Dr Ramzy Baroud, Author At Countercurrents

Articles by: Dr Ramzy Baroud

Tel Aviv’s Losing Brands: Israeli ‘Coup’ and the Death of False Democracy

From its very onset, Israel has constructed a brand for itself, a powerful gimmick that was predicated on two main pillars: democracy and stability. The main target audience for this brand has been powerful Western states that wielded disproportionate political, economic and military powers. These Western governments, along with their influential mainstream corporate media, did their part, by polishing Israel’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Epidemic’ or Revolution: The Other Side of the West Africa Upheaval

What if the “epidemic of coups” in West and Central Africa is not that at all, but a direct outcome of outright revolutionary movements, similar to the anti-colonial movements that liberated most African nations from the yoke of Western colonialism throughout the 20th century? Whether this is the case or not, we are unlikely to find out anytime soon, simply[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Humiliation vs. Self-Respect: The Untold Story of the Abuse of Palestinian Women in Hebron

The humiliation of Palestinian women by Israeli soldiers in the occupied city of Al-Khalil (Hebron) on July 10 was not the first such episode. Sadly, it will not be the last. Indeed, the stripping of five women in front of their children, parading them naked around their family home and then stealing their jewelry by an Israeli military unit, was[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Twisted Israeli Logic of Murdering Palestinian Children, and What Can We Do to Stop It?

Israel kills Palestinian children as a matter of policy. This claim can easily be demonstrated and is supported by the latest findings of a Human Rights Watch report. The question is: why? When the police or military shoot a child anywhere in the world, though utterly tragic, it can be argued, at least in theory, that the killing was an[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

When the Torturer is the ‘Savior’: Can BRICS, Global South Help Us Escape the West’s Hegemony, Contradictions?

by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo At the zenith of the mass protests in Egypt on January 25, 2011, Twitter, Facebook and other Western-based social media platforms appeared to be the most essential tools for the Egyptian Revolution. Though some observers later contested the use of the terms ‘Twitter Revolution’ or ‘Social Media Revolution’, one cannot deny the centrality of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Bread and Circuses’: Musk, Zuckerberg and the Art of Distraction

‘Panem et circenses’, said the Romans – ‘Bread and circuses’. This maxim served the Romans well. In times of crisis and whenever they needed a distraction from military defeats or political infighting at the highest levels, they simply entertained the masses. Caroline Wazir wrote an article in The Atlantic in 2016, linking entertainment and the need for political validation in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/09/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Smoke rises during an Israeli military raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Monday, July 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A ‘Terrorist Onslaught’? This is Why Netanyahu, Gallant Blame Iran for West Bank Violence

Despite their complicated and often uneasy relationship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agree on one thing: Iran is behind Israel’s security problem. The socio-economic polarization in Israel, the country’s political and judicial crises, the ongoing settlers’ pogroms in the West Bank, the repeated calls for religious war by Tel Aviv’s far-right ministers – all[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Friend or Foe? Russia’s West Jerusalem Consulate is Very Worrying

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, a global cold war has also kicked in. As a strong ally of Washington and the home of a massive constituency of Russian, Ukrainian and East European Jews, it was only natural that Tel Aviv would be at the heart of the global conflict. When the war began, Israel was then ruled by[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Is Western Media’s Perception of Africa Racist?

Racism goes beyond the use of certain words or the discriminatory practices of everyday life. It is also about political perceptions, intellectual depictions, and collective relationships. Consider the way that Africa is currently portrayed in the news. From a political viewpoint, Africa is seen as a totality, and not in a positive way, as in a united Africa. For example,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Palestinians Welcome China’s New Middle East Role, but It is Not Mediation They Need

It is feasible for China to continue playing an important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly the issue. Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last April, Chinese diplomacy has shown exceptional maturity. For many years,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Capital of Shatat’ and Palestinian Agony: The Uncomfortable Truth about Ain Al-Hilweh

Ain Al-Hilweh is known as the “Capital of Palestinian Shatat.” The term might not stir many emotions among those who do not fully understand, let alone experience the harrowing existence of ethnic cleansing and perpetual exile – and the tremendous violence which followed. ‘Shatat’ is roughly translated into “exile” or “Diaspora”. However, the meaning is much more complex. It can[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Balancing Act is over: Israeli Protests are Not about Democracy, but Ideology

The late Israeli commentator, Uri Avnery, wrote, “I am increasingly worried that the Israeli-Palestinian struggle … is assuming a more and more religious character.” At first glance, the statement may seem baffling. If Israel is a ‘Jewish State’ that serves as a ‘homeland’ for all Jewish people, everywhere, does it not follow that the ‘struggle’, at least from an Israeli[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/08/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Asia’s ‘Strategic Autonomy’: How the New Era Could Shape Our Collective Identities

In a recent speech, China’s highest-ranking diplomat, Wang Yi, spoke of a ‘united Asia’ and its need to develop a “strategic autonomy”. In principle, Wang was not wrong; after all, a stable and prosperous Asia would benefit the peoples of the region and would deny Western meddlers the chance to exploit historical fault lines and sow the seeds of political[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

US and Israel: Is the ‘Unbreakable Bond’ Finally Breaking?

Israeli President Isaac Herzog added nothing of great value in his speech at the United States Congress on July 19. His was the typical language. He spoke of a ‘sacred bond’, touted the shared experience between both nations as “unique in scope and quality”, and celebrated the great, common “values that reach across generations”. But this theatrical language was meant[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Meaning of Solidarity in the Time of a New Palestine

[Along with other intellectuals, I was asked by a New Zealand solidarity group to share a few ideas on what meaningful solidarity with Palestine entails. This talk inspired the article below.] It is a new era in Palestine. This new era is taking shape before our very eyes, through the blood, tears and sacrifices of a brave generation that is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gestures during a meeting of the UN Security Council at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The War to Save Mahmoud Abbas: Is Netanyahu Pushing for Palestinian Civil Conflict?

This is the perfect opportunity for Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to exit the stage. But he will not. Abbas’ brief visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on July 12 demonstrated the absurdity and danger of the PA and its 87-year-old leader. As he walked, Abbas struggled to keep his balance, in what[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Jenin is Just the Start: Did Palestinians Finally Bury the Ghosts of the Past?

The deadly Israeli invasion of Jenin on July 3 was not a surprise. Also, unsurprising is the fact that the killing of 12 Palestinians, wounding of 120 more and the destruction of nearly 80 percent of the Jenin Refugee Camp’s homes and infrastructure will not make an iota of a difference. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his lofty[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

From ICC to ‘Sportswashing’: West’s Self-Serving Narratives Must Be Combated

In March, the South Africa Communist Party (SACP) denounced what it described as the ‘imperialist bias’ of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The denunciation of the ICC as a “supranational institution at the service of imperialist states” came two days after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another Russian official for alleged war[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Scores of angry protesters burn Swedish flags after Friday prayers outside Mohammad al-Amin Mosque to denounce the recent desecration of Islam's holy book by far-right activists in Sweden in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. HASSAN AMMAR / AP

Burning of the Quran and the Counter-offensive: Why the West is Panicking

Desecrating, then burning the Holy Quran in Sweden has, once again, raised a political storm of condemnation, but also of justification, if not outright approval. Such acts are protected by law, top Swedish and EU officials have declared. But why are the rights of those who oppose western agendas, colonialism, imperialism, Zionism and military interventions not equally protected by law?[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

No Palestinian State and the PA ‘Works for Us’: Netanyahu’s Remarks Should Inspire Paradigm Shift

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not just against the establishment of a Palestinian state, he wants to eliminate the very aspirations for such a state. This was the gist of Netanyahu’s remarks, made at a meeting of the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. They were reported in Israeli media on June 26. Some, including officials in the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Why a Palestinian Rebellion is Coming

Numbers can be dehumanizing. However, when placed in their proper context, they help to illuminate wider issues and answer urgent questions, such as why is Occupied Palestine at the threshold of a major revolt. And why Israel cannot crush Palestinian resistance no matter how hard, or violently, it tries. That’s when numbers become relevant. Since the start of this year,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/07/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘We Will Not Surrender’: The Extraordinary Palestinians of Jenin

On June 19, a large Israeli military force raided the northern Palestinian town and refugee camp of Jenin from multiple directions. Not only did the raid fail, it backfired, and it also created a precedent in Israel’s decades-long war on the ever-rebellious Palestinian region. Israel killed eight Palestinians and wounded 91 more, following hours of clashes involving Israeli soldiers, on[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Beloved ‘Cavaliere’: Berlusconi’s Death Will Not Resolve Italy’s Democracy Problem

“Berlusconi is there because others have failed.” These words by Italian columnist Massimo Franco were made to the Washington Post in 2018, shortly before the Italian March elections. They sum up the story of Italy’s modern politics. Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s adored but also loathed longest-serving prime minister died on June 12. His party, Forza Italia, is a partner in Italy’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Survivors of a shipwreck sit inside a warehouse taking shelter at the port in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150miles) southwest of Athens, on June 15, 2023. A fishing boat crammed with up to 750 migrants capsized and sank June 14 off the coast of Greece, authorities said, leaving at least 79 dead. Hundreds more of those on board are likely dead. [AP Photo/Angelos Tzortzinis, Pool via AP]

The Irony of ‘World Refugee Day’: ‘Celebrating’, then Blaming the Victims

Fadi, a Syrian teenager, with curly hair and an acne-covered face, has miraculously survived one of the greatest migrant boat disasters in the modern history of the Mediterranean. Only 104 people have been rescued from a boat that carried an estimated 750 refugees after it capsized on June 13 in the open sea near the coastal town of Pylos. Scores[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Permanent Apartheid in Palestine: This is Why Israel Wants to Reactivate E1 Plan

The Israeli government is at it again, actively discussing the construction of thousands of illegal settlement units as part of a massive settlement expansion scheme known as E1. Though Israeli construction in the East Jerusalem area has supposedly been halted under international pressure, the Israeli government has found ways to keep the plan alive. It did so through constant expansion[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Neoliberalism, Geopolitics and Ideology: The Taming of Giorgia Meloni

Europe keeps reminding us that geopolitical interests trump ideology. European politics is the prime example of how states and political parties are willing to ditch their very ideological foundations to hold onto power, even if briefly. The unmistakable political shift of attitude in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Fratelli d’Italia party is the latest evidence that European politicians[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

China and Palestine: No To ‘Piecemeal Crisis Management’

Remarks by China’s United Nations Ambassador, Geng Shuang, on the situation in Occupied Palestine on May 24 were impeccable, in terms of their consistency with international law. Compared to the United States’ position, which perceives the UN, and particularly the Security Council, as a battleground to defend Israeli interests, the Chinese political discourse reflects a legal stance based on a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A Man Without a Strategy: How Netanyahu Is Provoking Armed Intifada in the West Bank

After signing a military decree on May 18, allowing illegal Israeli Jewish settlers to reclaim the abandoned Homesh settlement located in the northern Occupied West Bank, the Israeli government has informed the US Biden Administration that it will not turn the area into a new settlement. The latter revelation was reported by Axios on May 23. This contradiction is hardly[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/06/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Prophets of Doom: Kissinger and the ‘Intellectual’ Decline of the West

It is unclear why 100-year-old Henry Kissinger has been elevated by Western intelligentsia to serve the role of the visionary in how the West should behave in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. But does the centenarian politician have the answers? Every major global conflict that involved the US and its NATO allies in the past had its own state-sanctioned intellectuals.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Not On Our Dime!’: Why US Democrats Are Growingly Challenging Israel

Though the United States remains a strong supporter of Israel, there are some indications that the supposed ‘unbreakable bond’ with Tel Aviv is faltering, though more in language than in deeds. Following the provocative ‘Flag March’ on May 18, which is carried out annually by Israeli Jewish extremists in the Occupied Palestinian city of East Jerusalem, the US joined other[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Led by China and India: On the Global South Efforts to Fix the UN

In anticipation of next month’s United Nations Security Council talks on reforming the inherently archaic and dysfunctional political body, China’s foreign policy chief, Yang Yi stated his country’s demands. “The reform of the Security Council should uphold fairness and justice, increase the representation and voice of developing countries, allowing more small and medium-sized countries to have more opportunities to participate[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

New Rules of Engagement: How Palestinians Defeated Netanyahu and Redefined ‘Unity’

All Israeli wars on the Palestinians throughout the years have been promoted and justified by Tel Aviv in the name of ‘security’ and ‘fighting terrorism’. Israel’s biggest challenge throughout many of these wars was hardly the Palestinian Resistance, however steadfast and resilient. The challenge has always been Tel Aviv’s ability to kill many Palestinians, including civilians, without tarnishing its image[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Khader Adnan celebrates with his children during a rally honoring him following his release from Israeli prison, near the West Bank city of Jenin on 12 July 2015. Adnan died Tuesday after 86 days of hunger strike against his renewed imprisonment. Shadi HatemAPA images

‘My Family, My People’: How Khader Adnan Unified Palestinians from His Prison Cell

Khader Adnan was not a ‘terrorist’ with ‘Israeli blood on his hands,’ as pro-Israeli propagandists have been repeating in the news and on social media. If the former Palestinian prisoner, who died in his Israeli prison cell following 87 days of an uninterrupted hunger strike was, indeed, directly involved in armed resistance, the story would have had a completely different[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Who Said BDS Has ‘Already Failed’?: European Cities Boycott Apartheid Israel

A succession of events starting in Barcelona, Spain, in February, and followed in Liège, Belgium, and Oslo, Norway, in April sent a strong message to Israel: The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) is alive and well. In Barcelona, the city’s Mayor canceled a twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. The decision was not an impulsive[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Winners and Losers in Sudan: On Proxy Wars and Superpower Rivalries in the Global South

The world is changing. In fact, it has been undergoing seismic change that long preceded the Russian-Ukraine war, and the recent US-Chinese tensions in the Taiwan Strait. In fact, the US debacle in Iraq and the Middle East, and the humiliating retreat from Afghanistan were only signs of the decline in US power. Leading US neoconservative strategists have once argued in “Rebuilding America’s Defenses:[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/05/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Erasure vs. Sumud: How the Nakba Came to Define the Collective Palestinian Identity

On May 15, 2023, the Palestinian Nakba will be 75 years old. Palestinians all over the world will commemorate the tragic occasion, known as the ‘Catastrophe’, when nearly 800,000 Palestinians were made refugees and nearly 500 towns and villages were ethnically cleansed of their inhabitants in historic Palestine between late 1947 and mid-1948. The depopulation of Palestine carried on for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Losing ‘Deterrence’: How Palestinian, Arab Resistance Changed Rules of War with Israel

When Israel launched a war against the Gaza Strip in August 2022, it declared that its target was the Islamic Jihad only. Indeed, neither Hamas nor the other Gaza-based groups engaged directly in the fighting. The war then raised more questions than answers. Israel rarely distinguishes between one Palestinian group and another. For Tel Aviv, any kind of Palestinian Resistance[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Rise of the South: Can BRICS Weaken the Dominance of the IMF and World Bank?

