In March, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was unable to achieve a parliamentary majority in the Knesset after a fourth Israeli election in two years. As a result, he needed a national crisis to prevent the establishment of an alternative government by the opposition. Such a coalition would...
Russia’s power in the Middle East is a reality that Arab actors cannot ignore, especially since Moscow’s military intervention in Syria intensified in 2015.
While the world is paying more attention to Gaza, the intra-Palestinian divide is worsening the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Two major developments that recently took place in the Gaza Strip are shaping the current situation and future of the coastal enclave. The first development was the...
After a failed statehood bid at the UN, the tragic Gaza debacle and Netanyahu’s re-election, what now for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza? First, there was the disastrous Gaza campaign launched last August by Hamas against Israel. That resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Gazans...
Peace between Israelis and Palestinians is hindered by the attitude, perception and claims to victimhood. As Gazans are trying to repair what is left of their belongings, with tensions in Jerusalem running high, it seems important to analyze the latest round of violence in its proper context....
What’s next for Israel, Hamas and Gaza? On August 26, Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) both accepted a ceasefire agreement after a 50-day Israeli assault on Gaza, which left 2,100 Palestinians dead and vast landscapes of destruction behind. The agreement calls for an end to military...
We will stand strong in defiance but we won’t surrender our capacity to love. I am not a journalist, not a politician, and not a celebrity. I grew up in New York City. My friends and partners have always been from mixed cultural, racial and religious backgrounds. I wouldn't have it any other...
Sara El-Yafi explains Jon Voight’s dangerous mistakes — mistakes that deter us from resting the conflict in the arms of peace. Dear Mr. Voight, People are still bringing up your letter to me from four weeks ago where you condemned Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz to “hang their heads...
With illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land, why has Israel not been held accountable? After wars in 2008-09 and in 2012, Israel has once again bombarded Gaza in a land, sea and air military campaign. Thousands of rockets from Hamas and other Palestinian factions have been fired at...
Is an explosion of the West Bank closer than we think? I have just returned from a work visit to Ramallah. I am very concerned and disturbed by what I heard from friends and colleagues there. The calm appearance of the city hides the sizzling bubbling under the surface. The West Bank is on...
