Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ramzy Baroud
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The untold story of why the Palestinians are divided
The political division in Palestinian society is deep-rooted, and should not be reduced to convenient claims about the “Hamas-Fatah split”, elections, the Oslo accords, and subsequent disagreements. The division is linked to events that preceded all of these, and not even the death or incapacitation of the octogenarian Mahmoud Abbas…
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Legitimate resistance: should Hamas and Hezbollah learn from the Taliban?
An urgent task is awaiting us: given the progression of events, we must liberate ourselves quickly from the limits and confines placed on the Afghanistan discourse, which have been imposed by US-centred Western propaganda for over 20 years and counting. For a start, we must not allow the future political…
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Who represents Afghanistan: Genuine activists vs ‘native informants’
Scenes of thousands of Afghans flooding the Kabul international airport to flee the country as Taliban fighters were quickly consolidating their control over the capital, raised many questions, leading amongst them: who are these people and why are they running away? In the US and other Western media, answers were…
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The unfinished war of Zakaria Zubeidi
Zakaria Zubeidi is one of the six Palestinian prisoners who, on 6 September, tunnelled their way out of Gilboa, a notorious, high-security Israeli prison. He was recaptured a few days later. The large bruises on his face told a harrowing story of a daring escape and a violent arrest. However,…
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From the ‘Iron Wall’ to the ‘Villa in the Jungle’, Palestinians demolish Israel’s security myths
Twenty-five years before Israel was established on the ruins of historic Palestine, a Russian Jewish Zionist leader, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, argued that a Jewish state in Palestine could only survive if it exists “behind an iron wall” of defence. Jabotinsky was speaking figuratively, but Zionist leaders after him who embraced his…
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Post-Afghanistan defeat, can the EU win its own ‘independence’ from the US?
Suddenly, the idea put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron late last year does not seem so far-fetched or untenable after all. Following the hurried US-NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, European countries are now forced to think the once unthinkable: their own gradual dismantling of US dominance. “We, some countries more…
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How many more Palestinians must die for the sake of Israel’s ‘security’?
A major Israeli army campaign is taking social media by storm. The unstated aim of the “#Untie_Our_Hands” initiative is the desire to kill, with no accountability, more Palestinian protesters at the nominal border with the Gaza Strip. The campaign was motivated by the killing of an Israeli sniper, Barel Hadaria…
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Forget propaganda and failed narratives; a new understanding of Afghanistan is a must
For twenty years, two dominant narratives have shaped our view of the illegal US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Neither would readily accept the use of such terms as “illegal”, “invasion” and “occupation”. The framing of the US “military intervention” in Afghanistan, which started on 7 October 2001, as the…
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Stadio Olimpico: Can sports heal the world?
Amid chaotic politics and anti-immigrant and refugee sentiments, Stadio Olimpico in Rome seemed like an oasis of social and cultural harmony. AS Roma and Raja Casablanca fans gathered in their thousands on a hot Saturday evening to cheer for their teams in a friendly match, the first at the Olimpico…
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Jenin; and Israel’s fear of an armed Palestinian rebellion
The killing of four young Palestinians by Israeli occupation soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank on 16 August was a consequential event, the repercussions of which are sure to be felt in the weeks and months ahead. The four Palestinians — Saleh Mohammed Ammar, 19;…
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Colonialism and solidarity define the decisive Israel-Palestine battle in Africa
The decision by the African Union Commission last month to grant Israel observer status membership in the AU was the culmination of years of relentless Israeli efforts aimed at co-opting Africa’s largest political institution. Why is Israel so keen to penetrate Africa? What made African countries finally succumb to Israeli…
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The quiet rebellion of US Jews turning against Israel is good for Palestinians
A unique but critical conversation on Israel and Palestine is taking place outside the traditional discourse of Israeli colonialism and the Palestinian quest for liberation. It is an awkward and difficult — but overdue — discussion concerning American Jews and their relationship with Israel as well as their commitment to…
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Greed and consumption are why the world is burning
Rome is scorching hot. This beautiful city is becoming unbearable for other reasons, too. Although every corner of the beaming metropolis is a monument to historical grandeur, from the Colosseum in Rione Monti to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in San Giovanni, it is now struggling under the weight…
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The murder of the ‘menacing’ water technician: On the shadow wars in the West Bank
There is an ongoing, but hidden, Israeli war on the Palestinians which is rarely highlighted or even known. It is a water war, which has been in the making for decades. On 26 and 27 July, two separate but intrinsically linked events took place in the Ein Al-Hilweh area in…
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US foreign policy adrift: Why Washington is no longer calling the shots
Jonah Goldberg and Michael Ledeen have much in common. They are both writers and also cheerleaders for military interventions and, often, for frivolous wars. Writing in the conservative rag, the National Review, months before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Goldberg paraphrased a statement which he attributed to Ledeen…
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The politics of cheering and booing: On Palestine, solidarity and the Tokyo Olympics
When the Palestinian Olympic delegation of five athletes – adorned in traditional Palestinian attire and carrying the Palestinian flag – crossed into Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium during the inauguration ceremony on 23 July, I was overcome with pride and nostalgia. I grew up watching the Olympics. All of us did. Throughout…
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How Ben & Jerry’s has exposed Israel’s anti-BDS strategy
Ben & Jerry’s decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the…
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Little talked about Covid-19 ‘variants’ need to be addressed
Do you remember the UN Millennium Development Goals? If not, you are not alone. These ambitious goals included the eradication of “extreme poverty and hunger”, “combating lethal diseases” and “reducing child mortality worldwide”. They proved to be yet another empty gesture which, unsurprisingly, amounted to little on the ground where…
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Islamophobia and Europe’s demographic shifts
Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit, or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Moreover, once again, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent’s identity debate. Anti-Muslim sentiments are rarely…
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Family Separation Law: Israel’s demographic war on Palestine intensifies
When the Israeli Knesset (parliament) failed to renew what is commonly referred to as the Family Reunification Law, news reports and analyses misrepresented the story altogether. The even split of 59 MKs voting in favour of the law and 59 against it gave the erroneous impression that Israeli lawmakers are…
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Anti-racist solidarity during Euro 2020 should not be ‘controversial’
Another football “controversy” arose when footballers playing in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020 tournament kneeled down before kick-off in protest against racism, a serious problem that has plagued football stadiums for many years. While some teams and players chose to kneel, others opted not to. Flimsy excuses such as “the…
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The People v Mahmoud Abbas: are the Palestinian Authority’s days numbered?
Claims that the Palestinian Authority’s days are numbered are now heard frequently. This is especially so following the torture to death on 24 June of a popular Palestinian activist, Nizar Banat, 42, at the hands of PA security goons in Hebron (Al-Khalil). The killing of Banat — or “assassination” as…
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Bennett’s political theatre: The decisive Israeli-Palestinian fight ahead
Many Palestinians believe that the 10-21 May military confrontation between Israel and the Gaza Resistance, along with the simultaneous popular revolt across Palestine, was a game-changer. Israel is doing everything in its power to prove them wrong. Palestinians are justified to hold this viewpoint; after all, their minuscule military capabilities…
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Words alone will not end anti-Muslim terrorism in Canada
The killing of a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada, on 6 June presented another opportunity for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to brand himself as a voice of reason and communal harmony. However, Trudeau’s amiable and reassuring language was designed to veil a sinister reality which has, for many years, hidden…