Who would have expected that the BRICS nations could rise as the potential rival of the G7 countries, the World Bank and the IMF combined? But that once seemingly distant possibility now has real prospects which could change the political equilibrium of world politics. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was supposedly coined[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Quest for Religious War: How Israel is Unifying Arabs and Muslims around Palestine

By ordering a brutal attack against Palestinian worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque on the 14th day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew very well that the Palestinians would retaliate. Netanyahu’s motive should be clear. He wanted to generate a distraction from the mass protests that have rocked Israel, starting in January, and divided Israeli[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Price of Solidarity: Palestine, Indonesia and the ‘Human Rights’ Dilemma

When I excitedly shared the news on social media that Indonesia had refused to host the Israeli team as part of the Under-20 World Cup, scheduled from May 20 to June 11 in Indonesian cities, some readers were unimpressed. Though any news related to Palestine and Israel often generates two sharply different kinds of responses, the latest act of Indonesian[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Lying about Lying: Why We Must Revisit the Definition of ‘Fake News’

The phrase ‘fake news’ continues to be deployed routinely in US politics. In a polarized political atmosphere, both Republicans and Democrats distrust media organizations affiliated with opposing parties. This means that most of what is uttered or written by CNN is ‘fake news’ for Republicans, and much of what appears in Republicans-affiliated media is ‘fake news’ for Democrats. The phrase[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Selective Outrage in Palestine: The Problem is Not Just Smotrich but Zionism

By his own admission, Israel’s new Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is a “fascist homophobe”. This declaration, which he made on January 16, should be enough to accentuate the violent nature of the new political concoction created by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last December. Though Smotrich is not the only politician in Netanyahu’s cabinet with a track record of violence,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Xi’s ‘Chilling’ Remarks: A Multipolar World Offers Challenges and Opportunities to the Middle East and Africa

The final exchange, caught on camera between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian host and counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sums up the current geopolitical conflict, still in its nascent stages, between the United States and its Western allies on the one hand, and Russia, China and their allies, on the other. Xi was leaving the Kremlin following a three-day[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Algeria’s Gas vs. Rightwing Ideology: Will Italy Change Its Position on Jerusalem?

by Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Tel Aviv for Rome on March 9, he was flown to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv by a helicopter because anti-government protesters blocked all the roads around it. Netanyahu’s visit was not met with much enthusiasm in Italy, either. A sit-in was organized by pro-Palestine activists[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Silent in Ukraine: Weapons Perpetuate, Do Not End Wars

As is the case of long wars, the warring parties and their affiliated media in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have painted each other using uncompromising language, making it nearly impossible to offer an unbiased view of the ongoing tragedy that has killed, wounded and expelled millions. While it is understandable that wars of such horror and near complete disregard of the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

This artwork by children from Gaza was removed from a London hospital after complaints. Photograph: Twitter/Middle East Eye

Victory is Defeat: Palestinian Children’s Art Exposes Israel’s Cultural Genocide

The following text tells the whole story of what pro-Palestinian communities around the world are fighting for, and what pro-Israelis are fighting against: “We are delighted to report that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has removed a display of artwork designed by children from Gaza.” That was the summary of a news report published on the homepage of the pro-Israel group,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

On False Hopes and Broken Promises: Behind the Scenes of the UN Statement on Palestine

Rarely does the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations make an official remark expressing happiness over any UN proceeding concerning the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Indeed, the Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour is “very happy that there was a very strong united message from the Security Council against the illegal, unilateral measure” undertaken by the Israeli government. The ‘measure’ is a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/03/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Truth, No Matter What’: Why Watering Down Palestinian Reality is a Crime

On February 20, the United Nations Security Council approved a statement, described in the media as a ‘watered-down’ version of an earlier draft resolution which would have demanded that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.” The intrigues that led to the scrapping of what was meant to be a binding resolution will be the subject of a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘America is Not a Racist Country’: How Nikki Haley Became Israel’s Candidate for the White House

Though it has been argued that the so-called American dream is long dead, Nikki Haley is proof that the dream is still alive. Unfortunately, the ‘dream’ is hers alone. Until recently, a close confidante of former US President Donald Trump and his pro-Israel circle, Haley wants to be the next United States president. On February 14, she officially declared her[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

True Champions of Humanity in Türkiye and Syria: We Thank You

On February 7, a funeral was held in the northern Syrian town of Jinderis. It was one of numerous such funerals to be held on that day across Syria and Türkiye, following a devastating earthquake that killed and injured thousands. Each one of these funerals represented two seemingly opposite notions: collective grief and collective hope. The Jinderis funeral was a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Active ‘Neutrality’: Why Is Israel Struggling to Maintain a Coherent Position in Russia, Ukraine?

For a whole year, Israel has struggled in its attempts to articulate a clear and decisive position regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. The reason behind the seemingly confused Israeli position is that it stands to lose, regardless of the outcome. But is Israel a neutral party? Israel is home to a population of almost one million Russian-speaking citizens, one-third of them[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

A Month’s Notice: Why Burkina Faso Ordered French Troops out of the Country

Though it was clear that Burkina Faso was eventually going to follow in the footsteps of Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), Ouagadougou’s decision to break military ties with France was not as simple as media sound bites want us to believe. The conventional wisdom is that these countries are walking away from their former colonial master, France, to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Failed Experiment: Three Reasons Why Israel Fears a Major War on Gaza

Though Israel’s past wars on Gaza have often been justified by Tel Aviv as a response to Palestinian rockets or, generally, as acts of self-defense, the truth is different. Historically, Israel’s relationship with Gaza has been defined by Tel Aviv’s need to create distractions from its own fractious politics, to flex its muscles against its regional enemies and to test[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestine is My Cause: Arabs Reaffirm Support for Palestinians, Rejection of the Occupation

The latest Arab Opinion Index 2022 is yet more proof that Arab societies are diverse in every possible way, from their assessment of their economic situation and living conditions to their take on immigration, state institutions and democracy. With one single exception: Palestine. 76 percent of all respondents to the poll, which is carried out annually by the Arab Center[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestinians Are Not Liars: Confronting the Violence of Media Delegitimization

by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo On January 19, during one of its raids in the Occupied West Bank, the Israeli military arrested a Palestinian journalist, Abdul Muhsen Shalaldeh, near the town of Al-Khalil (Hebron). This is just the latest of a staggering number of violations against Palestinian journalists, and against freedom of expression. A few days earlier, the head[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A State for Some of Its Citizens: Captured Black Soldier’s Saga Highlights Racism in Israel

“For how long will I be in captivity? After so many years, where are the state and the people of Israel?” These were the words, uttered in Hebrew, of a person believed to be Avera Mengistu, an Israeli soldier of Ethiopian origin who was captured and held in Gaza in 2014. Footage of Mengistu, looking nervous but also somewhat defiant,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Strong Militaries, Weak Society: The Missing Story in the Global Firepower Ranking

The Global Firepower ranking was published on January 6. The annual report classifies the world’s strongest militaries based on over 60 factors, including size, spending and technological advancements. The report, which placed the United States military on top, followed by Russia, China, India and the UK, raised more questions than answers, with some accusing GFP, the organization that compiled the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

It Has Always Been a ‘Religious War’: On Ben Gvir and the Adaptability of Zionism

In a self-congratulatory article published in the Atlantic in 2017, Yossi Klein Halevi describes Israeli behavior at the just-conquered holy Muslim shrines in Occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 as “an astonishing moment of religious restraint”. “The Jewish people had just returned to its holiest site, from which it had been denied access for centuries, only to effectively yield sovereignty at[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Time for Action is Now: What Will Happen after the ICJ Delegitimizes Israel’s Occupation of Palestine

Once more, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will offer a legal opinion on the consequences of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. A historic United Nations vote on December 31 called on the ICJ to look at the Israeli Occupation in terms of legal consequences, the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the responsibility of all UN Member[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

On Giuseppe Trani and the ‘Human Condition’: Positive Vibes for 2023

When the newsstand of Giuseppe Trani was swept away by massive flooding that devastated the southern Italian town of Casamicciola, near Naples, the 70-year-old man lost everything. Not for long, though, as the townsfolk, who were also affected by the flooding and landslides experienced throughout the whole region, raised the needed funds to help Trani rebuild his kiosk. It is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Israel Was Never a Democracy: So why is the West Lamenting End of ‘Liberal’ Israel?

Even before the new Israeli government was officially sworn in on December 29, angry reactions began emerging, not only among Palestinians and other Middle Eastern governments, but also among Israel’s historic allies in the West. As early as November 2, top US officials conveyed to Axios that the Joe Biden Administration is “unlikely to engage with Jewish supremacist politician, Itamar[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — World

Culture of Hope: 2022 and the Margins of Victory in Palestine

Another critical year for Palestine has folded. While 2022 has wrought much of the same in terms of Israeli military occupation and increasing violence, it also introduced new variables to the Palestinian struggle – nationally, regionally and internationally. Palestine, the War and the Arabs The Russia-Ukraine war starting in February pressured many political entities, including Palestinians, to take sides or,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/01/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Morocco's players celebrate with a Palestinian flag at the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Morocco and Spain at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on December 6, 2022. (Glyn Kirk/AFP)

The Price of Betraying Palestine: Moroccans Challenge Normalization with Israel

Two years ago, Morocco and Israel signed the US-brokered “Joint Declaration”, thus officially recognizing Israel and instating diplomatic ties. Though other Arab countries had already done the same, the Moroccan official recognition of Apartheid Israel was particularly devastating for Palestinians. Years ago, a close Moroccan friend told me that the ‘first time’ he was arrested was during a solidarity protest[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Lions’ Den is Not a Fleeting Phenomenon: On Palestine’s Looming Armed Revolt

Just when Israel, and even some Palestinians, began talking about the Lions’ Den phenomenon in the past tense, a large number of fighters belonging to the newly-formed Palestinian group marched in the city of Nablus. Unlike the group’s first appearance on September 2, the number of fighters who took part in the rally in the Old City of Nablus on[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Nakba Day Triumph: How the UN Is Correcting a Historical Wrong

The next Nakba Day will be officially commemorated by the United Nations General Assembly on May 15, 2023. The decision by the world’s largest democratic institution is significant, if not a game changer. For nearly 75 years, the Palestinian Nakba, the ‘Catastrophe’ wrought by the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist militias in 1947-48, has served as the epicenter of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Xi’s Visit and the Future of the Middle East: What Does China Want from the Arabs

The problem with most Western media’s political analyses is that they generally tend to be short-sighted and focused mostly on variables that are of direct interest to Western governments. These types of analyses are now being applied to understanding official Arab attitudes towards Russia, China, global politics and conflicts. As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to lead a large delegation to meet[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

On ‘Hate’ and Love at the World Cup: Palestine is More Than An Arab Cause

We were mistaken to think that Palestine represents the central issue for all Arabs. Such language suggests that Palestine is an external subject, to be compared to other collective struggles that consume most Arabs, everywhere. The ongoing celebration of Palestine and the Palestinian flag at the Qatar World Cup 2022 by millions of Arab fans compels us to rethink our[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Deliberate Ambiguity’: Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Are Greatest Threat to Middle East

As western countries are floating the theory that Russia could escalate its conflict with Ukraine to a nuclear war, many western governments continue to turn a blind eye to Israel’s own nuclear weapons capabilities. Luckily, many countries around the world do not subscribe to this endemic western hypocrisy. ‘The Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/12/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Xi vs Trudeau: How China is Rewriting History with the Colonial West

Though brief, the exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia on November 16 has become a social media sensation. Xi, assertive if not domineering, lectured the visibly apprehensive Trudeau about the etiquette of diplomacy. This exchange can be considered another watershed moment in China’s relationship with[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Symbolic but Significant: Why the Decision to Investigate Abu Akleh’s Murder is Unprecedented

The recent decision by the United States Department of Justice to open an investigation into the killing, last May, of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is not a game-changer, but important and worthy of reflection, nonetheless. Based on the long trajectory of US military and political support of Israel, and Washington’s constant shielding of Tel Aviv from any accountability for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Liberating Africa from Poverty Requires Changing Power Relations with the West

Soon after arriving in Oslo, my taxi zigzagged through the city’s well-organized streets and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Large billboards advertised the world’s leading brands in fashion, cars, and perfumes. Amid all the expressions of wealth and plenty, an electronic sign by a bus stop flashed the images of poor-looking African children needing help. Over the years, Norway has served as a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Palestinians are Native Americans: Time to Correct the Language of History

At a recent Istanbul conference that brought many Palestinian scholars and activists together to discuss the search for a common narrative on Palestine, a Palestinian member of the audience declared at the end of a brief, but fiery intervention, ‘we are not red Indians’. The reference was a relatively old one. It was attributed to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

For Lula’s Victory to Matter: A Proposal for a Unified Palestinian Foreign Policy

Palestinians and their supporters are justified in celebrating the election victory of the leftist presidential candidate, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, in Brazil’s runoff elections on October 30. But Lula’s victory is incomplete and could ultimately prove ineffectual if not followed by a concrete and centralized Palestinian strategy. Lula has proven, throughout the years, to be a genuine friend of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Nothing Works’: Europe Must Stop Blaming Others for Its Own Crises

The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell is not particularly perceived by the EU’s political elite or mainstream media as a rightwing ideologue or warmonger. But seen through a different, non-western prism, it is hard not to mistake him for one. Borrell’s recent comments that “Europe is a garden” and that “the rest of the world is a jungle”[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The ‘Principal Threat’: Time to Talk about the Palestinian Class Struggle

by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo On Monday, October 31, Palestinians in the town of Al-Eizariya, east of Occupied East Jerusalem, observed a general strike. The strike was declared to be part of the community’s mourning of 49-year-old Barakat Moussa Odeh, who was killed by Israeli forces in Jericho a day earlier. This is not an isolated case. General strikes[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Chasing a Mirage: How Israel Arab Parties Validate Israeli Apartheid

Regardless of the outcome of the latest Israeli elections, Arab parties will not reap meaningful political benefits, even if they collectively achieve their highest representation ever. The reason is not about the parties themselves, but in Israel’s skewed political system which is predicated on racism and marginalization of non-Jews. Israel was established on a problematic premise of being a homeland[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/11/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Donald Trump signs an executive order declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel at the White House on 6 December. Chris KleponisCNP

End of the Deal: By Revoking Stance on Jerusalem, Australia Isolates Israel, Not Palestinians

US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ was meant to represent a finality of sorts, an event reminiscent of Francis Fukuyama’s premature declaration of the ‘End of History’ and the uncontested supremacy of western capitalism. In effect, it was a declaration that ‘we’ – the US, Israel and a few allies – have won, and ‘you’, isolated and[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Difficult Months Ahead: Why Israel is Afraid of the Lions’ Den

This headline in the Israeli newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, only tells part of the story: “The Lions’ Den, Other Palestinian Groups are Endless Headache for Israel, PA.” It is true that both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are equally worried about the prospect of a widespread armed revolt in the Occupied West Bank, and that the newly formed[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Other Russia-West War: Why Some African Countries are Abandoning Paris, Joining Moscow

The moment that Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was ousted by his own former military colleague, Captain Ibrahim Traore, pro-coup crowds filled the streets. Some burned French flags, others carried Russian flags. This scene alone represents the current tussle underway throughout the African continent. A few years ago, the discussion regarding the geopolitical shifts in Africa was not exactly concerned with[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Strangers Behind the Trees: On the Death of Rayan Suliman and His Fear of Monsters

Children of my Gaza refugee camp were rarely afraid of monsters but of Israeli soldiers. This is all that we talked about before going to bed. Unlike imaginary monsters in the closet or under the bed, Israeli soldiers are real, and they could show up any minute – at the door, on the roof or, as was often the case,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Hidden Motives: Why Lapid is Not Serious about a Palestinian State

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid threw a wrench into the works when he declared from the United Nations General Assembly podium: “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.” The statement took many by surprise, including the Palestinian leadership.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

United Nations Security Council in session, New York (File photo)

‘Well of Solutions’ or Problems: Why Reforming the UN is Critical

The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly was, in many ways, similar to the 76th session and many other previous sessions: at best, a stage for rosy rhetoric that is rarely followed by tangible action or, at worse, a mere opportunity for some world leaders to score political points against their opponents. This should surprise no one. For[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/10/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

From Nabulsi to Shtayyeh: Which Side is the PA On?

The arrest of a prominent Palestinian activist, Musab Shtayyeh, and another Palestinian activist, by Palestinian Authority police on September 20 was not the first time that the notorious PA’s Preventive Security Service (PSS) has arrested a Palestinian who is wanted by Israel. PSS is largely linked to the routine arrests and torture of anti-Israeli occupation activists. Several Palestinians have died[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

From Exodus to Marvel: A Brief History of Hollywood’s Justification of Israeli War Crimes

The introduction of an Israeli Mossad agent as the latest Marvel movie character crosses the line, even by Hollywood’s poor moral standards. However, the Israeli superhero, Sabra, must be understood within the rational progression of the Israelification of Hollywood, a phenomenon that is surprisingly new. Sabra is a relatively old character, dating back to Marvel comic The Incredible Hulk in 1980. On 10 September, however,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Will the United Nations Finally Deliver Justice for Palestine?

In his anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to, once more, make a passionate plea for the recognition of Palestine as a full member. Abbas’ ‘landmark speech’ would not be the first time that the President of the Palestinian Authority has lobbied for such a status. In September 2011,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Leading from Behind’: Is Washington at War with Moscow?

