Palestine
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Coronavirus in the Middle East
"Pandemic of poverty" for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Social and economic upheaval in Lebanon in 2020 has deepened and magnified the poverty of Palestinian refugees. The country's "forgotten" Palestinians are bereft of international support and almost totally dependent on UNRWA. Lifting the restrictions on their economic status would help. By Stephen McCloskey
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Rabbi Elhanan Miller on interfaith dialogue
"People of the Book" brings Jews and Muslims together
Conceived by Israeli journalist and rabbi Elhanan Miller, "People of the Book" is a YouTube project designed to provide information on Judaism in Arabic. Disarming prejudice with humour, Miller's cartoons aim to promote mutual understanding between Jews and Arabs. Interview by Claudia Mende
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A sacred site in Jerusalem
The new Saladin
Now that he has converted Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is setting his sights on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Joseph Croitoru explains why the call to "liberate Al-Aqsa" is being elevated to a state ideology in Turkey
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Interview with political scientist Tobias Zumbraegel
How are Middle East countries coping with climate change?
Climate change, water scarcity and declining oil revenues: the Middle East and North Africa face huge environmental challenges. Political scientist Tobias Zumbraegel has published a study on how the region is dealing with these pressing issues. Interview by Christopher Resch
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ARTE documentary on life in Israel's illegal settlements
Who does the Holy Land belong to?
Two German Jews dreaming of living in the Holy Land chose to settle near Bethlehem. Under international law, Israeli settlement activities on Palestinian soil are, however, illegal. What attracted these two Germans, and how do they imagine themselves living with the Palestinians?
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Muslim racism and imperialism
Power and exclusion
The outpouring of solidarity worldwide following the violent death of George Floyd should prompt us to step back and fundamentally question racist structures and privileges based on injustice – wherever they exist in the world. An essay by Tayfun Guttstadt
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Non-fiction: Mikhal Dekel's "Tehran Children"
The Jews who fled Nazi Germany to finally end up in Iran
Mikhal Dekel’s father was part of a contingent of Jewish children who went on an odyssey from Poland to Iran as a result of the Holocaust. Dekel has now written a book exploring the story of the "Tehran Children". By Daniel Walter
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Book review: Sahar Khalifeh's "Passage to the Plaza"
It's all a question of timing
When Sahar Khalifeh’s "Passage to the Plaza" appeared in English this year, thirty years after its initial publication, it seemed out of sync – too late and too overshadowed by the coronavirus. Yet perhaps this is just the right time: its locked-in world of curfews and domestic violence speak to 2020 as much as it did to 1990. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Trump's plan for the Middle East
Those looking to annex can expect resistance from Jordan
Jordan is not only waging a vigorous battle against coronavirus, but also against the Middle East peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. By Birgit Svensson
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COVID-19 in the Middle East
Women talk under coronavirus lockdown: "I want my life back"
How are people in the Middle East and North Africa dealing with the new coronavirus pandemic? Women from countries across the region, some of them war zones, share their worries – and hopes. By Diana Hodali
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Film review: Elia Suleiman's "It Must Be Heaven"
"Open the door, you ass"
Palestine is disappearing. From the international agenda, from the map, as a concept. The filmmaker Elia Suleiman from Nazareth reacts in the only possible way: using the language of the absurd, says Stefan Buchen in his review
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USA, Israel and the Palestinians
Trump's sham attempt at peace
As we digest the details of Donald Trump's Vision for Peace, we need to ask ourselves just one question: does this draft guarantee an Israeli and a Palestinian baby born today equal civil rights, freedom of travel and a self-determined life in security and dignity twenty years from now? By Inge Gunther