Ninety-nine years since Balfour’s “promise”, Palestinians insist that their rights in Palestine cannot be dismissed. By Ramzy Baroud When I was a child growing up in a Gaza refugee camp, I looked forward to November 2. On that day, every year, thousands of students and camp residents would descend upon the main square of the […]
By Ramzy Baroud Last July, the Palestinian Authority took the unexpected, although belated step of seeking Arab backing in suing Britain over the Balfour Declaration. That “declaration” was the first ever explicit commitment made by Britain, and the West in general, to establish a Jewish homeland atop an existing Palestinian homeland. It is too early […]
Chissà se, prima di lasciarsi andare a un immotivato accesso di rabbia, il Presidente del Consiglio Italiano Matteo Renzi avrà letto il testo integrale della risoluzione UNESCO su Palestina e Israele? E’ questa la domanda dell’analista Ramzy Baroud di Ramzy Baroud* Roma, 27 ottobre 2016, Nena News – Chissà se, prima di lasciarsi andare a […]
“Non ci sarà mai una Palestina libera se prima i palestinesi non libereranno se stessi dalla repressione delle divisioni e del fazionalismo”: il punto di vista dell’analista palestinese Ramzy Baroud sulle ultime elezioni locali (rimandate). Mentre i palestinesi nei Territori occupati si preparano per le elezioni locali, previste per ottobre, le divisioni e il “fazionalismo” […]
By Ramzy Baroud Despite all the threats and political grandstanding, Unesco’s World Heritage Committee has approved, on October 26, a new resolution that reaffirms the status of occupied Jerusalem’s Old City on the list of endangered world heritage sites. The approval of the resolution, entitled ‘Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls’ comes only days […]
By Ramzy Baroud Did Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, actually read the full text of the UNESCO resolution on Palestine and Israel, before he raved with anger? “I think this is a mistaken, inconceivable resolution,” he said. “It is not possible to continue with these resolutions at the UN and UNESCO that aim to attack […]
By Ramzy Baroud The Israeli official narrative regarding its conflict with the Palestinians is deliberately confounded because a muddled up discourse is a convenient one. It allows the narrator to pick and choose half-truths at will, in order to create a falsified version of reality. For instance, this is part of what Israeli Prime Minister […]
By Ramzy Baroud Former Israeli Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres, was a very successful brand. He was presented to the world as stately, wise, a relentless advocate of peace, and a sane voice amidst a conflict deemed senseless and unending. Now that he is dead at 93, international media are rife with touching tributes […]
By Ramzy Baroud Ban Ki-moon’s second term as UN secretary-general is ending this December, he was the most ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. Of course, there will always be other Ban Ki-moons. In fact, the man himself was a modified version of his predecessor, […]
By Ramzy Baroud Thousands of Native Americans resurrected the fighting spirit of their forefathers as they stood in unprecedented unity to contest an oil company’s desecration of their sacred land in North Dakota. Considering its burdened historical context, this has been one of the most moving events in recent memory. The standoff, involving 5,000-strong Native […]
By Ramzy Baroud Division within Palestinian society has reached unprecedented levels, becoming a major hurdle on the path of any unified strategy to end Israel’s violent occupation or to rally Palestinians behind a single objective. Newly-appointed Israeli ultra-nationalist Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman understands this too well. His tactic since his ascension to office last May is centered […]
By Ramzy Baroud Division within Palestinian society has reached unprecedented levels, becoming a major hurdle in the path of any unified strategy to end Israel’s violent occupation, or to rally Palestinians behind a single objective. Newly-appointed Israeli ultranationalist Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman understands this too well. His tactic since his ascension to office last May […]
By Ramzy Baroud “You deserve to see your loved ones suffer and die. But, maybe, you would be hurt before them,” was part of a threatening message received by a staff member at ‘Al-Mezan’, a Gaza-based human rights group. The photo attached to the email was of the exterior of the activist’s home. The gist […]
By Ramzy Baroud Everyone seems to have a theory on how to obliterate ISIS, or ‘Daesh’. However, two points are rarely raised: one, concerning the origins of the group and the second, on whether there are genuine intentions to defeat it, in the first place. We must boldly address the first to unravel the enigma […]
By Ramzy Baroud As Palestinians in the Occupied Territories begin preparations for local elections which are scheduled for October, division and factionalism are rearing their ugly head. Palestinian political platforms and social media are abuzz with self-defeating propaganda: Fatah supporters attacking Hamas’ alleged failures, and Hamas’ supporters doing the same. What is conveniently overlooked by […]
