Author: Ulrike Schleicher

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MK Haneen Zoabi (photo: Ulrike Schleicher)

The Knesset member Haneen Zoabi

Loathed, reviled ... and excluded from parliament

Haneen Zoabi is a tireless defendent of human rights for Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories. Never afraid to voice harsh criticism, she constantly challenges state and society in Israel. Ulrike Schleicher met the outspoken Israeli politician in JerusalemMore

Portrait: Mohammed Dajani-Daoudi: From hardliner to peacemaker Israeli-Palestinian relations: Dialogue in a time of conflictInterview with Sayed Kashua: For absolute equality in all areas of lifeThe Palestinian minority in Israel: Systematic discrimination
Professor Mohammed Dajani-Daoudi (photo: private)

Portrait: Mohammed Dajani-Daoudi

From hardliner to peacemaker

Mohammed Dajani-Daoudi is an unorthodox thinker. Despite the current hatred between Arabs and Jews, he continues to work for reconciliation and dialogue, attracting the ire of his fellow Palestinians in the process. By Ulrike SchleicherMore

Israeli-Palestinian relations: Dialogue in a time of conflictTopic: Israeli-Palestinian DialogueWebsite of the "Wasatia" forum
Ibrahim Abu Shandi outside the Arab Jewish Community Center in Jaffa (photo: Ulrike Schleicher)

Israeli-Palestinian relations

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Dialogue in a time of conflict

Arab cities in Israel, such as Jaffa and Tira, illustrate that Jews and Arabs do live together as good neighbours. Since the Gaza War, however, positions have become more entrenched and mistrust has grown on both sides. Nevertheless, a number of NGOs insist on continuing with dialogue projects. Now more than ever. By Ulrike SchleicherMore

Israeli–Palestinian dialogue in Germany: It is possible to work togetherThe Gaza conflict: Can art heal in a time of war?Interview with the Jewish author Judith Katzir: Friendship across the divide
A rehearsal by students at the School of Acting in Ramallah (photo: Folkwang Universität der Künste)

The Gaza conflict

Can art heal in a time of war?

War alters societies, and art can serve to gauge the change. In the war-struck Middle East, artists are hindered in their work, and some are forced to emigrate. Some feel a sense of hopelessness, while others still firmly believe in the healing capacity of art. Ulrike Schleicher reports on different reactions to the current crisis within the artistic communityMore

Book review: Uri Shani's "Nemashim" theatre project: Creating a level playing fieldDrama school in the West Bank: Theatre of hopeInterview with Daniel Barenboim: ''Mutual appreciation is essential''Pan-Arab youth orchestra: Music to combat hopelessnessThe "Gaza Monologues": What the war does to people
People at the Bait al Karama restaurant sit down at table in anticipation of a meal together (photo: Ulrike Schleicher)

Women's centre "Bait al Karama"

Nablus is cooking again!

Kanafeh, spices, oils and breads of the finest quality – Nablus has always been renowned for its excellent cuisine. The Bait al Karama initiative seeks to raise the profile of this cuisine and to underline the importance of food for any culture. Ulrike Schleicher visited Bait al Karama and its cookery school, the first organised by women in the West BankMore

The Bait al Karama website Interview with Zafer Yenal: On the Connection between Nationalism and Cuisine Islamic Dietary Laws in Practice: Halal for All
Raji Sourani (photo: Tom Knutson/Right Livelihood Foundation)

Alternative Nobel Prize for the Palestinian Raji Sourani

"We Just Don't Have the Right to Give up Hope"

The Palestinian lawyer Raji Sourani has been named laureate of the 2013 'Alternative Nobel Prize' "for his unwavering dedication to upholding the rule of law under exceptionally difficult circumstances". Sourani sees the award as an "incentive not to lose hope". By Ulrike SchleicherMore

Non-Violent Resistance in Palestine: Hitting a NerveCombatants for Peace: Marching for A CeasefireEssay by Tony Klug: Two States – by Design or Disaster
Al-Kasaba trainee actors in rehearsal (photo: Schauspiel-Akademie)

Drama School in the West Bank

Theatre of Hope

Students at the West Bank's first and only drama school talk about their struggle to establish a theatre in the West Bank and their desire to change society for the better through theatre. Ulrike Schleicher spoke to three of themMore

Cinematic Arts in Jordan: Empowering People to Tell Their Own StoriesThe "Gaza Monologues": What the War Does to PeopleTheatre in the West Bank: Fragments of FreedomIntercultural Theatre: "Radio Muezzin": Otherness as a Fetish

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Left on their own: the Kurds in Syria opted to side neither with the regime nor the opposition after the civil war broke out in 2011. Now they stand alone, besieged and with no one to back them since their American allies withdrew

Syria's Kurds between hope and fear

Photojournalist Karlos Zurutuza travelled through the northern Syrian border area following the Turkish invasion. He met families on the run and lonely men left behind in the villages.