The long overdue Saville Report into the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in Northern Ireland has been received with mixed reviews. While Unionist spokesmen regard it as an important step towards closure, relatives of the victims are now contemplating legal action against those responsible for the killings. For several reasons...

The leaked documents known now as the "Palestine Papers" have been picked over and analysed extensively by Al Jazeera and the Guardian; at least, most of them have. The files relating to the activities of MI6 officials in Jerusalem need a much more thorough investigation. The Middle East Monitor's (MEMO)...

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been allied with liberalist groups and the influential Fethullah Gülen movement since its rise to power in 2002. Over the last ten years, the coalition has fought hard against extreme secular factions such as the...

On the heels of the British parliament's refusal to sanction a military attack on Syria, US President Barack Obama drove the issue of a possible intervention to a dead-end when he said, "I will take this to Congress". Discussions over a possible intervention after the use of chemical weapons...

During its early renaissance stages, modern Turkey was subjected to violent shocks, some of which were neither justifiable nor understandable. However, the Turks' only option was to deal with them and build upon their positives, while turning their negatives into launch pads for new phases, rather than permanent problems....

The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the beginning of July that it will take a "balanced" position on the isolation of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi. This has also been articulated clearly in subsequent statements made by several Russian officials. Russia's position was based on the need to denounce...

It goes without saying that almost every news network claims to report truthfully and objectively. The BBC, for example, portrays itself to be " independent, impartial and honest." This brief analysis questions the BBC's proclaimed impartiality and honesty in how it chooses to report stories related to Israel-Palestine. To...

For the last two weeks Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine has been the stronghold of anti-government protests; thousands have gathered in temperatures as low as minus fifteen to express their dissatisfaction with the President Viktor Yanukovych. Lined with makeshift tents and warmed by log fires and soup kitchens, volunteers...

Dr Abdel Sattar QassemProfessor of Political studies, Al Najah National University Europe's recent announcement that Jerusalem is the capital of two states to be achieved through negotiations between Palestinian and Israel was a rejection of Sweden's proposal that there be explicit recognition of "East Jerusalem" as the capital of...

By Ahmed AomrabiIn a high-level international gathering, Turkish Prime Minister, Rajab Tayyip Erdogan, shouted in the face of Israeli President Shimon Peres saying: "You know how to kill people". Erdogan's outburst was provoked by the brutal attack launched by Israel a year ago on the Gaza Strip. One decade...

By Mehmet Nedim Aslan There is a common belief in the Muslim world that US foreign policy is biased towards Israel thanks to the Israel-Jewish lobby. Ever since the foundation of the state of Israel on Palestinian land in 1948, all US administrations have been ardent in their support...

By Yvonne Ridley I have never met Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit but he thinks that I am a very bad European; that's me and 1400 other peace activists from the Gaza Freedom March who are trapped in Cairo on New Year's Eve. Aboul Gheit let us know...

By Omar Radwan On Wednesday 28th July, a unique event will take place at the House of Commons. Three Arab members of the Israeli Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, Haneen al-Zoabi, and Talab al-Sana will hold a seminar discussing the significance of Israel's self-proclaimed "Jewish character" and what it means in...

By Omar Radwan Last week Israel agreed unexpectedly to cooperate with a UN investigation into its raid on the Freedom Flotilla in May. This is the first time in history that Israel has agreed to cooperate with a UN inquiry into its actions. The new willingness to cooperate stands...

Is there any difference between the political events in America in the early 19th century; what took place in Turkey a decade ago; and what is occurring in Egypt today? History does have a habit of repeating itself, like a novelist making fun of his readers who do not...

The problem of judges in Egypt is not new. In the sixties legal counsellor Momtaz Nassar called for an end to the government's meddling in the judicial system; this led to a massacre of judges in 1969. The crisis resurfaced at the first conference of justice in 1986 and...

We have just passed the second anniversary of 'Operation Cast Lead', in which for many it seemed that the holiday period was used as a convenient cover for launching the attack on Gaza which led to 1400 Palestinian deaths, most of them civilians and one-third children. Most of the...

South Africa has announced that it will label products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as "made in occupied Palestine" rather than "made in Israel". It has provoked fear amongst some and hope amongst others that a boycott of such goods will take off within the...

A quarter-century ago I barnstormed around the United States encouraging Americans, particularly students, to press for divestment from South Africa. Today, regrettably, the time has come for similar action to force an end to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territory and refusal to extend equal rights to Palestinian citizens...

When I was at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC (1999-2000), I introduced myself to people as "a politician and academic." My attention was drawn politely to the fact that politicians didn't have a good reputation. I took the hint and avoided the word "politician," replacing it with...

Balance and openness to new prospects of cooperation are the most prominent characteristics of Egypt's post-revolution foreign policy and President Mohammad Morsi's first term in office. Morsi has been seen heading east and west in an effort to build a network of relations for Egypt after deposed president, Hosni...

By Archbishop Desmond TutuThe University of Johannesburg's Senate will next week meet to decide whether to end its relationship with an Israeli institution, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, on the grounds of that university's active support for and involvement in the Israeli military. Archbishop Desmond Tutu supports the move....

By Has South Africa joined the United States of America and European countries in providing Israel with "geopolitical insulation"? This question arises against the backdrop of an intense week during which international media attention was focused on whether a senior Israeli politician faced the prospect of being arrested upon...

Address by Ronnie Kasrils to NADEL (National Association of Democratic Lawyers of South Africa): Topic "Goldstone Report & The Struggle of the Palestinian People" Cape Town 24.10.09 Justice Richard Goldstone is an internationally respected judge of integrity and credibility. Sober, reserved, most prim and proper, his reputation has been...

