“The United States has the power to decree the death of nations,” wrote Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe. Kinzer’s article was entitled: “The media are misleading the public on Syria.” In his piece, the scholar at a Brown University Institute contested that his...
The Convoluted Discourse: Was the Women’s Boat to Gaza an Existential Threat?
The Israeli official narrative regarding its conflict with the Palestinians is deliberately confounded because a muddled up discourse is a convenient one. It allows the narrator to pick and choose half-truths at will, in order to create a falsified version of reality....
Shimon Peres, An Israeli Brand Without Substance
Former Israeli Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres, was a very successful brand. He was presented to the world as stately, wise, a relentless advocate of peace, and a sane voice amidst a conflict deemed senseless and unending. Now that he is dead at 93,...
Ban Ki-Moon’s Legacy in Palestine: Failure in Words and Deeds
Ban Ki-Moon's second term as the Secretary General of the United Nations is ending this December. He was the most ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. Of course, there will always be other Ban Ki-Moons. In fact, the man...
Honoring Aylan Kurdi by Ending the War in Syria
“A photograph, no matter how emotionally wrenching, can only do so much,” wrote Paul Slovic and Nicole Smith Dahmen in QZ.com. The photograph referenced in their comment was that of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose body was washed ashore on some Turkish...
Is Israel Pushing for a Palestinian Civil War?
Division within Palestinian society has reached unprecedented levels, becoming a major hurdle on the path of any unified strategy to end Israel’s violent occupation or to rally Palestinians behind a single objective. Newly-appointed Israeli ultra-nationalist Defense...
Activism’ and Its Consequences: Syrian Refugees Are Not Subjects for a Social Media Gallery
The Italian “activist” was keen on that photo, as if her social media activism career was dependent on it. As if the misery of the poor Syrian child was not palpable enough in his dejected face and his rash-infested skin, she wanted to define a point of absolute...
Punishing the Messenger: Israel’s War on NGOs Takes a Worrying Turn
“You deserve to see your loved ones suffer and die. But, maybe, you would be hurt before them,” was part of a threatening message received by a staff member at “Al-Mezan”, a Gaza-based human rights group. The photo attached to the email was of the exterior of the...
War To ‘Stop’ War: Libya’s ‘Operation Odyssey Lightning’
Everyone seems to have a theory on how to obliterate ISIS, or “Daesh”. However, two points are rarely raised: one, concerning the origins of the group and the second, on whether there are genuine intentions to defeat it, in the first place. We must boldly address the...
Of Hajah Zainab – Is Palestine Still the Central Issue for Arabs?
Palestine is increasingly absent from Arab consciousness, at least at the official and media levels. For years, the discussion has veered elsewhere, to other regions and various other concerns, as Arab regional alliances are no longer driven by the “question of...