Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Oraib Al-Rantawi
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On Kerry’s talks and beyond
Under John Kerry’s mediation, once again, there are have talks between Jordan and Israel regarding the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jordanian guardianship of the holy sites. Benjamin Netanyahu is a dishonest politician, a view shared by most Israelis, but this is not the first time that the Jordanian...
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The question of the third intifada
The issue of the moment is the question of an impending third intifada. Are the events taking place in Jerusalem and the West Bank heading towards another Palestinian uprising? What are the opportunities and the possibilities? What are the obstacles and the challenges? Who is working to prevent this...
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The Palestine National Council: More of the same thing
Holding a session for the Palestine National Council (PNC) should have been the “culmination” of a comprehensive national reconciliation process and a substantial reconstruction of the tattered Palestinian political system. It should also be a new launch of the Palestinian national movement following a new strategic path after the...
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The Jewishness of the state in exchange for a state on paper
According to multiple sources, the relevant international decision-making capitals will launch a political and diplomatic campaign related to the peace process and two-state solution once Benjamin Netanyahu is finished forming his new government in the next two or three weeks. We know that there is currently a French draft...
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France’s draft resolution shouldn’t end Palestinian efforts to internationalise the cause
The United States is refraining from commenting on the French draft resolution on the Palestinian issue which is being circulated in the halls of the UN Security Council. The US justification for this is to give Benjamin Netanyahu a chance to form his fourth government in Israel and announce...
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Relations between Morocco and Egypt
We cannot consider the tense relations between Morocco and Egypt, as well as the UAE, in isolation from the fact that the Justice and Development Party leads the governing coalition in Rabat. Although immoral and politically unjustified to do so, the party rode on the coat-tails of sister or...
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PA facing dissolution or dismantlement
Israel is threatening to dismantle the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it prevents the Israeli occupation of the West Bank; while the Ramallah leadership is hinting at dissolving the PA if it fails to pass the draft bill to end the occupation at the UN Security Council. This means that...
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Imminent shifts: Washington and the Syrian issue
What do you come out with when you talk to three American officials in regards to the US’ foreign policy towards the Syrian issue and the imminent shifts therein? You learn how to distinguish between the points of view that are viewed as essential to American foreign policy and...
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The Palestinian issue: where do we go from here?
The Palestinian-Arab draft resolution, which would stipulate an end to the occupation of Palestinian land and set a time frame for the establishment of a Palestinian state, will be put in the hands of the international community by next month at the latest. This is according to the repeated...
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Selling lies and delusions
Many argue that the Islamic State (IS) wouldn’t have taken northeast Syria as a safe haven if Washington had taken action to resolve the situation militarily with the Syrian regime in the early days of the Syrian crisis, before the threat of IS and Al-Nusra Front and the militant...
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Jordan and the danger of ISIS…Between intimidation and underestimation
Where has the exaggeration in estimating the extent of risks and threats that surround Jordan after ISIS was able to take control of the Western Iraqi provinces, extending from its dominant areas of influence in north-east Syria, come from? I believe that this exaggeration is coming from two sources,...
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The raging Israeli bull fears no constraints or punishments
Like a raging bull, the Israeli authorities are throwing their weight around the occupied Palestinian territories, launching air strikes on the Gaza Strip; besieging Hebron and carrying out raids and search operations; mass arrests; taking the children and women of wanted and hounded Palestinians as hostages; and placing barriers...
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Christian-Muslim relations in Palestine
Briefing Paper – June 2010 An overview of the Christian presence in Palestine The estimated number of Palestinian Christians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem is 51,710, making the percentage of the Palestinian Christians in the Occupied Territories two percent of the Palestinian population.i There is,...
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From Tunis to Cairo: who are these “new revolutionaries”?
Who are the new revolutionaries filling the streets of Tunis, Cairo, Sana’a and other Arab cities? Where have they come from; to what social, cultural and political background do they belong? What are their aims and aspirations? What do we read into their slogans? These are important questions which,...
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Winning the Battle of UNESCO
Israel wants to punish the Palestinians because they obtained full membership of UNESCO; the United States wants to punish UNESCO because it granted Palestine full membership. In the presence of such strategic allies, how can the state of Palestine ever come to fruition? And in the presence of such...
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The reconciliation train is back on track, but beware of further derailment
The meeting in Cairo between Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshaal can be best described as “an important step in the right direction”, not least because reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas appears to be more likely. It has set the stage for dialogue which, it is hoped, will move beyond...
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When Clinton compares Israel’s religious fundamentalism to Iran’s “rule of the mullahs”, the writing is on the wall for the “Jewish state”
Israel is no longer “the only democracy” in the political desert of the Middle East; indeed, it never was. Any country which maintains a military occupation, builds illegal colonies and practices racism in the land of another doesn’t deserve to call itself democratic. Nevertheless, that’s the stereotypical image of...
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Calling all friends of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa
Palestinians have been putting their bodies and lives on the line against repeated Israeli aggression in the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Sometimes they have succeeded in pushing back the hordes of illegal Jewish settlers and the Israeli soldiers protecting them; sometimes they...
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There can be no election without Jerusalem and Hamas
It looks as if Israel intends to put many obstacles in the way of the proposed Palestinian election, not least that it does not want polling stations in Jerusalem – “the eternal capital of the unified state for Jews only” and it does not want Hamas to participate, directly or...
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When Beilin calls on Abbas to hand over the PA to Netanyahu, we should listen
Yossi Beilin is a smart man – he told us so himself – and because of that, he is quite certain that the Netanyahu government will not accept the four Palestinian demands of (1) the cessation of settlement activity; (2) adopting the 4th June 1967 border as a reference; (3)...
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Fatah and Hamas reconciliation still misses the main issues in the national struggle
From a strategic point of view, the reform of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) is the most important issue for the parties to Palestinian reconciliation. However, it is the least important concern for both the parties and observers. All discussions focus on forming a national unity government headed by...
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Salam Fayyad and his exclusive election theory
We were afraid that the Palestinian leadership would neglect the right of Palestinians in the diaspora to elect their representatives to the Palestinian National Council. Now we are also afraid that the current leadership will even ignore the right of Palestinians inside Palestine to choose their president and representatives...
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Netanyahu’s gambles
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to impose a long-term ceasefire on Hamas and the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, one that lasts for fifteen years at least. This is reminiscent of his predecessor Ariel Sharon’s project for a lengthy “transitional” solution. Sharon proposed the establishment of a Palestinian state...
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Israeli messages to the delegates holding talks in Cairo
Israel has been sending messages confirming its intentions to undermine the merit of Palestinian elections and derail their national reconciliation efforts. The most prominent of these messages have been the threats to continue withholding tax revenue owed to the PA and its recent campaign of arrests against Hamas activists...