Ramzy Baroud

In politics, context is crucial. To truly appreciate the recent decision by Ireland, Spain and Norway to recognize the state of Palestine, the subject has to be placed in proper context. On November 15, 1988, Yasser Arafat, then Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, declared Palestine as an independent state. The proclamation took place within … Continue reading “Beyond Two State Solution – Why Recognizing State of Palestine Is Important”

If one were to argue that a top Spanish government official would someday declare that “from the river to the sea, Palestine would be free”, the suggestion itself would have seemed ludicrous. But this is precisely how Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister, concluded a statement on May 23, a few days before Spain officially … Continue reading “End of an Era: Pro-Palestine Language Exposes Israel, Zionism”

Even the most optimistic of political analysts did not expect that the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor would be uttering these words: “I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu (…) and Yoav Gallant (…) bear criminal responsibility for (…) war crimes and crimes against humanity …” Aside from the two Israelis, Karim Khan … Continue reading “The Untold ICC Story: How the Global South Helped Palestine Challenge Western Institutions”

Inadvertently, Israel has pressed the reset button on its war with the Palestinian people, taking back the so-called conflict to square one. Save a few self-serving Palestinian officials affiliated with the Palestinian Authority (PA), most Palestinians do not seem consumed with the return to the peace process, or even engaged in discussions about two state … Continue reading “Nakba Resurrected – How the Gaza Resistance Ended Segmentation of Palestine”

By granting its 2024 World Press Freedom Prize to Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli war on Gaza, UNESCO has acknowledged a historic truth. Even if the decision to name Gaza’s journalists as laureates of its prestigious award was partly motivated by the courage of these journalists, the truth is that no one in the world … Continue reading “Beyond Awards and Accolades: Why Gaza Journalists are the Best in the World”

The mass protests at dozens of US universities cannot be reduced to a stifling and misleading conversation about antisemitism. Thousands of American students across the country are not protesting, risking their own futures and very safety, because of some pathological hate for the Jewish people. They are doing so in a complete rejection of, and … Continue reading “American Intifada for Gaza: What Should We Expect?”

Throughout history, fringe religious Zionist parties have had limited success in achieving the kind of electoral victories that would allow them an actual share in the country’s political decision-making. The impressive number of 17 seats won by Israel’s extremist religious party, Shas, in the 1999 elections, was a watershed moment in the history of these … Continue reading “The Ideological Coup: How Disciples of Kahane Became the New Face of Israel”

The outcome of the Palestine vote and the American veto at the United Nations Security Council on April 18 was predictable. Though European countries are becoming increasingly supportive of a Palestinian state, the United States is not yet ready for this commitment. These are some of the reasons that the US deputy envoy to the … Continue reading “Feeding War, Killing Peace: Why the US Vetoed ‘Palestine’?”

The New York Times coverage of the Israeli carnage in Gaza, like that of other mainstream US media, is a disgrace to journalism. This assertion should not surprise anyone. US media is driven neither by facts nor morality, but by agendas, calculating and power-hungry. The humanity of 120 thousand dead and wounded Palestinians because of … Continue reading “Cruelty of Language: Leaked NY Times Memo Reveals Anti-Palestinian Bias of US Media”

Israel described its clearly deliberate killing of seven humanitarian aid workers on April 1 as a “grave mistake”, a “tragic event” that “happens in war”. Israel is, obviously, lying. This entire so-called war – actually genocide – in Gaza, has been based on a series of lies, some of which Israel continues to peddle. For … Continue reading “Killing Humanitarian Workers as a Strategy: Israel’s Endgame in Gaza”