Ramzy Baroud

On 20 February, I embarked on a global book tour that has, thus far, taken me to eight nations. The main theme of all my talks in various cultural, academic and media platforms was the pressing need to refocus the discussion on Palestine on the struggle, aspirations, and history of the Palestinian people. But, interacting … Continue reading “8 Things I learned about Palestine While Touring 8 Western Nations”

60 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on May 15, simply for protesting and demanding their Right of Return as guaranteed by international law. 50 more were killed since March 30, the start of the “Great March of Return”, which marks Land Day. Nearly 10,000 have been wounded and maimed in between these two dates. “Israel … Continue reading “Israel’s Premature Celebration: Gazans Have Crossed the Fear Barrier”

Although I was born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp, and then moved to and lived in the United States, finding a village that was erased from the map decades earlier was not, at least for me, an irrational act. The village of Beit Daras was the single most important piece of earth that … Continue reading “My Family’s Home Is and Always Will Be Beit Daras”

The Gaza border protests must be understood in the context of the Israeli Occupation, the siege and the long-delayed ‘Right of Return’ for Palestinian refugees. However, they should also be appreciated in a parallel context: Palestine’s own factionalism and infighting. Factionalism in Palestinian society is a deep-rooted ailment that has, for decades, thwarted any unified … Continue reading “Eclipsing Factionalism: The Missing Story From the Gaza Protests”

Three more Palestinians were killed and 611 wounded last Friday, when tens of thousands of Gazans continued their largely nonviolent protests at the Gaza-Israel border. Yet as the casualty count keeps climbing – nearly 45 dead and over 5,500 wounded – the deafening silence also continues. Tellingly, many of those who long chastised Palestinians for … Continue reading “Gazan Gandhis: Gaza Bleeds Alone as ‘Liberals’ and ‘Progressives’ Go Mute”

Albert Einstein, along with other Jewish luminaries, including Hannah Arendt, published a letter in the New York Times on December 4, 1948. That was only a few months after Israel had declared its independence and as hundreds of Palestinian villages were being actively demolished after their inhabitants were expelled. The letter denounced Israel’s newly-founded Herut … Continue reading “The Ghost of Herut: Einstein on Israel, 70 Years Ago”

The term “media bias” does not do justice to the western corporate media’s relationship with Israel and Palestine. The relationship is, indeed, far more profound than mere partiality. It is not ignorance, either. It is a calculated and long-term campaign, aimed at guarding Israel and demonizing Palestinians. The current disgraceful coverage of Gaza’s popular protests … Continue reading “Media Cover-up: Shielding Israel Is a Matter of Policy”

Why did Israel kill many unarmed Gaza protesters and wound over 2,000 on Friday, March 30 and on the following days, when they clearly posed no threat to Israeli soldiers? Hundreds of Israeli soldiers, many of them snipers, were deployed to the deadly buffer zone that the Israeli army has created between besieged Gaza and … Continue reading “Why Israel Feels Threatened by Popular Resistance in Palestine”

Rim Banna passed away at the age of 51. Her death on March 24, after a decade-long battle with cancer, brought grief to Palestinians everywhere. Rim, a Palestinian Christian from Nazareth, united the Palestinian people across political and geographic divides. When she sang for the Homeland, nothing mattered but Palestine. Christians and Muslims, Fatah and … Continue reading “Rim Banna and the Cultural War That Palestinians Must Win”

The “deal of the century” is a farce. We suspected that, of course, but, upon his return from Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in more detail why the long-anticipated plan of the administration of US President Donald Trump has no basis in reality. Netanyahu told his Cabinet that there are “no concrete details” … Continue reading “The Last ‘Peace Process’ Warrior: Abbas Hanging by a Thread”