political writings
My Guests
Interview with Jonathan Cook
The Decline of Israel and the Prospects for Peace
10 March 2010 | In a wide-ranging interview with the New Left Project, Nazareth-based journalist Jonathan Cook describes the increasingly repressive nature of Israeli society and the prospects for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Decline of Israel and the Prospects for Peace
10 March 2010 | In a wide-ranging interview with the New Left Project, Nazareth-based journalist Jonathan Cook describes the increasingly repressive nature of Israeli society and the prospects for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.An article of Paul Craig Roberts
The Road to Armageddon: The Insane Drive for American Hegemony Threatens Life on Earth
26 February 2010 | The Washington Times is a newspaper that looks with favor upon the Bush/Cheney/Obama/neocon wars of aggression in the Middle East and favors making terrorists pay for 9/11. Therefore, I was surprised to learn on February 24 that the most popular story on the paper’s website for the past three days was the “Inside the Beltway” report, “Explosive News,” about the 31 press conferences in cities in the US and abroad on February 19 held by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, an organization of professionals which now has 1,000 members.
The Road to Armageddon: The Insane Drive for American Hegemony Threatens Life on Earth
26 February 2010 | The Washington Times is a newspaper that looks with favor upon the Bush/Cheney/Obama/neocon wars of aggression in the Middle East and favors making terrorists pay for 9/11. Therefore, I was surprised to learn on February 24 that the most popular story on the paper’s website for the past three days was the “Inside the Beltway” report, “Explosive News,” about the 31 press conferences in cities in the US and abroad on February 19 held by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, an organization of professionals which now has 1,000 members.An article of Khalid Amayreh
Fabricating history
25 February 2010 | Israel’s attempts to establish historical grounds for its existence include stealing, destroying and substituting Islamic heritage, reports Khalid Amayreh in Hebron.
Fabricating history
25 February 2010 | Israel’s attempts to establish historical grounds for its existence include stealing, destroying and substituting Islamic heritage, reports Khalid Amayreh in Hebron.An article of James Petras
Mossad’s Murderous Reach: The Larger Political Issues
22 February 2010 | The recent assassination of Hamas top military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is consistent with Israel’s traditional policy of extrajudicial killings targeting Palestinian resistance fighters abroad. It raises the fundamental issue of violating the sovereignty of other countries, overriding their laws. Moreover, Israel’s cynical use of dual citizens to achieve its murderous goals, as in this case, also raises the question of allegiance and the extent to which second passport-issuing countries are willing to look the other way to guarantee Israel’s impunity.
Mossad’s Murderous Reach: The Larger Political Issues
22 February 2010 | The recent assassination of Hamas top military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is consistent with Israel’s traditional policy of extrajudicial killings targeting Palestinian resistance fighters abroad. It raises the fundamental issue of violating the sovereignty of other countries, overriding their laws. Moreover, Israel’s cynical use of dual citizens to achieve its murderous goals, as in this case, also raises the question of allegiance and the extent to which second passport-issuing countries are willing to look the other way to guarantee Israel’s impunity.An article of Galal Nassar
When Israel joins NATO
4 February 2010 | If Israel succeeds in joining NATO, its regional belligerency would be backed by the collective strength of the entire alliance. Before that happens, will the Arabs react, asks Galal Nassar.
When Israel joins NATO
4 February 2010 | If Israel succeeds in joining NATO, its regional belligerency would be backed by the collective strength of the entire alliance. Before that happens, will the Arabs react, asks Galal Nassar.An article of Seumas Milne
The lessons of Iraq have been ignored. The target is now Iran
3 February 2010 | The US military buildup in the Gulf and Blair’s promotion of war against Tehran are a warning of yet another catastrophe, writes Seumas Milne.
