Since the start of the Gaza war, our budget has tripled as we hired more editors and writers. We must not stop now as the Israeli genocide against innocent civilians in the Strip is worsening. Your solidarity is more critical than ever before.
Year: 2013
Open Christmas Letter to Pope Francis on Gaza
By Vacy Vlazna Your Holiness, In desperation, in December a campaign was launched appealing to you to help release the suffering people of Gaza from the genocidal strangulation of the Israeli seven year blockade. There […]
Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj, Palestinian Psychiatrist, Human Rights Campaigner Dies in Gaza
By Julie Webb-Pullman Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj, internationally-esteemed Palestinian psychiatrist and Commissioner-General of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights, passed away in Gaza a short time ago. His human rights work was not without personal […]
Beit Sahour: Boycott is Historically Palestinian
By Ramzy Baroud As the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement continues to grow, and thus Israel’s international isolation, one must remember that the boycott is an authentically collective Palestinian strategy that is rooted in […]
Israeli Forces Leave Bethlehem Village following Military Drill
Israeli forces vacated the Bethlehem village of Arab al-Rashayida on Tuesday after conducting military drills in the area for several hours, locals said. Fawaz al-Rashayida, head of the local village council, told Ma’an that 5,000 […]
With You They Will Climb The Mountain – With Them You Will Reach The Summit
Yasmeen and Mutussam are two Palestinian adolescent amputees who took the challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjar; Ibrahim Nasrallah, the Palestinian writer, will accompany them to support their journey and in support of the project Climb […]
Major US Scholarly Association Votes for Academic Boycott of Israel
The largest and oldest academic organization dedicated to the study of the United States announced on Monday that its membership had voted overwhelmingly to endorse the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. In a landmark decision, […]
Agricultural Sector in Gaza Hit Hard by Winter Storm
Gaza’s agricultural sector suffered devastating losses during four days of severe weather conditions in the coastal territory, Gaza officials said Monday. Ministry of Agriculture official Ziad Hamadah told Ma’an that initial estimates suggest the animal […]
Is the Turkish-Israeli Rapprochement for Real?
By Daniel Wagner and Giorgio Cafiero Since assuming power in 2002, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has sought to position Turkey as a leading Middle Eastern power, prompting some analysts to allege ‘neo-Ottoman’ ambitions. […]
Answering the Call of Higher Duty
By Deepak Tripathi Two individuals who have unquestionably dominated the 2013 agenda are Nelson Mandela and Edward Snowden. Their treatment in the media could hardly be more different. Yet in many respects what they share […]
Escape Route from the Nuclear Shadow over the Middle East
By Neve Gordon Across the globe headlines pronounced that a “breakthrough agreement” had been reached in Geneva. Iran’s atomic ambitions had been curbed in exchange for limited sanctions relief, thus deflating the longstanding military standoff. […]
No Show at Mandela’s Memorial Service – Israel’s Self-Boycott
By Uri Avnery Can a country boycott itself? That may sound like a silly question. It is not. At the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, the “Giant of History” as Barack Obama called him, Israel […]
Hijacking Hope: Arab world Descending in Darkness
By Jamal Kanj Long before the self-righteous Islamists turned genuine street grievances into violent movements, Egypt was the crown of the Arab Spring and Syria was the second best hope to reap the flowers of […]
Israel Drops Controversial Bedouin Relocation Plan
Israel is scrapping a controversial draft law to relocate thousands of Bedouin residents of the Negev desert, an official said Thursday. Benny Begin, tasked with implementing the so-called Prawer Plan, said he had recommended to […]
The Real Cycle of Violence
By Roger Sheety On December 7, 2013, two seemingly dissimilar events occurred, an ocean apart. The first was that a Palestinian teenager, Wajih Wajdi al-Ramahi, was murdered by the Israeli “defense” forces at al-Jalazun refugee […]
