Yvonne Ridley

British journalist and author Yvonne Ridley provides political analysis on affairs related to the Middle East, Asia and the Global War on Terror. Her work has appeared in numerous publications around the world from East to West from titles as diverse as The Washington Post to the Tehran Times and the Tripoli Post earning recognition and awards in the USA and UK. Ten years working for major titles on Fleet Street she expanded her brief into the electronic and broadcast media producing a number of documentary films on Palestinian and other international issues from Guantanamo to Libya and the Arab Spring.

January 12, 2019 | Yvonne Ridley
An international criminal gang has been smashed, freeing a British kidnap victim in Syria
Kidnapped from Idlib in November 2018, British aid worker Muhammad Shabir's kidnappers demanded a $4 million ransom for his release
Published in: Article, Europe & Russia, Middle East, Opinion, Syria, UK
December 31, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The NYT investigation proves that we must seek justice for Razan Al-Najjar
US President Donald Trump is a purveyor of fake news and a man who enjoys a long distance relationship with the truth; he hates the New York Times. Regarded...
Published in: Article, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
December 27, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The Bishop of Truro must do justice to Palestine’s invisible Christians
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has chosen the Christian festive season to launch an independent review to examine what the British government can do to stop the persecution of Christians...
Published in: Article, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK
December 17, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Hang your head in shame, world; normal life does not exist for Palestinians in Hebron
Israel breaks international law with sickening and often deadly regularity. This is pointed out frequently by detractors of the Zionist State, which just as frequently attracts accusations of “anti-Semitism”;...
Published in: Article, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
December 12, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The pro-Israel lobby’s weaponisation of anti-Semitism takes a hit in the US
The pro-Israel lobby’s ongoing efforts to weaponise anti-Semitism has been dealt a major blow after a prestigious American university refused to sack one of its professors for showing solidarity...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, US
November 29, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Eurovision challenges Israel to face the music
Supporting Palestine isn’t just about heroic resistance with little more than sticks and stones in the face of one of the most technologically-advanced armies in the world. Nor is...
Published in: Article, BDS, Eurovision, International Organisations, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
November 22, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
British Palestinian MP slaps down Trump
Layla Moran, the first British Member of Parliament of Palestinian descent, has urged the UK to “step up to the plate and lead” over the issue of Palestine given...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Europe & Russia, International Organisations, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK, UN, US
November 14, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Netanyahu forgets prayers for world peace to make war on Gaza
Timing is everything in international politics, so as 70 world leaders descended on Paris at the weekend to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice that brought World War One...
Published in: Article, France, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
November 3, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The far right represents a real threat to Jews; criticism of Israel doesn’t
An international Jewish pressure group has launched a blistering attack on the pro-Israel lobby and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States over their comments comparing Palestinian supporters with white...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, US
October 28, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
An outrageous children’s ‘IDF party costume’ is being sold by Amazon for Halloween
When America’s largest supermarket chain, Walmart, advertised an Israel Defence Forces children’s party costume there was outrage and the stores withdrew the fancy dress outfit. That was three years...
Published in: Asia & Americas, Blog, Blogs - Politics, Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, UK, US
October 18, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Nazi art case sets precedent for Palestinian Nakba restitution
Palestinian victims of the 1948 Nakba could benefit from a landmark legal ruling by a French court which ordered a painting to be returned to the family of the...
Published in: Article, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
October 16, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Israel aids genocidal Myanmar while urging the world to remember the Holocaust
Israel does not owe its existence to the genocide of the Jews during the Second World War but, without a doubt, the Holocaust played a significant role in speeding...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, International Organisations, Israel, Middle East, Myanmar, Opinion, Palestine, UN
October 2, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Our craven media continue to aid and abet Israel’s racist regime
I am delighted that Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi has been given the red carpet treatment by Spanish football giants Real Madrid following her release from an Israeli prison, where...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, US
October 1, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Palestine: Read all about it… but not in the mainstream media
This time of year is always a period of personal retrospection for me, ending in trips down memory lane. It was, for example, when I became a cub reporter...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, US
September 18, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Idlib’s cries fail to move the global anti-war movement
The anniversary of the start of the Western war against Afghanistan is fast approaching and I remember it as though it was yesterday. The opening salvo from the US...
Published in: Article, Europe & Russia, Middle East, Opinion, Russia, Syria, Turkey
September 16, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
All of these anti-Semitism allegations continue to sideline Palestinian suffering
As the row over what constitutes anti-Semitism rages in Britain, the very real fear that freedom of speech is being threatened has already been realised in America, according to...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK, UN, US
September 1, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The UN has used the g-word, but will it tackle Israeli arms sales to the butchers of Myanmar?