The lessons of Iraq have been ignored. The target is now Iran
3 February 2010 | The US military buildup in the Gulf and Blair’s promotion of war against Tehran are a warning of yet another catastrophe, writes Seumas Milne.Interview of Mohamed Hassan by Grégoire Lalieu et Michel Collon
Yemen: USA are fighting against democracy,
2 February 2010 | A pair of trousers catches fire in an aeroplane close to Detroit and missiles rain down on Yemen. Is this is what is called the butterfly effect? For Mohammed Hassan, the terrorist threat is only an excuse.
Yemen: USA are fighting against democracy,
2 February 2010 | A pair of trousers catches fire in an aeroplane close to Detroit and missiles rain down on Yemen. Is this is what is called the butterfly effect? For Mohammed Hassan, the terrorist threat is only an excuse.An article of Palestine News Network
Newborn in Gaza with severe defects
28 January 2010 | Health professionals have observed a raise of mutations at birth in Gaza, since the Israeli offensive last year. One of these, is a story of a child born at the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Newborn in Gaza with severe defects
28 January 2010 | Health professionals have observed a raise of mutations at birth in Gaza, since the Israeli offensive last year. One of these, is a story of a child born at the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip.An article of Joseph Massad
How surrendering Palestinian rights became the language of "peace"
27 January 2010 | The 1993 Oslo agreement did not only usher in a new era of Palestinian-Israeli relations but has had a much more lasting effect in transforming the very language through which these relations have been governed internationally and the way the Palestinian leadership viewed them.
How surrendering Palestinian rights became the language of "peace"
27 January 2010 | The 1993 Oslo agreement did not only usher in a new era of Palestinian-Israeli relations but has had a much more lasting effect in transforming the very language through which these relations have been governed internationally and the way the Palestinian leadership viewed them.Omar Deghayes testifies
How I Fought to Survive Guantánamo
22 January 2010 | For nearly six years, British resident Omar Deghayes was imprisoned in Guantánamo and subjected to such brutal torture that he lost the sight in one eye. But far from being broken, he fought back to retain his dignity and his sanity
How I Fought to Survive Guantánamo
22 January 2010 | For nearly six years, British resident Omar Deghayes was imprisoned in Guantánamo and subjected to such brutal torture that he lost the sight in one eye. But far from being broken, he fought back to retain his dignity and his sanityAn article of Stuart Littlewood
What Next, Viva Palestina?
11 January 2010 | Mere words cannot express my admiration for Viva Palestina and those who devote their efforts to it. I love the way they shamed – and not for the first time – the great powers and their gutless leaders.
What Next, Viva Palestina?
11 January 2010 | Mere words cannot express my admiration for Viva Palestina and those who devote their efforts to it. I love the way they shamed – and not for the first time – the great powers and their gutless leaders.An article of Seumas Milne
Terror is the price of support for despots and dictators
7 January 2010 | Far from protecting its sovereignty, the Egyptian government has sold it for continued foreign subsidy and despotic dynastic rule, sacrificing any pretence to its historic role of Arab leadership in the process, writes Seumas Milne.
Terror is the price of support for despots and dictators
7 January 2010 | Far from protecting its sovereignty, the Egyptian government has sold it for continued foreign subsidy and despotic dynastic rule, sacrificing any pretence to its historic role of Arab leadership in the process, writes Seumas Milne.A new call of Richard Falk
UN expert repeats call for threat of sanctions against Israel over Gaza blockade
29 December 2009 | The United Nations independent expert on Palestinian rights has again called for a threat of economic sanctions against Israel to force it to lift its blockade of Gaza, which is preventing the return to a normal life for 1.5 million residents after the devastating Israeli offensive a year ago.
UN expert repeats call for threat of sanctions against Israel over Gaza blockade
29 December 2009 | The United Nations independent expert on Palestinian rights has again called for a threat of economic sanctions against Israel to force it to lift its blockade of Gaza, which is preventing the return to a normal life for 1.5 million residents after the devastating Israeli offensive a year ago.An article of Susan Abulhawa and Ramzy Baroud
A Single State, with Liberty and Justice for All
28 December 2009 | Prior to the establishment of Israel, Palestine had been multi-religious and multi-cultural. Christians, Muslims and Jews, Armenians, Greek Orthodox, to name a few, all had a place there; and all lived in relative harmony.
