Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ramzy Baroud
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The quiet rebellion of US Jews turning against Israel is good for Palestinians
A unique but critical conversation on Israel and Palestine is taking place outside the traditional discourse of Israeli colonialism and the Palestinian quest for liberation. It is an awkward and difficult — but overdue — discussion concerning American Jews and their relationship with Israel as well as their commitment...
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Greed and consumption are why the world is burning
Rome is scorching hot. This beautiful city is becoming unbearable for other reasons, too. Although every corner of the beaming metropolis is a monument to historical grandeur, from the Colosseum in Rione Monti to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in San Giovanni, it is now struggling under the...
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The murder of the ‘menacing’ water technician: On the shadow wars in the West Bank
There is an ongoing, but hidden, Israeli war on the Palestinians which is rarely highlighted or even known. It is a water war, which has been in the making for decades. On 26 and 27 July, two separate but intrinsically linked events took place in the Ein Al-Hilweh area in...
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US foreign policy adrift: Why Washington is no longer calling the shots
Jonah Goldberg and Michael Ledeen have much in common. They are both writers and also cheerleaders for military interventions and, often, for frivolous wars. Writing in the conservative rag, the National Review, months before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Goldberg paraphrased a statement which he attributed to...
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The politics of cheering and booing: On Palestine, solidarity and the Tokyo Olympics
When the Palestinian Olympic delegation of five athletes – adorned in traditional Palestinian attire and carrying the Palestinian flag – crossed into Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium during the inauguration ceremony on 23 July, I was overcome with pride and nostalgia. I grew up watching the Olympics. All of us did. Throughout...
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How Ben & Jerry’s has exposed Israel’s anti-BDS strategy
Ben & Jerry’s decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the...
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Little talked about Covid-19 ‘variants’ need to be addressed
Do you remember the UN Millennium Development Goals? If not, you are not alone. These ambitious goals included the eradication of “extreme poverty and hunger”, “combating lethal diseases” and “reducing child mortality worldwide”. They proved to be yet another empty gesture which, unsurprisingly, amounted to little on the ground...
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Islamophobia and Europe’s demographic shifts
Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit, or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Moreover, once again, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent’s identity debate. Anti-Muslim sentiments are rarely...
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Family Separation Law: Israel’s demographic war on Palestine intensifies
When the Israeli Knesset (parliament) failed to renew what is commonly referred to as the Family Reunification Law, news reports and analyses misrepresented the story altogether. The even split of 59 MKs voting in favour of the law and 59 against it gave the erroneous impression that Israeli lawmakers...
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Anti-racist solidarity during Euro 2020 should not be ‘controversial’
Another football “controversy” arose when footballers playing in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020 tournament kneeled down before kick-off in protest against racism, a serious problem that has plagued football stadiums for many years. While some teams and players chose to kneel, others opted not to. Flimsy excuses such as...
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The People v Mahmoud Abbas: are the Palestinian Authority’s days numbered?
Claims that the Palestinian Authority’s days are numbered are now heard frequently. This is especially so following the torture to death on 24 June of a popular Palestinian activist, Nizar Banat, 42, at the hands of PA security goons in Hebron (Al-Khalil). The killing of Banat — or “assassination” as...
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Bennett’s political theatre: The decisive Israeli-Palestinian fight ahead
Many Palestinians believe that the 10-21 May military confrontation between Israel and the Gaza Resistance, along with the simultaneous popular revolt across Palestine, was a game-changer. Israel is doing everything in its power to prove them wrong. Palestinians are justified to hold this viewpoint; after all, their minuscule military capabilities...
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Words alone will not end anti-Muslim terrorism in Canada
The killing of a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada, on 6 June presented another opportunity for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to brand himself as a voice of reason and communal harmony. However, Trudeau’s amiable and reassuring language was designed to veil a sinister reality which has, for many years,...
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‘Putting lipstick on a pig’: Why Washington is fawning over Israel’s new government
When former US President Barack Obama used an old cliché to denigrate his political opponent, the late US Senator John McCain, he triggered a political controversy lasting several days. “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” said Obama at a campaign event in 2008....
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Netanyahu may have won America, but he has lost Israel
The now-former Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is as much American as he is Israeli. While other Israeli leaders have made their strong relationship with Washington a cornerstone of their politics, Netanyahu’s political style was essentially American from the start. He spent many of his formative years in the...
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On ‘conflict’, ‘peace’ and ‘genocide’: Time for new language on Palestine and Israel
On 25 May, famous US actor Mark Ruffalo tweeted an apology for suggesting that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza. “I have reflected and wanted to apologise for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide’,” Ruffalo wrote, adding: “It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful and...
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The Palestinians have dethroned the King of Israel
How has Benjamin Netanyahu managed to serve as Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister? With a total of 15 years in office, he has surpassed the 12-year mandate of Israel’s founding father, David Ben Gurion. The answer to this question will become particularly critical for future Israeli leaders who hope to...
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Power at any cost: how opportunistic Mansour Abbas joined hands with avowed ‘Arab killers’
We are led to believe that history is being made in Israel following the formation of an ideologically diverse government coalition which, for the first time, includes an Arab party, Ra’am, or the United Arab List. If we are to accept this logic, the leader of Ra’am, Mansour Abbas, is...
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The ‘free market’ is anything but, so what is America’s endgame in China?
Why does the US advocate a free market while doing its utmost to stifle it? The current US-China economic war is a perfect example of this perplexing question. The legacy of Milton Friedman, the founder of America’s modern political economy, was a representation of this very dichotomy: the use, misuse...
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Palestinians are defeating the Oslo culture typified by bumbling Abbas
The political discourse of Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, is similar to that of an ineffectual king who has been isolated in his palace for far too long. The king speaks of prosperity and peace, and counts his innumerable achievements and wealth...
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'Mowing the grass' no more: How Palestinian resistance altered the equation
The ceasefire on 21 May has, for now, brought the Israeli war on Gaza to an end. However, this ceasefire is not permanent, and constant Israeli provocations anywhere in Palestine could reignite the bloody cycle all over again. Moreover, the Israeli siege on Gaza remains in place, as well...
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Despite massive losses, the Palestinians have altered the course of history
The “Palestinian Revolt of 2021” will go down in history as one of the most influential events to have shaped collective thinking irreversibly in and around Palestine. Only two other events can be compared with what has just transpired: the revolt of 1936 and the 1987 First Intifada. The general...
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Unity at last: The Palestinian people have risen
From the outset, some clarification regarding the language used to depict the ongoing violence in occupied Palestine, and also throughout Israel. This is not a ‘conflict’. Neither is it a ‘dispute’ nor ‘sectarian violence’ nor even a war in the traditional sense. It is not a conflict, because Israel is...
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The Zionism Discourse on Palestine Crumbling: Israel is an 'Apartheid State'
While Human Rights Watch’s conclusions carry a significant legal and potentially political weight, the report is hardly an isolated event....