Though Washington insists that it is not interested in a direct military conflict with Moscow, the latter claims that the US is, in fact, directly involved. But who is telling the truth? On September 8, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, appeared in Kyiv on an unannounced visit. He carried with him pledges of yet another military and financial package[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Avenging Sabra and Shatila’: On Israeli Massacres and Palestinian Resistance

September 16 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the killing of around 3,000 Palestinians at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors of the massacre. Many of them have died, and others are aging[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Painful March for Freedom’: The Triumphant Legacy of Palestinian Prisoners

“As soon as I left prison, I went to Nael’s grave. It is adorned with the colors of the Palestinian flag and verses from the Holy Quran. I told my little brother how much I loved and appreciated him, and that, one day, we would meet again in paradise.” The above is part of a testimony given to me by[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Road to Fascism: How the War in Ukraine is Changing Europe

As soon as I landed in Rome, I discovered that I was no longer able to access any Russian media whatsoever. Unfortunately, threats by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, that Europe should sever all links with “Russia’s propaganda machine” were taken seriously by the Italian government. As a journalist, having access to only one side of the Russia-Ukraine[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Investigating the Victim: On Abbas’ ‘Holocaust’ and the Depravity of Israeli Hasbara

“There was no Massacre in Jenin” was the title of a Haaretz editorial on April 19, 2002, one week after Israel ended its deadly onslaught on the besieged Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The unwarranted conclusion by Haaretz, other Israeli media and, ultimately, numerous western outlets was not the outcome of a thorough investigation carried out by[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/09/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes on a building in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood, Sunday, August. 7, 2022. [Photo: Hatem Moussa/WSWS]

Fake Neutrality: How Western Media Language Misrepresents Palestinians, Shields Israel

While US and western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favor of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article on August 6, “Israel-Gaza Fighting Flares for a Second Day” is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

President Joe Biden speaks about Ukraine in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, February 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The New Schism: Will the Idea of the ‘West’ Survive the Scourge of the Russia-Ukraine War?

The ‘West’ is not just a term, but also a concept that acquires new meanings with time. To its advocates, it can be analogous to civilization and benevolent power; to its detractors, mostly in the ‘East’ and ‘South’, it is associated with colonialism, unhinged violence, and underserved wealth. The current, seismic shifts in world affairs, however – namely, the Russia-Ukraine[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Israel’s Premature ‘Victory’ Celebration: The defining War in Gaza Is Yet to Be Fought

For years, Palestinians, as well as Israelis, have labored to redraw the battle lines. The three-day Israeli war on Gaza, starting on August 5, clearly manifested this reality. Throughout its military operation, Israel has repeatedly underscored the point that the war was targeting the Islamic Jihad Movement only, not Hamas or anyone else. A somewhat similar scenario had transpired in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Without Palestine, There is No Arab Unity: Why Normalization with Israel Will Fail

It seemed all but a done deal: Israel is finally managing to bend the Arabs to its will, and Palestine is becoming a marginal issue that no longer defines Israel’s relations with Arab countries. Indeed, normalization with Israel is afoot, and the Arabs, so it seems, have been finally tamed. Not so fast. Many events continue to demonstrate the opposite.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Intricate Fight For Africa: The Legacy of the Soviet Union vs Western Colonialism

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent tour in Africa was meant to be a game changer, not only in terms of Russia’s relations with the continent, but in the global power struggle involving the US, Europe, China, India, Turkey and others. Many media reports and analyses placed Lavrov’s visit to Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia within the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Cartoon by Mohammad Sabaaneh with the caption: “The legitimate … and stubborn representative.”

Why Resistance Matters: Palestinians are Challenging Israel’s Unilateralism, Dominance

Until recently, Israeli politics did not matter to Palestinians. Though the Palestinian people maintained their political agency under the most demoralizing conditions, their collective action rarely influenced outcomes in Israel, partly due to the massive discrepancy of power between the two sides. Now that Israelis are embarking on their fifth election in less than four years, it is important to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/08/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Washington is the Problem, Not the Solution: Why Mahmoud Abbas is Seeking New ‘Powerful’ Sponsors

To judge US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Israel and Palestine as a ‘failure’ in terms of activating the dormant ‘peace process’ is simply a misnomer. For this statement to be accurate, Washington would have had to indicate even a nominal desire to push for negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian leadership. Political and diplomatic platitudes aside,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The War ‘Diplomat’: How Borrell, the West Lost the ‘Global Battle of Narratives’

In a blog entry, reflecting on the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia on July 7-8, the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, seems to have accepted the painful truth that the West is losing what he termed “the global battle of narratives”. “The global battle of narratives is in full swing and, for now, we are[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Shameful UN ‘List of Shame’: Equating between the Israeli Perpetrator and the Palestinian Victim

“We regret we failed to protect you.” This was part of a statement issued by United Nations human rights experts on July 14, urging the Israeli government to release Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Manasra. Only 14 years old at the time of his arrest and torture by Israeli forces, Manasra is now 20 years old. His case is a representation of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Rise of BRICS: The Economic Giant that is Taking on the West

The G7 summit in Elmau, Germany, June 26-28, and the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, two days later, were practically useless in terms of providing actual solutions to ongoing global crises – the war in Ukraine, the looming famines, climate change and more. But the two events were important, nonetheless, as they provide a stark example of the impotence of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Worsening Chaos: Israel’s Political Instability is Now the Norm

The collapse of the short-lived Israeli government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid validates the argument that the political crisis in Israel was not entirely instigated and sustained by former Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Bennett’s coalition government consisted of eight parties, welding together arguably one of the oddest coalitions in the tumultuous history of Israeli politics. The mishmash cabinet[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

15 Years of Failed Experiments: Myths and Facts about the Israeli Siege on Gaza

15 years have passed since Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, subjecting nearly two million Palestinians to one of the longest and most cruel politically-motivated blockades in history. The Israeli government had then justified its siege as the only way to protect Israel from Palestinian “terrorism and rocket attacks”. This remains the official Israeli line until this[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/07/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Chomsky on Israeli Apartheid, Celebrity Activists, BDS and the One-State Solution

(Dedicated to the memory of Ghassan Kanafani, an iconic Palestinian leader and engaged intellectual who was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad on July 8, 1972) This is, according to the Italian socialist Antonio Gramsci, the ‘interregnum’- the rare and seismic moment in history when great transitions occur, when empires collapse and others rise, and when new conflicts and struggles ensue.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/07/2022 — 1 comment — Palestine

Palestinians ‘Are Not Animals in a Zoo’: On Kanafani and the Need to Redefine the Role of the ‘Victim Intellectual’

(Dedicated to the memory of Ghassan Kanafani, an iconic Palestinian leader and engaged intellectual who was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad on July 8, 1972) Years before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, US media introduced many new characters, promoting them as ‘experts’ who helped ratchet up US propaganda, ultimately allowing the US government to secure enough popular support[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/06/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Not a Justification but a Provocation’: Chomsky on the Root Causes of the Russia Ukraine War

One of the reasons that Russian media has been completely blocked in the West, along with the unprecedented control and censorship over the Ukraine war narrative, is the fact that western governments simply do not want their public to know that the world is vastly changing. Ignorance might be bliss, arguably in some situations, but not in this case.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/06/2022 — 4 comments — World

Cultural Warriors: Why Palestine’s Sports Victories Should Inspire Us

The Palestine National Football Team has, once more, done the seemingly impossible by qualifying for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. By any standards, this is a great achievement, especially as the Palestinians have done it with style and convincing victories over Mongolia, Yemen and the Philippines, without conceding a single goal. However, for Palestinians, this is hardly about sports. This[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/06/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestinians ‘Are Bound to Win’: Why Israelis Are Prophesying the End of Their State

While it is true that Zionism is a modern political ideology that has exploited religion to achieve specific colonial objectives in Palestine, prophecies continue to be a critical component of Israel’s perception of itself, and of the state’s relationship to other groups, especially Christian messianic groups in the United States and worldwide. The subject of religious prophecies and their centrality[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/06/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The End of Laissez-Faire: Russia’s Attempt at Reshaping the World Economy

Starting on May 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embarked on a tour to Gulf Cooperation Council countries, where he visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, among others. Lavrov’s main objective of these visits is to strengthen ties between Russia and GCC nations amid a global race for geopolitical dominance. The Middle East, especially the Gulf region, is vital[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/06/2022 — 1 comment — World

Palestine’s New Resistance Model: How the Last Year Redefined the Struggle for Palestinian Freedom

What took place between May 2021 and May 2022 is nothing less than a paradigm shift in Palestinian resistance. Thanks to the popular and inclusive nature of Palestinian mobilization against the Israeli occupation, resistance in Palestine is no longer an ideological, political or regional preference. In the period between the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and only a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/06/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Russia vs NATO: How Mali Became Another Front for the Ukraine War

The distance between Ukraine and Mali is measured in thousands of kilometers. But the geopolitical distance is much closer to the point that it appears as if the ongoing conflicts in both countries are the direct outcomes of the same geopolitical currents and transformation underway around the world. The Malian government is now accusing French troops of perpetuating a massacre[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/06/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Ethnic Cleansing of Masafer Yatta: Israel’s New Annexation Strategy in Palestine

The Israeli Supreme Court has decided that the Palestinian region of Masafer Yatta, located in the southern hills of Hebron, is to be entirely appropriated by the Israeli military and that a population of over 1,000 Palestinians is to be expelled. The Israeli Court decision, on May 4, was hardly shocking. Israel’s military occupation does not only consist of soldiers with guns,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/06/2022 — 1 comment — Palestine

Constantly on the Verge of Collapse: How Palestinians Became a Factor in Israeli Politics

Israel’s coalition government of right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is on the verge of collapse, which is unsurprising. Israeli politics, after all, is among the most fractious in the world, and this particular coalition was born out of the obsessive desire to dethrone Israel’s former leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. While Netanyahu was successfully ousted in June 2021, Bennett’s coalition has been left to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, GAZA STRIP - MAY 15: Palestinian refugee Mohamad Mahmoud Al-Arja, 80, from the Rafah refugee camp, holds up a key allegedly from his house in Beer AI-saba, now located in Israeli, during a rally May 15, 2007 the in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza strip. Palestinians are marking May 15, as Nakba Day or Catastrophe Day, as the 59th anniversary of the al-Nakba, the day the Israeli state was created in 1948. (Photo by Getty Images)

Long Marginalized, the ‘Right of Return’ is Once More a Palestinian Priority

The Nakba is back on the Palestinian agenda. For nearly three decades, Palestinians were told that the Nakba – or Catastrophe – is a thing of the past. That real peace requires compromises and sacrifices, therefore, the original sin that has led to the destruction of their historic homeland should be entirely removed from any ‘pragmatic’ political discourse. They were[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Ending ‘West’s Neocolonial Oppression’: On the New Language and Superstructures

The Russia-Ukraine war has quickly turned into a global conflict. One of the likely outcomes of this war is the very redefinition of the current world order, which has been in effect, at least since the collapse of the Soviet Union over three decades ago. Indeed, there is a growing sense that a new global agenda is forthcoming, one that[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Limits of Israeli Intelligence: Does Israel Have a Yahya Sinwar Problem?

Like typical analyses offered by western intelligences when trying to assess risks or understand major political phenomena in the Middle East, Israeli intelligence is equally short-sighted. It insists on analyzing the attitudes and body language of individuals instead of focusing on the behavior of collectives. This is the case today as Israel is desperately trying to understand the changing political[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

By Redefining UNRWA, Washington Destroys the Foundation for a Just Peace in Palestine

Palestinians are justifiably worried that the mandate granted to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, might be coming to an end. UNRWA’s mission, which has been in effect since 1949, has done more than provide urgent aid and support to millions of refugees. It was also a political platform that protected and preserved the rights of several generations[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Cost of the Ukraine War Felt in Africa, Global South

While international news headlines remain largely focused on the war in Ukraine, little attention is given to the horrific consequences of the war which are felt in many regions around the world. Even when these repercussions are discussed, disproportionate coverage is allocated to European countries, like Germany and Austria, due to their heavy reliance on Russian energy sources. The horrific[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/05/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Palestine Needs Immediate Attention to Stave off Major Food Crisis

A friend, a young journalist in Gaza, Mohammed Rafik Mhawesh, told me that food prices in the besieged Strip have skyrocketed in recent weeks and that many already impoverished families are struggling to put food on the table. “Food prices are dramatically surging,” he said, “particularly since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war.” Essential food prices, like wheat and meat,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Towards a Multipolar World Order’: Is This the End of US Hegemony?

The meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the Chinese eastern city of Huangshan on March 30, is likely to go down in history as a decisive meeting in the relations between the two Asian giants. The meeting was not only important due to its timing or the fact that it reaffirmed the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Palestine’s Widening Geography of Resistance: Why Israel Cannot Defeat the Palestinians

There is a reason why Israel is insistent on linking the series of attacks carried out by Palestinians recently to a specific location, namely the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. By doing so, the embattled Naftali Bennett’s government can simply order another deadly military operation in Jenin to reassure its citizens that the situation is under control.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Can Israel Exist without America: Numbers Speaks of a Changing Reality

When Russian and Ukrainian delegations meeting in Turkey on March 29 reached an initial understanding regarding a list of countries that could serve as security guarantors for Kyiv should an agreement be struck, Israel appeared on the list. The other countries included the US, the UK, China, Russia, France, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy and Poland. One may explain Israel’s political[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Is Europe Really More Civilized? Ukraine Conflict a Platform for Racism and Rewriting History

When a gruesome six-minute video of Ukrainian soldiers shooting and torturing handcuffed and tied up Russian soldiers circulated online, outraged people on social media and elsewhere compared this barbaric behavior to that of Daesh. In a rare admission of moral responsibility, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian President, quickly reminded Ukrainian fighters of their responsibility under international law. “I[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/04/2022 — 3 comments — World

From Korea to Libya: On the Future of Ukraine and NATO’s Neverending Wars

Much has been said and written about media bias and double standards in the West’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war, when compared with other wars and military conflicts across the world, especially in the Middle East and the Global South. Less obvious is how such hypocrisy is a reflection of a much larger phenomenon which governs the West’s relationship to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/04/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Gaza’s Forthcoming Crisis Might Be Worse than Anything We Have Ever Seen

“The water is back,” one family member would announce in a mix of excitement and panic, often very late at night. The moment such an announcement was made, my whole family would start running in all directions to fill every tank, container or bottle that could possibly be filled. Quite often, the water would last for a few minutes, leaving[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Time is Ticking: Israel’s Balancing Act in Ukraine is Likely to Backfire

Israel’s balancing act in the Russia-Ukraine war is likely to falter soon, simply because the resulting NATO-Russia conflict is expected to last for years, not weeks or months. Eventually, Israel would have to make a choice. Alas, whatever that choice may be, Israel will stand to lose. From the first day of the war, Israel somehow became involved. Top Israeli[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Billion Dollar Deal that Made Google and Amazon Partners in the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

“We are anonymous because we fear retaliation.” This sentence was part of a letter signed by 500 Google employees last October, in which they decried their company’s direct support for the Israeli government and military. In their letter, the signatories protested a $1.2 billion contract between Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Israeli government which provides cloud services for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

New Great Game: Can Venezuela Negotiate an End to US Deadly Sanctions?