By Ramzy Baroud Palestine is increasingly absent from Arab consciousness, at least at the official and media levels. For years, the discussion has veered elsewhere, to other regions and various other concerns, as Arab regional alliances are no longer driven by the ‘question of Palestine.’ Whether one blames that neglect on the so-called Arab Spring, […]
By Ramzy Baroud (Based on interviews with Palestinian refugees from Syria.) The refugee camp of Yarmouk was ever present in his being, pulling him in and out of an abyss of persistent fears that urged him to never return. But what was this refugee without Yarmouk, his first haven, his last earth? How could any […]
By Ramzy Baroud Hyped emotions, and political opportunism aside, the Israel-Turkey normalization deal, signed on June 27 is unfavorable for Palestinians – and for Gazans, in particular. There is much that is being said to blame Turkey or placate the damage of seeing Turkey – which has for years been one of the most visible […]
When Israeli commandos violently raided the Freedom Flotilla in May 2010, something extraordinary happened in Gaza: a deep sense of loss, but also pride. It was the first time that this generation experienced real solidarity emanating from a Muslim country, exhibited with such resolution and willingness to sacrifice. Many Palestinians had finally renewed their faith, […]
By Ramzy Baroud After months of anticipation, the United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union (EU). Although, the results were fairly close – 51.9% voted to ‘Leave’ vs. 48.1% elected to ‘Remain’ – the consequences of the decision will be far-reaching. Not only will the Brits negotiate their exit from the EU (thus, […]
El gobierno de Israel les ha despojado a los palestinos de sus riquezas de agua potable y ahora los castiga provocando la escasez de la misma. Cuando sí les permiten tomar su propia agua, se la vende carísima. Israel le ha despojado a los palestinos de la Franja de Gaza de todos sus recursos acuíferos […]
By Ramzy Baroud Entire communities in the West Bank either have no access to water or have had their water supply reduced almost by half. This alarming development has been taking place for weeks, since Israel’s national water company, “Mekorot”, decided to cut off – or significantly reduce – its water supply to Jenin, Salfit […]
Israel has done so much to ensure that Palestinians don’t have access to water – not only as a form of collective punishment, but to also to ensure Palestinians do not develop their economy, says Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have reportedly been left without access to safe […]
Por Ramzy Baroud “(Al amanecer)… Resistiré… (Porque) sobre la pared hay aún una sábana blanca… Y mis dedos no se han disuelto (completamente) aún”. Éste es un verso traducido de “Tres paredes de la cámara de tortura”, de Mu’in Bseiso. Fue y sigue siendo uno de los intelectuales más influyentes de Gaza, y uno de […]
By Ramzy Baroud “(At dawn) … I will resist … (Since) upon the wall there is still a white sheet … And my fingers are yet to (completely) dissolve.” This is a translated verse from Mu’in Bseiso’ “Three Walls of the Torture Chamber”. He was -and remains – one of Gaza’s most influential intellectual and […]
By Ramzy Baroud Matthew Duss is right. The Paris Peace Conference is different, and the fact that the United States’ stronghold of supposedly trying to resolve conflicts in the Middle East is being challenged, is a point worth noting. Yet, this is hardly important. “The multilateral nature of the conference is a Palestinian strategic victory, […]
By Ramzy Baroud In their defense, the Israelis seem to have figured out the whole thing and opted out. But the hapless Palestinian leadership, along with their Arab League partners, joined by the French, EU and UN representatives, and even US Secretary of State, John Kerry, decided to play along. However, the French peace initiative-turned-conference […]
By Ramzy Baroud Israeli society is constantly swerving to the Right and, by doing so, the country’s entire political paradigm is redefined regularly. Israel is now ‘ruled by the most extreme rightwing government in its history’ has grown from being an informed assessment to a dull cliché over the course of only a few years. […]
By Ramzy Baroud Associating the ongoing Palestinian intifada (uprising) with the number of stabbings or alleged stabbings carried out by Palestinian youths was a mistake from the start. An intifada is a collective movement, not individual acts of violence, no matter how frequent. The current intifada dates back to last October, when a large number […]
By Ramzy Baroud Merely being in the company of hundreds of Palestinian journalists and other media professionals from all over the world has been an uplifting experience. For many years, Palestinian media has been on the defensive, unable to articulate a coherent message, torn between factions and desperately trying to fend off the Israeli media […]