Ramzy Baroud

From its very onset, Israel has constructed a brand for itself, a powerful gimmick that was predicated on two main pillars: democracy and stability. The main target audience for this brand has been powerful Western states that wielded disproportionate political, economic and military powers. These Western governments, along with their influential mainstream corporate media, did … Continue reading “Tel Aviv’s Losing Brands: Israeli ‘Coup’ and the Death of False Democracy”

The humiliation of Palestinian women by Israeli soldiers in the occupied city of Al-Khalil (Hebron) on July 10 was not the first such episode. Sadly, it will not be the last. Indeed, the stripping of five women in front of their children, parading them naked around their family home and then stealing their jewelry by … Continue reading “Humiliation vs. Self-Respect: The Untold Story of the Abuse of Palestinian Women in Hebron”

Despite their complicated and often uneasy relationship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agree on one thing: Iran is behind Israel’s security problem. The socio-economic polarization in Israel, the country’s political and judicial crises, the ongoing settlers’ pogroms in the West Bank, the repeated calls for religious war by Tel … Continue reading “A ‘Terrorist Onslaught’? This Is Why Netanyahu, Gallant Blame Iran for West Bank Violence”

It is feasible for China to continue playing an important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly the issue. Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last April, Chinese diplomacy has shown … Continue reading “Palestinians Welcome China’s New Middle East Role, but It Is Not Mediation They Need”

This is the perfect opportunity for Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to exit the stage. But he will not. Abbas’ brief visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on July 12 demonstrated the absurdity and danger of the PA and its 87-year-old leader. As he walked, Abbas struggled to … Continue reading “PA President Mahmoud Abbas: A Puppet in the Hands of Israel and the US?”

This is the perfect opportunity for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to exit the stage. But he will not. Abbas’ brief visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on July 12 demonstrated the absurdity and danger of the PA and its 87-year-old leader. As he walked, Abbas struggled to … Continue reading “The War to Save Mahmoud Abbas: Is Netanyahu Pushing for Palestinian Civil Conflict?”

The deadly Israeli invasion of Jenin on July 3 was not a surprise. Unsurprising also is the fact that the killing of 12 Palestinians, wounding of 120 more, and the destruction of nearly 80 percent of the Jenin Refugee Camp’s homes and infrastructure will not make an iota of a difference. Even Israeli Prime Minister … Continue reading “Jenin is Just the Start: Did Palestinians Finally Bury the Ghosts of the Past?”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not just against the establishment of a Palestinian state, he wants to eliminate the very aspirations for such a state. This was the gist of Netanyahu’s remarks, made at a meeting of the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. They were reported in Israeli media on June 26. … Continue reading “Netanyahu: No Palestinian State and the PA ‘Works for Us’”

Numbers can be dehumanizing. However, when placed in their proper context, they help to illuminate wider issues and answer urgent questions, such as why is Occupied Palestine at the threshold of a major revolt. And why Israel cannot crush Palestinian resistance no matter how hard, or violently, it tries. That’s when numbers become relevant. Since … Continue reading “The Armed Revolt: Why Israel Cannot Crush the Resistance in Palestine”

On June 19, a large Israeli military force raided the northern Palestinian town and refugee camp of Jenin from multiple directions. Not only did the raid fail, it backfired, and it also created a precedent in Israel’s decades-long war on the ever-rebellious Palestinian region. Israel killed eight Palestinians and wounded 91 more, following hours of … Continue reading “‘We Will Not Surrender’: The Extraordinary Palestinians of Jenin”