What Brexit should mean for the Arab world

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 …

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Redefining anti-Semitism will not silence Palestinians’ struggle for justice

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 …

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Rolls Royce, pants and sand: What Boris Johnson said to the Arab ambassadors

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 …

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Palestinians do not mourn the passing of war criminal Peres, even if Mahmoud Abbas does

I write on the eve of the burial of a war criminal. Shimon Peres, former Israeli Prime Minister and President died on the 28th of September at the age of 93. I mourn the fact that he never faced justice to answer for his crimes against Palestinian and Lebanese innocent civilians. I also mourn the truly nauseating …

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Conference: Holding Palestine in the light

Lichfield is holding a conference entitled Holding Palestine in the Light 7-9 October. This promises to be an excellent event and I am privileged to be contributing to it. Details here

If Israel wants to be treated like a normal state, it should act like one

This article first appeared on the Middle East Monitor on 29/8/2016 Image from the Mddle East Monitor Israel is not a normal state, but has craved to be treated as such ever since its creation in historic Palestine, against the will of the indigenous Palestinian people, in 1948. It sometimes claims its legitimacy from the …

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Britain should apologise for the Balfour Declaration, not ‘celebrate’ it

Published by the Middle East Monitor  6/8/2016 Image from Middle East Monitor The Balfour Declaration is a letter from the then British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Walter Rothschild, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The critical part of this short letter said: “His Majesty’s government view with favour the …

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Who singles out Israel, its critics or its apologists?

First published by the Middle East Eye 25/7/2016 Israel and its supporters often accuse supporters of Palestinian rights for unfairly singling Israel out for criticism. They suggest that with so many abusers of human rights around the world, the focus should be on them, with some suggesting that once all the other abusers have been …

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حلقة نقاش: قرائة بين السطور في ذكرى النكبة على الساحة الأوروبية – بريطانيا نموذج

لمشاهدة هذه الحلقة اضغط هنا http://youtu.be/GJDO654wG94

The two-state solution is dead; long live the two-state solution

First published by the Middle East Monitor 2/7/2016 The Middle East Quartet has released its long-awaited report and to no one’s surprise it is claiming that the two-state solution is “in danger”. It alleges that this “danger” comes from Palestinian terrorism and incitement, and Israeli settlement building and takeover of the West Bank’s area C. …

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