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political commentary on international conflict from a (somewhat) rational perspective.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'fatah'
What’s Wrong With the American “Left”?
Reading Eric Alterman’s recent article in The Nation magazine recently (Israel at 60: The State of the State), I began to consider the significant gulf that exists between ideology and practice ...
Narratives Under Siege: Deadline Looms For Another Student Trapped Inside Gaza
During the last two days of August, the Egyptian authorities permitted approximately 3,300 people to cross the Gazan border at Rafah into Egypt ‘for humanitarian reasons’. Those who entered Egypt ...
Eyad Sarraj
In the Gaza Strip, there are a vast number of inspiring individuals prepared to put their personal reputation (and even their own physical well-being) on the line for matters of conviction. Dr. Eyad S...
Arab News: 60 Years of Nakba
A lack of obvious accomplishments in talks US President George Bush began with lofty ideals six months ago could change as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits the region yet again. She has visi...
Bradley Burston: Sixty Years of Nakba, 60 Years of Nothing
In a nation as coiled and embroiled as this, with a language fraught and zip-filed as the bible, it’s only fitting that a single daily newspaper headline will often say more than the thousands o...
Donald Macintyre: Our Reign of Terror, by the Israeli Army
The dark-haired 22-year-old in black T-shirt, blue jeans and red Crocs is understandably hesitant as he sits at a picnic table in the incongruous setting of a beauty spot somewhere in Israel. We know ...
Jimmy Carter To Meet With Hamas Leader
At a time when a majority of Israelis support an open dialog with Hamas, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is on his way to Damascus to meet with exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal. Now don’t ...
Narratives Under Siege: Abu al-Kass Mini-Market, Gaza City
“There have been rapid price increases over the last few months because of the closure. Three months ago, for instance, a litre of corn oil cost 19 Shekels (the equivalent of $4.5). Now it costs...
Jennifer Loewenstein: Gazan Holocaust
Around 10:30pm on the night of February 28, M and his wife S spoke in low tones in a dark room dimly lit by a battery-operated lamp. They were trying to decide if it was still safe to send their child...
A Potential Ceasefire (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
Apparently, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ordered a halt to Israeli attacks in Gaza and has instead entered into talks with Hamas via Egyptian mediators. It should not be necessary to point ...
David Rose: The Gaza Bombshell
The Al Deira Hotel, in Gaza City, is a haven of calm in a land beset by poverty, fear, and violence. In the middle of December 2007, I sit in the hotel’s airy restaurant, its windows open to the Med...
The Answer To Peace Talks? Bomb Gaza!
I am always interested to read the Gaza security briefings I receive daily. Today I read that the Erez checkpoint has been closed until at least January 21 for all but the most exceptional cases (and ...
Annapolis, Ramallah and the Siege on Gaza
I wanted to wait for a few days before jumping to conclusions about the Annapolis Summit (they seem to have finally stuck to a name). Now that I have had some time to sniff around (i.e. sit in front o...
Be Good Victims.
First it was called a “conference”, then a “summit” and the latest preferred terminology is “meeting”. But whatever you call it, the Annapolis Conference/Summit/Mee...
Authoritarian Inanity & Singing Policemen
The inanity of authoritarian movements can never be underestimated. The horrific shooting by Hamas of unarmed demonstrators is only the latest example of the Islamist group’s unwillingness or in...