Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ramona Wadi
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Bolivia can challenge the two-state paradigm at the UN
As Bolivia assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council this month, President Evo Morales has used Twitter to promote his country’s priorities: the Middle East conflict on the 50th anniversary of the complete occupation of Palestine, and the non-proliferation of chemical and nuclear weapons. The presidency will be...
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Israel expands its presence at the UN, a body it treats with contempt
Exerting additional influence at the UN is proving to be easy for Israel. With the US putting pressure on the UN Human Rights Council for its criticism of Israeli human rights violations, the Western European and Others Group’s (WEOG) lobbying, as well as the UN’s commitment to upholding colonialism,...
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Imposed fragmentation of Palestinians exacerbated by misleading concepts
“Fragmented Lives” is the title chosen by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHAoPt) for its annual report on the ramifications suffered by Palestinian civilians as a result of Israel’s human rights violations. The foreword, however, makes it clear that...
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Palestine in EU and Russian Foreign Policy
Expectations of clarity with regard to the establishment of a purportedly “independent and viable Palestinian state” seem to have absconded permanently as the diplomatic catchphrase has become the only convenient reference to the two-state paradigm. Malath Alagha’s book, “Palestine in EU and Russian Foreign Policy,” rests on the opposite...
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The PA continues to reap humiliation from Trump’s visit
Following reports that US President Donald Trump has prioritised the normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab countries prior to restarting diplomatic negotiations for the two-state compromise, misplaced accusations of “incitement” have resurfaced, allegedly during Trump’s meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. According to Israeli media, Trump “yelled” at...
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Normalisation plans to marginalise Palestine
The well-publicised anticipation of US President Donald Trump’s meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas was followed swiftly by mainstream media reports that the normalisation of relations between Arab countries and Israel is imperative prior to embarking on another round of “peace” negotiations. Israel will undoubtedly favour this and...
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Collective mobilisation indicates possibilities for Palestinian resistance
The organised collective hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners headed by imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has evolved into a fast spreading mobilisation of the Palestinians. Outside the prison walls, Palestinians have put the Palestinian Authority and its lone calls for a day of rage to shame. From sit ins,...
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Netanyahu aims for international complicity against Palestinian legitimacy
US President Donald Trump has landed in Tel Aviv, bringing with him precarious baggage of previous presidencies alongside his own belligerence. Since his vague utterance implying a departure from the two-state compromise, media speculation has missed some important points. The “ultimate deal” which Trump occasionally refers to, may end...
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The Cuban Five’s René González on history, revolution and solidarity with Palestine
The international community is not without outstanding examples of people to emulate, if it ever decides to prioritise Palestinian anti-colonial struggle over legitimising Israel and its violations of international laws and conventions. Although mostly ignored by mainstream media outlets, the Third International Arab Forum on Justice for Palestine welcomed...
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Palestinian leaders distort the significance of the Nakba, with serious consequences
Speaking about the Nakba requires more than a methodical approach that is confined to history. In a statement released on the eve of the annual commemoration, Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) secretary general Saeb Erekat demanded both an apology from Israel, as well as access to the 1948 archives. “This,”...
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Young Palestinians Speak: living under occupation
What do young Palestinians do while living under occupation? Dream, like other children. The circumstances, however, are not only different but unique in terms of isolation, the brutality of Israel’s military occupation and international diplomatic silence. Young Palestinians Speak: living under occupation (Interlink Books, 2017) is a collection of testimonies...
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Chile’s solidarity with Palestinian prisoners must not be contaminated by the PA
Activists in Chile have again demonstrated how national struggle can extend to international solidarity with the oppressed. A vigil held outside San Miguel Prison in Santiago to commemorate the 81 prisoners who lost their lives in a fire there seven years ago, was expanded to affirm solidarity with the...
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Dismissing the concept of a Palestinian state is a priority for Israel’s education minister
Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett has on several occasions exhibited his penchant for pointing out purported divergences in opinion and policy when it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu’s convenient references to the two-state imposition. Another opportunity arose during the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York last Sunday, during which Bennett...
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Modern and Contemporary Arab Art from the Levant - the Majida Mouahser collection
A shared heritage in art, as well as the influences, divergences and subsequent absorption of identity are prevalent in the intense work displayed in “Modern and Contemporary Arab Art from the Levant: the Majida Mouasher Collection” (Schilt Publishing, 2017). Mouasher, a Dutch citizen of Jordanian origin and director of the...
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Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinian journalists is backfiring
Israel marked World Press Freedom Day by being violent against Palestinian journalists, disrupting a peaceful protest organised outside Ofer Prison. Two journalists – Ashraf Al-Nibai and Amin Alariya – were arrested by Israeli forces while other protestors were dispersed by tear gas. This latest violation comes after 13 journalists...
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UNSCO report on Gaza combines statistical detail and distorted narratives
After dire warnings regarding the possibility of Gaza becoming uninhabitable by 2020, a recent report by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) has insisted upon an “urgent need to resolve the deepening political rift between Gaza and the West Bank”. Far...
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Despite assertions, Abbas has created a political vacuum
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has echoed Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s calls for Hamas to relinquish control over the Gaza Strip. As convenient timeframes go, Abbas is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week, making this regurgitated demand a priority issue even as the PA...
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The EU’s toleration of Israel despite 'unprecedented' rate of demolitions
A report issued this month by the Office of the European Union Representative (West Bank and Gaza Strip, UNRWA) has described the increase in Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and buildings in East Jerusalem and Area C as unprecedented. Covering a six month period, the report focuses on demolitions...
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Solitary confinement of Palestinian minors reflects plight of adults in Israeli jails
As solitary confinement for Palestinian prisoners makes headlines once again within the context of the “Freedom and Dignity” mass hunger strike, Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) released a report on Wednesday which revealed that Israeli forces in 2016 increased solitary confinement periods for Palestinian children under interrogation. Out...
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Let Palestinian prisoners assert their political aims
The mass hunger strike organised by Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti has elicited various responses, each according to its intended purpose. Prisoners participating in the protest — an estimated 1,000 of them — have affirmed the importance of collective resistance against Israeli violations of their rights. The Israeli Prison Services...
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Hamdallah’s political opportunism is contemptuous of the people of Palestine
Salary cuts imposed by the Palestinian Authority upon civil servants in Gaza have been attributed to a financial crisis experienced by the internationally-recognised representative body. While the PA was swift in placing blame upon Hamas for the cuts, employees have united in protest against the Ramallah-based authority — controlled...
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Israel has taken hypocrisy to a new level
At first glance, it might seem as if Israel has caught up with the consistent warnings regarding the dire situation faced by Palestinians in Gaza. Almost three years since Operation Protective Edge and following numerous disturbing reports, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) coordinator Major General Yoav Mordechai advised the UN...
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The EU’s aversion to supporting Palestinian rights
Mild, inconsequential rhetoric by EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg Andersen prompted another spat between the EU and Israel, following a routine meeting with diplomats in which criticism of the slated demolitions of Khan Al-Ahmar topped the agenda. In a puerile manner, Israel dismissed the EU as “obsessive” in...
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Prisoners’ collective resistance against Israel is central to the anti-colonial struggle
Last month, Ma’an news agency reported that Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti will be leading a mass hunger strike in which Fatah-affiliated prisoners would be participating. The hunger strike aims to operate on two main fronts: collective resistance instead of individual negotiation by prisoners with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS);...