Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has nothing to worry about as the man who will directly handle America’s foreign policy in the Middle East is a loyal friend of Israel. Crisis averted. Continue reading
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Author Archives: Ramzy Baroud
Moving past apartheid: One-state is not ideal justice, but it is just and possible
Once again, Europe’s top diplomats expressed their ‘deep concern’ regarding Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement expansion, again evoking the maxim that Israeli actions “threaten the viability of the two-state solution.” Continue reading
Expansion and mass eviction: Israel ‘takes advantage’ of Trump’s remaining days in office
In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, summed up the logic behind the ongoing frenzy to expand illegal Jewish settlements in Israel. Continue reading
‘Total reset’ is wishful thinking: The daunting task of reordering US foreign policy
A new term has imposed itself on the conversation regarding the impending presidency of US President-elect Joe Biden: “The Total Reset”. Many headlines have already promised that the Biden presidency is ready to ‘reset’ US foreign policy across the globe, as if the matter is dependent solely on an American desire and decision. Continue reading
As Israel destroys EU projects in Palestine, European foreign policy remains impotent
Belgium is furious. On November 6, the Belgian government condemned Israel’s destruction of Belgian-funded homes in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Understandably, Brussels wants the Israeli government to pay compensation for the unwarranted destruction. The Israeli response was swift: a resounding ‘no.’ Continue reading
Future of American democracy: On inequality, polarization and violence
In January 2017, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index downgraded the state of democracy in the United States from “full democracy” to “flawed democracy.” Continue reading
‘Playing for time’: The non-strategy of Mahmoud Abbas
“If we are going to live another four years with President Trump, God help us, God help you and God help the whole world.” Continue reading
Escalating the demographic war: The strategic goal of Israeli racism in Palestine
The discussion on institutional Israeli racism against its own Palestinian Arab population has all but ceased following the final approval of the discriminatory Nation-State Law in July 2018. Indeed, the latest addition to Israel’s Basic Law is a mere start of a new government-espoused agenda that is designed to further marginalize over a fifth of Israel’s population. Continue reading
Macron’s incitement: ‘Crisis in Islam’ or French politics?
There is no moral or ethical justification for the killing of innocent people, anywhere. Therefore, the murder of three people in the French city of Nice on October 29 must be wholly and unconditionally rejected as a hate crime, especially as it was carried out in a holy place, the Notre Dame Basilica. Continue reading
What does Israel have against Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf?
Why does Israel hate Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf? Continue reading
The world is changing: China launches campaign for superpower status
The outdated notion that China ‘just wants to do business’ should be completely erased from our understanding of the rising global power’s political outlook. Continue reading
European hypocrisy: Empty words for Palestine, deadly weapons for Israel
In theory, Europe and the United States stand on completely opposite sides when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. While the US government has fully embraced the tragic status quo created by 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the EU continues to advocate a negotiated settlement that is predicated on respect for international law. Continue reading
Dying alone: When we stopped caring about Palestinian prisoners
“No one cares about the prisoners.” Over the past few years, I have heard this phrase—or some variation of it—uttered many times by freed Palestinian prisoners and their families. Whenever I conduct an interview regarding this crucial and highly sensitive topic, I am told, repeatedly, that ‘no one cares.’ Continue reading
Despite ambiguity in international law, Palestinians are winning the ‘legitimacy war’
‘International law’ remains one of the most discussed terms in the context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is almost always present, whether the discussion pertains to the Israeli wars and siege on Gaza, the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank or the encroaching apartheid throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories. Continue reading
Black lives should always matter: Delinking social justice from seasonal US politics
After viewing the first US presidential debate on September 29, one is left with no doubt about the degenerating political discourse among America’s ruling elites. Continue reading
In lieu of a liberation strategy: Palestinian elections are designed to buy time
It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians. Continue reading
Fight over the Mediterranean: France’s proxy war and the budding Turkish-Russian alliance
Overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances, the Greek government is bracing for another financial crisis that promises to be as terrible as the last one in 2015. Continue reading
Palestinians are not numbers: On the future of the Palestinian discourse
Palestine can never be truly understood through numbers, because numbers are dehumanizing, impersonal, and, when necessary, can also be contrived to mean something else entirely. Numbers are not meant to tell the story of the human condition, nor should they ever serve as a substitute for emotions. Continue reading
How do Democrats and Republicans differ on Palestine and Israel?
The polarized nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and external issues can be difficult to decipher. Continue reading
The ‘desaparecidos’ of Palestine: Gantz escalates Israel’s war on the dead
On September 2, the Israeli government approved a proposal that allows the military to indefinitely withhold the bodies of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli army. The proposal was made by the country’s defense minister, Benny Gantz. Continue reading
As Washington retreats, Eastern Mediterranean conflict further marginalizes NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering. Continue reading
Israel’s friends at the RNC: ‘Christian Zionists’ dictate the agenda of the Republican Party
It is difficult—and futile—to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Barack Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other US administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political concessions. Continue reading
‘Dying to fish’: How Israeli piracy destroyed Gaza’s once thriving fishing industry
On August 16, the Israeli navy declared the Gaza sea a closed military zone. A few days later, a group of Gaza fishermen decided to take their chances by fishing within a mere two or three nautical miles off the Gaza shore. No sooner had they cast their nets, Israeli navy bullets began whizzing all around them. Continue reading
Netanyahu vs Gantz: Gaza escalation as reflection of Israel’s political rivalry
Only recently, the Palestinian group, Hamas, and Israel seemed close to reaching a prisoner exchange agreement, where Hamas would release several Israeli soldiers held in Gaza while Israel would set free an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons. Continue reading
‘People of the Cave’: Palestinians take their fight for justice to the mountains
Palestinians are not going anywhere. This is the gist of seven decades of Palestinian struggle against Zionist colonialism. The proof? The story of Ahmed Amarneh. Continue reading
Hands off Lebanon: Macron’s self-serving ‘new pact’ must be shunned
French President Emmanuel Macron is in no position to pontificate to Lebanon about the need for political and economic reforms. Just as thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut demanding “revenge” against the ruling classes, the French people have relentlessly been doing the same; both peoples have been met with police violence and arrests. Continue reading
The politics of war: What is Israel’s endgame in Lebanon and Syria?
On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. Continue reading
The Likud conspiracy: Israel in the throes of a major political crisis
Protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have raged on for weeks, turning violent sometimes. Israelis are furious at their government’s mediocre response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as COVID-19 is experiencing a massive surge throughout the country. Continue reading
Apartheid or one state: Has Jordan broken a political taboo?
What will it take for the idea of a two-state solution, which was hardly practical to begin with, to be completely abandoned? Continue reading
Human rights defenders: Palestinian eyewitness testimony of the execution of Abdul Fattah al-Sharif by Israeli soldier Elor Azaria
As illegal Jewish settlers increase their attacks on Palestinian civilians in the occupied city of Al Khalil (Hebron), the people of the Palestinian city continue to mount a campaign of popular resistance. Continue reading
List of Israeli targets leaked: Tel Aviv fears the worst in ICC investigation of war crimes
When International Court of Justice (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda confirmed last December that the court has ample evidence to pursue a war crimes investigation in occupied Palestine, the Israeli government responded with the usual rhetoric, accusing the international community of bias and insisting on Israel’s ‘right to defend itself.’ Continue reading
Debunking the ‘opium of the people’ maxim: Football is about politics and class struggle
Posted on December 8, 2020 by Ramzy Baroud
Noam Chomsky is right when he says that, in the US, sports creates the necessary “fantasy world” required to shield people from understanding, organizing, and attempting to “influence the real world.” Continue reading →