Qatargate and Washington
Summary: much has been made of Qatar’s relationship with both Hamas and the Netanyahu government as a sinister plot; a Washington insider says the reality is far more mundane.
Palestine
Managing dissent: Morocco, Israel and the Palestine Question
Summary: with American backing Morocco and Israel continue to deepen their diplomatic and business ties while overriding the support for Palestine and the Palestinian people of the vast majority of Moroccans.
The Moroccan election: plus ça change
Summary: low turnout, blank ballots and the resurgence of an Islamist party are signs that all is not well in Morocco even as the ruling elite retains its hold.
Why Simon Schama is wrong to claim blood libel
Summary: a distinguished historian says there is no genocide in Gaza and that to say there is is a blood libel; in doing so he ignores the words and actions of Holocaust survivors who speak against the genocide Israel is committing.
Navigating the Strait of Hormuz toll, US sanctions and maritime law
Summary: the Strait of Hormuz is still not open for traffic, with the US targeting Iranian oil tankers and imposing more sanctions as the standoff continues, while differing views on maritime rights are further muddying the waters.
Amman’s Dilemma
Summary: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is caught in a vice; US bases there are the target of Iranian missiles and influential Jordanians are calling for the removal of the bases. But the US presence is part of the 1994 peace deal with Israel which is now threatening to drive Palestinians out of the West Bank and into the kingdom.
Erbil: departure of the expats
Summary: our contributor returns to Erbil to discover an altered city, one caught in political stasis and sharp inequalities of wealth.
The Board of Peace: an unprecedented, unconstitutional and illegal subversion of US and international law
Summary: it has been nearly a year since the Gaza ‘ceasefire’ and the announcement of a 20 point peace plan to be carried out by an entity called the Board of Peace which to date has implemented very little of its mandate and is fundamentally illegal under both US and international law.
A small bold step with big implications
Summary: Britain’s Foreign Secretary delivered a speech in Parliament the likes of which had not been heard before: the UK was asserting leadership in denouncing the Israeli government for its war against Palestine.
Dateline 10 September 2028
Summary: our contributor leaps ahead two years to 10 September 2028 - just ahead of the US presidential election - to project the trend line of current events in the Gulf and the US onto a future history of the region and the world.
Religious restrictions in Bahrain reveal sectarian tensions, regional power struggles
Summary: with the Iran war continuing, Bahrain’s majority Shi’a population finds itself under siege, facing further repression and religious restrictions from a regime that sees it as a security threat.
Zero and 335: the significance of nothing
Summary: the killing of a five year old girl trapped in a car with her murdered relatives, pleading for help on her mobile phone, is testimony to the depravity of the genocide Israel has inflicted on the people of Palestine.
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