Palestinian MKs demand democracy
Right. Just got back from a press briefing in London with MK Taleb el-Sana, of the United Arab List, and MKs Jamal Zahalka and Haneen Zoabi of the Balad party. They’re giving a talk in the House of...
View ArticleThe latency phase - of "terrorist babies" and "dead children strategies"
Muslim babies as "future terrorists"– the latest barbarous idiom produced by the ‘war on terror’ and its concomitant Islamophobia. Credit for the phrase goes to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who recently...
View ArticlePanorama: Righteous Slaughter in the Med
The BBC has, predictably, "dismiss[ed]" claims that a recent Panorama documentary on the Gaza flotilla was biased towards Israel.
View ArticleOn the resuscitation of the 'peace process'
"Peace process? What peace process? That's so nineties. After 18 years, don't they feel silly...There are only two scenarios. The optimistic one is more of the same. The pessimistic one is it's going...
View Article'Against the Stream' - my interview with Israeli journalist Gideon Levy
For decades Gideon Levy has used the platform provided by the liberal Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz to shine a light on the brutal realities of Israel’s occupation. His journalism, along with that of his...
View ArticleUN human rights inquiry accuses Israel of "wilful killing" and "torture"
This week the UNHRC published its report [.pdf] into Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom flotilla earlier this year.
View ArticleHuman Rights Watch: US should slash aid to Israel
'Separate but Unequal'. That’s the title of Human Rights Watch's latest report on Israel's occupation in the West Bank. Of the main human rights organisations dealing with the topic, HRW is...
View ArticleBecoming Economic Citizens - an interview with Ha-Joon Chang
In the first part of an extensive interview, leading development economist Ha-Joon Chang discusses Marx, Keynes and the nature of economics as an academic discipline.
View ArticleThe Political Economy of 'Democracy Promotion'
Where are the ‘democracy promoters’ on the Tunisian uprising?, asks Marc Lynch.
View ArticleTunisia as regional paradigm?
GeorgeJoffe gave a fascinating talk yesterday about the Tunisian revolt, drawing on the historical development of the Tunisian state, and in particular the primary role in that development played by...
View ArticleChasing Dreams - my interview with Ece Temelkuran
Ece Temelkuran is one of Turkey’s most prominent journalists. A recipient of the Turkish Journalist of the Year and the Pen for Peace awards, she is a persistent foe of right-wing nationalist currents...
View ArticleExplosive leaked documents: The Palestine Papers
Make no mistake about it: despite attempts by some to downplay the significance of the biggest leak of secret documents in the history of the Middle East conflict, the Palestine Papers are explosive.
View ArticleSpreading Egyptian values
In a speech yesterday attacking ‘multiculturalism’ Prime Minister David Cameron argued for a “muscular liberalism” that would actively confront “extremist” ideologies – principally radical Islamism –...
View ArticleRevolution in Egypt - where next?
Just back from a talk on events in Tunisia and Egypt by George Joffe and Maha Abdelrahman. Joffe gave a previous talk about Tunisia in January, which I wrote up here. Today they only spoke for about...
View ArticleThe Men Who Stole the World
My interview with Nicholas Shaxson, author of 'Treasure Islands', about America's and Britain's leading roles in the global offshore economy and the prospects for challenging corporate tax avoidance.
View ArticleAdalah: Learning from the Egyptian Revolution
About the series: Adalah ("justice" in Arabic) is a diary series about the Middle East, with special (but not exclusive) emphasis on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The authors of this series believe in the...
View ArticleThe Spirit of Tahrir
About the series: Adalah ("justice" in Arabic) is a diary series about the Middle East, with special (but not exclusive) emphasis on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The authors of this series believe in the...
View ArticleGoldstone's Fatal Retraction
Last week Richard Goldstone wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post in which he appeared to distance himself from some of the conclusions of a UN inquiry into 'Operation Cast Lead', Israel's Dec 2008 -...
View ArticleThe Political Economy of Book Publishing - an industry insider speaks out
In the first of a two-part interview, author and former publisher Dan Hind talks about his experiences in the publishing industry, and how powerful interests and structural forces skew the publishing...
View ArticleThe Political Economy of Book Publishing - an industry insider speaks out...
The second of a two-part interview with author and former publisher Dan Hind. Commissioning power should be stripped from unaccountable editors, Hind argues, and invested in the public.
View ArticleRousseau, Voltaire and Climate Denial
Chris Mooney has an interesting article up at Mother Jones which draws upon insights revealed by psychology and neuroscience to explain why people tend to dismiss or distort scientific evidence so as...
View ArticleRevising the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War
Historically, the ’67 war offers an interesting case study through which to examine arguments about the importance of individuals vs. structural forces in determining state action; the extent to which...
View ArticleMinimum Feasible Participation: The Politics of 'Rationality'
The rise of systems analysis in twentieth century America illustrates the utility of 'rationality' as a legitimising ideology for minimising popular participation in the political process.
