Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Yousef Al-Helou
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Naming companies profiting from Israel’s occupation boosts Palestinians in this asymmetric struggle
An overdue report has finally been published by the UN Human Rights office which lists 112 companies benefiting from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Almost 100 of the companies are based in Israel, while the rest are from 18 other countries including the...
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Post-Brexit, Britain aims to strengthen its partnership with Africa in trade deals
Britain is set to leave the European Union at the end of this month. The government will then be free to strike new economic deals without being bound by EU regulations. It now has 11 months to come up with a trade deal with the EU to avoid reverting...
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Some Palestinians in Gaza are forced to start marriage via social media
The Gaza Strip is well known for the hardships imposed by Israel’s ongoing 13-year land, air and sea blockade, as well as three devastating military offensives. As “the world’s largest open air prison”, its two million residents face travel restrictions and punitive measures. People are surviving on the bare...
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Attacks against Gaza’s resistance are Netanyahu’s way to cover up his failures
Israel’s assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu Al-Ata while he slept at his home in Shuja’iyah neighbourhood east of Gaza City also killed his wife. A simultaneous assassination attempt failed to kill Akram Al-Ajoury, another Islamic Jihad commander, at his home in Damascus; his son, though, was...
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Whoever wins Israel’s election, Palestinians know it will make no difference
The Israeli General Election is over and Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to gain a majority in the 22nd Knesset. This was a slap in the face, and a shameful disappointment for him after weeks of incitement against the Palestinians, including Arab citizens of Israel, in a scaremongering election campaign. In...
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Why is the rise of BDS worldwide worrying Israel?
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is gaining momentum. There is no doubt about this. The Palestinian-led campaign for an educational, cultural and business boycott of Israel aims to get justice, freedom and equality. Inspired by the South African anti-Apartheid movement, BDS started in 2005 by civil society...
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Today's Great March of Return is a turning point in Palestinian collective memory
Despite Israeli efforts to deter Palestinians from taking part in today’s Great March of Return, and in spite of the cold weather conditions which prevailed, a tsunami of demonstrators flocked to Gaza’s 25-mile-long fence. Heavily-armed Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters, who came in their thousands to mark...
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Palestinian archives: A reflection of a rich history
Documenting Palestinian events is essential for enriching the virtual historical archive. This is a process, which goes in parallel with resisting the military occupation in its different forms. Concealing and distorting the narrative by colonisers is a technique often practised in order to deny people the tools to communicate...
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Fatah-Hamas political disputes lead to unprecedented frustration and mistrust
The antipathy between the two main rival Palestinian political factions – Fatah and Hamas – has reached an unprecedented level in recent weeks. Ordinary Palestinians hoped that 2019 would be a better year and see an end to the ongoing 12-year rift between the two parties. Yet their wishes...
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Gaza needs international intervention now to prevent another Israeli offensive
Since the end of Israel’s 2014 military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza, which lasted 51 days, the besieged coastal territory has been the scene of endless armed incursions. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, injured or maimed when a truce is supposed to be in place. Endless efforts...
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Palestinian Gandhis crushed by Israel's disproportionate force
Massive crowds made their way on Friday to different locations along the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip bordering Israel to mark the 42nd anniversary of Palestine’s Land Day. The idea for the historic protest came a few months ago from Ahmad Abu Ertima, a member of civil society who...
