It would be intellectually dishonest to reflect on the British House of Commons’ vote of October 13 on a Palestinian state without digging deeper into history. Regardless of the meaning of the non-binding motion, the parliamentary action cannot be brushed off as just anoth

Consider this comical scene described by Peter Van Buren, a former US diplomat, who was deployed to Iraq on a 12-month assignment in 2009-10: Van Buren led two Department of State teams assigned the abstract mission of “reconstructing” Iraq, which was destroyed by the

I recall, with particular awkwardness, my first talk at a socialist student gathering at the University of Washington in Seattle nearly two decades ago. When I tried to offer an authentic view of the situation in Palestine from the viewpoint of a refugee, my hosts were hard

On its own, the Arabic word nakhwa means “gallantry”.

A few months ago, not many Americans, in fact Europeans as well, knew that a sect called Yazidi existed in northwest Iraq. Even in the Middle East itself, the Yazidis and their way of life have been an enigma, shrouded by mystery and mostly grasped through stereotypes and f

Aside from being a major military setback, Israel’s war on Gaza has also disoriented the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu like never before. Since the announcement of a ceasefire on August 26, his statements appear erratic and particularly uncertain, an expect

In the rush to analyse the outcome of Israel’s 51-day war in Gaza, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, some may have neglected an important factor: that was not a war by traditional definition of warfare, thus the conventional analysis of victory and defeat is simply not appl

After every bloody episode of violence perpetrated by Israel, media spin doctors are usually deployed with one grand mission: to absolve Israel of any responsibility for  carnage. These apologists demonise not only the Palestinians, but anyone who dares take a stand on thei

My old family house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza was recently rebuilt by its new owner into a beautiful three-storey building with large windows adorned by red frames. The house sustained significant damage in Israel’s most recent and deadliest war on Gaza.