Fatah
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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
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America′s dangerous anti-Iran posturing
For a farewell to arms
The Middle East is fraught with bitter national and sectarian conflicts that realistically can only be solved by compromise. Rather than another round of demonisation, what the region needs, argues Jeffrey Sachs, is an era of diplomacy that focuses on normalising relations
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Palestinian sociologist Salim Tamari on the Six-Day War
"People became hostages of the annexation"
The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, which began with the Six-Day War in June 1967, changed the lives of millions of Palestinians. Sociologist Salim Tamari talked to Diana Hodali about what they experienced
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Middle East peace process
Playing the Trump card?
Fond of boasting about his deal-making capabilities, U.S. president Donald Trump has oozed confidence in the run-up to his visit to Israel and the Occupied Territories. Whether he will prove a mediating or an alienating influence remains to be seen. By Ylenia Gostoli
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Trump, Abbas and the Middle East conflict
Rose-tinted posturing
Since Trump′s inauguration there has been plenty of contact between the White House and stakeholders in the Middle East. Achieving the ′big ultimate deal′, however, will take more than cosy platitudes. Commentary by Alaa Tartir
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Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike
Raising the stakes
Palestinian prisoners in Israel have launched a collective hunger strike. The imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is thus returning to the political stage. Inge Gunther in Jerusalem has the details
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Resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict
Expect nothing from Trump
While the US continues to turn a blind eye to settlement expansion, the international community and the EU in particular are left with the responsibility of ensuring that everyday life in the Palestinian enclaves does not collapse. Time for a rethink, argue policy analysts Sam Bahour and Mousa Jiryis
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Democracy in Palestine
High hopes, low expectations
Palestinians who hoped municipal elections would eventually pave the way to overdue national ones voice criticism about decisions that led to their postponement. By Ylenia Gostoli
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New peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict
Two states, one homeland
A group made up of Israelis and Palestinians has some unusual ideas on how to resolve the Middle East conflict. It′s a peace initiative based on the notion that no side should lose. By Inge Gunther