Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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Abbas’ trip to Latin America helps to marginalise Palestinian aspirations
As Guatemala prepares to open its embassy in Jerusalem next week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has embarked on a trip to three Latin America countries: Venezuela, Chile and Cuba. Landing in the Venezuelan capital Caracas yesterday, Abbas met President Nicolas Maduro at the presidential palace Miraflores. He thanked him…
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Despite his talk of ‘reconciliation’, Abbas continues to act in Israel’s interests
The gradual release of the details of the proposed Palestinian unity government has reached its inevitable outcome. According to Israeli media, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will not include any Hamas ministers in the government unless they openly assert their recognition of Israel. According to Aljazeera, Abbas denied making such…
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Thwarting Israel’s selective narrative
Almost simultaneously, Israeli and Palestinian media have issued news reports regarding the current status of the Jerusalem Intifada. While the motivations behind such information are diverging, both have reiterated common issues – Israeli belligerence and security coordination. Israel’s Ynet News has quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as attributing a…
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The PA’s contradictory statements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest gimmick is an invitation to Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a resumption of negotiations following the latter’s grovelling for the two-state compromise. It is still being given priority within Palestinian Authority circles, despite the obvious ridicule implied. Furthermore, another attempt at denouncing Israel came from…
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The deadly condescension game
Last week, Mahmoud Abbas regaled the world with insight into security coordination with Israel vis-à-vis attempts to curb the ongoing Palestinian resistance. Apart from revealing that the PA security agencies are searching students’ bags for knives, thus seeking to credit himself with the occupation authorities through collaboration, Abbas also embarked…
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Collective hunger strikes and Palestinian narratives
Individual hunger strikes of Palestinian prisoners have garnered much attention in the media, which dissipates after an agreement is reached, only to be resurrected again once Israel reneges on its word, as is common occurrence. The activism associated with highlighting hunger strikes as a form of protest has unwittingly fallen…
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The dangers of activism and the EU finding common ground
While BDS can claim various gains, including the recent announcement by security firm G4S that it would be terminating its business deals with Israel, there are several points that need to be considered if activism is to conquer the prevailing political limitations. In a recent anti-BDS conference organised by Yedioth…
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Israel’s opportunistic exploitation
Capitalising upon atrocious acts of terrorism remains a priority for the Israeli government. Following the terror attacks in Brussels, shifting the focus towards Israel was an easily-accomplished feat that included a recapitulation of rhetoric about affront, grievances and opportunity. In the aftermath of the attacks, Israeli Minister of Science, Technology…
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Palestinians support coordinated armed resistance to achieve national rights
The Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research has published the findings of a poll conducted between 17 and 19 March. The survey sought to discover current political trends among Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with regard to the reconciliation efforts between the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority…
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The PA and France are undermining what little Palestinian autonomy there is
As evidenced by recent news reports, France plays its duplicitous role with ease, pressing forward with the proposed international peace conference and garnering further support from the Palestinian Authority. If not for the fact that the rhetoric of PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat conceals other issues, we could assume that…
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The manipulation of non-violent resistance
It is indeed opportune for the Palestinian Authority that Palestinians excel in academia and pedagogy. The 2016 Global Teachers Award won by Hanan Al-Hroub provided the perfect opportunity for Palestinian leaders to engage in generic rhetoric and, as a result, impose their defunct politics upon the victory and the education…
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France affirms its support for colonial endeavours in Palestine
Perhaps the most lauded clause pertaining to France’s proposal of launching an international conference with the aim of reviving diplomatic negotiations between Palestine and Israel was the purported automatic recognition of a Palestinian state should the initiative fail. Yesterday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault clarified his country’s hypocrisy, dispelling the…
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The Palestinian Authority has an artificial existence, to which it is excessively loyal
It is indeed unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority’s nefarious relevance continues to hold sway over so many lives. Departing from the 2014 Israeli aggression against Gaza and, more recently, its attempts to manipulate the Jerusalem Intifada through security coordination which was challenged by Palestinian journalist and hunger striker Muhammad Al-Qeeq,…
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Rethinking language and memory as part of the Palestinian struggle
The Israeli annual tirade over Palestinian textbooks has once again materialised – this time by Gal Berger, correspondent of Palestinian Affairs on Israel Radio, who complained that the absence of Israel in education material pertaining to history, geography and Islamic studies indicated “a systematic blurring out of Israel’s existence.” According…
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Systematic torture and international complicity
Systematic torture has surfaced once again as an integral part of the state of Israel’s colonial violence. A recent report by Israeli human rights organisations B’Tselem and HaMoked — “Backed by the System: Abuse and Torture at the Shikma Interrogation Facility” — has exposed the dynamics of collective punishment and…
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The choice between resistance and acquiescence in Palestinian narratives
News briefs regarding Palestinian journalist and hunger striker Muhammad Al-Qeeq have been replete with dire warnings of his imminent death. The recent harrowing video clip of Al-Qeeq writhing in pain has unfortunately contributed to another spectacle which not only increases awareness through visual information but also provides Israel with further…
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Disappearing Palestinians – Naftali Bennett’s latest recommendation
The persistence of the Jerusalem Intifada, despite the lack of strategic organisation and involvement of Palestinian resistance factions, has incurred Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s misplaced wrath. Notoriously known for his pride of having murdered many Arabs, among other brutal statements, Bennett is now advocating for the murder and disappearance…
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International submission delaying Palestinian rights
Speaking at a joint press conference following a meeting of the German and Israeli cabinet in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her political alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that the current situation in the Middle East is an impediment to a Palestinian state. She said: “Now…
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More PA manoeuvres reaping identical consequences
In the absence of any consistency on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, any statement with the potential of raising a furore should be read as another chapter of obligatory, meaningless rhetoric. Since the atrocities committed by Israel during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, international efforts to restore a semblance of…
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Further schemes for temporary humanitarian relief
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a joint press release together with the Palestinian Authority announcing details of the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016, which seeks to raise $571 million to address humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories. Replete with statistical information, the…
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Events past and present suggest that colonial violence is inherent in Israel
The recent verdicts in the trial of those responsible for the brutal murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager kidnapped, beaten and burned alive by Israeli settlers in July 2014, have coincided with the publication of historical testimony that sheds light upon the inherent nature of Israel’s colonial violence.…
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Herzog’s ‘separation peace plan’ is a fallacy to gain Israel more time and impunity
Whatever rhetoric Israel decides to use within the context of the Jerusalem Intifada, the underlying concept remains consistent. Following his initial calls for separation of the Palestinians from their homeland, which revealed a plan as sinister as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s overt violence, opposition leader Isaac Herzog has promoted…
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Tunnel network forms premise of Netanyahu’s threats against Gaza
Recent announcements by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) that Hamas is rebuilding the border tunnel network have led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to issue belligerent statements promising more brutality against the Palestinians in Gaza. Collaboration between Israel, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and Egypt, which ensures and enforces Gaza’s isolation,…
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Ban Ki-moon affirms permanent dispossession and displacement
Speaking during the UN Security Council’s session on the Middle East last Tuesday, the organisation’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, managed to create both anger and agreement among his audience. For supporters of the Palestinians, the speech was surprising, given the slightly different rhetoric employed. Israel, which has condemned the UN…