Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Motasem A Dalloul
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Oslo: 24 years of Palestinian losses
On 13 September 1993 the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, or what has commonly become known as the Oslo Accords. This, according to UN documents, aimed to establish the general guidelines for negotiations between the PLO and Israel, lay...
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Netanyahu has lost the freedom of speech game
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has always claimed proudly that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. On Thursday, he decided to educate diplomats, academics and journalists about the limits of freedom of speech in his “democratic” country. However, he failed miserably — without a hint of...
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Israel is a ‘democratic state’ built on undemocratic principles
The foundations of a democratic society are well-known and include personal freedoms, respect for law and order, equality for all citizens and controls to prevent the abuse of power. The state of Israel has always described itself as “the only democracy in the Middle East” in comparison with the...
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Is Israel really a safe haven for journalists?
Iranian journalist and blogger Neda Amin, 32, who fled her country to Turkey in 2014 over a series of articles critical of the government, arrived “safely in Israel” yesterday morning according to Times of Israel. Amin lived with a refugee status in Turkey until 5 July when Ankara told...
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Is Sisi right to say that population growth is an obstacle to economic growth?
In the Fourth Youth Conference held in Alexandria on Monday, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi called on Egyptians not to have more than three children. He warned that the growth in Egypt’s population is a “serious challenge ahead of economic growth and countering terrorism.” “Whenever I see a citizen having...
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Is Abbas really halting contacts with Israel?
The President of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, declared a freeze on Friday on all contacts with Israel. His move was in protest at the latest measures taken by Israel at the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa, including the installation of metal detectors at...
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Why is Hamas throwing itself in to Egypt’s arms?
Three days ago, a senior official Hamas delegation ended a meeting with senior Egyptian officials held in Cairo. The visit came about ten days after the conclusion of a previous visit of top Hamas leaders to Cairo, including the Chief of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar. Such...
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What happened when I needed minor surgery in Gaza?
On Tuesday 30 May I had a sudden severe pain in my left ear. It could not sleep as I felt the pain spread all over my body. I contacted the doctor at around 11pm and told him, he told me to take painkillers and told me to come...
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Israel uses ‘tunnel’ claim as an excuse to attack Hamas and UNRWA
Last Friday, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced that it had discovered a tunnel beneath two of its schools in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel was condemned for putting the lives of students and staff at risk. The Israeli government...
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The Palestinians got a big fat zero from Trump’s visit
When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas went to Washington and met with his US counterpart Donald Trump earlier this month, his aides described the visit as “historic” and a prelude for grabbing Palestinian rights from the jaws of the Israeli tiger. “It was a strategic visit,” claimed Dr Husam...
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Hamas’ security forces are standing in Mossad’s way
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh yesterday officially announced details surrounding the assassination of Mazen Fuqaha which took place two months ago. It was the first time that Hamas officially accused Israel of being behind the killing, adding that security forces in the enclave had arrested the assassins, including the one...
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Ismail Haniyeh: the new top man within Hamas
Ismail Haniyeh has been chosen to take over from Khaled Meshaal as the head of the Hamas Political Bureau. The new top man within Hamas was born in Al-Shati (Beach) Refugee Camp, to the north west of Gaza City, in 1963; he still lives there, although he is expected...
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5,000 Gazans at risk of death due to power shortage
Generators have become the only lifeline for Gaza’s hospitals and patients who are in need of urgent medical care. However, with limited amount of fuel entering the besieged Strip, even these are likely to cease work and stop providing electricity, risking the lives of more than 5,000 patients, medical...
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What's the difference between Fatah and Hamas' future Palestinian state?
Khaled Meshaal, the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, announced yesterday evening a new document of principles that outline the movement’s positons towards major issues relating to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One of the most prominent articles of this document is the proposal of...
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Blinded by the siege on Gaza
Israel's use of numerous weapons to batter the besieged enclave has left a lasting damage to the lives of children....
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Abbas, Trump and the illusions of peace
The White House is waiting to host PLO leader and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump. On the agenda will be a discussion of the “serious” prospects of peace that would end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A senior PA delegation arrived...
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Algerians mistrust elections as the most popular faction is kept away from politics
On 4 May, around 23 million Algerians will vote for 462 members of the National Peoples’ Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament. Around 11,000 candidates from 57 political parties are standing for election. To encourage and reassure the opposition to take part in elections, the Algerian authorities amended the...
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The West Bank and Gaza are already being separated
After Palestinian Authority (PA) employees in the Gaza Strip discovered that their salaries had been cut by a minimum of 30 per cent, experts and analysts said that this is likely a first step towards the full separation of the occupied West bank and the besieged coastal enclave. Employees...
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Was the Jordan summit for the Arabs, Israel or the US?
Following more than two days of preparations and pre-summit discussions by foreign ministers, the leaders of the Arab states met last Wednesday on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea. Their speeches covered national, regional and international plans for several issues; none were related to development, unemployment or poverty;...
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A full royal coup in Morocco as the king ousts prime minister designate
Morocco’s King Mohamed VI has ousted Abdelilah Benkirane as prime minister designate and leader of the the Justice and Development Party (PJD), the largest political party in the kingdom. The monarch has named Saad Eddine Al-Othmani from the same party in his place, and charged him to form a...
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What 'just peace' deal does the PA want from Trump?
US President Donald Trump telephoned the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday and discussed several issues, including his desire to reach a peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In return, Abbas hailed him and his commitment to the Palestinian cause. Revealing some of what was...
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Has the Arab League ever actually done anything for the Arabs?
Recent reports said that the Arab League is suffering from a severe financial crisis which could force the organisation to move its headquarters from Cairo to Dubai, so that the government of the UAE can pick up the tab for its running costs. Diplomats have said that it has...
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Trump has not killed the two-state solution; it died long ago
The new US administration led by Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that ending the Israel-Palestine conflict through a two-state solution is no longer a strategic choice. One of Trump’s aides told reporters, “A two-state solution that doesn’t bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve.” The...
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Is the PLO still the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinians?
The main Palestinian secular movement, Fatah, which dominates the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) accused regional powers on Sunday evening of supporting its Islamic rival Hamas to carry out a coup against the umbrella body and the Palestinian Authority which it controls. The reason given is that such regional powers...