Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Motasem A Dalloul
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Is Israel really interested in a truce with Palestinians in Gaza?
On the 51st Friday of the Great March of Return protests, march spokesperson Daoud Shehab announced the failure of the indirect talks held between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip. This news shocked Gazans, who have been waiting for the fruits of…
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The reality about ‘we want to live’ riots in Gaza
On 14 March, scores of Palestinians in the starving Gaza Strip took to the streets in several cities carrying the slogan “We Want to Live”, calling for “equality, dignity, food and job opportunities.” That day passed quietly, but the interior ministry in Gaza warned the protesters not to take to…
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Jason Greenblatt should abandon his one-eyed approach towards the Palestinians
Last week, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, took to Twitter to attack the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement — Hamas, the de facto government of the Gaza Strip — for dispersing violent protesters in Deir Al-Balah and Jabalia. The protesters — some of whom were rioters…
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The merger of the US consulate and embassy in Jerusalem completes the humiliation of the Palestinians
The US State Department announced on Tuesday that it is going to merge the American consulate general in East Jerusalem with the American embassy in West Jerusalem. A statement published on the embassy website in Israel said that, “We will continue to conduct all of the diplomatic and consular functions…
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The Palestinians have won this round in the fight for Al-Rahma Gate
Last Friday, Palestinian worshippers removed an iron barricade placed in front of Al-Rahma Gate (Bab Al-Rahma, the Gate of Mercy), one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and reopened a prayer space which was closed by an Israeli military order in 2003. At the time of that closure, Jordan,…
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Racism, radicalism and incitement fuel Israel’s election campaign
Weeks of polarisation in Israel’s General Election campaign have ended with surprising mergers and the parties submitting final candidate lists to the Central Elections Committee. From left to right, Israeli politicians are aiming for the Knesset with various manifestos which have a common factor of incitement of hatred towards the…
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Emmanuel Macron should save his virtual sympathy and clean up his own act first
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country is making 24 April a National Day for the commemoration of the Armenian genocide which, it is alleged by Europe, the US and Israel, was committed by the Ottoman Empire during World War One. Such virtual sympathy for a nation…
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Should the Palestinians retaliate for Friday’s killings by Israel?
Israeli occupation snipers killed two Palestinian children and wounded 104 others during the peaceful protests last Friday, the 46th of the Great March of Return protests along the nominal border of the occupied Gaza Strip. Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights reported that 43 children, five women and one paramedic were…
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Are UN envoys allowed to monitor Israeli violations or just Hezbollah’s?
It is very nice to see the delegation of the UN ambassadors touring the Israeli-Lebanese borders early week to follow up closely on Israeli efforts to fight the alleged Hezbollah tunnels. It is a fantastic moment when you see the international diplomats, who live and work far from the field…
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Israel’s confusion after Hamas’ ‘courageous’ position on Qatar funds
Israeli officials have been left confused by Hamas’ refusal to receive much needed funds from Qatar. The $15 million grant had been delayed twice this year with Israel insisting that “calm” needed to be achieved on its western border with the Gaza Strip before any money would be allowed in…
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Israeli leaders appeal to voters with pride in their crimes against Palestinians
Earlier this week, the former chief of staff of the Israeli Army, General Benny Gantz, started his election campaign by taking pride in the destruction of the Gaza Strip and his troops’ killing of hundreds of Palestinians. He published a series of short videos, one of which included horrific scenes…
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The World Jewish Congress petition to the UN ignores the environmental disaster created by Israel’s occupation
The CEO and Executive Vice President of the World Jewish Congress submitted a petition to the Deputy Director of the UN Environment Programme last week signed by over 22,000 people. Robert Singer asked the UN body to condemn what he described as the “environmental crimes” caused by the incendiary kites…
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The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi has made international headlines
The disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after entering the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon has made international headlines. Although a Saudi official denied the reports about his disappearance and insisted that he had left the building, Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancée, who waited for him for five…
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Israel wants to kill Palestinians silently
Early this week the Israeli Knesset approved the first reading of what is known the Facebook Bill which stipulates that Israeli authorities are entitled to request internet giants like Facebook, Google and others to delete content under the pretext of inciting terror. Then on Tuesday the Israeli Knesset passed a…
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Interview with Dr Ibrahim Al-Yazouri, a founder of Hamas
Dr Ibrahim Fares Al-Yazouri was born in the Palestinian village of Beit Daras in 1940. He fled from Zionist gangs to Ashdod with his family in 1948, and then to Al-Majdal before ending up in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. Home became a tent in a…
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The West does not really support Turkish democracy, it undermines Islamic unity
In the past few days, the German, Dutch and Swedish authorities have cancelled public rallies for their Turkish citizens on the grounds that they constitute a security threat. In Germany and Holland, the situation was very clear as senior Turkish officials, including ministers, were denied entry or deported. Turkey’s Minister…
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The new leader of Hamas in Gaza is Yahya Al-Sinwar
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, announced on Monday that it has chosen Yahya Al-Sinwar as its new leader in the Gaza Strip. Al-Sinwar replaces the former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who achieved the largest number of votes in the Palestinian parliamentarian elections in 2006. Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Al-Sinwar…
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Israel’s army is no longer a deterrent, even to Palestinian children
Following the three Israeli wars waged on the people of Gaza between 2008 and 2014, dozens of political, strategic and military analysts acknowledged what is a bitter pill for the Israeli army to swallow: it is no longer a deterrent to the Palestinian fighters in the beleaguered coastal territory, not…
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Palestinian chemist develops gluten-free flour under Israeli fire
During the 2008/9 Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, when Israel and Egypt completely restricted the movement of people and goods into and out of the coastal enclave, Mohamed Al-Asqalani developed a gluten-free flour which is a godsend for patients in the territory suffering from celiac disease, as well as…
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One year on from the Israeli offensive, Gaza’s children are unable to forget
During the 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which took place between 7 July and 26 August last year, a group of Palestinian children fled to the beach to escape from the harsh and extensive bombing of houses, hospitals, healthcare centres and playgrounds; they went there to play football.…
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As long as Gaza is under siege peace cannot prevail
Nearly a year after the start of the 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which caused “unprecedented destruction”, the coastal enclave is still in ruins because of the strict eight-year Israeli siege and the official international silence towards Israeli violations. The Israeli offensive started in July and ended in…
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He lost two kids, then another, and another
Lying in a hospital bed with a plastic tube in his nose and another connected to his right hand, surrounded by more than five of his close relatives and friends, with no ability to speak, Tariq was able to rise a little and open his eyes in order to have…
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Letter from Gaza: The story of my grief
Israeli warplanes do not leave the skies of the Gaza Strip even at the time of truce. Almost every day unmanned or jet warplanes fly overhead. From time to time these planes target farmland, factories, workshops and houses. People in the Gaza Strip have become acquainted with the sounds of…
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The tragedy of Rafah Crossing
Despite the occasional arrival of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip from several different countries, including the Gulf States, through the Rafah Crossing, Egypt still maintains the strict closure of Gaza’s sole connection to the outside world. The Miles of Smiles 28 aid convoy, consisting of delegations…