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Analysis on Palestinian history, Middle East politics, and the ongoing struggle for justice.

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Articles

New Israeli Herods and Christians

January 25, 2014 at 1:52 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk I’m writing from Finland this week, where the omnipresence of snow and festive Christmas lights heralds another celebration of the birth of Jesus. In parallel, the descendants of the first Christians in Palestine – the “Living Stones” – are marking another

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Obama and the Israel Lobby

January 25, 2014 at 1:49 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk The Israel Lobby is flexing its muscles against Barack Obama’s expected nominee to be the next Secretary of Defence. Frontrunner Chuck Hagel is co-chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board Committee. Hagel was a Republican Senator representing Nebraska from

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Megalomaniac versus monomaniacs in Syria

January 25, 2014 at 1:35 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk SYRIAN President Bashar Al Assad has a penchant for blaming outside conspirators for the troubles in Syria. While plausible, he is mistaken in linking public demands for political reform with presumed plots against his country. His pompous speech three weeks

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There are no short cuts in democracy

January 25, 2014 at 1:24 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk Egypt is an experimental democracy in progress, but when the evolution of this process turns bloody it begs the question: is it worth it? An Egyptian tourist guide who has lost his job, or a businessman affected by ongoing street

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The definition of insanity

January 25, 2014 at 1:21 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk WESTERN media is obsessed with presenting a positive spin on everything related to Israel, while trivialising good and accentuating negative news on Palestine. It’s admirably free in many aspects, but when it comes to discussing Israel the Western media loses

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“The invention of the Jewish people”

January 25, 2014 at 1:14 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk The Invention of the Jewish People was a book written by Shlomo Sand, an Israeli professor of history at the University of Tel Aviv. The author wasn’t probing a belief system, but Zionist fabrications of a spurious common lineage for

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Palestine Spring in the making?

January 25, 2014 at 12:48 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk A third Palestinian uprising is simmering slowly, fuelled by the denigrating policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. With the chances for a political resolution steadily diminishing, and lacking other options, the conditions are ripe for a new Palestinian Intifada. While the

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EU-funded Israeli theft

January 25, 2014 at 12:44 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk A leaked report commissioned by the European Union (EU) has concluded that Israeli settlement construction “remains the single biggest threat” to peace in the Middle East. The confidential, 15-page report outlines 10 recommendations for the 27 EU states to consider regarding

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Israeli appetite for US welfare funds

January 24, 2014 at 12:31 pm by Jamal Kanj jamalkk FAILING to agree on ways to reduce the deficit, the US president was forced earlier this month to enact the Budget Control Act (BCA) into law. The debt ceiling compromise was originally agreed to between Congress and the president in

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Obama visit and Israeli penchant for conflict…

January 24, 2014 at 12:21 pm by Jamal Kanj jamalkk President Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East has coincided with the 10th anniversary of the killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie. She was murdered by an American-made and financed Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003. It is unlikely

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The proxy war destroying Syria

January 24, 2014 at 12:07 pm by Jamal Kanj jamalkk Writing about Syria is emotionally draining and intellectually overwhelming. Evident by the level of destruction and killing, the mutual hatred between President Bashar Al Assad’s regime and the armed opposition surpasses their love of country. More than 70,000 have been

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US aid: an opiate for Palestinians

January 24, 2014 at 11:53 am by Jamal Kanj jamalkk Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a $3.9 billion national budget for the 2013 fiscal year just one day before the March 31 deadline. The budget was approved without the required constitutional review and endorsement of the Palestine National Council. The

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