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Rivals Hamas and Fatah strike deal: what does it mean for Palestine?

Photo: Palestinian flags at the grave of Yasser Arafat, co-founder of Fatah - Flickr On Tuesday 23 July, 14 Palestinian parties, including the rival factions Hamas and Fatah, signed an important declaration of 'national unity' in Beijing. This agreement, which was brokered by China, calls for a unity government to rebuild Gaza [...]

War in Gaza: how does the region now view the West?

Photo: People with Palestinian flags protest on the streets in Rabat, Morocco - Pexels As the war in Gaza unfolds and human suffering increases, there is still no unequivocal call from the international community for a ceasefire. The Middle East is observing this development with increasing amazement. It is easy to get lost in the [...]

Concerns over violence Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank 

Photo: An Israeli settlement in the West Bank under construction in 2017 - Ronan Shenhav/Flickr The bloody war between Hamas and Israel has now been going on for more than 5 weeks and there is no end in sight. Reporting on the conflict currently focuses mainly on Gaza. Nevertheless, it is important [...]

Jenin attacks: yet another escalation by a far-right Israeli government

Photo: Twitter/OCHA oPt Large-scale discontent with the Israeli government On 29 December 2022, Israel's 37th government took office, the most right-wing, anti-Palestinian, and religiously conservative cabinet in Israeli history. This cabinet, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu of the Likud party, consists of two ultra-Orthodox and three ultra-nationalist parties. Several ministers from this [...]

Palestinian human rights secondary to Dutch trade interests during Rutte visit

Mark Rutte visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories last week, on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 October. During his visit, the focus was on strengthening ties with Israel, Israeli business and the (relatively impotent) Palestinian Authority, while Palestinian human rights activists were skipped. A questionable programme in a [...]

The status of Jerusalem: a historical perspective

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues in international relations. Different political and legal definitions make pronouncements on sovereignty over Jerusalem difficult. US President Donald Trump's decision has therefore not improved the situation, according to many analysts. The announcement that the US embassy is moving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with Washington officially recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, caused a stir. Israel seems pleased, the Palestinians are furious and the international community is upset. But how much weight does this decision carry? Most events do not take place in a vacuum. They fit into a historical process. What about this for the recognition of Jerusalem?