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Israeli flags, racist anti-Arab slogans, provocative group dances, and prayers marked ‘Jerusalem Day’ last Sunday. Thousands of Israeli religious settlers roamed the streets of the Old City in the so-called ‘flag march’, commemorating Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem fifty-five years ago. Israel deployed over 3,000 border police troops in the city for the occasion, and arrested some 100 Palestinians days before the event, expecting confrontations with Palestinians. The day ended with some 40 Palestinians injured and 50 more arrested. Last year, the ‘flag march’ triggered a larger escalati… Continue reading “For the sake of the Temple: Israel’s messianic settlers”

Israeli settlers destroyed over 100 olive trees on Monday and Tuesday, in the neighbouring Palestinian villages of Burin and Madama in the Nablus region, north of the West Bank. local residents told The New Arab. “Dozens of settlers set fire to the village’s agricultural lands on Monday and then again on Tuesday, burning around 150 dunams of land,” Ibrahim Omran, the mayor of Burin told The New Arab. “We lost more than 100 olive trees and countless quantities of seasonal crops of grain and vegetables,” the mayor detailed. “The Israeli army was present all the time and just let it happen.” “The… Continue reading “Israeli settlers burn 100 olive trees in occupied West Bank”

The portrayal in the Western media of the events surrounding the death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a textbook case of how the narrative surrounding Israel-Palestine is systematically obfuscated in the service of Israel. Mainstream reporting on her killing reflects the time-tested tactics that Western news agencies utilise to conceal Israeli apartheid, suppress Palestinian voices, and distort reality in order to exonerate the former of its atrocities and blame the latter for their own violent dispossession. In spite of evidence to suggest that Israeli forces deliberately targeted Abu Akleh, whose c… Continue reading “Shireen Abu Akleh’s murder is a textbook case of media bias”

Ever since I was a child nestled on the couch, watchingAl Jazeera with my dad, I’ve always wanted to be a journalist. I was fascinated by the strength it took for reporters to ask the uncomfortable questions. Accountability and service journalism for the people. As the daughter of exiled and displaced Palestinian parents, I was exposed to a dichotomy of North America versus the world. I watched as the US invaded nation after nation, and how the US and other invading powers were celebrated by the major news outlets like The Economist. I also witnessed a different kind of repression in the Gulf…. Continue reading “In Canada, Palestinian journalists can’t be ‘objective’”

David Govrin, head of Israel’s liaison office in Morocco, says Rabat’s mediations with the Palestinian movement Hamas could ease tensions between the two parties, reported The Media Line. “We truly believe that Morocco can play a very significant role [as a mediator between Israel and Hamas], as it used to play during the 80s and the 90s. We believe Morocco can play this role once again, as it enjoys very good relations with Israel and with other Arab countries,” Govrin told the Israeli newspaper in an interview published on 26 May. Under the reign of former King Hassan II, Morocco has reporte… Continue reading “Rabat can ease Israel-Hamas tensions: Israeli official”

Several Palestinians have called on Fatah and Hamas to work toward national unity in the Palestinian Territories as soon as possible in a bid to confront the ongoing Israeli threat to Palestinian existence. Speaking to The New Arab on Monday, many Palestinians pointed out that the internal division between the two movements has negatively affected the ability of Palestinians to confront the illegal Israeli occupation. On Sunday, thousands of Israelis launched an annual, extremist “flag march” through occupied Jerusalem, chanting “Death to Arabs” and insulting the Prophet Mohammed, as well as a… Continue reading “Palestinians urge Fatah and Hamas to unify against Israel”

An unnamed senior Israeli official has visited Saudi Arabia ‘very recently’, Israeli news outlet Channel 12 reported, inthe latest of a series of reported meetings that indicate ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv are warming. The official was welcomed at an unspecified Saudi palace for talks on security cooperation and energy security, Channel 12 said. The meeting was reported widely across Israeli media, although no source was given. Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, but its Gulf allies Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords to nor… Continue reading “‘Israeli official’ visits Saudi amid normalisation rumours”

On this week’s episode of The New Arab Voice, we’re remembering the life of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The renowned Al Jazeera journalist was shot dead as Israeli forces stormed the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. It quickly became apparent that Shireen had been killed by Israel, and her name was added to the long list of Palestinian journalists who have been killed by Israel. Her years of diligent work earned the respect of both other journalists and Palestinians. This week, we speak with two of Shireen’s close friends. Dailia Hatuqa (@DaliaHatuqa) and Nour Odeh (… Continue reading “Grief and Anger: The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made key ally and possible successor Hussein Al-Sheikh Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee secretary-general on Thursday. The decision, reported by Palestinian Authority (PA) news agency Wafa, means Civil Affairs Minister Al-Sheikh, 61, is now the second most senior Palestinian official. There was no vote ahead of the move, and neither the central committee of 87-year-old Abbas’s Fatah party or the PLO’s executive committee were asked for their input, Israeli daily Haaretz said. Al-Sheikh, who oversees cooperation with Israel regardin… Continue reading “Palestine: Abbas makes Hussein Al-Sheikh his number two”