Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ibrahim Hewitt
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Is Israel sowing the seeds of its own downfall?
As Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for the next US presidential election fall over themselves to prove how Israel-friendly they are to “Republican Jewish leaders”, the country closest to their heart – no, it’s not the USA – has demonstrated once again its contempt for due process and international law.…
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Naher Al-Bared creeps back to normality
They can take away our land; they can take away our rights; they can even take away our right to live; but we are Palestinians, and with God’s help, we will survive. The above statement encapsulates the spirit of Palestine and its people. The speaker was an elderly man sitting…
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The new WMD is Israel: a weapon of mass deception
We are living in momentous times, with political changes sweeping across the Middle East and Western countries pushing democratic values as the panacea for all human ills. This is deceptive, as actions often contradict the hype. At the centre of this stands the state of Israel, which alone among nations…
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Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s respect for dead Gentiles appears to be limited
It is interesting to note that a recent robust defence of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s planned “Museum of Tolerance” in Jerusalem uses an attack on the credibility of Sheikh Raed Salah as part of the argument. Sheikh Raed Salah, wrote the Centre’s Director of Public Relations in a letter to…
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Is Egypt about to become another Algeria?
Democracy, to paraphrase writer and comedian Alexei Sayle, allows you to march up and down the street and elect new dictators every few years. Here in the West, we see this played out regularly as our “elected dictators” ignore mass demonstrations and insist that we can remove them through the…
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Israel must take the blame for the repercussions of its policies
Another week and another group of innocent people are killed in a terrorist attack. Five Israeli tourists are killed by a suicide bomber in a Bulgarian holiday resort; Israel promises a harsh response, and past evidence suggests that it will carry out its threats. The world sympathises with the Israeli…
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Why did King Abdullah of Jordan agree to attend a major UK Jewish fundraising dinner?
It should come as no surprise that King Abdullah of Jordan has cancelled a proposed visit to Britain during which he was to attend the annual fundraising dinner of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. After all, the Board is staunchly pro-Israel and last week signed a letter of…
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Just where does Israel’s legitimacy stem from anyway?
All of the major pro-Israel Lobbyists, including Barack Obama just a few days ago, have used the word “delegitimisation” to condemn critics of the State of Israel and its policies. Earlier this month, the British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband affirmed his status as a Zionist in a speech to…
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Justice must prevail if European and American claims to civilisation have any meaning at all
In the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, the Israelis have the most compliant of “partners for peace” ready and willing to make huge concessions and yet illegal settlements continue to grow; human rights violations continue apace; and 65 years of occupation and oppression look set to become endless. This tells us…
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As Israel returns to centre stage, democracy and justice exit stage left
The spectacle of a senior American diplomat emphasising how much she is going to work for Israel was surprising only in its openness. When Samantha Power told a Senate Committee that she is there to combat the “unacceptable bias” against Israel at the UN and that she “will stand up…
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Despite Egypt and Syria, Palestine is still the real issue
The world has been transfixed by events in Egypt and Syria, with the West’s moral conscience missing over the former but resurfacing on the latter thanks to the use of chemical weapons. It’s OK to blow people to kingdom come using conventional explosives – we’ll even sell you the weapons…
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As negotiations get nowhere, the seeds of change must be sown in the West
Negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians are, we are told, getting nowhere. It’s taken some people 20+ years to understand that simple fact, but there you go. Ever since Oslo gave Israel the green light to go ahead and build even more illegal settlements on Palestinian land, that which is…
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Israel doesn’t do retaliation, just more of the same
Once again we hear that Israel has bombed the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “in retaliation” for something that they’ve done against Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will “respond”. Many people would agree that a person in his position has a duty to protect his citizens.…