“Peace to prosperity”
Summary: Bahrain workshop on the economic tranche of the deal of the century a near flop. Next stage uncertain.
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Palestine
BDS – Israel counters
Summary: BDS suffers a setback in Germany. Controversy as usual mainly in the Israeli media. Nothing new from the UN.
Boundaries in the Arab world and their remarkable durability
Summary: the boundaries of Arab states, mainly drawn by colonial powers, have shown remarkable durability. In some instances, these boundaries have been challenged but such challenges have generally failed to change the map of the region.
Turkey, Israel, and the Gaza crisis
Turkey is Israel’s sixth largest trade partner but the Palestine issue poisons relations; the Turkish public and opposition demand action over Gaza; Turkey and the US also bitterly at odds over a range of major issues.
BDS: some significant progress
Summary: in recent weeks BDS has received support from a federal court ruling in Kansas and a decision of the Danish Parliament. UN blacklist of companies working in the settlements now complete.
Jerusalem at the UN again
The General Assembly votes overwhelmingly against any change in the status of Jerusalem, meaning what Trump said. US threats against yes voters. Possible consequences in the real world.
An open-letter from Prince Turki bin Faisal to President Donald Trump
Prince Turki bin Faisal, former head of Saudi intelligence, writes a polemical letter to President Trump criticising his announcement on Jerusalem.
Israel’s conflicted Arab Citizens
Despite in some ways a second-class status in Israel and PM Netanyahu’s inconsistent position towards them, the country’s Arab citizens believe they are better off where they are than they would be under the Palestinian Authority.
Balfour Declaration: a new Balfour Centenary Declaration
Debate in Parliament produces nothing new. Among many comments on the centenary a new Balfour Centenary Declaration supported by MPs from all parties and many others.
Iran/US: A temporary stay of execution?
Any sense of relief over Donald Trump’s decision last week ‘only’ to decertify the Iran nuclear agreement should be tempered by the fact that Congress will really struggle to come up with something which will satisfy the President within the 60-day deadline, thereby reopening the possibility that he will pull the US out of the agreement in three-months time, risking a major crisis in the Gulf.