- October 25, 2026
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Arab Media Cannot Ignore the Truth about Libya’s Blacks
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News When Libyan rebels intercepted and seized a British intelligence and Special Forces unit in early March, the matter was handled with a sense of urgency and diplomacy. While all eight members of the SAS unit were reportedly released ‘unharmed’, black Africans haven’t been so lucky. Since the popular […]
Confused Strategy: How the PA Sold Out Palestinian Unity
By Ramzy Baroud If you happen to be a Palestinian government employee, chances are you will receive only half your usual salary this month. The other half will only be available when international donors find it in their hearts to make up for the huge shortage of funds currently facing the Palestinian Authority (PA). With […]
Yemen Continues to Inspire Amid Great Odds
By Ramzy Baroud The Yemeni people are unrelenting in their demands for democracy. Millions continue to stage rallies across their country in a display of will that is proving the most robust out of all the Arab revolutions. The Yemenis face great challenges, however, including the political vacillation of their country’s opposition, and the US’ […]
US Invigorates Policy at Gaza’s Expense
By Ramzy Baroud United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a series of stern and fiery statements recently, giving the impression that war is somehow on us once again. Oddly, Clinton’s sudden reappearance on the Middle East diplomacy scene was triggered by the brave attempts of peace activists to break the siege on […]
Economy Alone Fails to Explain Turkey’s Success
By Ramzy Baroud Many commentators today are basing the success of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the June 12 elections largely on its ability to guide the country through a decade of remarkable growth. Economic indicators are often seen as the obvious logic behind economic stability – lack thereof. However, they are not […]
Gaza Border ‘Opening’ is Just Rhetoric
By Ramzy Baroud For most Palestinians, leaving Gaza through Egypt is as exasperating a process as entering it. Governed by political and cultural sensitivities, most Palestinian officials and public figures refrain from criticising the way Palestinians are treated at the Rafah border. However there is really no diplomatic language to describe the relationship between desperate […]
One Missile, One Playground: The Will of Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud – Gaza A ‘Hamas commander’ drove a beat-up gray van in northern Gaza and theatrically spoke on his walkie-talkie as I sat in the passenger seat. The van was almost barren, save for the most basic equipment propelling it to move forward over the bumpy roads of an overcrowded refugee camp. Iyad […]
Revolutionary Egypt Forges Ahead
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News The streets of Cairo are chaotic. Each driver seems to be governed by an entirely different set of traffic rules. Yet, somehow, the cars continue to move forward — for the time being, at least. Egypt is finally free, and Egyptians are savouring every moment of their newly […]
Crushed Ice in Nuseirat: My Gaza Refugee Camp Revisited
By Ramzy Baroud – Gaza ‘Do you remember Mahmoud?’ asked Abu Nidal, my neighbor from nearly 20 years ago, when I lived in Gaza. “Yes, of course, I do,” I answered. I remembered him as yet another troublemaking child among the Nuseirat Refugee Camp’s numerous rabble-rousers. He was defined by a stream of snot that […]
Welcome to Gaza: Revolution and Change at the Rafah Border
By Ramzy Baroud The Palestinian security officer at the Rafah border was overly polite. He wore a black uniform and walked around self-assuredly, as he instructed weary travelers on their next moves before being allowed back into Gaza. On the other side of the border, in Egypt, there was much anxiety, fear and anticipation. ‘Things […]
Al Nakba, An Unforgiving Reality
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News It is essential that when we remember Al Nakba, we do not confine our mourning simply to what has been lost. We also need to understand the nature and magnitude of that loss, and what it continues to mean for so many. On May 15, Palestinians worldwide commemorated […]
Unity is Not Compromise: Towards a Real Palestinian Strategy
By Ramzy Baroud As the Palestine Papers demonstrated, the major obstacle to a real, lasting and just peace in Palestine is the Israeli leadership’s unwillingness to accept anything less than full domination over the Palestinians. Not only do Israeli leaders refuse to partake in any serious peace talks, they also refuse to agree on universally […]
Moving beyond Bin Ladenism
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News We’ve got him! squealed a waitress as I walked into a coffee shop in Washington state. It took me few moments to realise she was referring to US President Barack Obama’s triumphant declaration of the assassination of Osama Bin Laden near Islamabad on May 2. In no time, […]
Gaza Marathon: A Race for Freedom and Summer Camps
By Ramzy Baroud Nader al-Masri is an inspiration. The 31-year-old Gaza athlete seems completely oblivious to challenges that would seem insurmountable to most. On May 5th, he led a small pack of nine runners into the finish line of Gaza’s first marathon. Behind them, 1,300 children ran various distances. Many of the children who participated […]
Palestinian Unity and the New Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the Hamas-Fatah deal in Cairo was both swift and predictable. "The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both," he said, in a televised speech shortly after the Palestinian political rivals reached a […]
High Stakes for US in Syria
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News Although now largely governed by a military leadership, Egypt, the most populous and influential country in the Arab world, has, for now, escaped the US sphere of influence. It is also showing clear signs that it may fall into a foreboding trajectory involving Iran, Syria and other such […]
US Rethinks Strategy: War as Opportunity in Libya
By Ramzy Baroud The brutality of Libyan leader Moammar Ghaddafi, and his refusal to concede power, is costing Libya much more than innocent lives. The country is now also facing a possible loss of future independence and sovereignty. From its early days, the Libyan revolt seemed to take a difference course than those of other […]
Staying Human: The Heroic Legacy of Vittorio Arrigoni
By Ramzy Baroud "Dear Mary," wrote Italian justice activist Vittorio Arrigoni to a friend. "Do you [know who] will be on the boats?… I’m still in Gaza, waiting for you. I will be at the boat to greet you. Stay human. Vik." "Mary" is Mary Hughes Thompson, a dedicated activist who braved the high seas […]
Gaza War and Goldstone’s Moral Collapse
By Ramzy Baroud Shocking is not a sufficient term to describe Justice Richard Goldstone’s decision to recant parts of the 2009 report on alleged war crimes in Gaza. The document, known as the Goldstone Report, was compiled after a thorough investigation led by the South African judge and three other well-regarded investigators. They documented 36 […]
War on Palestinian Memory: Israel Resolves Its Democracy Dilemma
By Ramzy Baroud Palestinian citizens of Israel must have been proud of the fact that their collective tenacity always proved stronger than any Israeli attempt at dislocating them from their rightful historical narrative. Now, they are being told to cease and desist from commemorating al-Nakba, the Catastrophe of 1948, which saw the brutal seizure and […]