View ArticleWhat Are 'Enlightenment Values'?
The debate between advocates of a 'Secular Enlightenment', and critics who reject that understanding of the Enlightenment as overly accommodating to power, echoes the eighteenth century debate about...
View Article9/11 - Decade of Fear
The decade that began on 9/11 saw the brutal efficacy of terror repeatedly demonstrated, in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza as well as on the streets of New York and London. But the purveyors of fear have not...
View ArticleIsraeli Human Rights Group: 'Myths and Facts' on the Gaza Siege
A couple of weeks ago the UN Secretary General's office published the findings of an inquiry, headed up by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe,...
View ArticleIs the 'special relationship' becoming too expensive?
There are signs that, in the wake of the Arab uprisings, American elites are reconsidering whether the 'special relationship' between the U.S. and Israel is really worth it.
View ArticleGoldstone contra Goldstone
The degeneration of Judge Richard Goldstone continues. In April, you'll recall, he penned an op-ed for the Washington Post that said essentially nothing, but gave the strong impression of retracting...
View ArticleWhat does a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict look like? This.
In 2008, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made the Palestinians an offer so reasonable and enlightened it made Ehud Barak's "generous offer" at Camp David look like the Treaty of Versailles....
View Article'We teach life, sir.'
We're approaching the three year anniversary of Israel's massacre in Gaza, which killed around 1400 people and destroyed much of the society.Below is a poem by Canadian-Palestinian activist and spoken...
View ArticleOccupy Wall Street and Transformational Strategy
The beginning of the new year seems an appropriate time to reflect upon the progress, and potential, of what must surely rank as one of the most astonishing and encouraging developments of 2011: the...
View ArticleCommon Sense: Occupation, Assembly, and the Future of Liberty
As well as posting on DKos, I co-edit the British left progressive website, New Left Project. Today we launched our publication of a new ebook by Dan Hind on the Occupy movement and deliberative...
View ArticleMajor new EU-funded study: Palestinian children 'systematically' ill-treated,...
"The test of a democracy is how you treat people incarcerated, people in jail, and especially so with minors"– Mark Regev, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu A major new EU-funded study...
View ArticleLife in an occupied West Bank village
Footage of Israeli soldiers raiding a house in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh (with English subtitles):
View ArticlePalestinian Authority in crisis
The Palestinian Authority's financial collapse has been temporarily deferred again after it managed, cap in one hand and apocalyptic warnings of the rise of Hamas in the other, to wring last-minute...
View ArticleIsrael Bombs Gaza: A Chronological Reminder
Israel has been pummelling Gaza all afternoon, assassinating Hamas's military chief and killing (so far) an estimated nine people, reportedly including at least two children.
View ArticleIsraeli newspaper: Israel attacked Gaza knowing truce was in the works
As Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip enters its second day, reports have emerged that it launched the attack in the knowledge that a 'permanent truce' was in the works.
View ArticleIsrael's Latest Assault on Gaza - What Really Happened
In this article Norman Finkelstein, leading scholar of the Israel-Palestine conflict, analyses Israel's most recent attack ('Operation Pillar of Defense') on Gaza. He argues that shifting regional...
View ArticleThe Scary Truth About Israel’s Election: Nothing Happened
Israel's recent election was widely expected to yield another triumph for the Israeli right. In the event, what impressed commentators most was the resurgence of the centre. After more than a decade of...
View ArticleMiddle East Peace Process: Here we go again...
John Kerry's economic initiative for the Palestinians is a rehash of a failed strategy. Here we go again...
View ArticleWhite House correspondents expose U.S. hypocrisy (video)
For those confused about the U.S.'s latest push for Middle East peace, State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki has handily summarised Obama administration policy:
View ArticlePower Corrupts
Samantha Power has long criticised "peace processors". So how will she defend the most bankrupt peace process of all?
View ArticleAll Talk in the Middle East
Many analysts and politicians have responded to Hassan Rouhani's victory in Iran's presidential elections with concern -- that a more moderate Iranian figurehead may reduce international pressure even...
View ArticleA Historic Moment in the Middle East
The long-suffering Middle East peace process has been revived once again. Norman Finkelstein assesses its prospects and implications.Re-published with permission from New Left Project
View ArticleNew US Middle East envoy Martin Indyk's solution to the Israel-Palestine...
A guest post by Norman Finkelstein, first published at New Left Project and republished here with permission
View ArticleAs Kerry pursues peace process, Congress warns against endless negotiations
Ahead of renewed US-mediated Israeli-Palestinian talks, it's a relief to see that US lawmakers are aware of the dangers of endless negotiations.
View ArticleThe End of Palestine? An Interview with Norman G. Finkelstein
An agreement may be imminent that will end the Israel-Palestine conflict -- and the prospects for an independent Palestine along with it.
View ArticleIsraeli-Palestinian Talks: An Update
As Secretary of State John Kerry recently observed, we are at a 'critical point' in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a New Left Project interview earlier this month, Norman Finkelstein...
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