranian newspapers and media sites, in addition to statements by Iranian officials. The attack came after...
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Violence is everywhere, and Iran must take the blame
During the 24-hour period between last Saturday and Sunday alone, there was a number of explosions in various places: Aden, Istanbul, Somalia, Cairo and Nigeria. This resulted in hundreds of people being killed and even more wounded. Putting aside the conspiracy theories suggested as explanations, or those claiming responsibility for...
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Extending sanctions: Iran and the curse of Syrian blood
The party we witnessed when the nuclear agreement with Iran was signed did not hide the sacrifices and concessions that would be made as a result. These concessions were presented to Iran years ago and it rejected them, which forced Tehran and the Iranian people to suffer many years...
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What implications does the Iran nuclear deal have for the Middle East?
The main question that arises at the moment is what implications the nuclear agreement will have for the Middle East in light of the chaos that has spread across the region and ignited a fire the likes of which has not been seen for decades. The implications must also...
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Will the Egyptian regime change its stance on Hamas?
We are not placing an Egyptian court’s refusal to classify Hamas among its watch list of terrorist groups within the context of this question. It was, after all, a decision that resulted from recent developments and, therefore, the natural progression of an expected outcome. Placing Hamas indefinitely on a...