Firs published by the Middle East Eye on 10/11/2016 Instead of finding creative language of condemnation, the international community should declare that settlements are illegal and prohibit trade _____________________________________________________________ Israel is the only state in the world that believes that it can continue to build settlements only for Jews in East Jerusalem, the West Bank …
Continue reading Empty condemnation of Israeli settlements doesn’t work: We need action
First published by the Middle East Monitor on 7/11/2016 Al-Aqsa mosque Something is in the air in Jerusalem and if Israel has its way it soon won’t be; the Muslim call to prayer — the adhaan — is under threat. The state which is built upon the ethnic cleansing of the majority of the indigenous …
Continue reading Israel’s ban on the Muslim call to prayer in Jerusalem is the tip of the iceberg
First published by the Middle East Monitor on 31/10/2016 Waleed Shaath, held by his mother, is the two millionth person born in Gaza on 12th October 2016 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Apaimages] The news that the population of Gaza has reached the 2 million mark was reported widely in the media but has stirred hardly any real …
Continue reading Waleed Shaath is the two millionth reason for ending the siege on Gaza
First published by the Arab Weekly on 30/10/2016 June 23rd marked a turning point in Britain’s relationship with the European Union when the British people voted to leave the union, triggering a process known as Brexit. This quickly brought about the resignation of the prime minister, David Cameron, who was replaced by Theresa May. In …
First published in the Middle East Eye on 19/10/2016 The UK home affairs select committee has fallen for the Israeli lobby's attempt to conflate criticising Israel with anti-Semitism I would not be writing this column in this way if the UK Parliament’s home affairs select committee had not dragged my homeland, Palestine, into the controversy surrounding …
Continue reading Redefining anti-Semitism will not silence Palestinians’ struggle for justice
First published by the Middle East Eye on 13/10/2016 The foreign secretary's candid speech reveals an opportunity to influence UK policy in the Middle East - Arab ambassadors should seize it Away from the endless discussions on Brexit at this year’s Conservative party conference in Birmingham, there were the usual fringe meetings and receptions that complement …
Continue reading Rolls Royce, pants and sand: What Boris Johnson said to the Arab ambassadors
First published by the Middle East Monitor on 10 October 2016 image from the Middle East Monitor showing Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, the two US presidential candidates. As the United States’ presidential race enters its final stage, with elections due on 8 November, the two candidates have been making their final pitches to woo …
Continue reading Israel trumps Arab and Muslim world’s influence on US presidential candidates
This column first appeared in the Middle East Eye on 6/10/2016 Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of people all over the world. I was fortunate to visit it again recently, or rather “return”, as my parents were both born in this great city. My first sighting of the Dome of the Rock …
Continue reading East Jerusalem is occupied but the hearts and minds of the children are not
First published by the Middle East Monitor on 26/9/2016 Member of the Knesset Haneen Zoabi If Israel is not lauding its army, the Israeli Defence Force, as the self-proclaimed “most moral army in the world”, it is claiming to be the “only democracy in the Middle East”. The IDF’s oppressive treatment of Palestinians in the …
Continue reading Israel’s attack on democracy for non-Jews form the river to the sea
First published by the Middle East Eye on 26/9/2016 The 2016 annual pilgrimage of world leaders to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York was dominated by the Syria crisis. While many speakers ramble on to a half empty hall, others try to get important messages across to the assembly of world nations. …
Continue reading While Netanyahu lectures, Abbas pleads – but who is listening?
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