A Single State, with Liberty and Justice for All
28 December 2009 | Prior to the establishment of Israel, Palestine had been multi-religious and multi-cultural. Christians, Muslims and Jews, Armenians, Greek Orthodox, to name a few, all had a place there; and all lived in relative harmony.An article of Ramzy Baroud
Muslims Must Not Pay Price for Europe’s Identity Crisis
24 December 2009 | It seems that the targeting of Muslims and Islam has become a kind of national theater in France. Unlike theater, however, the disturbing trend can, and will turn ugly – in fact to a degree it already has – if the French government doesn’t get a grip on reality.
Muslims Must Not Pay Price for Europe’s Identity Crisis
24 December 2009 | It seems that the targeting of Muslims and Islam has become a kind of national theater in France. Unlike theater, however, the disturbing trend can, and will turn ugly – in fact to a degree it already has – if the French government doesn’t get a grip on reality.An article of Saleh Al-Naami
Total racism, total war
24 December 2009 | On the first anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza, shocking revelations are appearing on the methods and reasoning behind the war.
Total racism, total war
24 December 2009 | On the first anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza, shocking revelations are appearing on the methods and reasoning behind the war.An article of James Petras
Bended Knees: Zionist Power in American Politics
22 December 2009 | This is probably the most well-rounded and complete article by James Petras on the configuration of Zionist power - at all levels of the US political system and society - that far outweighs its numerical strength. More than a lobby, the ZPC has acted over the past fifty years as an agent in the interest of a foreign military power. Its influence is already deeply entrenched in many other regions of the world, denoting a trend that Petras describes as the globalization of Zionist power. However, support may be falterning, as divisions among the US policy elite over Zionist control have started to emerge. But, despite the dissenting voices, Obama continues to take his marching orders from Tel Aviv on all major issues promoted by the ZPC.
Bended Knees: Zionist Power in American Politics
22 December 2009 | This is probably the most well-rounded and complete article by James Petras on the configuration of Zionist power - at all levels of the US political system and society - that far outweighs its numerical strength. More than a lobby, the ZPC has acted over the past fifty years as an agent in the interest of a foreign military power. Its influence is already deeply entrenched in many other regions of the world, denoting a trend that Petras describes as the globalization of Zionist power. However, support may be falterning, as divisions among the US policy elite over Zionist control have started to emerge. But, despite the dissenting voices, Obama continues to take his marching orders from Tel Aviv on all major issues promoted by the ZPC.Professor Kassem Criminal Trials
Palestinian people are deeply upset about Mahmoud Abbas regime
20 December 2009 | On Dec 23, 2009, Professor Abdul Sattar Kassem will appear in court in Nablus for a couple of trials. One has to do with an allegation of distorting the image of a Palestinian intelligence recruit by saying that he was the one who burned Mr. Sattar car; and the other has to do with distorting a preventive security recruit by saying that the one who shot at sheikh al-Beetawi is an Israeli agent.
Palestinian people are deeply upset about Mahmoud Abbas regime
20 December 2009 | On Dec 23, 2009, Professor Abdul Sattar Kassem will appear in court in Nablus for a couple of trials. One has to do with an allegation of distorting the image of a Palestinian intelligence recruit by saying that he was the one who burned Mr. Sattar car; and the other has to do with distorting a preventive security recruit by saying that the one who shot at sheikh al-Beetawi is an Israeli agent.
A Study done by Professors Mario Barbieri, Maurizio Barbieri and Paola Manduca
The potentially widespread contamination of the soil of Gaza due to Israeli bombing
17 December 2009 | Summary of the press release, in a press conference held jointly with Al Shifa doctors and Health Ministry representatives.
