It seems Palestinians are trying to get out of international and Arab isolation by taking a series of measures, including restoring ties with Israel and returning their ambassadors to the UAE and Bahrain, in anticipation of the Joe Biden administration’s arrival into office. Scientists say animals have an internal clock that …
Blog Archives
Justice at Last? ‘Panic’ in Israel as the ICC Takes ‘momentous step’ in the right direction
At long last, Fatou Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has uttered the long-anticipated conclusion that “all the statutory criteria under the Rome statute for the opening of an investigation (into alleged war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories) have been met”. Bensouda’s verdict has been …
Israel is still planning to displace even more Palestinians
Since the 1948 Nakba when Israel was created in the historic land of Palestine, which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland, successive Israeli governments have continued to propose political and demographic plans for the displacement of more Palestinians from the West Bank, the …
The day after: What if Israel annexes the West Bank?
Calls for the annexation of the Occupied West Bank are gaining momentum in both Tel Aviv and Washington. But Israel and its American allies should be careful what they wish for. Annexing the Occupied Palestinian Territories will only reinforce the current rethink of the Palestinian strategy, as opposed to solving …
Hamas-Fatah standoff vexes Egypt as mediator
There has been speculation that Egypt has given up on mediating a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank, but so far Egypt hasn’t said it will throw in the towel.
The West Bank: Israeli annexation, the deal of the century and the pursuit of Hamas
The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has announced that his country understands Israel’s need to have dominant security control in the West Bank as part of any peace agreement reached with the Palestinians. He said that this is because Washington understands the threat to Israel’s existence if Hamas ever …
Palestinian elections could prove promising or impossible
Many Palestinian journalists, nongovernmental organizations and members of the public concur that holding comprehensive elections — for the presidency and legislature at the same time, and in all the territories — is the best remedy for the 12-year-long Palestinian divide, after all attempts to end the Fatah-Hamas split have failed. But many people, mostly Fatah members and Palestinian President Mahmoud …
Why Abbas is shaking up Palestinian security services
The Palestinian arena has of lately witnessed successive events, beginning with the resignation of the Palestinian government on Jan. 29, the start of consultations to form a new government, the leaks in late January that the US administration’s Mideast peace plan would be announced soon, and the announcement by the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Feb. 10 that international institutions …
Why Hamas wants to distance itself from recent rocket launch
On Oct. 17, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit an Israeli house in Beersheba, in southern Israel, causing significant damage. Yet, surprisingly, none of the Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for the rocket launch. Despite these factions previously having deemed attacks on southern Israel as justified “national action,” they sought to distance themselves this time, raising questions …
Israel, Hamas on verge of modest truce
Hamas sent a delegation from Gaza to Cairo on Aug. 14 for another round of discussions on the outline of the arrangement that is taking shape with Israel under Egyptian mediation and with UN cooperation. A Hamas source told Al-Monitor that the sides are nearing the finish line. The biggest question is whether the Palestinian Authority will …