How the tables have turned. A high-level US delegation visited Venezuela on March 5, hoping to repair economic ties with Caracas. Venezuela, one of the world’s poorest countries partly due to US-Western sanctions is, for once, in the driving seat, capable of alleviating an impending US energy crisis if dialogue with Washington continues to move forward. Technically, Venezuela is not[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Weathering the Global Storm: Why Neutrality is Not an Option for Palestinians

A new global geopolitical game is in formation, and the Middle East, as is often the case, will be directly impacted by it in terms of possible new alliances and resulting power paradigms. While it is too early to fully appreciate the impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war on the region, it is obvious that some countries are placed in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Politics and Sports Do Mix: On FIFA’s Hypocrisy in Palestine and the Need to Isolate Apartheid Israel

Israel’s war on Palestinian sports is as old as the Israeli state itself. For Palestinians, sports is a critical aspect of their popular culture, and since Palestinian culture itself is a target for the ongoing Israeli attack on Palestinian life in all of its manifestations, sports and athletes have been purposely targeted as well. Yet, the world’s main football governing[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

As ‘La Françafrique’ Comes to an End, Russia is Ready To Replace France in West Africa

Finally, France will be leaving Mali, nearly a decade after the original military intervention in 2013. The repercussions of this decision will hardly be confined to this West African nation, but will likely spread to the entirety of the Sahel Region; in fact, the whole of Africa. France’s decision to end its military presence in Mali – carried out in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

On Palestine’s Everyday Victories: Why Israel is No Longer the Exception

Can Israel be pressured? Or is Tel Aviv the only exception to the global political order in which every country, big or small, is subjected to pressures and subsequent change in attitude and behavior? Several events, in recent days, bring the question of Israel’s legal and moral accountability to the fore. On February 21, Israel’s Nature and Park Authority decided[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/03/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Next Step in Palestine’s Anti-Apartheid Struggle is the Most Difficult

When Nelson Mandela was freed from his Robben Island prison on February 11, 1991, my family, friends and neighbors followed the event with keen interest as they gathered in the living room of my old home in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. This emotional event took place years before Mandela uttered his famous quote “our freedom is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/02/2022 — 1 comment — Palestine

Biden’s Real Challenge is Not Russia or China, but Poverty in America

Mainstream US media continues to celebrate the supposed strength of the US economy. Almost daily, headlines speak of hopeful numbers, sustainable growth, positive trends and constant gains. The reality on the ground, however, tells of something entirely different, which raises the questions: Are Americans being lied to? And for what purpose? “US Economy Grew 1.7% in Fourth Quarter, Capping a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Africa Must Not Abandon Palestine by Granting Israel Observer Status

The current split in the African Union (AU) over Israel’s Observer membership status is emblematic of a larger conflict that could potentially split the African continent’s largest political institutions. Africa is currently facing one of its most crucial decisions regarding Palestine and Israel. The repercussions of this decision could be as significant as the 1975 Resolution 77 (XII) by the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua: The US-Russia Conflict Enters a New Phase

As soon as Moscow received an American response to its security demands in Ukraine, it answered indirectly by announcing greater military integration between it and three South American countries, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. Washington’s response, on January 26, to Russia’s demands of withdrawing NATO forces from Eastern Europe and ending talks about a possible Kyiv membership in the US-led alliance,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

From Tantura to Naqab: Israel’s Long Hidden Truths are Finally Revealed

A succession of events in recent weeks all point to the inescapable fact that nearly 75 years of Israel’s painstaking efforts aimed at hiding the truth about its origins and its current racially-driven apartheid regime are failing miserably. The world is finally waking up, and Israel is losing ground quicker than its ability to gain new supporters, or to whitewash[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/02/2022 — 1 comment — Palestine

The Russians Are Coming: Are Beijing and Moscow at the Cusp of a Formal Alliance?

by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo It should matter little to the Chinese that American diplomats and a handful of their western allies will not be attending the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. What truly matters is that the Russians are coming. The above is not an arbitrary statement. It is supported with facts. According to a survey conducted by[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Instead of Freeing Palestinian Prisoners, New Scheme Aims at Punishing Their Families

A scheme is underway to withhold or to reduce payments made by the Palestinian Authority to the families of Palestinian prisoners. According to Israeli media, the Biden Administration has requested that the PA entirely overhauls its support system of Palestinian prisoners. The Palestinian leadership had already expressed willingness to engage the US in a ‘discussion’. According to Israel’s Channel 12,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/02/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Israel’s Hasbara in Sheikh Jarrah: On Gilad Erdan’s ‘Terrorist’ Rock and Faulty Logic

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, is leading his country’s anti-Palestinian propaganda, this time engaging in pre-emptive hasbara in anticipation of a Palestinian response to the ongoing evictions in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. “Would you consider it a terror attack if a rock like this was thrown at your car while driving with your children?”[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

US Doesn’t Care for China’s Muslims: Boycotting the Olympics is about Global Competition

The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games may go down in history as the official start of the cold war between the US, a handful of its allies and China. The American strategy, however, of using boycotts to pressure Beijing in the name of ‘human rights’, may prove costly in the future. On December 6, Washington[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

How Israel’s ‘Facebook Law’ Plans to Control All Palestinian Content Online

It is ironic that even former right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had rejected a Knesset (Israeli Parliament) bill which proposed to give the government greater power to control and suppress online content. This was in 2016, and the bill was introduced by Netanyahu’s Likud party rival, Gideon Sa’ar. Some analysts argued that Netanyahu had feared that a law aimed[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

In South Africa as in Palestine: Why We Must Protect the Legacy of Desmond Tutu

Long before intersectionality became a prevailing concept which helped delineate the relationship between various marginalized and oppressed groups, late South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it all in a few words and in a most inimitable style. “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together,” he said. Like other freedom and justice icons, Tutu[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Life/Philosophy

The Real ‘Doomsday Scenario’: How Palestinian Hunger Striker, Abu Hawash Forced Israeli Concession

As soon as media reports emerged regarding a deal between Palestinian prisoner, Hisham Abu Hawash and the Israeli prison authorities, Israeli extremists, led by Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, angrily raided the Assaf Harofeh Hospital where Abu Hawash was being held. A Palestinian political activist, Abu Hawash, 41, is a father of five. He was arrested by the Israeli army from[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Coming This 2022: Refugees, Democracy and Human Rights

Although 2021 is now behind us, there are many issues that will linger for a while, or much longer, and will certainly dominate much of the news in 2022, as well. These are but a few of the issues. NATO-Russian Brinkmanship Exasperated with NATO expansion and growing ambitions in the Black Sea region, Moscow has decided to challenge the US-led[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/01/2022 — 1 comment — World

As Israel Plots Endgame in Occupied Golan, Bennett Must Remember Lessons of the Past

With Syria still embroiled in its own war, Israel has been actively rewriting the rule book regarding its conduct in this Arab country. Gone are the days of a potential return of the illegally occupied Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty in exchange for peace, per the language of yesteryears. Now, Israel is set to double its illegal Jewish settler population[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Denying the Inevitable: Why the West Refuses to Accept China’s Superpower Status

An article by Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times last July is a prime example of western intelligentsia’s limited understanding of China’s unhindered rise as a superpower. “Becoming a superpower is a complicated business. It poses a series of connected questions about capabilities, intentions and will,” Rachman wrote. To help us understand what this claim precisely means, the FT writer[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — World

Why is Israel Amending Its Open-Fire Policy: Three Possible Answers

At the outset, the Israeli military decision to revise its open-fire policies in the occupied West Bank seems puzzling. What would be the logic of giving Israeli soldiers the space to shoot more Palestinians when existing army manuals had already granted them near-total immunity and little legal accountability? The military’s new rules now allow Isreali soldiers to shoot, even kill,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/01/2022 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Combating Islamophobia Act: On Hate Crimes and ‘Irrational Fears’

The result of a vote, on December 14, in the US House of Representatives regarding the combating of Islamophobia, may, possibly, appear to be a positive sign of change, that Washington is finally confronting this socio-political evil. However, conclusions must not be too hasty. Disquietingly, Congress was nearly split on the vote. While 219 voted in favor of the resolution,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/12/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Previously Unknown Massacres’: Why is Israel Allowed to Own Palestinian History?

Haaretz’s investigative report – ‘Classified Docs Reveal Massacres of Palestinians in ’48 – and What Israeli Leaders Knew’ – is a must-read. It should be particularly read by any person who considers himself a ‘Zionist’ and also by people who, for whatever reason, support Israel, anywhere in the world. “In the village of Al-Dawayima (…), troops of the 8th Brigade[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/12/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Omicron Shame: Why Is the World Punishing Instead of Helping Africa?

The decision by several governments across the globe to institute travel bans on seven African countries, starting on November 27, due to the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was perceived to be hasty in the eyes of some and fully justifiable on medical grounds, in the view of others. However, the matter is hardly that of a difference of opinion. The[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/12/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

On ‘Gassing the Arabs’ and Other Diseases: Is Israel a ‘Sick Society’?

For whatever reason, some mistakenly perceive the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, as liberal, progressive and even ‘pro-Palestinian’. Of course, none of this is true. This misconstrued depiction of an essentially Zionist and anti-Palestinian newspaper tells of a much bigger story of how confusing Israeli politics is, and how equally confused many of us are in understanding the Israeli political discourse. On[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/12/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Belgium is on the Right Track, But Europe has Failed Palestine

The Belgian government’s decision on November 25 to label products made in illegal Israeli Jewish settlements is welcome, although it will ultimately prove ineffectual. Belgium has historically shown solidarity with Palestine if compared to other European countries, for example, Britain, Germany and France. From the cancellation of trade missions to Israel, to the effusive support by Belgian civil society, artists,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/12/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Elitism is Not the Answer to Populism: On ‘Anti-Vaxxers’ and Mistrust in Government

While “anti-vaxxers” continue to clash with police in various European cities, a whole media discourse has been formulated around the political leanings of these angry crowds, describing them in matter-of-fact terms as conspiracy theorists, populists and right-wing fanatics. While it is true that populist, right-wing movements throughout Europe and elsewhere have actively exploited the anger, confusion and lack of trust[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/11/2021 — 1 comment — World

We Do Exist: Why the Palestinian Voice Should Take Center Stage

At a recent New York event, the President of the Foreign Press Association Ian Williams declared, before an approving audience, that it is time “to reclaim the narrative on Palestine”. This phrase – ‘reclaiming the narrative’ – is relatively new to the Palestinian discourse. Years ago, the concept, let alone its implementation, were quite alien: the pro-Israel crowd refused, and[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Raids, Arrests and Death Threats: Israel’s Strategy of Silencing Human Rights Defenders

by Ramzy Baroud & Romana Rubeo On October 21, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced the issuance of a military order designating six prominent Palestinian human rights groups as ‘terrorist organizations’. Gantz claimed that they are secretly linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a socialist political group that Israel considers, along with most Palestinian political[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

From Pegasus to Blue Wolf: How Israel’s ‘Security’ Experiment in Palestine Became Global

The revelation, a few years ago, that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been conducting mass surveillance on millions of Americans has reignited the conversation on governments’ misconduct and their violation of human rights and privacy laws. Until recently, however, Israel has been spared due criticism, not only for its unlawful spying methods on the Palestinians but also for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Climate activists march through the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 which is the host city of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

The People vs. COP26: Time for Politicians, Billionaires to Listen

Of all the speeches and political grandstanding at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), the words of Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, were the most profound and least hypocritical. Lopez Obrador raged against the “technocrats and neoliberals” – world leaders who hold the future of humanity in their hands. This was a direct reference to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Climate Change

sraeli bulldozers work on a new Israeli settler road, in Nabi Elias village, in the occupied West Bank, on 6 February. Some 700 olive trees were uprooted from private Palestinian land to build the road. Ahmad Al-Bazz ActiveStills

Bill Gates Should Know Better: How the Israeli Occupation Ravages the Environment in Palestine

Those who are not familiar with how Israel, particularly the Israeli military occupation of Palestine, is actively and irreversibly damaging the environment might reach the erroneous conclusion that Tel Aviv is at the forefront of the global fight against climate change. The reality is the exact opposite. In his speech at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Israel’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Words without Action: The West’s Role in Israel’s Illegal Settlement Expansion

The international uproar in response to Israel’s approval of a massive expansion of its illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian West Bank may give the impression that such a reaction could, in theory, force Israel to abandon its plans. Alas, it will not, because the statements of ‘concern,’ ‘regrets’, ‘disappointment’ and even outright condemnation are rarely followed by meaningful[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The West’s China Complex: Beijing as the Enemy and the Savior

“Could China’s economy collapse?” was the title of an October 15 article published by QUARTZ magazine. The article makes an ominous case of a Chinese economic crash and its impact on China’s and global economies. This is one of numerous reports appearing in recent weeks in Western mainstream media, all motivated by recently published economic indicators pointing to less-than-expected growth[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/11/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Jerusalem’s ‘Liveliest Parties’: Has Biden Proved Different from Trump on Palestine?

When Joe Biden was declared the winner in the US elections last November, expectations in Ramallah were high. A Biden Administration, compared to the brazenly pro-Israel Trump Administration, would surely be much fairer to Palestinians, was the conventional wisdom at the time. Hence, unsurprisingly, Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, was among the first world leaders to most enthusiastically[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Political Islam and Democracy Crisis in North Africa

When the news circulated that Morocco’s leading political group, the Development and Justice Party (PJD), has been trounced in the latest elections, held in September, official media mouthpieces in Egypt celebrated the news as if the PJD’s defeat was, in itself, a blow to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement. Regionally, political commentators who dedicated much of their time to discredit[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Cultural Genocide in Palestine: On Sally Rooney’s Decision to Boycott Israel

The pro-Israel crowd on social media was quick to pounce on award-winning Irish novelist, Sally Rooney, as soon as she declared that she had “chosen not to sell … translation rights of her best-selling novel, ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ to an Israeli-based publishing house”. Expectedly, the accusations centered on the standard smearing used by Israel and its supporters against[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Empty Gestures or Substantive Change? On the Nobel Prize in Literature and Its Discontents

The fact that Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah has won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature is welcome news, especially as the Swedish Academy is historically known for lacking in diversity, as if intellectual creativity is largely confined to Western intellectual circles. It is premature to suggest that the Academy has finally decided to break away from its ethnocentric past and[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Heroes or Parasites: Europe’s Self-serving Politics on Refugees

Language is politics and politics is power. This is why the misuse of language is particularly disturbing, especially when the innocent and vulnerable pay the price. The wars in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries in recent years have resulted in one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes, arguably unseen since World War II. Instead of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/10/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Human Rights

Racial Justice Vs. The Israel Lobby: When Being Pro-Palestine Becomes the New Normal

There is an unmistakable shift in American politics regarding Palestine and Israel, a change that is inspired by the way in which many Americans, especially the youth, view the Palestinian struggle and the Israeli occupation. While this shift is yet to translate into tangibly diminishing Israel’s stronghold over the US Congress, it promises to be of great consequence in the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/10/2021 — 1 comment — Palestine

On Afghanistan and Legitimate Resistance

An urgent task is awaiting us: considering the progression of events, we must quickly liberate ourselves from the limits and confines placed on the Afghanistan discourse, which have been imposed by US-centered Western propaganda for over 20 years, and counting. A first step is that we must not allow the future political discourse pertaining to this very subject to remain[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Untold Story of Why Palestinians Are Divided

The political division in Palestinian society is deep-rooted, and must not be reduced to convenient claims about the ‘Hamas-Fatah split’, elections, the Oslo accords and subsequent disagreements. The division is linked to events that preceded all of these, and not even the death or incapacitation of the octogenarian, Mahmoud Abbas, will advance Palestinian unity by an iota. Palestinian political disunity[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/09/2021 — 1 comment — Palestine

One Man as a Whole Generation: The Unfinished War of Zakaria Zubeidi

Zakaria Zubeidi is one of six Palestinian prisoners who, on September 6, tunneled their way out of Gilboa, a notorious, high-security Israeli prison. Zubeidi was recaptured a few days later. The large bruises on Zubeidi’s face told a harrowing story, that of a daring escape and of a violent arrest. However, the story does not begin, nor end, there. Twenty[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Who Represents Afghanistan: Genuine Activists vs ‘Native Informants’

Scenes of thousands of Afghans flooding the Kabul International Airport to flee the country as Taliban fighters were quickly consolidating their control over the capital, raised many questions, leading amongst them: who are these people and why are they running away? In the US and other Western media, answers were readily available: they were mostly ‘translators’, Afghans who ‘collaborated’[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Paramedics carry an injured protester during Great March of Return demonstrations east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on 28 September. Ashraf Amra - APA images

From the ‘Iron Wall’ to the ‘Villa in the Jungle’: Palestinians Demolish Israel’s Security Myths

25 years before Israel was established on the ruins of historic Palestine, a Russian Jewish Zionist leader, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, argued that a Jewish state in Palestine could only survive if it exists “behind an iron wall” of defense. Jabotinsky was speaking figuratively. However, future Zionist leaders, who embraced Jabotinsky’s teachings, eventually turned the principle of the iron wall into a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Following Afghanistan Defeat: Can EU Win Own ‘Independence’ from the US?

Suddenly, the idea put forth by French President, Emmanuel Macron, late last year does not seem so far-fetched or untenable after all. Following the US-NATO hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan, European countries are now forced to consider the once unthinkable: a gradual dismantling from US dominance. When, on September 29, 2020, Macron uttered these words: “We, some countries more than others,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Hashtag ‘Untie_Our_Hands’: How Many More Palestinians Must Die for Israel’s ‘Security’?

A large Israeli army campaign is taking social media by storm. The unstated aim of what is known as the “#Untie_Our_Hands” initiative is the desire to kill, with no accountability, more Palestinian protesters at the Gaza fence. The campaign was motivated by the killing of an Israeli sniper, Barel Hadaria Shmueli, who was reportedly shot from the Palestinian side of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Handover ceremony at Camp Anthonic, from US Army to Afghan Special Forces, Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 2, 2021.

On Propaganda and Failed Narratives: New Understanding of Afghanistan is a Must

For twenty years, two dominant narratives have shaped our view of the illegal US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and neither one of these narratives would readily accept the use of such terms as ‘illegal’, ‘invasion’ and ‘occupation.’ The framing of the US ‘military intervention’ in Afghanistan, starting on October 7, 2001, as the official start of what was dubbed[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/09/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Stadio Olimpico: Can Sports Heal the World?