The potentially widespread contamination of the soil of Gaza due to Israeli bombing
17 December 2009 | Summary of the press release, in a press conference held jointly with Al Shifa doctors and Health Ministry representatives.
A lecture of Denis Halliday
The United Nations’ Role in Peace and War
4 December 2009 | Denis Halliday spent most of his career with the United Nations in development and humanitarian assistance-related posts. In 1997, he was appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary General and head of the Humanitarian Program in Iraq. One year later, after a 34-year career with the UN, Halliday announced his resignation from the United Nations over the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq, characterizing them as "genocide".
On 1st December 2009, he gave in Montreal a lecture entitled " The United Nations’ Role in Peace and War", in which he outlined the many failures of the organisation: the incongruity of the Security Council and the importance of its reform, the principle of double standards applied by the five permanent members which serves the interests of a minority, the need to criminalize war etc.. We present here the text of this (...)
The United Nations’ Role in Peace and War
4 December 2009 | Denis Halliday spent most of his career with the United Nations in development and humanitarian assistance-related posts. In 1997, he was appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary General and head of the Humanitarian Program in Iraq. One year later, after a 34-year career with the UN, Halliday announced his resignation from the United Nations over the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq, characterizing them as "genocide".
On 1st December 2009, he gave in Montreal a lecture entitled " The United Nations’ Role in Peace and War", in which he outlined the many failures of the organisation: the incongruity of the Security Council and the importance of its reform, the principle of double standards applied by the five permanent members which serves the interests of a minority, the need to criminalize war etc.. We present here the text of this (...)Interview of Sattar Kassem by Marcy Newman
Interview with Palestinian Authority dissident: "I cannot just stay silent"
27 November 2009 | Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor and author of numerous publications on Palestinian history and Islamic thought, is well-known for his pungent critiques of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). As a result he has been imprisoned by both the Israelis and the PA. Most recently his car was blown up as a warning from the PA. Marcy Newman spoke with Professor Qassem on behalf of The Electronic Intifada at his home in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Interview with Palestinian Authority dissident: "I cannot just stay silent"
27 November 2009 | Abdel Sattar Qassem, a professor and author of numerous publications on Palestinian history and Islamic thought, is well-known for his pungent critiques of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). As a result he has been imprisoned by both the Israelis and the PA. Most recently his car was blown up as a warning from the PA. Marcy Newman spoke with Professor Qassem on behalf of The Electronic Intifada at his home in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.A letter of Haidar Eid
An Open letter from a Palestinian Resident of Gaza to Barack Hussein Obama
14 November 2009 | .
An Open letter from a Palestinian Resident of Gaza to Barack Hussein Obama
14 November 2009 | .
An article of Thierry Meyssan
Did GWB Ever Tell the Truth About 9/11?
3 November 2009 | Thierry Meyssan started the international campaign that questioned the Bush version of the 9/11 attacks eight years ago. Today he recaps the issues for Odnako, a new Russian periodical but not before criticizing the media’s tight “iron curtain” around NATO member populations that isolates from the rest of world opinion. Under heavy media pressure, these populations still imagine that only fringe activists contest the official version of 9/11.
Meyssan also points up the gullibility of Westerners who believe the comic strip storyboard about how some 20 extremists could strike at the heart the world’s largest military empire.
Did GWB Ever Tell the Truth About 9/11?
3 November 2009 | Thierry Meyssan started the international campaign that questioned the Bush version of the 9/11 attacks eight years ago. Today he recaps the issues for Odnako, a new Russian periodical but not before criticizing the media’s tight “iron curtain” around NATO member populations that isolates from the rest of world opinion. Under heavy media pressure, these populations still imagine that only fringe activists contest the official version of 9/11.
Meyssan also points up the gullibility of Westerners who believe the comic strip storyboard about how some 20 extremists could strike at the heart the world’s largest military empire.An article of Azmi Bishara
Palestinian Authority against Palestinian Liberation and International Solidarity
21 October 2009 | The decision to behave in Geneva like the made-in-Oslo Palestinian Authority (PA) was but an extension of the Israeli occupation was the final nail in the coffin of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause in its customary sense.
