Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Motasem A Dalloul
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Planting trees in the Negev is not ‘forestation’, it’s about ethnic cleansing
After mass protests by Arab residents and threats by Arab parliamentarians, the Israeli occupation government decided on Wednesday to suspend the major Jewish National Fund (JNF) project of planting trees in the Negev. The JNF is a quasi-governmental body which oversees thirteen per cent of the land in Israel to…
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Mark Regev should calm down and be honest
Senior Israeli diplomat Mark Regev claimed in his weekly Jerusalem Post column that potential economic development in the besieged Gaza Strip could help to avoid another Israeli military offensive. The former ambassador of the apartheid state to the UK overlooked the tight Israel-led and internationally-backed siege imposed since 2007, and…
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What’s behind the deal to release hunger striker Hisham Abu Hawash?
After 141 days on hunger strike in an Israeli prison, Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash has agreed a deal with the occupation authorities that his administrative detention will end on 26 February. The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission announced the deal between Abu Hawash and the Israeli occupation authorities, but…
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Is Fatah really persecuted by Hamas in Gaza?
During the celebration of Fatah’s 57th anniversary in Gaza, senior official Ahmed Helis called for rival movement Hamas to be democratic and respect the rights of others in order to pave the way for an end to the internal Palestinian division. Fatah officials in Gaza and beyond have long been…
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Why are the US and EU silent about Serb secessionist Milorad Dodik?
The Serbian member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s joint presidency council warned earlier this month that the Serbs of the multi-ethnic European country would leave the federation if the government failed to resolve the challenging political situation. “It is inevitable that Bosnia and Herzegovina will break up and Republika Srpska would…
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Will Israel be able to end Hamas and revive the Palestinian Authority?
In August, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visited the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior security and intelligence aides in order to allegedly discuss ways to ease the harsh life of Palestinians. Recently, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi…
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Will Israeli wall around Gaza stop Palestinian resistance?
Israel announced, last week, the completion of the highly technological security wall on its side of the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip. This sensor-equipped underground wall, Israel claims, is a counter-measure developed to prevent Palestinian resistance in Gaza from digging tunnels that they use to carry out resistance attacks against…
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The Turkish economy’s War of Independence
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been telling his people that he is leading them towards growth, creating more jobs and increasing exports, we see the continuous freefall of the country’s currency; price hikes and rising inflation. The Turkish Lira has lost more than 40 per cent of its…
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Mohammed Bin Zayed: peacemaker or warmonger?
Two weeks ago, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) handed over its most prestigious award to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, ostensibly for his leadership in establishing peace between his country and the colonial-occupation state of Israel, as well as for his…
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UN complicity in Israeli violations against the Palestinians has to stop
In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In 2005, the UN started to organise an annual exhibition on Palestinian rights or a cultural event in cooperation with the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine…
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Why did Morocco’s Islamic party re-elect its former leader?
After ten years in power, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) in Morocco had a disastrous defeat in the parliamentary election held on 8 September. Led by Saadeddine El-Othmani, the party saw its 125 seats slashed to just 13 out of a total of 395. This dramatic defeat of the…
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It is absurd for Britain to proscribe Hamas
British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Friday that the government is planning to designate the whole Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, as a “terrorist” organisation and outlaw support for the group. According to Al Jazeera, any form of support for it in the country will be punishable by up…
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Will the Libyan elections lead to calm or chaos?
International leaders and diplomats met in Paris on Friday, discussed the situation in Libya, and decided that the oil-rich North African country should stick to the UN plan to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next month. “We stress the importance for all Libyan stakeholders to mobilise resolutely in favour of…
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‘The United States of the Turkic World’
The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (known as the Turkic Council) held its 8th summit on Friday in the Sea of Marmara’s Democracy and Freedoms Island. The council announced several “breakthroughs”, including a change of name to the Organisation of Turkic States. Prior to the summit, Turkey’s President Recep…
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What does it take for power grabs in the Arab world to be condemned?
Sudanese General Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan has become the de facto head of state following his dissolution of the 11-member Sovereignty Council of Sudan last month and the ouster of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was appointed for the 39-month transitional period, scheduled to end in November next year. Al-Burhan’s move…
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Why does the Arab League condemn Turkey’s efforts in Libya and stay silent about Israel?
Earlier this week, a Libyan private jet landed in Israel’s Ben Gurion airport carrying close aides of Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar. The identities of those onboard were not disclosed, but an Israeli journalist revealed that the jet took off from the UAE and that its next destination after Israel…
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Israel’s envoy at the UN can’t handle the truth about its human rights violations
The UN General Assembly held a special session on Friday to present the annual report of the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to all member states. The report widely and clearly condemned the many Israeli human rights violations against the Palestinian citizens of Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied territories.…
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The US’ military adventure in Afghanistan
On 31 August, the United Stated evacuated the last American soldier from Afghanistan and pulled the curtail on a two-decade war that was started under the claim of fighting terror, ending Al-Qaeda and Taliban and establishing a democratic civil society in the country. “The United States ended 20 years of…
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The Gaza phoenix is rising, giving hope to Palestinian burns patients
Meeting 12-year-old schoolgirl Maram Al-Amawi and her mother Ezdihar, 31, was an emotional moment. I was with them to hear about their treatment for the severe burns that they received when an explosion and fire ripped apart a bakery in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip last year. Maram…
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Oppression and racism: The main determinants of Jewish immigration
Data recently released by Israel’s immigration minister and the Jewish Agency show that Jewish immigration to Israel increased by 31 per cent in 2021. The data shows an increase of 41 per cent in immigration from the US, compared with the first nine months of 2020, as well as a…
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After killing Muslim women, the international community cannot teach us how to treat them
Early this week, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, claimed that the Taliban did not maintain its promises regarding women’s and girls’ rights, following the liberation of their country from the American internationally-backed occupation which lasted 20 years. He urged the Taliban, the new rulers of Afghanistan, to fulfil their obligations…
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The curse of French colonisation of Algeria is chasing Macron
Again, Emmanuel Macron returns to chasing conservative right wing votes through diving deep into dark French history in Algeria. However, this time, his attempt proved his poor knowledge of history. Sitting with 18 grandsons of Algerian Herkis, who fought beside the French colonisers during Algeria’s War of Independence between 1954…
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The US has given the green light to normalisation with Syria
Last Wednesday, Reuters reported a spokesperson of the US State Department claiming that it has no plans to “normalise or upgrade” diplomatic relations with the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad. It was also claimed that Washington does not want to encourage others to do so. This was, said the spokesperson,…
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The EU’s shameful complicity with Israeli aggression on Palestinians
Last week, the European Parliament approved an amendment to block €20 million ($23 million) in aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) if immediate changes promoting “coexistence and tolerance” with the Israeli occupation are not made to Palestinian school textbooks. According to the amendment,…