Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Oraib Al-Rantawi
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A recap of Israel’s options in Gaza
It seems necessary to remind everyone of Israel’s options in Gaza with every round of confrontation in order to prevent the truth from being mixed with delusion. It is also necessary so that the Palestinian compass does not remain misguided, with some believing that they are on the correct path…
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Questions from the Jordan, Egypt, Iraq meeting
The Tripartite Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi Summit held in Cairo raised three fundamental questions: First: Are we trying to restore the Arab Cooperation Council, which included Yemen and these three countries in the 1980s, and ended with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait? Second: Can Egypt and Jordan expect closer relations with Iraq in the…
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Five observations regarding the New Zealand massacre
New Zealand has become part of the Jordanian debate lately. In the past, the name of this remote and quiet country was only mentioned at butchers when they offer you either a locally reared lamb or one from New Zealand, slaughtered in Jordan or Dubai. This time, the massacre claimed…
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On the events in Algeria and Sudan
The ongoing popular uprisings in Algeria and Sudan have caused the countries to look to each other and left observers and analysts unable to avoid comparisons. Such comparisons are made either between the slogans, goals and active forces in the uprisings or between the consequences, outcomes and how the authorities…
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Algeria’s long path towards democracy
As of Tuesday, Algeria entered a new stage on the long path towards democracy. The situation has not yet been resolved and the fate of the country is still unknown. However, today’s Algeria is not the Algeria of yesterday and it is unlikely to return to what it was. The…
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Kushner’s new ideas are Netanyahu’s old ones
Kushner’s new ideas are not different from Netanyahu’s old ones. The inexperienced US president’s son-in-law, with poor charisma, who, as a result of family connections, jumped to the top of the American leadership hierarchy and took over a handful of the most complex foreign policy files (the Palestinian issue and…
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Is Jordan ready to deal with fighters and their families returning from Syria?
US President Donald Trump set the cat amongst the pigeons when he called on EU states to take back 800 Daesh fighters held by American and Syrian Democratic Forces to the east of the River Euphrates. He said that it is the responsibility of the European countries to take back…
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‘We’ll accept whatever the Palestinians accept’
“We’ll accept whatever the Palestinians accept” has become a slogan used by several Arab states under various circumstances over the years. It seems that it has become a rule of thumb when forming Arab states’ positions on the Palestinian cause and the Palestinians’ struggle for their freedom and independence. However,…
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America’s Warsaw Conference on the Middle East will not resolve any crises
In the days leading up to the Warsaw Conference on the Middle East, the debate continues over the objectives of this American initiative, its seriousness and feasibility. This also includes the question of the motives of several Arab countries intending to participate, as many of their calculations and priorities are…
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Two governments are competing over what’s left of Palestine
Two Palestinian governments will soon see the light of day; both will be under occupation and siege. One will be official and declared, formed by Fatah, and it will receive international recognition as the legitimate government. The second will be a de facto and implicit government. It will bear a…
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The resignation of the Palestinian government is a good thing, but what comes next?
The resignation of the Palestinian Authority government led by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was both expected and entirely natural. I say this because it obviously cannot fulfil its functions and tasks on a national level, especially after it became part of the problem as far as the social security crisis…
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The rules of engagement between Syria and Israel
Israel has, so far, succeeded in imposing its own rules of engagement on Syria and Iraq. Barely a week goes by without Israeli warplanes launching missile attacks on Syrian (Iranian) targets, usually on sensitive sites such as the Damascus International Airport and surrounding areas. It causes physical and human losses…
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Moscow and Damascus: A gap or estrangement?
Bashar Al-Assad’s presidential decree for parliamentary elections to be held in April did not get much attention in international political and media circles, not only because the parliament in Syria — like most other Arab countries — does not play a major role in politics and decision-making, but also because…
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Jordanians reach boiling point
The media has given a lot of attention to the positions expressed by King Abdullah II on the event of the donor countries’ conference in London. They focused particularly on two phrases: the first is about Jordanians reaching boiling point and the second is about making a qualitative change in…
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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 government…
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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 from…
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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 failure…
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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 resolution…
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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 its…
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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 friendly…
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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 Israel…
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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 those…
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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 assurances…
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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 factions…