Israel
All countries-
Obituary: Amos Oz
Peace campaigner and voice of reason
His works centred on life in the kibbutz and the history of Israel and earned him countless awards and honorary doctorates. Amos Oz, writer and peace activist, passed away on 28 December at the age of 79. Angelika Ditscheid looks back on his life
-
Moroccoʹs Jewish legacy
The Rabbi of Essaouira
The presence of Jewish tradesmen helped shape the character of Essaouira in Morocco. Traces of the portʹs Jewish heritage are evident to this very day. Every year Jews from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Essaouira, keeping memories of the city’s Jewish character alive. By Claudia Mende
-
Oslo I 25 years on
Israelis and Palestinians lament the deadlock
There was hope that resolution of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians was imminent when the first Oslo Accord was signed in 1993. But the promise of a two-state solution any time soon has been all but dashed. By Tessa Fox
-
Interview with think tank veterans Yossi Alpher and Ghassan Khatib
"The Oslo peace process approach is over"
On 13 September 1993, an agreement of mutual understanding known as the Oslo Accords kicked off the Middle East peace process. 25 years on, Middle East expert Christian Hanelt interviews Israeli Yossi Alpher and Palestinian Ghassan Khatib on their experiences and their thoughts regarding the way ahead
-
USA cancels aid to Palestinian aid agency UNRWA
Washington's penchant for moving the goalposts
At the beginning of September the USA announced it would pull its entire aid to the Palestinian refugees owing to UNRWAʹs inefficiency. But Washington's attack on the UNRWA serves a much broader plan, says Peter Philipp in his commentary
-
Obituary: Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery
Shoes that will be difficult to fill
Uri Avnery fought for decades for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This wish was not fulfilled in his lifetime. Avnery died, aged 94, in the early hours of Monday. An obituary by Christian Wolf
-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
U.S. aid cuts bite in Gaza
UNRWA, the relief agency for Palestinian refugees, is feeling the crunch since the United States, its main donor, slashed its contributions. The crisis comes amid a military escalation between Hamas and Israel. Tania Kraemer reports from Gaza
-
A nuclear Middle East
Arab states court the atom
With more instability likely in the near future, the incentives for maintaining or acquiring nuclear weapons in the Middle East are destined to increase. One thing remains clear, however: as long as Israel is excluded, the objective of total nuclear disarmament in the region will never be achieved, writes Israel Rafalovich
-
Iranʹs dilemma
Securing a slice of post-war Syria
Contrary to international hopes for a peaceful solution following the fall of Islamic State, Syria has become a military polygon for global and regional powers, increasing the risk of inter-state war. This is especially true in southern Syria, where Assad troops and forces controlled by Iran operate in close proximity to Israeli lines. By Stasa Salacanin
-
Interview with Indonesian cleric Yahya Cholil Staquf
"We must want peace"
Yahya Cholil Staquf is a prominent Muslim cleric and secretary-general of the world's largest Islamic organisation, Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which has 60 million members. After visiting Israel and meeting with PM Netanyahu, he was heavily criticised at home. In this interview, conducted by Rizki Nugraha, he explains that his agenda was to approach peace movements and to strengthen the aspirations for peace within Israeli society
-
The Sulha Peace Project
Listening for peace
Yoav Peck is director of the Sulha Peace Project, an organisation that specialises in facilitating positive, peaceful encounters between Israelis and Palestinians where the focus is on listening – truly listening – to each other. Marian Brehmer spoke to him about the project
-
Film review: "The 90 Minute War"
A level playing field
A comedy about one of the world's longest-running violent conflicts? Can that work? It certainly can! "The 90 Minute War" uses a soccer match to highlight the issues of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, taking a humorous and sarcastic look at what is actually a deadly serious and ideologically charged debate. By Eva-Maria Verfürth