Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes is, in fact, an own goal

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 25/8/2017 Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes is now almost a daily occurrence. The reasons vary but the phenomenon is ultimately a form of collective punishment; the humiliation of the occupied by the occupier and a means to achieve “demographic control” of occupied Palestinian territory. The Zionist state …

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What better offer does Israel have than the Arab Peace Initiative?

First published by the Arab Weekly on 20/8/2017The last serious, sus­tained effort to bro­ker a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians was made during the Obama administra­tion by then-US Secretary of State John Kerry. He tried over nine months to advance peace talks but his efforts met with failure and the breakout of the …

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Language discrimination, another blow at Jewish- Arab equality in Israel

First published by the Arab Weekly on 6/8/2017 Israel has been replacing Arabic road names with the Hebrew names.   The Israeli Ministerial Committee on Legislation recently approved a draft bill that would end Arabic’s status as an official language of the country, despite an Arabic-speaking population that includes 20% of the state’s citizens. This …

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Palestine must push back against loss of traditional allies

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 4/8/2017Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 29th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 July, 2017 [Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency] When the PLO asked the United Nations General Assembly for an upgrade in Palestine’s status to “non-member observer state” on …

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Jerusalem’s Palestinian youth face bleak future

First published by the Arab Weekly on 30/7/2017London - The results of the tawjihi — General Secondary Education Certificate Examination — were re­cently announced across the Palestinian territories to great cheers and celebration in some households and deep disappoint­ment in others.The future isn’t what it used to be. Palestinian children chat outside a school in …

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Israel is sleepwalking towards tyranny not practising democracy

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 28/7/2017 Israeli forces injure Palestinians with tear gas as they gather to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque following the removal of Israeli security measures in Jerusalem on 27 July 2017 [Mahmoud İbrahem/Anadolu Agency] Let me start by acknowledging that democracy is in short supply in the Middle East. …

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Attaque d’al-Aqsa : les Palestiniens quasiment abandonnés

18/7/2017 Middle East Eye FR La défense de la mosquée al-Aqsa, chérie par 1,6 milliard de musulmans de par le monde, a été laissée aux 300 000 Palestiniens de Jérusalem, qui font face à un occupant particulièrement brutal et impitoyable   Les implications de l’incident mortel de vendredi dernier à Al-Aqsa vont bien au-delà du …

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Al-Aqsa attack: Palestinians all but abandoned

First published by the Middle East Eye on 17/7/2017 With a weak response from Arab and Muslim countries to unprecedented restrictions at the Al-Aqsa mosque, Palestinians are left alone to defend the holy site from Israel's incursions The implications of the deadly incident last Friday at Al-Aqsa go way beyond the right to prayer. Five …

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Israel’s double standards about boycotts do not advance peace

First published by the Arab Weekly on 16/7/2017 It is quite hypocritical for Israel to reject BDS while boycotting others for taking legal and moral positions in support of the Palestinians.  Peaceful expression. An Egyptian man shouts anti-Israeli slogans in front of banners with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) logo at the Journalists’ Syndicate …

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Pro-Israel positions likely to continue with new British landscape

First published by the Arab Weekly on 2/7/2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May There are ques­tions with regards to what effects the snap elections have on British foreign policy towards Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, won 318 seats in parliament but that was eight seats …

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