Mahmoud Abbas has led the Palestinians to a dead end. He must go 

First published by the Middle East Eye on 29/6/2017 The president has hit a new low, cutting the salaries and electricity of Palestinians in Gaza. The next intifada will be against the Palestinian National Authority and this should worry Israel and Abbas Photo: A photo of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from 2016 (AFP) The embattled …

Continue reading Mahmoud Abbas has led the Palestinians to a dead end. He must go 

Every picture tells a story; can the Palestinians expect any justice from this bunch?

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 23/6/2017 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with Jared Kushner (3rd L) in Jerusalem on 21 June 2017 [Handout / Amos Ben Gershom / GPO] Throughout his first trip abroad as US president, during which he visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Donald Trump expressed …

Continue reading Every picture tells a story; can the Palestinians expect any justice from this bunch?

When Congress celebrates the illegal occupation of Jerusalem, it defiles and redefines US values

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 13/6/2017 The American people missed a major incident in the US Congress last week which should have worried them immensely. Their elected representatives celebrated an illegal act on their behalf. Yes, the US Congress celebrated the 50th anniversary of the illegal occupation of East Jerusalem by Israel, …

Continue reading When Congress celebrates the illegal occupation of Jerusalem, it defiles and redefines US values

Trump should appoint pro-Palestinian advisers

First published by the Arab Weekly on 11/6/2017 Trump’s senior advisers and ambassadors hold pro-Israel views with no counter view seemingly present. Phot: Diversity needed. Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (R) and US President Donald Trump (L) chat as White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is seen in between them, during their meeting at the …

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Are potential successors to Mahmoud Abbas making their bid?

First published by the Arab Weekly on 28/5/2017 Who will replace Abbas? Protesters carry pictures of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on May 3. (AP) Mahmoud Abbas holds all four of the top political positions in the Palestinian leadership. He is the president of the state of Palestine, president …

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Israel knows that it only has to bide its time to get everything it wants

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 22/5/2017 US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on 3 May, 2017 in Washington, DC. [Thaer Ganaim/Apaimages] Recent commemorations of the 69th anniversary of the Nakba followed the long-awaited meeting at the …

Continue reading Israel knows that it only has to bide its time to get everything it wants

Abbas-Trump meeting brings little hope for Palestinians

First published in the Arab Weekly on Sunday 14/5/2017 London - Palestinian Authority Presi­dent Mahmoud Abbas fi­nally had his day at the Trump White House. The US president, stand­ing in front of the Palestinian flag at their news conference on May 3, lauded Abbas for his role as signa­tory to the 1993 Oslo peace accords …

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No, it is not unfair to criticise Israel 

First published by the Middle East Monitor on 13/5/2017 Israeli security forces break up Palestinian protests organised to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, in Ramallah, West Bank on April 23, 2017 [Issam Rimawi / Anadolu Agency] As Palestinians mark a number of key, painful anniversaries in 2017, Israel is busy with not …

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Silencing critics will only reinforce image of Israel as a bully

First published by the Arab Weekly on 7/5/2017 In recent years Israel has been developing approaches to combat the criticism it receives, both for the lack of progress towards peace with the Palestinians and increasingly for policies it develops and implements. This can be traced to a signifi­cant 2010 report, produced by the Reut Institute, …

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Can the Palestinians sue Britain over Balfour?

First published by the Arab Weekly on 30/4/2017 The Balfour Declara­tion is a letter from Arthur Balfour, then the British foreign secretary, to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, dated November 2, 1917. The critical part of this short letter said: “His Majesty’s government view[s] with favour the establishment in Palestine of a …

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