As Bedouin Villages Are Destroyed, So too Are Hopes for Palestinian Peace Deal
By Jonathan Cook As United States envoys shuttle back and forth in search of a peace formula to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a matter supposedly settled decades ago is smouldering back into life. In what […]
From Mediator to Antagonist: Kerry’s Coup
By Nicola Nasser U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to start his ninth trip of shuttle diplomacy between Palestinian and Israeli leaders on this December 11. However, the bridging “security arrangements,” which he […]
From the Middle East to Lausanne: Arabic Thoughts amidst the Alps
By Ramzy Baroud Here in Switzerland, the train chugs along nicely between Geneva and Lausanne. The Alpine mountain range desperately fights to make its presence known despite the irritating persistence of low- hanging clouds. A […]
Nelson Mandela’s Inspiration
By Richard Falk Fifteen years ago I had the extraordinary pleasure of meeting Nelson Mandela in Cape Town while he was serving as President of South Africa. It was an odd occasion. I was a […]
‘All the Way to Holland’: The Routine at Qalandiya Checkpoint
By Tamar Fleishman – Qalandiya Checkpoint, West Bank “These are just routine inspections” said a soldier who was securing another soldier while she was training a dog, using vehicles owned by Palestinians. To them this […]
WHO Concerned over Humanitarian Health Crisis in Gaza
The World Health Organization on Sunday expressed concern over a humanitarian health crisis in the Gaza Strip, as the health infrastructure struggles to cope with severe shortages in basic supplies. “The accumulation of shortages in […]
Nelson Mandela, Palestine and the Fight against Apartheid
By Kim Bullimore Nelson Mandela, a courageous resistance fighter is dead. Mandela died on December 5, aged 95. He devoted his entire life to the struggle for his people’s freedom, spending 27 years in prison […]
Dear Mayor, Thank You, But No Thank You
By Sam Bahour It was recently reported in The Daily Jewish Forward (Bloomberg To Dedicate $1M Genesis Prize to Boosting Israeli-Palestinian Trade, Josh Nathan-Kazis, December 02, 2013) that New York City Mayor and billionaire, Michael […]
Israel Minister: Annex West Bank Settlements
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has proposed that Israel annex parts of the occupied West Bank where most Jewish settlers live. The area is already under its full military control. “I favor implementation of Israeli sovereignty […]
Obama Says Israel Security Guarantee Possible
US President Barack Obama said his government has concluded it is possible for a two-state Middle East peace solution that includes sufficient guarantees to protect Israeli security. Obama on Saturday said the determination had been […]
Israel Blamed in Palestinian Teenager’s Death
A 15-year-old Palestinian boy has died of a gunshot wound in the occupied West Bank, hospital officials have said. His father and two friends blamed Israeli troops guarding a nearby settlement for the shooting, which […]
Zionism in Service of Fossil Fuel Extraction
By Dan Fischer With Israel branding itself as a model of environmental sustainability, many overlook the Zionist lobby’s support for extreme fossil fuel extraction in North America, from fracking to offshore drilling. Historically, Israel has […]
Nelson Mandela: Obama, Clinton, Cameron, Blair – Tributes of Shameful Hypocrisy
By Felicity Arbuthnot – London Accusing politicians or former politicians of “breathtaking hypocrisy” is not just over used, it is inadequacy of spectacular proportions. Sadly, searches in various thesaurus’ fail in meaningful improvement. The death […]
(Un)holy River
By Uri Avnery So here comes John Kerry again, for the umpteenth time (but who is counting?) to make peace between us and the Palestinians. It is a highly laudable effort. Unfortunately, it is based […]
No More Sanctions on Iran: Give Peace a Chance
By Ron Forthofer The U.S. has often resorted to military means as a way of settling disputes with far weaker nations during the last fifty years. Frequently these attacks have been unwarranted as well as […]
Nelson Mandela: A Dissenting Opinion
By Jonathan Cook Offering a dissenting opinion at this moment of a general outpouring of grief at Nelson Mandela’s death is not likely to court popularity. It is also likely to be misunderstood. So let […]