Amid chaotic politics and anti-immigrant and refugee sentiments, Stadio Olimpico in Rome seemed like an oasis of social and cultural harmony. AS Roma and Raja Casablanca fans gathered in their thousands on a hot Saturday evening to cheer for their teams in a friendly match, the first in the Olimpico for nearly a year and a half. The guest team is a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Life/Philosophy

‘Blood for Blood’: On Jenin and Israel’s Fear of an Armed Palestinian Rebellion

The killing of four young Palestinians by Israeli occupation soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, on August 16, is a consequential event, the repercussions of which are sure to be felt in the coming weeks and months. The four Palestinians – Saleh Mohammed Ammar, 19, Raed Ziad Abu Seif, 21, Nour Jarrar, 19, and Amjad[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestine’s Africa Dichotomy: Is Israel Really ‘Winning’ Africa?

The decision by the African Union Commission, on July 22, to grant Israel observer status membership in the AU was the culmination of years of relentless Israeli efforts aimed at co-opting Africa’s largest political institution. Why is Israel so keen on penetrating Africa? What made African countries finally succumb to Israeli pressure and lobbying? To answer the above questions, one[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Quiet Rebellion: Why US Jews Turning against Israel is Good for Palestinians

A unique but critical conversation on Israel and Palestine is taking place outside the traditional discourse of Israeli colonialism and the Palestinian quest for liberation. It is an awkward and difficult – but overdue – discussion concerning American Jews’ relation to Israel and their commitment to its Zionist ideology. For many years, Israel has conveniently dubbed Jews who do[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Greed and Consumption: Why the World is Burning

Rome is scorching hot. This beautiful city is becoming unbearable for other reasons, too. Though every corner of the beaming metropolis is a monument to historical grandeur, from the Colosseum in Rione Monti to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in San Giovanni, it is now struggling under the weight of its own contradictions. In Via Appia, bins are overflowing[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/08/2021 — 1 comment — Climate Change

The Murder of the ‘Menacing’ Water Technician: On the Shadow Wars in the West Bank

There is an ongoing, but hidden, Israeli war on the Palestinians which is rarely highlighted or even known. It is a water war, which has been in the making for decades. On July 26 and 27, two separate but intrinsically linked events took place in the Ein al-Hilweh area in the occupied Jordan Valley, and near the town of Beita,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Photo credit: haramjedder.blogspot.com - Biden with NATO’s Stoltenberg

US Foreign Policy Adrift: Why Washington No Longer Calling the Shots

Jonah Goldberg and Michael Ledeen have much in common. They are both writers and also cheerleaders for military interventions and, often, for frivolous wars. Writing in the conservative rag, The National Review, months before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Goldberg paraphrased a statement which he attributed to Ledeen with reference to the interventionist US foreign policy. “Every ten[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/08/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Imperialism

The Politics of Cheering and Booing: On Palestine, Solidarity and the Tokyo Olympics

When the Palestinian Olympic delegation of five athletes – adorned in traditional Palestinian attire and carrying the Palestinian flag – crossed into the Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium during the inauguration ceremony on July 23, I was overcome with pride and nostalgia. I grew up watching the Olympics. All of us did. Throughout the month-long international sports event, the Olympics were the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/08/2021 — 1 comment — World

‘New Form’ of Ice Cream ‘Terrorism’: How Ben & Jerry’s has Exposed Israel’s anti-BDS Strategy

Ben & Jerry’s decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the ice cream giant has delivered a blow to Israel’s attempts[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Little Talked About Covid-19 ‘Variants’: Vaccine Mismanagement Will Have Dire Repercussions

Do you remember the United Nations Millennium Development Goals? If not, you are not alone. These ambitious goals, which included the eradication of “extreme poverty and hunger”, to “combating lethal diseases” and “reducing child mortality worldwide”, proved to be yet another empty gesture which, unsurprisingly, amounted to little. Even if the architects of the project were well-intentioned as they labored[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Progress or War: On Islamophobia and Europe’s Demographic Shifts

Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Once more, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent’s identity debate. Of course, anti-Muslim sentiments are rarely framed to appear anti-Muslim. While Europe’s right-wing parties remain[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Family Separation Law: Israel’s Demographic War on Palestine Intensifies

When the Israeli Knesset (parliament) failed to renew what is commonly referred to as the Family Reunification Law, news reports and analyses misrepresented the story altogether. The even split of 59 MKs voting in favor of the law and 59 against it gave the erroneous impression that Israeli lawmakers are equally divided over the right of Palestinians to obtain permanent[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Kneeling against Racism: Solidarity in EURO 2020 Should Not be ‘Controversial’

Another football ‘controversy’ has started when football players participating in the ongoing ‘UEFA Euro 2020’, kneeled down during national anthems to protest racism, a serious problem that has plagued football stadiums for many years. Yet, while some players chose to kneel down, others opted not to, offering flimsy excuses as “players weren’t ready”, and “politics should stay out of football”.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

The People vs. Mahmoud Abbas: Are the Palestinian Authority’s Days Numbered?

“The Palestinian Authority’s days are numbered”. This assertion has been oft repeated recently, especially after the torture to death on June 24 of a popular Palestinian activist, Nizar Banat, 42, at the hands of PA security goons in Hebron (Al-Khalil). The killing – or ‘assassination’ as some Palestinian rights groups describe it – of Banat, however, is commonplace. Torture in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/07/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Bennett’s Political Theater: The Decisive Israeli-Palestinian Fight Ahead

Many Palestinians believe that the May 10-21 military confrontation between Israel and the Gaza Resistance, along with the simultaneous popular revolt across Palestine, was a game-changer. Israel is doing everything in its power to prove them wrong. Palestinians are justified to hold this viewpoint; after all, their minuscule military capabilities in a besieged and impoverished tiny stretch of land, the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/07/2021 — 1 comment — Palestine

Words Alone will not End Anti-Muslim Terror in Canada

The killing of a Muslim family on June 6 in Ontario, Canada, again presented an opportunity for Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to brand himself as a voice of reason and communal harmony. However, Trudeau’s amiable and reassuring language is designed to veil a sinister reality which has, for many years, hidden the true face of Canadian politics. “This was[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Putting Lipstick on a Pig’: Why Washington is Fawning over Israel’s New Government

When former US President Barack Obama used an old cliché to denigrate his political opponent, the late US Senator, John McCain, he triggered a political controversy lasting several days. “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” Obama said at a campaign event in 2008. The maxim indicates that superficial changes have no bearings on outcomes[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

On Trumpism and Netanyahu-ism: How Benjamin Netanyahu Won America and Lost Israel

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is as much American as he is Israeli. While other Israeli leaders have made their strong relationship with Washington a cornerstone in their politics, Netanyahu’s political style was essentially American from the start. Netanyahu spent many of his formative years in the United States. He lived in Philadelphia as a child, graduated from Cheltenham High[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

On ‘Conflict’, ‘Peace’ and ‘Genocide’: Time for New Language on Palestine and Israel

On May 25, famous American actor, Mark Ruffalo, tweeted an apology for suggesting that Israel is committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza. “I have reflected and wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide’,” Ruffalo wrote, adding, “It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful and is being used to justify anti-Semitism, here and abroad. Now[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 15/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Power at Any Cost: How Opportunistic Mansour Abbas Joined Hands with Avowed ‘Arab Killers’

We are led to believe that history is being made in Israel following the formation of an ideologically diverse government coalition which, for the first time, includes an Arab party, Ra’am, or the United Arab List. If we are to accept this logic, the leader of Ra’am, Mansour Abbas, is a mover and shaker of history, the same way that[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/06/2021 — 1 comment — World

On the Politics of Victory and Defeat: How Gaza Dethroned the King of Israel

How did Benjamin Netanyahu manage to serve as Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister? With a total of 15 years in office, Netanyahu surpassed the 12-year leadership of Israel’s founding father, David Ben Gurion. The answer to this question will become particularly critical for future Israeli leaders who hope to emulate Netanyahu’s legacy, now that his historic leadership is likely to end.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Free Market Illusions: What is the US’ Endgame in China?

Why does the US advocate a free market while doing its utmost to stifle it? The current US-China economic war is a perfect example of this perplexing question. The legacy of Milton Friedman, the founder of America’s modern political economy, was a representation of this very dichotomy: the use, misuse and manipulation of the concept of the free market. Through[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/06/2021 — 1 comment — World

The Fumbling King of Palestine: Palestinians are Defeating the Oslo Culture

The political discourse of Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, is similar to that of an ineffectual king who has been isolated in his palace for far too long. The king speaks of prosperity and peace, and tirelessly counts his innumerable achievements, while his people are dying of starvation outside and pointlessly begging for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/06/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Patriarchy

‘Mowing the Grass’ No More: How Palestinian Resistance Altered the Equation

The ceasefire on May 21 has, for now, brought the Israeli war on Gaza to an end. However, this ceasefire is not permanent and constant Israeli provocations anywhere in Palestine could reignite the bloody cycle all over again. Moreover, the Israeli siege on Gaza remains in place, as well as the Israeli military occupation and the rooted system of apartheid[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestine’s Moment: Despite Massive Losses, Palestinians Have Altered the Course of History

The ‘Palestinian Revolt of 2021’ will go down in history as one of the most influential events that irreversibly shaped collective thinking in and around Palestine. Only two other events can be compared with what has just transpired in Palestine: the revolt of 1936 and the First Intifada of 1987. The general strike and rebellion of 1936-39 were momentous because[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Unity at Last: The Palestinian People Have Risen

From the outset, some clarification regarding the language used to depict the ongoing violence in occupied Palestine, and also throughout Israel. This is not a ‘conflict’. Neither is it a ‘dispute’ nor ‘sectarian violence’ nor even a war in the traditional sense. It is not a conflict, because Israel is an occupying power and the Palestinian people are an occupied[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Anti-Zionist Naples’: Award-Winning Italian Artist Speaks about Palestine and Why He Quit Photojournalism

Written by Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud On April 1, a mural appeared in the Southern Italian city of Naples, depicting Palestinian workers lining at an Israeli military checkpoint near the occupied city of Bethlehem, in the West Bank. It is called ‘Welcome to Bethlehem’. The mural, which quickly became popular in the town and on social media, was the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Muna is Palestine, Yakub is Israel: The Untold Story of Sheikh Jarrah

There are two separate Sheikh Jarrah stories – one read and watched in the news and another that receives little media coverage or due analysis. The obvious story is that of the nightly raids and violence meted out by Israeli police and Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the devastated East Jerusalem neighborhood. For weeks, thousands of Jewish extremists have targeted[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestine’s Moment of Reckoning: On Abbas’ Dangerous Decision to ‘Postpone’ Elections

The decision on April 30 by Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to ‘postpone’ Palestinian elections, which would have been the first in 15 years, will deepen Palestinian division and could, potentially, signal the collapse of the Fatah Movement, at least in its current form. Unlike the last Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, the big story, this time, was not the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Bottom-up Politics: Grassroots Activism Behind Pro-Palestine Shift in the US

At a recent virtual J Street Conference, US Senators, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren broke yet another political taboo when they expressed willingness to leverage US military aid as a way to pressure Israel to respect Palestinian human rights. Sanders believes that the US “must be willing to bring real pressure to bear, including restricting US aid, in response to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/04/2021 — 2 comments — Palestine

A Palestinian Prayer for Ramadan: May the Voices of the Oppressed Be Heard

COVID-19 cases in Palestine, especially in Gaza, have reached record highs, largely due to the arrival of a greatly contagious coronavirus variant which was first identified in Britain. Gaza has always been vulnerable to the deadly pandemic. Under a hermetic Israeli blockade since 2006, the densely populated Gaza Strip lacks basic services like clean water, electricity, or minimally-equipped hospitals. Therefore,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Recognition of Palestine is ‘Symbolic’ but also Critical: The Australian Case

Australia’s Labor Party’s recognition of Palestine as a State on March 30 is a welcomed position, though it comes with many caveats. Pro-Palestinian activists are justified to question the sincerity of the ALP’s stance and whether Australia’s Labor is genuinely prepared to fully adopt this position should they form a government following the 2022 elections. The language of the amendment[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Israel Rejects ICC Investigation: What Are the Possible Future Scenarios?

The Israeli government’s position regarding an impending investigation by the International Criminal Court of alleged war crimes committed in occupied Palestine has been finally declared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It will be made clear that Israel is a country with rule of law that knows how to investigate itself,” Netanyahu said in a statement on April 8. Subsequently,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Secret Wars of Africa’s Sahel: What Is Behind Mali’s Ongoing Strife

In a recent report, the United Nations Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, concluded that, on January 3, French warplanes had struck a crowd attending a wedding in the remote village of Bounti, killing 22 of the guests. According to the findings, based on a thorough investigation and interviews with hundreds of eyewitnesses, 19 of the guests were unarmed civilians[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Imperialism

From His Solitary Confinement, Marwan Barghouti Holds the Key to Fatah’s Future

If imprisoned Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, becomes the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the status quo will change substantially. For Israel, as well as for the current PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, such a scenario is more dangerous than another strong Hamas showing in the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections. The long-delayed elections, now scheduled for May 22 and July 31[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Kafkaesque Politics: The Missing Lessons from Israel’s Latest Elections

A ‘major setback’ was the recurring term in many news headlines reporting on the outcome of Israel’s general elections of March 23. While this depiction specifically referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to secure a decisive victory in the country’s fourth elections in two years, this is only part of the narrative. Certainly, it was a setback for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/04/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Nuclear Weapons Blazing: Britain Enters the US-China Fray

Boris Johnson’s March 16 speech before the British Parliament was reminiscent, at least in tone, to that of Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2019, on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China. The comparison is quite apt if we remember the long-anticipated shift in Britain’s foreign policy and Johnson’s conservative Government’s pressing need to chart[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Imperialism

The Nakba of Sheikh Jarrah: How Israel Uses ‘the Law’ to Ethnically Cleanse East Jerusalem

A Palestinian man, Atef Yousef Hanaysha, was killed by Israeli occupation forces on March 19 during a weekly protest against illegal Israeli settlement expansion in Beit Dajan, near Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Although tragic, the above news reads like a routine item from occupied Palestine, where shooting and killing unarmed protesters is part of the daily reality. However,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End

Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, needs to urgently rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he “certainly” does not “expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro.” Namely, Price expects that the Biden[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Elections under Fire: Palestine’s Impossible Democracy Dilemma

Many Palestinian intellectuals and political analysts find themselves in the unenviable position of having to declare a stance on whether they support or reject upcoming Palestinian elections which are scheduled for May 22 and July 30. But there are no easy answers. The long-awaited decree by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last January to hold legislative and presidential elections in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Is This Who We Are?’: Gitmo is America’s Enduring Shame

“That’s certainly our goal and our intention.” This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president’s first term in office. Psaki’s answer may have seemed[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Ready to Work with Netanyahu: Mansour Abbas Splinters Arab Vote in Israel

At a glance, it may appear that the split of Arab political parties in Israel is consistent with a typical pattern of political and ideological divisions which have afflicted the Arab body politic for many years. This time, however, the reasons behind the split are quite different. As Israel readies for its fourth general elections within two years, scheduled for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Engaging the World’: The ‘Fascinating Story’ of Hamas’s Political Evolution

Written by Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud On February 4, representatives from the Palestinian Movement, Hamas, visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest development on the unity talks between the Islamic Movement and its Palestinian counterparts, especially Fatah. This was not the first time that Hamas’s officials traveled to Moscow on similar missions. In fact, Moscow continues[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/03/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Coup Leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi Betrayed Democracy in Burma

What is taking place in Burma right now is a military coup. There can be no other description for such an unwarranted action as the dismissal of the government by military decree and the imposition of Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, as an unelected ruler. However, despite the endless talk about democratization, Burma was, in the years[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/02/2021 — 1 comment — World

Imagining Palestine: On Barghouti, Darwish, Kanafani and the Language of Exile

For Palestinians, exile is not simply the physical act of being removed from their homes and their inability to return. It is not a casual topic pertaining to politics and international law, either. Nor is it an ethereal notion, a sentiment, a poetic verse. It is all of this, combined. The death in Amman of Palestinian poet, Mourid Barghouti, an[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/02/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Leaving Aside’ International Law: Why Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to a Just Peace in Palestine

Motivated by their justifiable aversion to former US President Donald Trump, many analysts have rashly painted a rosy picture of how Democrats could quickly erase the bleak trajectory of the previous Republican administration. This naivety is particularly pronounced in the current spin on the Palestinian-Israeli discourse, which is promoting, again, the illusion that Democrats will succeed where their political rivals[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/02/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Europe Will Redefine Itself Despite Political Shift in the US

