Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Feras Abu-Helal
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When Regev cried in Abu Dhabi and Netanyahu in Muscat
In life, there are funny ironies and there are sad ones. What we are experiencing today with the accelerated normalisation between some Gulf countries and Israel – despite their lack of formal relations – is definitely a dark, comedic irony. Such comedy brings with it a flow of tears...
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Erdogan's speech: Has Turkey ‘sold out’ Khashoggi?
Many Arabs seemed to wish that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan would come out and directly accuse the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet they were disappointed by the speech, with some even accusing Turkey and its president of “selling out” the...
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Weak Obama and popular Trump: support for tyranny and hostility to the Brotherhood
Did we really need new evidence of American support for tyranny in the Middle East? Were we waiting for a new revelation to affirm Washington’s pragmatic policy and its lack of any moral dimension? In fact, the answer to this question by the majority of Arabs is a big...
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Nothing costs the occupation more than peaceful resistance
The occupation has escalated its ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip, after months of tension and cautious calm, to the extent that observers expect that this escalation is the beginning of a fully-fledged war similar to the Israeli wars in 2008, 2012 and 2014. Is it really the beginning...
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Mahmoud Abbas may well be shooting himself in the foot, but where is Fatah?
It is no secret that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is experiencing an unprecedented political crisis, in light of the measures that the Trump administration is taking to impose a “peace” deal tailored to the Israeli occupation. These include the approach adopted by the US President’s son-in-law and Middle East...
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On the political and cultural lessons of the Jordanian popular movement
The Jordanian popular movement ended a few days after it began, with many gains and very few losses. It recorded many lessons that the Arab governments and people can learn from. Without casualties or material damage, and only a few minor injuries, some of which happened by accident or...
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Palestine conspiracy, impasse and way out
It is clear that a new international and regional conspiracy is being prepared to liquidate the Palestinian cause, and bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict in favour of the occupying power, without achieving even a minimum of objectives for the Palestinian people. This conspiracy is no longer a...
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What will Saudi Arabia lose after the Gulf earthquake calms down?
Although it may be difficult to judge the repercussions of the Gulf crisis on the future of Qatar’s policies, media and role in the region, it is not as hard to judge the strategic losses Saudi Arabia will suffer after the crisis is over. Doha’s losses or gains are...
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Explaining the Egyptian-Iranian 'rapprochement'
Indicators of the Egyptian-Iranian rapprochement have escalated after decades of estrangement that dictated the relationship between the two countries, especially in the final years of Mubarak’s rule. It is interesting that this relative “rapprochement” came after a period of almost complete agreement between Cairo and the Gulf countries in...
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How can Saudi respond to the decline of its position in US policy?
It has become clear from the developments over the past three years that Saudi Arabia’s position in the US strategy for the Middle East has greatly declined and that Washington no longer considers its relationship with Riyadh a key pillar of its policy in the region. The passing the...
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The controversy surrounding Ennahda’s recent developments
Once Ennahda announced that it intends to abandon advocacy and preach work and transition into a “democratic party” during the preparations for its tenth conference, it provoked a storm of reactions and controversy amid its supporters and friends in the camp known academically as “political Islam”. It even provoked...