Palestinian Authority against Palestinian Liberation and International Solidarity
21 October 2009 | The decision to behave in Geneva like the made-in-Oslo Palestinian Authority (PA) was but an extension of the Israeli occupation was the final nail in the coffin of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause in its customary sense.An article of Gilad Atzmon
The Nobel Prize, the Brand and the President
11 October 2009 | People out there are divided whether it was a right decision to award Obama with a Nobel prize for peace. In fact, almost everyone around me is outraged, what ‘peace’ they ask, what about Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Palestine?
The Nobel Prize, the Brand and the President
11 October 2009 | People out there are divided whether it was a right decision to award Obama with a Nobel prize for peace. In fact, almost everyone around me is outraged, what ‘peace’ they ask, what about Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Palestine?An article of David Ray Griffin
Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive?
9 October 2009 | Is Osama bin Laden still alive? I have dealt with this question in a recent little book entitled Osama bin Laden: Dead or Alive? The present essay summarizes the main points of this book.
Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive?
9 October 2009 | Is Osama bin Laden still alive? I have dealt with this question in a recent little book entitled Osama bin Laden: Dead or Alive? The present essay summarizes the main points of this book.Omar Barghouti denounces the betrayal of the Palestinian Authority
United Nations must immediately adopt and act on Goldstone report
5 October 2009 | Palestinian civil society has strongly and almost unanimously condemned the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) latest decision to delay adoption by the UN Human Rights Council of the report prepared by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, headed by justice Richard Goldstone, into the recent Israeli war of aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied Gaza Strip.
United Nations must immediately adopt and act on Goldstone report
5 October 2009 | Palestinian civil society has strongly and almost unanimously condemned the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) latest decision to delay adoption by the UN Human Rights Council of the report prepared by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, headed by justice Richard Goldstone, into the recent Israeli war of aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied Gaza Strip.An article of Stuart Littlewood
The UN: International Law Versus the Law of the Jungle
18 September 2009 | Outgoing United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann says he was obstructed by leading UN members from trying to improve the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"My greatest frustration this year has been the Palestine situation," he told the 192-nation assembly in his final address on 14 September before handing over the one-year presidency to Libyan diplomat Ali Treki.
The UN: International Law Versus the Law of the Jungle
18 September 2009 | Outgoing United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann says he was obstructed by leading UN members from trying to improve the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"My greatest frustration this year has been the Palestine situation," he told the 192-nation assembly in his final address on 14 September before handing over the one-year presidency to Libyan diplomat Ali Treki.An article of Haidar Eid
The pitfalls of Palestinian national consciousness
25 August 2009 | The sixth congress of the Fatah movement, held in Bethlehem earlier this month, gave us a front row seat to the closing act of an important period of Palestinian nationalism.
The pitfalls of Palestinian national consciousness
25 August 2009 | The sixth congress of the Fatah movement, held in Bethlehem earlier this month, gave us a front row seat to the closing act of an important period of Palestinian nationalism.An article of Faris Giacaman
Can we talk? The Middle East "peace industry"
20 August 2009 | Upon finding out that I am Palestinian, many people I meet at college in the United States are eager to inform me of various activities that they have participated in that promote "coexistence" and "dialogue" between both sides of the "conflict," no doubt expecting me to give a nod of approval. However, these efforts are harmful and undermine the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel — the only way of pressuring Israel to cease its violations of Palestinians’ rights.
Can we talk? The Middle East "peace industry"
20 August 2009 | Upon finding out that I am Palestinian, many people I meet at college in the United States are eager to inform me of various activities that they have participated in that promote "coexistence" and "dialogue" between both sides of the "conflict," no doubt expecting me to give a nod of approval. However, these efforts are harmful and undermine the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel — the only way of pressuring Israel to cease its violations of Palestinians’ rights.