Despite the long-awaited political change in Washington as Democratic President, Joe Biden, has officially become the 46th President of the United States, Europe is unlikely to resume its previously unhindered reliance on its trans-Atlantic partner. The four years of Donald Trump were rife with tension and strife between the US and Europe – in fact, between the US and its[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/02/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Russian Alternative: How Moscow is capitalizing on US Retreat in Palestine, Israel

Israeli anxiety was palpable when it was reported that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was not contacted by the new American President, Joe Biden, for days after the latter’s inauguration. While much is being read into Biden’s decision, including Washington’s lack of enthusiasm to return to the ‘peace process’, Moscow is generating much attention as a possible alternative to the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/02/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Freedom is Never Voluntarily Given’: Palestinian Boycott of Israel is Not Racist, It is Anti-Racist

Claims made by Democratic New York City mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang, in a recent op-ed in the Jewish weekly, ‘The Forward’, point to the prevailing ignorance that continues to dominate the US discourse on Palestine and Israel. Yang, a former Democratic Presidential candidate, is vying for the Jewish vote in New York City. According to the reductionist assumption that[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/02/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Our Mutual Fight: The Case against Pakistani Normalization with Israel

The Pakistani government should never, under any circumstances and no matter the pressure, normalize with Israel. Doing so is not only dangerous – as it will embolden an already vile, racist, violent apartheid Israel – but it would also be considered a betrayal of a historic legacy of mutual solidarity, collective affinity and brotherhood that have bonded Palestinians and Pakistanis[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/02/2021 — 1 comment — Palestine

B’Tselem’s Historic Declaration: Israel’s Open War on Its Own Civil Society

“A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid,” was the title of a January 12 report by the Israeli rights group B’Tselem. No matter how one is to interpret B’Tselem’s findings, the report is earth-shattering. The official Israeli response merely confirmed what B’Tselem has stated in no uncertain terms. Those of us[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Beyond Slogans: Palestinians Need an Urgent, Centralized Strategy to Counter Israel in Africa

Arab normalization with Israel is expected to have serious consequences that go well beyond the limited and self-serving agendas of a few Arab countries. Thanks to the Arab normalizers, the doors are now flung wide open for new political actors to extend or cement ties with Israel at the expense of Palestine, without fearing any consequences to their actions. African[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/01/2021 — 2 comments — World

The ‘Insurrection’ and Its Discontents: ‘American Exceptionalism’ Revisited

History is being written in the United States today. Even the most pessimistic about the prospects of American democracy have rarely ventured out this far while offering a bleak analysis of America’s future, whether in terms of political polarization at home or global standing abroad. As shocking and, certainly, telling as the images of thousands of American protesters taking over[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Fearing the Palestinian Narrative: Why Israel Banned ‘Jenin Jenin’

On January 11, the Israeli Lod District Court ruled against a Palestinian film-maker, Mahmoud Bakri, ordering him to pay hefty compensation to an Israeli soldier who was accused, along with the Israeli military, of carrying out war crimes in April 2002, in the Palestinian Jenin refugee camp located in the northern occupied West Bank. The case, as presented by Israeli[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

By ‘Force and Fraud’: Is This the End of the US Democracy Doctrine?

In an interview with the British newspaper, The Times, in 2015, former US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, vehemently denied that exporting democracy to Iraq was the main motive behind the US invasion of that Arab country 12 years earlier. Rumsfeld further alleged that “the idea that we could fashion a democracy in Iraq seemed to me unrealistic.” But the US’[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — World

Covid-19 under Apartheid: How Israel Manipulates Suffering of Palestinians

Israel’s decision to exclude Palestinians from its COVID-19 vaccination campaign may have surprised many. Even by Israel’s poor humanitarian standards, denying Palestinians access to life-saving medication seems extremely callous. Amnesty International, among many organizations, condemned the Israeli government’s decision to bar Palestinians from receiving the vaccine. The rights group described the Israeli action as evidence of the “institutionalized discrimination[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘One State is a Game Changer’: A Conversation with Ilan Pappe and Awad Abdelfattah on the One Democratic State Campaign

Written by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo As the US ruling elites have fully succumbed to Israel’s political discourse on Palestine, the Israeli government of right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, may feel that it, alone, is capable of determining the future of the Palestinian people. This conclusion is, perhaps, gleaned from Israel’s behavior in recent years and months. The expansion[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

2021: Palestine’s Chance of Fighting Back

2020 will go down in history as the year that terminated the American-sponsored ‘peace process’. While 2021 will not reverse the monumental change in the US attitude and objectives in Palestine, Israel and the Middle East, the new year presents Palestinians with the opportunity to think outside the American box. The previous year began with an unmistakable American push to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A Country in Turmoil: Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel’s Political Crisis

It is convenient to surmise that Israel’s current political crisis is consistent with the country’s unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently at the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two years. Even by Israel’s political standards, this phenomenon is unprecedented, not[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality

The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was ‘the great equalizer’ should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario. For an entire year, wealthy celebrities and government[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

When the People Rose: How the Intifada Changed the Political Discourse around Palestine

December 8 came and went as if it was an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. Today, the uprising is merely viewed from a historic point[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Long Live the (Dead) Peace Process’: Abbas Prioritizes US Ties over Palestinian National Unity

No one seemed as excited about the election of Joe Biden being the next President of the United States as Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas. When all hope seemed lost, where Abbas found himself desperate for political validation and funds, Biden arrived like a conquering knight on a white horse and swept the Palestinian leader away to safety. Abbas was[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Debunking the ‘Opium of the People’ Maxim: Football is about Politics and Class Struggle

Noam Chomsky is right when he says that, in the US, sports creates the necessary “fantasy world” required to shield people from understanding, organizing, and attempting to “influence the real world”. Referring to sports commentary and phone-in shows, Chomsky, in an interview with AlterNet, marveled at the intellectual and analytical skills of people engaged in the sports culture. Ultimately, however,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Moving Past Apartheid: One-State is not Ideal Justice, but It is Just and Possible

Once again, Europe’s top diplomats expressed their ‘deep concern’ regarding Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement expansion, again evoking the maxim that Israeli actions “threaten the viability of the two-state solution”. This position was communicated by EU Foreign Affairs Chief, Josep Borrell, on November 19, during a video-conference with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/12/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Expansion and Mass Eviction: Israel ‘Takes Advantage’ of Trump’s Remaining Days in Office

In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, summed up the logic behind the ongoing frenzy to expand illegal Jewish settlements in Israel. “These days are an irreplaceable opportunity to establish our hold on the Land of Israel, and I’m sure that our friend, President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Total Reset’ is Wishful Thinking: The Daunting Task of Reordering US Foreign Policy

A new term has imposed itself on the conversation regarding the impending presidency of US President-elect, Joe Biden: “The Total Reset”. Many headlines have already promised that the Biden Presidency is ready to ‘reset’ US foreign policy across the globe, as if the matter is dependent solely on an American desire and decision. While a ‘total reset’ is, perhaps, possible[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

As Israel Destroys EU Projects in Palestine, European Foreign Policy Remains Impotent

Belgium is furious. On November 6, the Belgian government condemned Israel’s destruction of Belgian-funded homes in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Understandably, Brussels wants the Israeli government to pay compensation for the unwarranted destruction. The Israeli response was swift: a resounding ‘no’. The diplomatic row is likely to fizzle out soon; neither will Israel cease its illegal demolitions of Palestinian[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/11/2020 — 1 comment — Palestine

Future of American Democracy: On Inequality, Polarization and Violence

In January 2017, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Democracy Index downgraded the state of democracy in the United States from “full democracy” to “flawed democracy”. The demotion of a country that has constantly prided itself, not only on being democratic but also on championing democracy throughout the world, took many by surprise. Some US pundits challenged the findings altogether. However,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Playing for Time’: The Non-strategy of Mahmoud Abbas

“If we are going to live another four years with President Trump, God help us, God help you and God help the whole world.” These were the words of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, during a virtual meeting with European legislators on November 3. While some may agree with Shtayyeh’s assessment, such utterances by a top Palestinian official are[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Escalating the Demographic War: The Strategic Goal of Israeli Racism in Palestine

The discussion on institutional Israeli racism against its own Palestinian Arab population has all but ceased following the final approval of the discriminatory Nation-State Law in July 2018. Indeed, the latest addition to Israel’s Basic Law is a mere start of a new government-espoused agenda that is designed to further marginalize over a fifth of Israel’s population. On Wednesday, October[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Macron’s Incitement: ‘Crisis in Islam’ or French Politics?

There is no moral or ethical justification for the killing of innocent people, anywhere. Therefore, the murder of three people in the French city of Nice on October 29 must be wholly and unconditionally rejected as a hate crime, especially as it was carried out in a holy place, the Notre Dame Basilica. However, we would be remiss to ignore[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘They Tried to Freeze Me to Death’: Torture and Resistance in Israeli Prisons

Co-Written by Mohammad al-Deirawi and Ramzy Baroud Mohammad Ibrahim Ali al-Deirawi was born on January 30, 1978 in Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His family is originally from Bir Al-Saba’, an ethnically cleansed Palestinian town located in the southern Naqab desert. Mohammad was arrested by the Israeli army at a military checkpoint in central Gaza on March 1,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/11/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

What Does Israel Have against Palestinian Singer, Mohammed Assaf?

Why does Israel hate Palestinian singer, Mohammed Assaf? On October 16, Avi Dichter, Israeli Member of Parliament from the right-wing Likud Party, announced that Assaf’s special permit to enter the occupied Palestinian West Bank would be revoked. Assaf, originally from Gaza, now lives with his family in the United Arab Emirates. He achieved stardom in 2013, when he won the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 31/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The World is Changing: China Launches Campaign for Superpower Status

The outdated notion that China ‘just wants to do business’ should be completely erased from our understanding of the rising global power’s political outlook. Simply put, Beijing has long realized that, in order for it to sustain its economic growth unhindered, it has to develop the necessary tools to protect itself, its allies and their combined interests. The need for[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

European Hypocrisy: Empty Words for Palestine, Deadly Weapons for Israel

In theory, Europe and the United States stand on completely opposite sides when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. While the US government has fully embraced the tragic status quo created by 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the EU continues to advocate a negotiated settlement that is predicated on respect for international law. In practice, however, despite[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Zionist War on Palestinian Festival in Rome is Ominous Sign of Things to Come

Co-Written by Romana Rubeo & Ramzy Baroud A Zionist-led war on a Palestinian cultural festival in Rome has exposed the fragility of the Italian political system when it comes to the conversation on Palestine and Israel. The sad truth is that, although Italy is not often associated with a ‘powerful’ pro-Israel lobby as is the case in Washington, the pro-Israel[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Dying Alone: When We Stopped Caring for Palestinian Prisoners

“No one cares about the prisoners.” Over the past few years, I have heard this phrase – or some variation of it – uttered many times by freed Palestinian prisoners and their families. Whenever I conduct an interview regarding this crucial and highly sensitive topic, I am told, repeatedly, that ‘no one cares.’ But is this really the case? Are[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Despite Ambiguity in International Law, Palestinians are Winning the ‘Legitimacy War’

‘International law’ remains one of the most discussed terms in the context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is almost always present, whether the discussion pertains to the Israeli wars and siege on Gaza, the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank or the encroaching apartheid throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories. Despite the importance and relevance[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Black Lives Should Always Matter: Delinking Social Justice from Seasonal US Politics

After viewing the first US Presidential debate on September 29, one is left with no doubt about the degenerating political discourse among America’s ruling elites. Following the debate between US President, Donald Trump, and Democratic Presidential nominee, Joe Biden, most analyses focused mainly on the personal insults and name-calling, which, deservedly, earned the event the title ‘worst Presidential debate in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

In Lieu of a Liberation Strategy: Palestinian Elections Are Designed to Buy Time

It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians. The rushed agreement between his party, Fatah and Hamas in Istanbul on September 24, and the Palestinian leader’s speech at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly the following day, indicate that the Palestinian leadership insists on[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Fight over the Mediterranean: France’s Proxy War and the Budding Turkish-Russian Alliance

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances, the Greek government is bracing for another financial crisis that promises to be as terrible as the last one in 2015. Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced, on September 12, that Athens has made a “robust” arms deal that will “reinforce the armed forces” and create a “national shield”. However, beyond Mitsotakis’ mask of confidence, there is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

We Are the Children of Gaza: The Poet, the Fashionista and the Footballer

by Wafaa Aludaini and Ramzy Baroud The inevitable has finally happened, and the coronavirus pandemic is now ravaging the besieged Gaza Strip. On August 24, a total lockdown was imposed by the Gaza authorities following the discovery of several COVID-19 cases outside designated quarantine areas. Since then, over 1,000 cases have been identified and ten people have died. Experts estimate[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Palestinians Are Not Numbers: On the Future of the Palestinian Discourse

Palestine can never be truly understood through numbers, because numbers are dehumanizing, impersonal, and, when necessary, can also be contrived to mean something else entirely. Numbers are not meant to tell the story of the human condition, nor should they ever serve as a substitute for emotions. Indeed, the stories of life, death – and everything in-between – cannot be[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

How do Democrats and Republicans Differ on Palestine and Israel?

The polarized nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and external issues can be difficult to decipher. Regarding Palestine and Israel, however, both[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The ‘Desaparecidos’ of Palestine: Gantz Escalates Israel’s War on the Dead

On September 2, the Israeli government approved a proposal that allows the military to indefinitely withhold the bodies of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli army. The proposal was made by the country’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz. Gantz is the main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also serves the role of the ‘alternate Prime Minister.’[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

As Washington Retreats, Eastern Mediterranean Conflict Further Marginalizes NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering. The current Turkish-Greek tension is only one facet of a much larger conflict involving, aside from the two Mediterranean countries, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, France,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Israel’s Friends at the RNC: ‘Christian Zionists’ Dictate the Agenda of the Republican Party

It is difficult – and futile – to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Barack Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other US administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political concessions. Certainly, the unconditional backing and love declared for Israel[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 04/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Dying to Fish’: How Israeli Piracy Destroyed Gaza’s Once Thriving Fishing Industry

On August 16, the Israeli navy declared the Gaza sea a closed military zone. A few days later, a group of Gaza fishermen decided to take their chances by fishing within a mere two or three nautical miles off the Gaza shore. No sooner had they cast their nets, Israeli navy bullets began whizzing all around them. Soon after the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Netanyahu vs Gantz: Gaza Escalation as Reflection of Israel’s Political Rivalry

Only recently, the Palestinian group, Hamas, and Israel seemed close to reaching a prisoner exchange agreement, where Hamas would release several Israeli soldiers held in Gaza while Israel would set free an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons. Instead of the much-anticipated announcement of some kind of a deal, on August 10, Israeli bombs began falling on[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘People of the Cave’: Palestinians Take Their Fight for Justice to the Mountains

Palestinians are not going anywhere. This is the gist of seven decades of Palestinian struggle against Zionist colonialism. The proof? The story of Ahmed Amarneh. Amarneh, a 30-year-old civil engineer from the northern West Bank village of Farasin, lives with his family in a cave. For many years, the Amarneh family has attempted to build a proper home, but their[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Palestine is Still the Issue’: UN Vote Exposes, Isolates Canada

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud & Romana Rubeo The notion that ‘Canada is better’, especially when compared with US foreign policy, has persisted for many years. Recent events at the United Nations have, however, exposed the true nature of Canada’s global position, particularly in the matter of its blind and unconditional support for Israel. On June 17, Canada lost its second[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/08/2020 — 1 comment — Palestine

Hands off Lebanon: Macron’s Self-serving ‘New Pact’ Must Be Shunned

French President, Emmanuel Macron, is in no position to pontificate to Lebanon about the need for political and economic reforms. Just as thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut demanding “revenge” against the ruling classes, the French people have relentlessly been doing the same; both peoples have been met with police violence and arrests. Following the August 4[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Politics of War: What is Israel’s Endgame in Lebanon and Syria?

On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. “We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility in central Israel. Netanyahu’s warning[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Likud Conspiracy: Israel in the Throes of a Major Political Crisis

Protests against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have raged on for weeks, turning violent sometimes. Israelis are furious at their government’s mediocre response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as COVID-19 disease is experiencing a massive surge throughout the country. Netanyahu warned protesters, thousands of whom have been rallying outside his residence in Jerusalem, against “anarchy (and) violence”. Scenes of utter[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Apartheid or One State: Has Jordan Broken a Political Taboo?

