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Month: July 2013

Fatah Dismisses Hamas Papers as Fabrications
Members of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council have hit back at political rivals Hamas, claiming documents aired by the movement are “fabricated and falsified”. Hamas members had held a news conference on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, […]

EU’s Ashton: Israeli, Palestinian Deal ‘Within Reach’
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators’ stated goal of reaching a comprehensive peace deal inside nine months is realistic, the European Union’s top diplomat said Wednesday, painting the bloc as a “reliable friend” to both sides. “I […]

PA Urges Investigation Into Bennet’s ‘Kill Arabs’ Remarks
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday called on Israel to investigate remarks made by Israel’s Economy and Trade Minister, which made claims about killing Palestinians. Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right Jewish […]

Palestine’s South African Moment: Discussion with Haidar Eid
By Ebbe Bertelsen In the winter months of 1987 a popular uprising erupted in Palestine. In what is known as the First Intifada, the Palestinian people rebelled against twenty years of occupation of the West […]

HRW: PA Must Investigate Police Brutality
The Palestinian Authority must order an investigation into allegations of police brutality and the arbitrary arrest of demonstrators at a Ramallah protest on Sunday, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. “The police beat protesters and then […]

Israel, Palestine Back to Negotiating Table
Israeli and Palestinian teams have arrived in Washington to resume the Middle-East peace process after nearly three years of deadlock. Though optimism is in short supply ahead of the talks, with none of the sides […]

Hated in Egypt: How the Palestinian Bogeyman Resurfaced Like Never Before
By Ramzy Baroud When I left Gaza for the first time on my own, twenty some years ago, I was warned of a notorious officer who headed Egypt’s State Security Intelligence at the Rafah border. […]

‘We Steal Secrets’: The Assassination of Julian Assange
By Jonathan Cook I have just watched We Steal Secrets, Alex Gibney’s documentary about Wikileaks and Julian Assange. One useful thing I learnt is the difference between a hatchet job and character assassination. Gibney is […]

How UN Schemers Screwed up Middle East Peace Prospects for All Time
By Stuart Littlewood Why, after 65 years, is the Palestinian homeland still under foreign military occupation and total blockade when international law and the United Nations say it shouldn’t be? And why have the Palestinians […]

Israel Approves Palestinian Prisoner Release
The Israeli government has approved the release of 104 long-serving Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners, to coincide with the resumption of peace talks, public radio said. It reported that the 22-member cabinet on Sunday approved […]

Israeli Cabinet Approves Bill to Put any Peace Treaty with Palestinians to Referendum
The Israeli cabinet has backed a bill that requires any peace deal with the Palestinians to be put to a referendum. “Any agreement which may be reached in negotiations will be put to a referendum,” […]

Hundreds Protest Return to Negotiations in Ramallah
Hundreds of Palestinians marched in Ramallah on Sunday to protest a return to negotiations with Israel. Demonstrators marched from the city center towards President Abbas’ headquarters in the Muqata, chanting slogans condemning the Palestinian Authority’s […]

Natives and Israel: Manipulating Genocide
By Eric Walberg This month, Canada’s media solemnly related “the sad truth that the country engaged in a deliberate policy of attempted genocide against First Nations people”, referring to government-sponsored abuse of Native children a […]

Israel Limits EU Activities in West Bank, Gaza – Reports
Israeli Defense Minister has ordered to halt cooperation with EU officials in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It came as a response to European Commission’s guidelines that banned funding of Israel’s controversial settlement program […]

PFLP Leader Calls for Protests against Negotiations
The secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has called for nationwide protests against a return to negotiations. Ahmad Saadat urged Palestinians to “break all the barriers of silence and step up […]

Israel Creates Twitter Account for Dialogue with Gulf States
The Israeli government said it has created a Twitter account to promote dialogue with the Gulf Corporation Council, The National reported Thursday. Due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the GCC states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, […]

Kerry Uses Arabs to Bully Palestinians
By Nicola Nasser A new tactic by US Secretary of State John Kerry is causing a split within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ranks regarding further talks with Israel. Kerry is apparently using the Arab […]

The Turkey under the Table
By Uri Avnery When you have a conflict between two parties, the way to solve it is clear: you put them in the same room, let them thrash out their differences and emerge with a […]

PLO Presents Plan to End Violence in Syria Refugee Camps
A PLO delegation on Wednesday presented an initiative to the Syrian government to disarm and pacify Palestinian refugee camps in the country. Zakaria al-Agha, Chairman of the PLO’s Refugee Affairs Department, said that the initiative […]

Netanyahu Plans Peace Talks Referendum Bill
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a referendum is needed to prevent a rift in Israeli society. Polls have suggested a majority of Israelis support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside […]

US to Halt F-16 Supplies to Egypt Due to ‘Current Situation’
US President Barack Obama has taken a personal decision to suspend the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Egypt, claiming it is no longer “appropriate” following the toppling Mohamed Morsi’s government. “Given the current situation […]

Palestinian, Israeli Envoys Differ on Peace Roadmap at U.N. Talks
The Palestinian U.N. envoy said Israelis and Palestinians are at “a turning point” in resolving their decades-long conflict. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador said his country is willing to take risks for peace. But the two diplomats, […]

Ashton Pushes EU to Label Israel Settler Goods
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is pushing for comprehensive guidelines to introduce separate labeling for products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Ashton sent a letter to European […]

Gaza Economy Loses $230 Million Due to Tunnel Closures
The economy of the Gaza Strip lost an estimated $230 million in June due to the closure of smuggling tunnels by Egyptian authorities, Gaza’s minister of economy said Tuesday. Over 20,000 people have lost their […]

Kerry Finalizes Negotiations Team in Middle East Peace Push
Secretary of State John Kerry is finalizing his team to help shepherd Middle East peace talks and take on the heavy lifting on a day to day basis, a U.S. official said Monday. State Department […]

Back to Square None: Netanyahu, Abbas to Resume ‘Peace Process’ that Never Was
By Ramzy Baroud The political peddlers, think-tank experts and media professionals are all back in full force. They want us to believe that US Secretary of State John Kerry has done what others have failed […]

Immutable Egypt-Gaza Bonds
By Nicola Nasser Gaza will remain a matter of national security for Egypt. And regardless of who is in charge in Gaza, Egypt will also remain a strategic asset for Gaza, a lifeline for its […]

Arab League Backs Palestinian Stance in Peace Talks
The Arab League said on Sunday it supported the Palestinian stance on the announcement of resumed peace talks with Israel, but that it was skeptical of Israeli intentions. The League “is forming a political support […]

Hamas Appeals to Egypt Military over Tunnels
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are reeling from another crackdown on smuggling tunnels. But this time they are blaming Egypt, the neighboring Arab power they once hoped would end their isolation, rather than their old […]

Helen Thomas: A Journalistic Human Persona
By Leila Diab Upon hearing the sad news of Helen Thomas’ departure from life on July 20, 2013, at the sprightly age of 92, this renowned American Arab journalist’s legacy will continue to seal the […]