The political crisis over democratic secession in the mineral rich West African state of the Ivory Coast continues to cause agitation five weeks after the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to hand over power to his challenger, Alassane Ouattara. Despite unprecedented levels of pressure from the international community, the risk...

Easter was the perfect opportunity for Christians to reconsider their position on the Palestine/Israel conflict and many did. In South Africa, more than sixty church leaders and theologians showed their support for Palestine and expressed their condemnation of Israel's apartheid policies by supporting the 2009 Kairos Palestine document. This...

Are we witnessing the dissolution of the Egyptian revolution without realising it? To show you what I mean, let us recall what happened to the revolution led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh by which he challenged the Shah of Persia in 1951. Mosaddegh was head of "Jebhe Melli" at...

Last Wednesday, May 8th, the Jordanian Parliament voted on a resolution calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador from Amman and to summon the Jordanian ambassador to Tel Aviv in an expression of protest and anger over the escalation of Israeli violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This...

"Nobody solves their problems with an army, and armies should be kept out of political problems. Try to find a method of understanding among yourselves, as if the army takes to the street, Egypt will have very dangerous problems that may delay its progress for the next 40 years."...

Tunisia was the country that kick-started the Arab Spring. In December 2010, a desperate young man set himself on fire, and the ensuing protests led to the fall of dictator President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the country's first democratic elections in decades (in October 2011). As neighbouring...

Since its beginning, "Peaceful" was the slogan of the Egyptian revolution and every time someone tried to complicate the issue it was the revolutionaries themselves who stepped in to keep it on its peaceful track. This led to the success of the January 25th Revolution and it became a...

At a time when internal problems preoccupy most Egyptians, there is an external problem that no one pays attention to; one that could leave Egyptians sleepless and put the country in a perilous economic and international position. This danger comes in the form of the law suits (arbitrations) filed...

The failure of the National Salvation Front was apparent since its inception. Its leaders' famous first press conference was delayed for several hours, and when they finally showed up, they were fighting over the microphone. No one will ever forget when Dr. El-Baradei tried to snatch the microphone away...

Official statements coming from the original Arab Spring country all agree that the security situation in Tunisia is dangerous. This is down to recent incidents in the mountains on the Algerian border as well as the latest clashes in Kairouan and the suburbs of other cities. The risk arising...

On Sunday, Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi will complete his first year in office. Instead of being an occasion to celebrate – he is the first elected president – many fear the anniversary will mark the beginning of the collapse of Egypt's political system. The opposition has called for mass...

After being away – I won't say staying away – from Egypt for over 18 years, I went to Cairo, the capital that hosted me, along with millions of other Arabs and Muslims, in its universities, schools, and hospitals without any discrimination. It is no exaggeration to say that...

The Nile holds special significance in Egypt – as the Greek historian Herodotus wrote, "Egypt is the gift of the Nile". The river provides sustenance to the country as practically the only fresh water source in an otherwise parched desert, and played a crucial role in the formation of...

The last time I visited Tunisia's capital over a quarter of a century ago, we behaved like the criminals in detective movies. In order to visit Sheikh Rashed al-Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's Islamic movement which had just been established and was being pursued at the time, we had...

"The revolution wasn't an event, it's a process." For some this is Egypt's post-revolutionary mantra, to be whispered in the middle of the night with clenched fists and gritted teeth, easing the disappointment of what came next. Others – like Tamarod ("rebel") campaigners – are still working tirelessly in...

Two proverbs are worthy of our consideration: "A king can only prevail with his soldiers," is one, and "the heart of authority is the ability to determine and implement punishment" is the other. Where does Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi stand a year into his rule with regards to authority...

Was the opposition demonstration in Cairo huge on Sunday? Yes, it was; but so was the crowd supporting the president, although scanning the media you would be hard-pressed to know this. As such, it is worth looking at the conflict in Egypt from the other side, so to speak....

The public and political rise of the Islamists in the Arab world did not begin with the Arab Spring. In fact, the shift in their favour started in the early nineties in Algeria. The electoral success of the Islamic Salvation Front was met with repression, exclusion and a rebellion...

Things are not looking good for Mohamed Morsi. Egypt's president – the first to be democratically elected in six decades – is floundering after days of mass protests have rocked the country. Protesters, dissatisfied with the president's rule, took to the streets on 30 June, exactly a year after...

Interesting times to be in government. In Egypt at least. There have been resignations and walk-outs. There might be a military coup. First the army, now Egyptian government officials have started issuing their own communiques, hurried sub-clauses for hire-and-fire job contracts, miniature love letters dedicated to the Egyptian street....

Some friends were angry at me when I said the following in an article yesterday: "Those who do not want to see that the current violence is between Mubarak's state and the January 25th state are free to see and embrace what they choose. But the mind refuses to...

The military coup in Egypt had a number of results, the most difficult of which for a nascent democracy is the return of the military to the political scene. It created events which the people of Egypt will not forget in a hurry: The Egyptians will not forget the...

Media reports in Israel suggest that the government there would be very happy to see the back of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi. One Israeli commentator on Arab issues told Israel Army Radio this week that it doesn't take a genius to see that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "looking...

After the military coup against elected President Mohamed Morsi, we can say that the January 25 revolution has ended. The blood and sacrifice of that revolution appear to have been wasted. Egypt suffered 60 years of oppression and poverty under army officers and yet they have been returned by...

I write this piece after all that was hidden was disclosed. It is a piece not addressed to political opponents or those who I thought were political opponents; it became clear that they were allied with the people of religion, the military and the people of the Gulf States....

Despite the internet age and the global village, as well as Facebook and Twitter, it is hard to know exactly what is happening in Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda Squares in Egypt. Everyone has a horrific tale to tell. Thanks to the closure of the opposition media by the military-backed...