Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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Palestine in Black and White
Beyond the accessible narratives in the form of reports and news briefs which run the risk of normalising decades of colonial violence against Palestinians, art manages to impart the dimensions that can easily be lost or given less importance within mainstream media. Mohammad Sabaaneh’s book, “Palestine in Black and...
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Guatemala’s appropriation of the concept of return
As expected, the international community has largely gone silent about the announcements by the US and Guatemala to relocate their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While an aberration in terms of protecting human rights, the initial furore and subsequent dismissal from international institutions’ priorities follows the same political...
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PA accusations of ‘capitulation’ should prompt some introspection
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has been campaigning since 2015 for the relocation of six Israeli football clubs based in the illegal Jewish settlements spread across the occupied West Bank. The approaches to FIFA, football’s world governing body, were a major step down from the original intention to have...
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Recognition of Palestine is tethered to an absence of vision
One statement from Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the UN Security Council last week focused upon the recognition of Palestine by UN member states; this has been overlooked. The context given by Abbas is, though, contradictory. Recognition, he said, has “further strengthened the status of the State of Palestine.” However,...
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Haley and Abbas have exposed the fallacy of PA representation at the UN
The outcome of the UN Security Council meeting does not bode well for the people of Palestine. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas gave a lengthy speech during which opportunities for hammering out the truth of the matter were reduced to statements showing that little has changed in terms of...
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Between urgency and vague comments, Palestinians’ rights are being depleted
More rhetoric and the absence of any constructive action have created a spectrum of expectations for Gaza. The past few days have seen an escalation of alarm juxtaposed against fake optimism. The latter is a veneer for a widespread complacency that is not bothered by the decline in financial...
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This B’Tselem report exposes Israel’s pollution of the occupied West Bank
Israel remains the only UN member state which has never declared where its borders are. In fact, it has refused to demarcate any borders due to the Zionist intention to colonise the whole of historic Palestine. For less desirable requirements, however, it does not hesitate to apply a temporary...
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The least the PA can do is to create the space for Palestinian narratives
The White House has dismissed statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding discussions with the US about Israel’s annexation ambitions. Within the larger framework, this latest diplomatic dispute does not carry much weight. In his usual vague commentary, US President Donald Trump has said he is “not necessarily...
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A sliver of truth amidst UN manipulation of Palestinian rights
As always, UN officials take pride in pontificating about Palestine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proved to be no exception, faithfully pursuing the same agenda which resulted in Palestinians becoming a marginalised subject of discussion. Israel may complain of rhetorical visibility allocated to Palestine at the UN, however, it...
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Projects take precedence over the protection of Palestinian rights
If references to international law were effective in reducing or reversing Israeli violence, Palestinians would have tasted freedom many decades ago. The recent demolition by Israel of two EU-funded classrooms in Abu Nuwar was nothing unusual in this regard, and produced the usual, by now meaningless, responses. The Israelis...
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‘Gaza – an inquest into its martyrdom’
It is a rare occurrence that an analytical treatise can navigate the humanitarian spectrum without falling prey to dissociation. Yet it is precisely this achievement which makes “Gaza: an inquest into its martyrdom” stand out in terms of valuable research, scrutiny and forthright denunciation of the political violence levelled...
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A $1 billion proposal will exploit Gaza for the benefit of Israel’s security narrative
When considering Gaza’s dire humanitarian conditions, it is impossible not to remember what Israeli government adviser Dov Weisglass said in 2006 when the Israeli siege started: “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” How much of that callous,...
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‘Construction terror’ is Israel’s latest metaphor for Palestinian displacement
Israel’s construction of its politics on contrasting levels which echo its colonial agenda knows no limits. Now that the international community is largely reluctant to do more than refer to previous statements of colonial expansion as illegal, Israel is more explicit in promoting its state and settler narratives in...
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Play for time, Kerry tells Abbas, but why?
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has continued to heap humiliation upon himself by keeping up his now usual trick of announcing decisions and then backtracking on them almost immediately. What’s more, there is now an additional twist in the political rigmarole over Jerusalem and the remnants of Palestine, with...
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Gaza Weddings
Ibrahim Nasrallah has woven a tale in which themes intertwine; where possibilities and peril are never isolated from each other. “Gaza Weddings” (Hoopoe Press, 2017) immediately presents the reader with ambiguities that remain unresolved by the end of the book. Situated within the complex social, political and psychological scenario of...
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Palestinian demands should be the foundation for decolonisation
The Palestinian Authority now has a tangible proposal from the US, partly as a result of perpetual waiting. On several occasions waiting was touted as the reason for Mahmoud Abbas’s diplomatic delays and refusal to connect with Palestinian aspirations. However, since US President Donald Trump laid bare his agenda with...
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Impediments to UNRWA’s mandate reflect the intention to make violations permanent
Last year, Israel and the US invested unprecedented efforts in discrediting the legitimate rights of Palestinians and seeking to limit, to the point of dysfunction, the role of institutions working directly with Palestinian refugees, notably the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister...
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Despite a clear admission, Mahmoud Abbas’s statement is not unequivocal
Israel is, allegedly, furious. The fact that Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas has finally declared the Zionist entity “a colonial project” has unleashed a tirade of insults. Yet, while accurate, as with other PA-issued declarations, this description of Israel is a belated recognition of the facts. Only a...
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The Least of All Possible Evils: A Short History of Humanitarian Violence
Eyal Weizman commences his discussion of humanitarian violence with a succinct reflection: “It is through the collateral – flood or blood – that a government – divine or human – can demonstrate, indeed exercise, its power.” “The Least of All Possible Evils: A Short History of Humanitarian Intervention” (Verso...
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Israel is so emboldened by Trump that ministers call openly for killing Palestinians
Israeli Agricultural Minister Uri Ariel wants more injured and dead Palestinians in Gaza. “What is this special weapon we have that we fire and see pillars of smoke and fire, but nobody gets hurt?” he said on local radio. “It is time for there to be injuries and deaths...
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The PA is exploiting history rather than confronting reality
Just one week after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas declared that important decisions will be taken in 2018 there is already evidence that extending the political impasse for Israel’s benefit is high on the agenda. On Monday, Wafa news agency reported that the PLO’s central council will be holding...
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The EU response to Israel’s ‘death penalty for Palestinians’ bill is painfully weak
Israel is planning a law which allows its military courts to sentence Palestinians to death. The bill to bring this about has passed its first reading in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. The aim of the legislation has been backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who justified his stance...
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As Israel prepares to annex most of the West Bank, Abbas bleats about ‘incitement’
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas should be aware by now that he can no longer be taken seriously. As evidence of a shrinking Palestine continues to accumulate, Israel and the international community are well aware of this and are applying two complementary strategies. While Israel passes legislation to annex...
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The campaign for Ahed Tamimi’s release should reflect her stance
Since the detention of teenage Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi by Israeli security forces, social media has erupted in a frenzy calling for her release. Her constant defiance of Israel’s occupation has made her instantly recognisable, prompting the state authorities into an arrest which should increase international scrutiny of how...