The myth of the disunited and dysfunctional Palestinian is very much an Israeli invention that precedes the inception of Hamas, and even Fatah. This Zionist notion, which has been embraced by the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, argues that ‘Israel has no peace partner’.
Shtayyeh’s mission will ultimately fail, for his mandate is to reunite Fatah behind Abbas, not the Palestinian people behind a truly democratic and representative leadership aimed at ridding Palestine from its Israeli occupiers.
Political commentators sympathetic to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Fatah Movement, in particular, fanned out as soon as the news was announced of Mohammad Shtayyeh's appointment as the new Palestinian Prime Minister. It is no surprise to witness this gush of support and
The painful truth is that it is not just US bullying that has pushed the PA into this unenviable position, but, sadly, the self-serving nature and political bankruptcy of the Palestinian leadership itself argues Ramzy Baroud.
More US measures have been taken in recent weeks to further cement the Israeli position and isolate the Palestinian Authority (PA), before the official unveiling of President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘deal of the century’. But while attention is focused on spiteful US actions, little time has been spent discussing the PA’s own responses, options
For Russia, a unified Palestinian call to defeat the latest US political stratagem in the region is consistent with Moscow’s ongoing efforts to undermine Washington’s once uncontested role in the Middle East.
The Russian-sponsored Palestinian unity talks in Moscow on February 11 were neither a success nor failure. Uniting Palestinian factions was not the main objective of the Moscow conference, in the first place.
Instead, the nature of the event, the host country and the clear messages sent to Washington and Tel Aviv were
The US and Israel exerted a lot of effort in trying to ensure that the resolution was passed because while General Assembly resolutions are non-binding on member states, they are considered to be a barometer of world opinion.
A US-drafted resolution condemning the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and other Palestinian factions has failed to get the required majority for adoption by the UN General Assembly. This was despite the US “warning” countries which planned to vote against the proposal. The US and Israel exerted a lot of effort in trying to ensure that the
Avigdor Lieberman’s political bet against Prime Minister Netanyahu was as reckless and foolish as his military bet against Hamas. Both targets were stronger than he expected and in both cases he ended up exposed and weak.
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE -- Sitting with a few friends in the cafeteria of the Knesset, the Israeli house of representatives, one could sense that elections were in the air, or at least a vote of no confidence that would lead to elections. We were waiting for a meeting with Knesset members of the Joint List, and the hustle-bustle around the cafeteria
There is a solid, grassroots leadership in Palestine. From Al-Jalil in the north to the Naqab in the south, and from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, Palestinians on the ground are well aware that the Hamas-Fatah politics have little to do with them.
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE – Among the myths that cover the reality in Palestine is the one that says Palestinians have no leadership, no unified message, and that the Hamas-Fatah divide represents the entire political reality in Palestine. There is also a myth that claims that the Palestinians of 1948, who carry Israeli citizenship, are somehow not
