Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Nasim Ahmed
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Palestine’s new Ambassador in London wants to reclaim the narrative for his people
After the Trump administration ignominiously called time on the Palestinian diplomatic mission in the US less than two months ago, the top PLO diplomat in Washington, Dr Husam Zomlot, was assigned to more familiar surroundings in Britain to take charge of the London Embassy. This week, in a meeting...
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Balfour in the Dock
Balfour in the Dock is a contemporary work looking at a 750-page magnum opus on Palestine by outstanding British journalist J M N Jeffries (1880-1960). His book Palestine: The Reality is a masterpiece with the depth and breadth to have become the canonical work on the history of Palestine...
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Profile: Jamal Khashoggi (22 January 1958 – 2 October 2018)
Jamal, a leading journalist and columnist on the MENA, and an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime, was killed on 2 October at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul...
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Khashoggi’s killing and the rise of a mafia state
Good nicknames have the amazing ability to capture the essence of a person’s life better than any well-written biography. When we hear “the greatest,” “the people’s champion” or the “Louisville lip” we automatically think of Mohammed Ali. When someone says “the king of rock and roll” the image of...
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Oslo conference: Experts cite Israel’s desire for 'racial segregation' for Accords failure
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, MEMO hosted a conference in London, UK on 29 September 2018...
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Oslo was a colonial tool which was never going to end Israel’s occupation
On the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords, it is an appropriate time to consider what has been called “an instrument of Palestinian surrender, a Palestinian Versailles.” That’s what the late Edward Said wrote in his essay, “The Morning After”. Hopeful that the Palestinian leaders had...
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If criticising Zionism is anti-Semitic, then why isn’t it Islamophobic to criticise Islamism?
Should critics of political Islam be described as racist Islamophobes? It’s a question that ought to garner serious discussion in light of the ongoing “anti-Semitism” row engulfing the Labour Party in Britain. Zionism and Islamism have enough in common as political ideologies that if criticism of one is deemed “anti-Semitic”,...
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The unholy alliance between Israel and alt-right ideologues
The man described as the “most dangerous political operative in America” gave an interview recently where he rejected the accusation that he was an anti-Semite. His comments said a lot about the current debate on the issue and why known anti-Semites from the far-right have been singing Israel’s praise. Speaking...
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Labour's anti-Semitism row highlights the hypocrisy of Corbyn’s enemies, again
There is a great irony in the current row over anti-Semitism within the Labour Party. Critics of Jeremy Corbyn are frothing at the mouth with rage over his endorsement of a definition of anti-Semitism that omits controversial examples, which conflate criticism of Israel with racial discrimination against Jews. The...
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Labour under pressure from pro-Israel proxies over ‘chaotic’ definition of anti-Semitism
A Jewish organisation which has acted as a proxy for the Israeli Embassy in Britain and lobbies on its behalf is putting pressure on the Labour Party to adopt a controversial definition of anti-Semitism. The definition in question insists that comparing Israel’s policies and practices to those of the...
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Why Israeli tech companies fear the Jewish Nation State bill
Israeli politicians have been trying for years to pass a “Nation State” bill to prioritise the country’s Jewish characteristics over democratic principles. The controversial proposal described by its critics as an “apartheid bill” is momentous; second only to the declaration of national independence, as some have claimed. While Israel...
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The US passes another milestone in its decline
The US has often failed to live up to its own ideals but never before has it systematically rejected long-standing values which, in the eyes of many, has made the country great. Domestically it’s passed another milestone towards decline by ripping children from the arms of their parents and...
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Misconceptions around refugees are a threat to a tolerant society
Figures released by UN refugee agency make for grim reading. According to the UNHCR the number of displaced people worldwide is estimated at 65.6 million, of which 22.5 million are refugees. The agency stresses that these figures are unprecedented, and warns that we are now witnessing the highest levels...
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US Professor: Mohammed Bin Salman is world’s richest Zionist
Pro-Israeli campaigners appear to be hunting for another scalp in their assault against free speech. The victim this time is a tenured Columbia university professor whose crime was nothing more than to speak out against Israel. A network of pro-Israel activists surged against comments made by Iranian Professor Hamid Dabashi...
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Qatar blockade: Between a corrupt US president and impulsive Middle Eastern despots
Like his war on Yemen, heir apparent to the Saudi throne Mohammed Bin Salman no doubt felt confident that adding another belligerent policy to his name – an act of war no less – against another one of his neighbours would deliver a swift outcome. The newly appointed Crown...
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Labour MP calls on colleagues to ‘reassess’ ties to Labour Friends of Israel
Writing for the Spectator this week, journalist and author Peter Oborne asked if the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) is having a chilling effect on British politics. Protesting that “the Tories never condemn the naked racism of Benjamin Netanyahu, Oborne observed that , “he CFI pulled off what looks...
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There should be no room for Labour Friends of Israel within the Labour Party
“Callous disregard for human lives” and putting the interests of a foreign state — a state which is in violation of countless UN Resolutions — ahead of the interests of the progressive values of the Labour Party are just some of the reasons why Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)...
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Palestine Land Day remembered
To protest against the new measures, the Palestinian population declared a general strike. ...
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Trumps ‘deal of the century’ may turn out to be the failure of the century
Declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel was meant to be a major part of US President Donald Trump’s master plan in striking what he called the “deal of the century”. Fast forward one hundred days and the decision to break with international consensus is proving to be more like...
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Did UAE lobbying instigate Tillerson’s sacking?
US President Donald Trump has sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one week after the BBC obtained emails revealing efforts by the UAE to have him sacked at “a politically convenient time.” Was this an unlikely coincidence? Should Americans not wake up to the power of lobby groups that are...
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Megalomaniac Crown Prince fails to win over Londoners with charm offensive
A political disease usually found in countries ruled by insecure megalomaniacs hit London this week: hello, personality cult. In the Middle East, the disease associated with regions in which stunted political growth is the norm, has a distinct characteristic. Large portraits of the ruler and members of his family...
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Do British courts really need to protect the world’s most corrupt industry?
The global arms trade is said to be the most corrupt business sector on the planet, responsible for almost 40 per cent of all dodgy dealings. The estimated statistics show a staggering imbalance in the link between the industry’s value and amount of associated corruption. Consider this: all global...
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Liberal US Democrats are turning their backs on Israel
Israel is losing a battle that it has been desperate to win. Attitudes matter to the Zionist state. They matter to Israel more than most, because since its creation in Palestine its hasbara — propaganda — has crafted an image of itself as a liberal democracy. However, according to...
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Israel assassinates more people than any Western country, concludes new book
Blowing up commercial airliners and an entire stadium full of spectators were just two of the plans ordered by the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in his long quest to assassinate the late PLO leader, Yasser Arafat. Sharon was among a group of senior Israeli hawks within the...