What will it take for the idea of a two-state solution, which was hardly practical to begin with, to be completely abandoned? Every realistic assessment of the situation on the ground indicates, with palpable clarity, that there can never be a viable Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Politically, the idea is also untenable. Those who[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Human Rights Defenders: Palestinian Eyewitness Testimony of the Execution of Abdul Fattah al-Sharif by Israeli Soldier, Elor Azaria

As illegal Jewish settlers increase their attacks on Palestinian civilians in the occupied city of Al Khalil (Hebron), the people of the Palestinian city continue to mount a campaign of popular resistance. One of the channels of resistance is Human Rights Defenders, “a grass-roots, non-partisan Palestinian organization, working to support nonviolent popular resistance through popular direct action and documentation of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/08/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

List of Israeli Targets Leaked: Tel Aviv Fears the Worst in ICC Investigation of War Crimes

When International Court of Justice (ICC) Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, confirmed last December that the Court has ample evidence to pursue a war crimes investigation in occupied Palestine, the Israeli government responded with the usual rhetoric, accusing the international community of bias and insisting on Israel’s ‘right to defend itself.’ Beneath the platitudes and typical Israeli discourse, the Israeli government knew[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Let’s Feed a Bedouin’: Roy Oz and Israel’s Outrageous Racism

On July 11, a video footage, which showed a popular Israeli TV celebrity demeaning Palestinian children from the Bedouin community in the Naqab area, went viral on social media. “Let’s feed a Bedouin. Don’t you want to feed a Bedouin?” Israeli children TV host, Roy Oz, repeatedly asks his children, who were seated in the back seat of his car.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/07/2020 — 1 comment — World

Why Palestinian-Israeli Prisoners Exchange Deal Could Happen Soon?

For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that of October 2011 follow anytime[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Optimism of the Will’: Palestinian Freedom is Possible Now

In a recent TV discussion, a respected pro-Palestine journalist declared that if any positive change or transformation ever occurs in the tragic Palestinian saga, it would not happen now, but that it would take a whole new generation to bring about such a paradigm shift. As innocuous as the declaration may have seemed, it troubled me greatly. I have heard[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Good News from Washington: AIPAC, Israel Losing to Progressive Democrats

While the US administration of President Donald Trump remains adamant in its support for Israel, the traditional democratic leadership continues to employ underhanded language, the kind of ‘strategic ambiguity’ that offers full support to Israel and nothing but lip service to Palestine and peace. Trump’s policies on Israel and Palestine have been damaging, culminating in the outrageously unfair ‘Deal of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

On Israel’s Bizarre Definitions: The West Bank is Already Annexed

Wednesday, July 1, was meant to be the day on which the Israeli government officially annexed 30% of the occupied Palestinian West Bank and the Jordan Valley. This date, however, came and went and annexation was never actualized. “I don’t know if there will be a declaration of sovereignty today,” said Israeli Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, with reference to the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Will the ICC Investigation Bring Justice for Palestine?

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo In the past, there have been many attempts at holding accused Israeli war criminals accountable. Particularly memorable is the case of the late Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, (known, among other nicknames, as the ‘Butcher of Sabra and Shatila’) whose victims attempted to try him in a Belgian Court in 2002. Like all[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Tearing Down the Idols of Colonialism: Why Tunisia, Africa Must Demand French Apology

The visit by newly-elected Tunisian President Kais Saied to France on June 22 was intended to discuss bilateral relations, trade, etc. But it was also a missed opportunity, where Tunisia could have formally demanded an apology from France for the decades of French colonialism, which has shattered the social and political fabric of this North African Arab nation since the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/07/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

PA Political Circus: Why Abbas Must Hand the Keys over to the PLO

The painful truth is that the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas has already ceased to exist as a political body that holds much sway or relevance, either to the Palestinian people or to Abbas’ former benefactors, namely the Israeli and the American governments. So, when the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, announced on June 9, that the Palestinian[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/06/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The ‘Palestinian Chair’: Exposing Israel’s Direct Role in US Violence

The banning of deadly police practices by many American states and cities following the murder of an African American man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers is, once more, shedding light on US-Israeli collaboration in the fields of security and crowd-control. From California to New York, and from Washington State to Minneapolis, all forms of neck restraints[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/06/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Palestine Bleeds: Execution of Autistic Man is Not an Exception but the Norm

A 32-year-old man with the mental age of an 8-year-old child was executed by Israeli soldiers on May 30, while crouching behind his teacher near his special needs school in the Old City of Jerusalem. The cold-blooded murder of Iyad al-Hallaq might not have received much attention if it were not for the fact that it took place five days[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/06/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

What is Next for Palestinian Popular Resistance in Gaza? Speaking to Journalist Wafaa Aludaini

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud & Romana Rubeo Wafaa Aludaini is a witness to many of Gaza’s recent tragedies and also never-ending resistance. She experienced the violent Israeli occupation, the subsequent blockade on the impoverished Strip, and several wars that resulted in the death and wounding of tens of thousands of Palestinians. But none of Israel’s wars impacted Aludaini’s life as[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/06/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Political Ambiguity or a Doomsday Weapon: Why Abbas Abandoned Oslo

This time, we are told, it is different and that President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is absolutely serious about his decision to absolve his leadership from all previous agreements signed with Israel and the United States. But this time is not different, and Abbas is not serious. “The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the state of Palestine are[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Why Does Israel Celebrate Its Terrorists: Ben Uliel and the Murder of the Dawabsheh Family

Israeli media and Zionist apologists everywhere are busy whitewashing Israel’s globally-tattered image using the rare indictment of an Israeli terrorist, Amiram Ben Uliel, who was recently convicted for murdering the Palestinian Dawabsheh family, including an 18-month-old toddler in the town of Duma, south of Nablus. The conviction of Ben Uliel by an Israeli three-judge court on May 18, is expectedly[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Why Israel Fears the Nakba: How Memory Became Palestine’s Greatest Weapon

On May 15, thousands of Palestinians in Occupied Palestine and throughout the ‘shatat’, or diaspora, participated in the commemoration of Nakba Day, the one event that unites all Palestinians, regardless of their political differences or backgrounds. For years, social media has added a whole new stratum to this process of commemoration. #Nakba72, along with #NakbaDay and #Nakba, have all trended[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

What You Need to Know about the ICC Investigation of War Crimes in Occupied Palestine

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has, once and for all, settled the doubts on the Court’s jurisdiction to investigate war crimes committed in occupied Palestine. On April 30, Bensouda released a 60-page document diligently laying down the legal bases for that decision, concluding that “the Prosecution has carefully[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Arabs, UN Must Move to Swiftly Protect the Status of Palestinian Refugees

‘Heinous racism,’ is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. Lebanon’s restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding the residency status of Palestinian[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Apartheid is a Crime’: Former Swedish Diplomat Speaks about His Experiences in Occupied Palestine (VIDEO)

Mats Svensson is a former Swedish diplomat, an author and a photographer. His books include “Crimes, Victims and Witnesses – Apartheid in Palestine.” His latest volume, “Apartheid is a Crime – Portraits of Israeli Occupation,” was just released by Cunepress in Seattle. Svensson joined me and my co-host Romana Rubeo on “Palestine Chronicle TV”, on May 6, to discuss his[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Justice is Indivisible’: Placing Palestine Back at the Center of Muslim Discourse in the West

It was nearly twenty years ago at a Muslim conference in Washington D.C. that I heard the distressing argument that Palestine should not be made a central topic in the American Muslim political agenda. The point, which took many by surprise, was enunciated by a young American Pakistani Muslim academic, whose name is not important for my purpose here. What[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

100 Years of Shame: Annexation of Palestine Began in San Remo

One hundred years ago, representatives from a few powerful countries convened at San Remo, a sleepy town on the Italian Riviera. Together, they sealed the fate of the massive territories confiscated from the Ottoman Empire following its defeat in World War I. It was on April 25, 1920, that the San Remo Conference Resolution was passed by the post-World War[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/05/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Hating Arabs as a Common Ground: Why Israel’s Coalition Government is Likely to Survive

Shortly after an agreement to form a “national emergency government” in Israel, leader of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) party, Benny Gantz, tweeted triumphantly that ‘democracy’ in Israel has been ‘safeguarded’. But how is a deal that would grant Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a veto power over the very judicial system which will determine his fate, a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Will the Coronavirus Change the World? On Gramsci’s ‘Interregnum’ and Zizek’s Ethnocentric Philosophy

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo The prophecies are here and it is a foregone conclusion: the post-coronavirus world will look fundamentally different from anything that we have seen or experienced, at least since the end of World War II. Even before the ‘curve flattened’ in many countries that have experienced high death tolls – let alone economic devastation[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

A Machiavellian Fiasco: How ‘Centrist’ Gantz Resurrected Netanyahu, Israel’s Right

It was intended to be a Machiavellian move, but the decision by Benny Gantz, leader of Israel’s Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) coalition, to join a Benjamin Netanyahu-led government is likely to destabilize the political fabric of Israeli society for years to come. In a surprising move, Gantz has entered into precarious political compromises, whereby he would become the Speaker[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Spreading the Virus of Occupation

Spitting at someone is a universal insult. In Israel, however, spitting at Palestinians is an entirely different story. Now that we know that the deadly coronavirus can be transmitted through saliva droplets, Israeli soldiers and illegal Jewish settlers are working extra hard to spit at as many Palestinians, their cars, doorknobs, and so on, as possible. If this sounds to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A Palestinian Guide to Surviving a Quarantine: On Faith, Humor and ‘Dutch Candy’

Call it a ‘quarantine’, a ‘shelter-in-place’, a ‘lockdown’ or a ‘curfew’, we Palestinians have experienced them all, though not at all voluntarily. Personally, the first 23 years of my life were lived in virtual ‘lockdown’. My father’s ‘quarantine’ was experienced much earlier, as did his father’s ‘shelter-in-place’ before him. They both died and were buried in Gaza’s cemeteries without ever[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/04/2020 — 1 comment — Palestine

Solidarity in the Age of Coronavirus: What the Arabs Must Do

While the Coronavirus continues to ravage almost every nation on earth, Arab countries remain unable, or unwilling, to formulate a collective strategy to help the poorest and most vulnerable Arabs survive the deadly virus and its economic fallout. Worse, amid growing international solidarity, we are yet to see a pan-Arab initiative that aims to provide material support to countries and[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Tunisia Leads the Way: New Report Exposes Israel’s False Democracy

Tunisia is the Middle East’s greatest success story, according to the findings of the V-Dem Annual Democracy Report 2019. One of the world’s most regarded annual reports on democracy and good governance, the V-Dem Report is produced by the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. While Tunisians can be proud of the prospect of[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/04/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

BJP and Israel: Hindu Nationalism is Ravaging India’s Democracy

It was only a matter of time before the anti-Muslim sentiment in India turned violent. A country that has historically prided itself on its diversity and tolerance, and for being ‘the largest democracy in the world’ has, in recent years, exhibited the exact opposite qualities – chauvinism, racism, religious intolerance, and, at times, extreme violence. The latest round of violence[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 26/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — India

Technology of Death: The Not-So-Shocking Report on Israeli Weapons Exports

The Middle East region, battered by wars and adjoining humanitarian crises that have left millions of people stateless, hungry and diseased, is in urgent need for peace, security and reconstruction. Thanks to the US, Russian, French, Israeli and other weapons manufacturers, however, it is now the dumping ground for military hardware, an ominous sign for the years ahead. Data released[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Death at the Greek Border: Syrian Refugees Should Not Be Used as Political Pawns

In a surprising move, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced on February 29 that he will be re-opening his country’s border to Europe, thus allowing tens of thousands of mostly Syrian refugees into Greece and other European countries. Expectedly, over 100,000 people rushed to the Ipsala border point in the Edirne province separating Turkey from Greece, hoping to make it[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘Zionist’ Biden in His Own Words: ‘My Name is Joe Biden, and Everybody Knows I Love Israel’

“I am a Zionist. You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist,” current Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, said in April 2007, soon before he was chosen to be Barack Obama’s running mate in the 2008 elections. Biden is, of course, correct, because Zionism is a political movement that is rooted in 20th century nationalism and fascism.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/03/2020 — 1 comment — World

‘A Policeman, A Pastor and A Palestinian’: The ‘Chilestinians’ as a Model for Palestinian Unity

I was only introduced to the term ‘Chilestinians’ last February at a conference in Istanbul, during a presentation by the Director of the Palestinian Federation of Chile, Anuar Majluf. When Majluf referred to the well-rooted Palestinian community in Chile, who number between 450,000 and half a million, using that unfamiliar and peculiar phrase, I smiled. Others did, too. It is[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Abuse, Oppression and Murder: The PA Does Israel’s Dirty Work in the West Bank

Merely two weeks after Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, declared that the PA will suspend all ‘security coordination’ with Israel, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank killed unarmed teenager, Salah Zakareneh. Zakareneh is not the first and, sadly, will not be the last Palestinian to be killed by the PA security forces, which in recent years have dramatically increased[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A Terrifying Scenario: Coronavirus in ‘Quarantined’ Gaza

What if the Coronavirus reaches the besieged Gaza Strip? While the question carries great urgency for all Palestinians living under Israel’s military occupation, the Gaza situation is particularly complex and extremely worrying. Nearly 50 countries have already reported cases of COVID-19 disease, one of several epidemics that are caused by the Coronavirus. If developed countries, such as Italy and South[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/03/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Beyond Israeli Elections: Israel at the Cusp of a Bleak Era

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, must be channeling the spirit of Houdini as he continues to plot his escape from one of the most convoluted political dilemmas in Israel’s history. It is no secret that Netanyahu’s political behavior is almost entirely shaped by his desire to survive in office for as long as possible in order to avoid possible jail[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/02/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

‘The Donald Trump I know’: Abbas’ UN Speech and the Breakdown of Palestinian Politics

A precious moment has been squandered, as Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, had the chance to right a historical wrong, by reinstating Palestinian national priorities at the United Nations Security Council on February 11, through a political discourse that is completely independent from Washington and its allies. For a long time, Abbas has been a hostage to the very language[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/02/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Breaking with Washington: Arabs and Muslims Must Take a United Stance for Palestine

A negotiated solution to the ‘Palestinian-Israeli conflict’, at least the way envisaged by successive US administrations, has failed. Now, Palestinians and their allies would have to explore a whole new path of liberation that does not go through Washington. It is easy to place all the blame on the current US administration, setting apart dodgy characters such as the President’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/02/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Crisis and Opportunity: The ‘Deal of the Century’ Challenge for Palestinians

After several postponements, US President, Donald Trump, has finally revealed the details of his Middle East plan, dubbed ‘Deal of the Century’, in a press conference in Washington on January 28. Standing triumphantly beside Trump, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, must have surely understood that the timing of the announcement, only a few weeks before Israel’s third general elections in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/02/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Pipeline or a Pipedream: Israel, Turkey Hydrocarbon Conflict is Brewing in the Mediterranean

Massive natural gas discoveries off the eastern coast of Israel and Palestine is slated to make Tel Aviv a regional energy hub. Whether Israel will be able to translate positive indicators of the largely untapped gas reserves into actual economic and strategic wealth is yet to be seen. What is certain, however, is that the Middle East is already in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

In the Name of “Israel’s Security”: Retreating US Gives Israel Billions More in Military Funding

Billions of US tax-payers’ money will continue to be funneled into Israel in the next fiscal year, and for many years in the foreseeable future. Republican and Democratic Senators have recently achieved just that, passing a bill aimed at providing Israel with $3.3 billion in annual aid. The Bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Senator, Chris Coons and Republican Senator, Marco Rubio,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/01/2020 — 1 comment — World

Sealed Off and Forgotten: What You Should Know about Israel’s ‘Firing Zones’ in the West Bank

A seemingly ordinary news story, published in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, on January 7, shed light on a long-forgotten, yet crucial, subject: Israel’s so-called “firing zones” in the West Bank. “Israel has impounded the only vehicle available to a medical team that provides assistance to 1,500 Palestinians living inside an Israeli military firing zone in the West Bank,” according to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 16/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Embracing Palestine: How to Combat Israel’s Misuse of “Antisemitism”

At a talk I delivered in Northern England in March 2018, I proposed that the best response to falsified accusations of antisemitism, which are often lobbed against pro-Palestinian communities and intellectuals everywhere, is to draw even closer to the Palestinian narrative. In fact, my proposal was not meant to be a sentimental response in any way. “Reclaiming the Palestinian narrative”[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

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 in the making for a long time and should, frankly,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The ‘Great Game’ is Afoot: Killing Soleimani Reflects US Desperation in the Middle East

Co-Written by Ramzy Baroud & Romana Rubeo By killing top Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani, American and Israeli leaders demonstrated the idiom ‘out of the frying pan into the fire.’ US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are both politically and legally embattled – the former has just been impeached and the latter is dogged by an[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — World