The UN has finally used the g-word in accusing the Myanmar regime of genocide against the ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims. Now it needs to go one step further, by...
Published in: Article, International Organisations, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UN
August 30, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Popularity of any kind is a curse in Egypt, as Mo Salah is finding out
Shortly before he was assassinated, US President Abraham Lincoln said that it was best to avoid popularity if you want peace. Like so many public figures he realised that...
Published in: Africa, Article, Asia & Americas, Egypt, Europe & Russia, Opinion, Russia, US
August 15, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Netanyahu has dug himself into a hole in a graveyard full of untruths
Benjamin Netanyahu has dived headlong into the furore engulfing Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, revealing the most blatant meddling to-date by Israel in British politics. What’s more, he’s done...
Published in: Article, Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK, US
August 9, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The men in charge of Saudi Arabia really don’t care a jot about Muslim women
If ever there was a time for the government of Saudi Arabia to stand up and defend its female citizens it is now, with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Canada, Europe & Russia, Middle East, Opinion, Saudi Arabia, UK, US
August 6, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The Corbyn anti-Semitism row reveals how desperate Israel and its lobbyists are
The socialist leader of a British political party embroiled in an anti-Semitism row has apologised for appearing on platforms with people who drew Nazi-style comparisons with Israel’s actions. His...
Published in: Article, Europe & Russia, Germany, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK
July 31, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Scotland’s ‘Braveheart’ pension fund divests from Israeli bank
A landmark decision by a major Scottish pension fund to divest from Israel’s Bank Hapoalim could trigger a massive financial withdrawal by other funds in Scotland. The Falkirk Pension...
Published in: Article, BDS, Europe & Russia, International Organisations, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK
July 26, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Tariq Ramadan’s detention exposes the flaws in French liberté, égalité and fraternité
The authorities in France are coming under international pressure over their treatment of Muslim academic and philosopher Tariq Ramadan who is being held in custody pending investigations into a...
Published in: Africa, Article, Egypt, Europe & Russia, France, Opinion
July 13, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
With a British minister dodging Israeli bullets, will his new boss stand up for international law?
Now that Jeremy Hunt has replaced Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary in Whitehall, Palestinians are hopeful that there might be some cause for optimism, but if Britain’s top diplomat...
Published in: Article, Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK
July 2, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Who killed Razan Al-Najjar?
A new petition circulating on social media serves as a reminder that the Israeli sniper who shot Palestinian paramedic Razan Al-Najjar on 1 June could be a British citizen...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, US
June 24, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Support for the Palestinians gathers pace in Trump’s America
Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the UN Human Rights Commission was an attempt to shield Israel from accountability, but it may have backfired among voters in...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UN, US
June 19, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
The pro-Israel lobby exploits anti-Semitism, with more than a little help from Trump
There is a rise in anti-Semitism across the West. Shamefully, it is being exploited with great cynicism by the pro-Israel lobby to target Palestinian support groups and individuals instead...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Europe & Russia, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine, UK, US
June 7, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Israel’s red card and own goal
Rotem Kamer, the vice president of the Israeli Football Association, has accused Palestinians of waging “football terror” after Argentina called off a friendly match in Jerusalem. Argentina’s move came...
Published in: Argentina, Article, Asia & Americas, FIFA, International Organisations, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
May 31, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Rohingya rape victims are braced for a Ramadan baby boom
Eid babies are normally seen as a great blessing across the Muslim world and a perfect end to pregnancies after Ramadan. We shouldn’t, though, expect any celebrations over the...
Published in: Article, Bangladesh, Israel, Myanmar, Opinion, UN
May 29, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Pakistani intelligence blocked a prisoner swap to release Dr Aafia Siddiqui
There were strong rumours sweeping across Pakistan recently that Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a cause célèbre across the Muslim world, had died in the Texas jail where she is serving...
Published in: Article, Asia & Americas, Middle East, Opinion, Pakistan, Qatar, US
May 20, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Mo Salah, fatwas and fallen heroes
Egyptian-born footballer Mohamed Salah hopes to help Liverpool FC to lift the cup next Saturday in the final of Europe’s prestigious UEFA Champions League, arguably the world’s top club...
Published in: Africa, Article, Egypt, Europe & Russia, Opinion, UK
May 16, 2018 | Yvonne Ridley
Heroic Palestinians are anything but victims
Israel’s refusal to acknowledge the Palestinians as anything other than the victims of Hamas manipulation and “incitement” is insulting and offensive to the people of Gaza on many levels....
Published in: Article, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine