Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Abdul Sattar Qassem
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Does Iran control four Arab capitals?
An Iranian cleric once uttered in a reckless statement that Iran controls four Arab capitals, namely: Beirut, Damascus, Sanaa and Baghdad. Many anti-Iran parties held debates on this statement, considering it a reality, and began to warn the world about Iran’s emerging power and future hegemony over the Arab region.…
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We stopped security coordination. We will stop security coordination
Abbas announced that he sent two messages to Netanyahu and Trump, stating that he would stop implementing the agreements and halt security coordination with the Israelis, as part of his protest of Trump’s deal. However, it seems that this statement was not translated on the ground, and did not become…
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Despite the hype, Palestinian elections are unlikely to be held
Finally, it appears that the two major factions, Fatah and Hamas — or rather the Palestinian Authority and Hamas — are preparing for elections. What’s more, both sides reaffirm their willingness to hold elections that are 10 years overdue. Presidential elections were supposed to take place in 2009 according to…
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Israel’s military escalation against Gaza
As soon as the Israeli guns are pointed at Gaza, Egypt begins its diplomatic activity to achieve a ceasefire. It is as if the Egyptian government is constantly waiting for this moment to prove its existence as a guardian of the Palestinian cause. There have been many Arabs who have…
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Thank you for cutting US financial aid
Those examining the world looking for the effects of US financial aid would find that its results were not in the best interest of those receiving it. They would actually observe the following results. Financial aid from the US and other countries encourages dependence on others and adversely affects the…
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The delay of the Palestinian Legislative Council
The media affiliated with the inept Palestinian Authority have denied interfering with the electoral process and law on the day that the foundations of Fatah’s so-called revolutionary law came under review. A news reporter on Palestine TV, who is a member of the Ayyad family in Bethlehem denied the allegations…
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They’ve arrested me
I am a writer. I also happen to be a writer who has been exposed to repressive actions by Arab and Israeli authorities more than most in the modern era. I have been shot repeatedly; on one occasion, by four bullets at once. I lost my job in Jordan and…
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Kerry and the legitimacy of the desecration of Al-Aqsa
It is difficult for anyone to argue the United States is not a party within the Arab-Israeli conflict especially in light of its indisputable bias in favour of the occupation against Palestinian national rights and for its direct role in providing Israel with various types of advanced weapons. At the…
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Russian political supremacy in Syria
Russian support for the Syrian regime has not stopped since the start of the events in Syria. Russia has not stopped providing political and diplomatic support for the regime. Russia even used its vetoing power in the UN Security Council to defend the regime. It is difficult to image the…
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Hamas follows in the PLO’s footsteps, Part Two
On 27April 2008, I wrote an article titled “Hamas follows in the PLO’s footsteps”. This is a continuation of the same article, in which I said that Hamas’s actions and steps towards Israel are not radically different to the steps taken by the PLO, which ended up selling the Palestinian…
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The oppression of the Kurds and possible solutions
If we were to list the nations currently living under great injustice during the 21st century, we could not disregard the Kurds, who are suffering from severe oppression, persecution, murder and destruction across the Kurdish territories. If we claim to support human rights, justice and the right of nations to…
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Who burnt Ali Dawabsheh to death?
Hardly a day goes by without a Palestinian being killed by Israelis. Sometimes, they are killed by the occupation army and on other occasions they are killed by extremist Jewish settlers. Palestinians are being killed outside the context of confrontations, throwing stones and shooting bullets. It is fairly obvious from…
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The Palestinian government reshuffle
For days, Palestinian media outlets have been busy with the issue of the government reshuffle, which was hastily dubbed the “national consensus” government. There have been many predictions regarding this change, and many Palestinian sources which have said that it would be minimal and superficial. I accept that there are…
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The Palestinians between reconciliation and national unity
All Palestinians, on every level and front, are concerned with the issue of reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. A lot is focused on the search for this elusive concord. Many Arab states and Palestinian domestic parties have tried to mediate a reconciliation agreement in an effort to end this devastating…
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The partisanship of Egypt’s judiciary
In every country in the world, the judiciary is the source of justice and it delivers justice to the oppressed, or so it should be. The judiciary is the entity that should reassure people, regardless of their affiliations, that the law is applied to everyone without exception and should serve…
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The PA and the Security Council
Following in the footsteps of the Arab regimes, the Palestinian Authority continuously rushes to the United Nations in the hope of finding a light that would lead to the settlement of the Palestinian issue. However, just like the other Arab regimes, the PA is disappointed and frustrated either because the…
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You can’t take terrorism away from the terrorist
Nowadays, America is intensifying its efforts for what it calls combatting terrorism. It is working very hard to establish an international coalition consisting mainly of Arab countries to combat terrorism, especially the Islamic State organisation (ISIS). It is apparent that America is speaking against terrorism extensively and is making many…
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The resistance is making history
The Palestinian issue suffered a decline in the regional media with the onset of the Arab uprisings. Indeed, many believed that the issue had been consigned to the history books and would disappear, submerged by the chaos affecting Arab countries. There are those who were very happy to see such…
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America’s struggle to maintain unipolar domination
The fall of the Soviet Union pleased America immensely, but the return of its ghost in Russia as a major player on the international stage is a concern. Post-Cold War, the US president could strut the stage at the head of the world’s only superpower, able to threaten and appease,…
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Resuming the negotiations which never really stopped
The news that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are to be resumed after a publicly announced three year break hasn’t been confirmed by the release of any formal agreement between US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Palestinian Authority. This, of course, may never materialise, but we can consider the fact that…