Palestine
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Syrian pianist Aeham Ahmad
How music can open doors
He came to fame as the pianist who played in the rubble of war-torn Syria, but there is so much more to Aeham Ahmad than that. He's now a popular musician and has made a home for himself and his family in the German city of Wiesbaden. By Annabelle Steffes-Halmer
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US foreign policy
Donald Trump versus Middle East peace
The US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel comes in defiance of overwhelming global opposition. The message is clear: the Trump administration is determined to dictate the Israeli version of peace with the Palestinians, rather than to mediate an equitable agreement between the two sides. By Daoud Kuttab
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The Jewish Museum Berlin's Jerusalem exhibition
The majesty and the misery
Shortly after Trump said the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Jewish Museum Berlin opened a long-planned exhibition about Jerusalem, a city saturated with religion, politics, conflict and beauty. By Werner Bloch
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Trump recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
Whose idea was that?
With his official recognition of Jerusalem, the U.S. President is not acting in the interests of Jews in his country, but solely with the "blessing" of the Christian fundamentalists who long for the end-time battle, the apocalyptical Armageddon, says Armin Langer in his commentary
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Politics and the humanitarian situation in Gaza
"War is always possible here"
Is the cautious rapprochement between Hamas and Fatah now under threat following U.S. President Trump’s announcement that Washington will be moving its embassy to Jerusalem? Elisa Rheinheimer-Chabbi spoke to Matthias Schmale, Head of the UN refugee agency for Palestinians in Gaza
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Book review: Dorit Rabinyan′s "All the Rivers"
Star-crossed lovers
In her bestselling novel "All the Rivers", Dorit Rabinyan tells the poignantly beautiful love story of an Israeli translator and a Palestinian painter in New York, a romance that eventually dies due to the apparently unsolvable Arab-Israeli conflict. By Volker Kaminski
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Interview with historian David Motadel
Hitler′s Muslim stop-gaps
During the Second World War, tens of thousands of Muslims fought on the side of the National Socialists. In interview with Nastassja Shtrauchler, historian David Motadel examines the attitude of Hitler and the Nazis towards Islam and Muslims. Interview by Nastassja Shtrauchler
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Israel 100 years after Balfour
A case of moral degradation
2 November 2017 marked the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. This document promised to deliver a homeland for the Jews, yet also that "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine". Has this promise been kept? Political analyst Peter Oborne reports
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Israeli-Palestinian relations
Entering a new era?
If Israel doesn′t accept the deep concessions it will have to make for peace, the recent reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah will not mark the beginning of the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It will merely be the start of a new chapter. By Daoud Kuttab
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Fatah-Hamas rapprochement
Can they keep their cool?
Following the recent reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, journalist and Al-Shabaka policy advisor Khalil Shaheen examines what now needs to happen to cement this historic step along the road towards genuine Palestinian self-determination
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Interview with Bettina Marx, head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Ramallah
Hamas' olive branch: ″Palestinians want reconciliation″
Hamas has made an offer to its Palestinian rival, Fatah, agreeing to hold elections in the Gaza Strip. The head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Ramallah, Bettina Marx, sees this as a striking and positive development
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Palestinian territories
From self-determination to dictatorship: With a rod of iron
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority has long ceased to pursue the national aspirations of its population and established a security apparatus designed to secure the status quo. Meanwhile in Gaza, the de facto Hamas regime is planning to hand over control to its military wing. Commentary by Abdalhadi Alijla