Who is Archbishop Atallah Hanna, and Why Israel Hates him

“They will run and not grow weary,” is a quote from the Bible (Isaiah, 40:41) that adorns the homepage of Kairos Palestine. This important document, which parallels a similar initiative emanating from South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle years, has come to represent the unified voice of the Palestinian Christian community everywhere. One of the main advocates of Kairos Palestine[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 01/01/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

From a Blessing to a Curse: How UN Resolution 2334 Accelerated Israel’s Colonization in the West Bank

Three years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334. With fourteen members voting in favor and one abstention, the Resolution was the equivalent of a political earthquake. Indeed, it was the first time in many years that Israel was roundly condemned by the international body for its illegal settlement policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Unlike previous attempts[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 19/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Elected by Donors’: The University of Cape Town Fails Palestine, Embraces Israel

It was a scandal of the highest caliber. On November 23, the Senate of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa was practically bullied to reverse an earlier decision that called for the academic boycott of Israel. While the story may seem relevant in South Africa’s political and academic contexts, in reality, it exemplifies the nature of a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Money, Power and Turf: Winning the Middle East Media War at Any Cost

It is hardly surprising to see Middle Eastern countries at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, as the worst violators of freedom of the press. But equally alarming is the complete polarization of public opinion as a result of self-serving media and, bankrolled by rich Arab countries, whose only goal is to serve their specific, often sinister, agendas.[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Unfinished ‘Coup’: The End of Netanyahu’s Era and the Political Earthquake ahead

This time, nothing seems to work. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has tried every trick in the book to save his political career and to avoid possible prison time. But for Israel’s longest-serving leader, the honeymoon is certainly almost over. It is an “attempted coup”, is how Netanyahu described his indictment on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

Israel’s Next Move: The Real Danger in US Decision to Normalize Illegal Jewish Settlements

It is hardly shocking that the United States government has finally decreed that illegal Jewish settlements which have been built in defiance of international law, are, somehow, “consistent” with international law. US foreign policy has been edging closer towards this conclusion for some time. Since his advent to the White House in January 2017, President Donald Trump has unleashed a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

How Western Media Bias Allows Israel to Getaway with Murder in Gaza

An Israeli attack on Gaza was imminent, and not because of any provocations by Palestinian groups in the besieged, impoverished Gaza Strip. The Israeli military escalation was foreseeable because it factors neatly in Israel’s contentious political scene. The war was not a question of “if”, but “when”. The answer came on November 12, when the Israeli military launched a major[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

A Lesson for the Palestinian Leadership: Real Reasons behind Israel’s Arrest and Release of Labadi, Mi’ri

The release on November 6 of two Jordanian nationals, Heba al-Labadi and Abdul Rahman Mi’ri from Israeli prisons was a bittersweet moment. The pair were finally reunited with their families after harrowing experiences in Israel. Sadly, thousands of Palestinian prisoners are still denied their freedom, still subjected to all sorts of hardships at the hands of their Israeli jailers. Despite[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

FILE- In this May 11, 2017, file photo, members of a design team at Cirque du Soleil demonstrate use of Microsoft's HoloLens device in helping to virtually design a set at the Microsoft Build 2017 developers conference in Seattle. Federal contract records show the U.S. Army has awarded Microsoft a $480 million contract to supply its HoloLens headsets to soldiers. The head-mounted displays use augmented reality, which means viewers can see virtual imagery superimposed over the real-world scenery in front of them. Microsoft says the technology will provide troops with better information to make decisions.(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Microsoft Should Not Fund Israeli Spying on Palestinians

In the past, Israel used basic technologies to identify Palestinians who take part in protests and mobilize the people in various popular activities. TV news footage or newspaper photos were thoroughly deciphered, often with the help of Israel’s collaborators in the Occupied Territories, and the ‘culprits’ would be identified, summoned to meet Shin Bet intelligence officers or arrested from[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 07/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about

Palestine’s Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world’s most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel. Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was titled: “The Holy Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective”. One major issue that highlighted itself[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 30/10/2019 — 2 comments — Palestine

She Deserves Our Support: Betty McCollum Wants US to Stop Subsidizing Torture of Palestinian Children

In December 2018, 17-year-old Palestinian teen, Ayham Sabah, was sentenced by an Israeli military court to 35 years in prison for his alleged role in a stabbing attack targeting an Israeli soldier in an illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Sabah was only 14 years old when the alleged attack took place. Another alleged attacker, Omar al-Rimawi, also 14,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 23/10/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Last Lifeline: The Real Reason Behind Abbas’ Call for Elections

The call by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for elections in the Occupied Territories is a political ploy. There will be no true, democratic elections under Abbas’ leadership. The real question is: why did he make the call in the first place? On September 26, Abbas took on the world’s most important political platform, the United Nations General Assembly, to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/10/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Administrative Torture: Free Heba al-Labadi, a Jordanian Citizen in Israeli Prison

On August 20, Heba Ahmed al-Labadi fell into the dark hole of the Israeli legal system, joining 413 Palestinian prisoners who are currently held in so-called administrative detention. On September 26, Heba and seven other prisoners declared a hunger strike to protest their unlawful detention and horrific conditions in Israeli prisons. Among the prisoners is Ahmed Ghannam, 42, from the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 10/10/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Africa-Palestine Conference: Why South Africa Must Lead the Way

On September 16, I visited South Africa, a country where many Palestinians have always felt welcomed, if not overwhelmed by the degree of genuine and meaningful solidarity. While having the honor to address many audiences in six, major cities, I have also learned a great deal. An important and sobering lesson is that while apartheid laws can be dismissed in[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/10/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Netanyahu on Steroids: What a Gantz-led Government Means for Palestine

Experience has taught Palestinians not to pay heed to Israeli elections. But to every rule there is an exception. Although it is still true that no Israeli Zionist leader has ever been kind to the Palestinian people, the dynamics of the latest Israeli elections on September 17 are likely to affect the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a profound way. Indeed,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/09/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

Apartheid Made Official: Deal of the Century is a Ploy and Annexation is the New Reality

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is moving quickly to alter the political reality in Palestine, and facing little or no resistance. On September 10, Netanyahu declared his intentions to annex swathes of Palestinian land adjacent to the Jordan River, an area that covers 2,400 square kilometers, or nearly a third of the Occupied West Bank. That region, which extends from[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 17/09/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘Justice is Indivisible’: Screams of Israa Ghrayeb Should Be Our Wake-up Call

The death of Israa Ghrayeb has ignited furious reactions regarding the so-called ‘honor-killings’ in Palestine and throughout the Arab world. It also wrought confusion with respect to the jurisprudential foundation of such crimes, which are often committed in the name of protecting the honor of the family. Israa, a 21-year-old makeup artist from the town of Beit Sahour in the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/09/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

The War Ahead: Netanyahu’s Elections Gamble Will be Costly for Israel

On September 1, the Lebanese group Hezbollah, struck an Israeli military base near the border town of Avivim. The Lebanese attack came as an inevitable response to a series of Israeli strikes that targeted four different Arab countries in the matter of two days. The Lebanese response, accompanied by jubilation throughout Lebanon, shows that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, may[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 05/09/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story

Israel’s decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at the receiving end of racist[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/08/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

Jewish Settlers Rule the Roost in Israel, But at What Price?

Israeli Jewish settlers are on a rampage in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. While settler violence is part of everyday routine in Palestine, the violence of recent weeks is directly linked to the general elections in Israel, scheduled to be held on September 17. The previous elections, on April 9, failed to bring about political stability. Although Israeli leader Benjamin[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 21/08/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Manifestos of Hate: What White Terrorists Have in Common

Writing under the title of “If the El Paso shooter had been Muslim”, Moustafa Bayoumi stated the obvious. “If the El Paso shooter had been a Muslim,” Bayoumi wrote in the British Guardian newspaper on August 6, US President Donald Trump “would be lobbing accusations such as ‘Islam hates us’ in the direction of Muslims and not lecturing the public[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/08/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

The War on Innocence: Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Court

On July 29, 4-year-old Muhammad Rabi’ Elayyan was reportedly summoned for interrogation by the Israeli police in occupied Jerusalem. The news, originally reported by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), was later denied by the Israeli police, likely to lessen the impact of the PR disaster that followed. The Israelis are not denying the story in its entirety, but are rather arguing that it was[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/08/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Bassam Shakaa: The Making of a Palestinian ‘Organic Intellectual’

It would be unfair to claim that Palestine has not produced great leaders. It has, and Bassam Shakaa, the former Mayor of Nablus, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 89, was living proof of this. The supposed deficit in good Palestinian leadership can be attributed to the fact that many great leaders have been either assassinated,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/07/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Killing Tariq: Why We Must Rethink the Roots of Jewish Settlers Violence

Seven-year-old Tariq Zabania from Al-Khalil (Hebron) was killed on the spot when an Israeli Jewish settler ran his car over him on July 15. Little Tariq’s photograph, lying face down on the road, was circulated on social media. His untimely death is heartbreaking. Tariq’s innocent blood must not go in vain. For this to happen, we are morally obliged to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/07/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Who Killed Oscar and Valeria: The Inconvenient History of the Refugee Crisis

History never truly retires. Every event of the past, however inconsequential, reverberates throughout and, to an extent, shapes our present, and our future as well The haunting image of the bodies of Salvadoran father, Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, Valeria, who were washed ashore at a riverbank on the Mexico-US border cannot be understood separately from El Salvador’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/07/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Book of Palestine: National Liberation vs Endless Negotiations

Those who are still hoping that the new American agenda on Palestine and Israel is temporary, or reversible, should abandon this false hope. Washington’s complete adoption of Israel’s messianic, extremist policies regarding Occupied Palestine has been a long time in the making. And it is here to stay. Despite the unmistakable clarity in the American political discourse regarding Palestine, the[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 09/07/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Africa and Palestine: A Noble Legacy That Must Never Be Betrayed

Europe’s “Scramble for Africa” began in earnest in 1881, but never ended. The attempt at dominating the continent using old and new strategies continues to define the western relationship with this rich continent. This reality was further validated when I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on June 23. Although my objective was to address various Kenyan audiences at universities, public forums[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/07/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Palestine and Kenya: Our Historic Fight against Injustice Is One and the Same

In 1948, my grandfather, along with thousands of Badrasawis, was expelled by Israeli military forces from our ancestral village of Beit Daras in Palestine. Like hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from over 500 other villages, my grandfather assumed he would be back home in a few weeks. “Why bother to haul the good blankets on the back of a donkey,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 27/06/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

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 Israel’s self-induced problems. Encouraged by the Donald Trump administration’s decision[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 25/06/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘World Refugee Day’: Palestinians Keep Their Right of Return Alive Through Hope, Resistance

The United Nations’ World Refugee Day, observed annually on June 20, should not merely represent a reminder of “the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.” It should also be an opportunity for the international community to truly understand and actively work towards finding[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/06/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Kushner as a Colonial Administrator: Let’s Talk About the ‘Israeli Model’

In a TV interview on June 2, on the news docuseries “Axios” on the HBO channel, Jared Kushner opened up regarding many issues, in which his ‘Deal of the Century’ was a prime focus. The major revelation made by Kushner, President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, was least surprising. Kushner believes that Palestinians are not capable of governing themselves. Not[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 12/06/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Abdul Rahman Nofal, 11, Gaza war-zone, was shot with an explosive bullet by a Jewish sniper and his leg was amputated. 19-4-18. Abdul loved playing football.

Facing the Facts: Israel Cannot Escape ICC Jurisdiction

The Chief Military Advocate General of the Israeli army, Sharon Afek, and the US Department of Defense General Counsel, Paul Ney, shared a platform at the ‘International Conference on the Law of Armed Conflict’, which took place in Herzliya, Israel between May 28-30. Their panel witnessed some of the most misconstrued interpretations of international law ever recorded. It was as[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/06/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Resurrecting the PLO is Palestine’s Best Response to the ‘Deal of the Century’

Palestinian groups, Fatah, Hamas and others should not confine themselves to simply rejecting the Trump Administration’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’. Instead, they should use their resistance to the new American-Israeli plot as an opportunity to unify their ranks. Leaked details of the ‘Deal of the Century’ confirm Palestinians’ worst fears: the ‘Deal’ is but a complete American acquiescence to[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 29/05/2019 — 1 comment — Palestine

Madonna’s Fake Revolution: Eurovision, Cultural Hegemony and Resistance

Rim Banna, a famous Palestinian singer who translated Palestine’s most moving poetry to song passed away on March 24, 2018, at the age of 51. Rim captured the struggle for Palestinian freedom in the most dignified and melodious ways. If we could imagine angels singing, they would sound like Rim. When Rim died, all Palestinians mourned her death. Although a[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 22/05/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Israel’s Common Denominator: Why Israel Will Continue to Bomb Gaza

On May 4, Israel launched a series of deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, prompting a response from various resistance groups. At least 25 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 people wounded in the Israeli attacks. Four Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rockets. The clashes were instigated by Israel, when the Israeli military killed four Palestinians in Gaza[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 14/05/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

The Two Narratives of Palestine: The People Are United, the Factions Are Not

The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world. The Conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating a discourse of international solidarity that is both inclusive and forward thinking. There was near consensus that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 08/05/2019 — 3 comments — Palestine

France and the EU, Recognizing Yet Supporting Apartheid Reality in Palestine | RamzyBaroud

A recent statement made by the outgoing French Ambassador to the US regarding the nature of Israeli apartheid accentuates a larger ailment that has afflicted the European Union foreign policy. The EU is simply gutless when it comes to confronting Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. Ambassador Gerard Araud was, of course, right when he told the US magazine, the ‘Atlantic’,[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 02/05/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Notre Dame of Gaza: Our Mosques and Churches are Also Burning

As the 300-foot spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris tragically came tumbling down on live television, my thoughts ventured to Nuseirat Refugee Camp, my childhood home in the Gaza Strip. Then, also on television, I watched as a small bulldozer hopelessly clawed through the rubble of my neighborhood mosque. I grew up around that mosque. I spent many[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 24/04/2019 — 2 comments — Palestine

War Versus Peace: Israel Has Decided and So Should We

So, what have we learned from the Israeli legislative elections on April 9? A whole lot. To start with, don’t let such references as the “tight race” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his main rival, Benny Gantz, fool you. Yes, Israelis are divided on some issues that are particular to their social and economic makeup. But they[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 18/04/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

The Unfinished Gaza War: What Netanyahu Hopes to Gain from Attacking Palestinian Prisoners

The current violence targeting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails dates back to January 2. It was then that Israel’s Public Security Minister, Gilad Erdan declared that the “party is over.” “Every so often, infuriating pictures appear of cooking in the terrorist wings. This party is coming to an end,” Erdan was quoted in the Jerusalem Post. Then, the so-called Erdan’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 11/04/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

‘The Essence of Being Palestinian’: What the Great March of Return is Really About

The aims of the Great March of Return protests, which began in Gaza on March 30, 2018 are to put an end to the suffocating Israeli siege and implementing the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees who were expelled from their homes and towns in historic Palestine 70 years earlier. But there is much more to the March of Return[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 03/04/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

On My Visit to New Zealand: Can Christchurch Heal Our Collective Wounds?

I visited the city of Christchurch on May 23, 2018, as part of a larger speaking tour in New Zealand that also took me to Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Dunedin. New Zealand is an exceptional country, different from other countries that are often lumped under the generalized designation of the ‘western world.’ Almost immediately after my arrival to Auckland, New[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 28/03/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World

Uniting Fatah, Not Palestinians: The Dubious Role of Mohammed Shtayyeh

Political commentators sympathetic to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Fatah Movement, in particular, fanned out as soon as the news was announced of Mohammad Shtayyeh’s appointment as the new Palestinian Prime Minister. It is no surprise to witness this gush of support and enthusiasm, for Shtayyeh is a Fatah man, par excellence. Gone are the days of the factional[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 20/03/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Chasing Mirages: What Are Palestinians Doing to Combat the ‘Deal of the Century’?

More US measures have been taken in recent weeks to further cement the Israeli position and isolate the Palestinian Authority (PA), before the official unveiling of President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘deal of the century’. But while attention is focused on spiteful US actions, little time has been spent discussing the PA’s own responses, options and strategies. The last of Washington’s[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 13/03/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Palestine

Why the Outrage? “Jewish Power” Party is the New Norm in Israeli Politics

Immediately after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forged an alliance with the fringe political group, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), a widespread outrage ensued. The anger did not emanate only from the Center, Left and Arab parties, but from some in the Right as well. Even the pro-Israel lobby in the US, known for its hawkish political views, spoke out against[Read More…]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud — 06/03/2019 — Comments are Disabled — World