Fatah
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Interview with Amos Oz
"For Israel, it is a lose-lose situation"
Israel's ground offensive against Gaza is justified but excessive, says Amos Oz in this interview with Dennis Stute. However, the Israeli writer is also critical of the Hamas strategy of attacking Israel from within civilian areas
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The Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Gaza
Propaganda war
The escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas has been accompanied on both sides by massive propaganda drives. According to Joseph Croitoru, each side is attempting to speak directly to the opposing side through its propaganda
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Israeli military offensive in Gaza
Israel cannot win
All those whose opinions differ from the prevailing view are considered saboteurs. In this guest commentary, the Israeli writer Etgar Keret describes how the thought police are dominating his homeland and explains why the problems Israel faces cannot simply be bombed away
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Interview with Raji Sourani in Gaza
"We are just soft targets: we are very cheap"
Raji Sourani is a human rights lawyer and founder of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which documents and investigates human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. Jailed on six occasions for his work, Sourani is staying put in Gaza at the moment, and continuing to work under siege. He tells Roma Rajpal Weiss that people there have lost all hope
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Escalation in the Middle East
Provocation and violence
What set off the new spiral of violence in the Middle East? Does Palestinian organisation Hamas deserve the blame? Bettina Marx doubts that's the case and takes a look back at developments in recent weeks
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The Israeli army in the West Bank
The punishment of Palestinian citizens
Israel's heavy-handed acts of retaliation against both Hamas and Palestinian civilians are threatening to provoke a new escalation of violence. The Israeli military deployment in the West Bank is the biggest since the end of the second Intifada in 2005. A commentary by René Wildangel
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Reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah
No peace without Palestinian unity
The Palestinian organisations Hamas and Fatah plan to seal an alliance with each other – primarily out of necessity. Reconciliation is difficult; the danger of failure is great. It is for precisely this reason that the US and Europe should support the process. A commentary by René Wildangel
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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 Schleicher
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Israel's Social Media and the Gaza Crisis
Truths Come Through
In light of the war of information raging throughout the current Gaza conflict, the Israeli writer Assaf Gavron highlights the important role that social media plays in his country, providing a voice for authentic and independent viewpoints beyond any control or influence by the state
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Israel and the Gaza Crisis
Trapped in the Language of Force
Lev Grinberg, Professor of Political Sociology at the Ben Gurion University in Tel Aviv, says Israeli intervention in the Gaza conflict is short-sighted. Exclusive recourse to military force blocks opportunities for peaceful negotiations in the long-term, and plays politically into the hands of Hamas, he says
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Palestinian Territories
Fishermen from Gaza Risk Their Lives at Work
The fishermen from Gaza have a dangerous job. Israeli soldiers, often armed to the gills, obstruct their work. Last month, a 22-year-old fisherman was shot dead. Bettina Marx reports from Gaza City
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Protests in the Palestinian Territories
A Belated Arab Spring for Palestine?
Demonstrations by thousands of Palestinians against rising food and fuel prices have alarmed the rulers in Ramallah: the government of Salam Fayyad is coming under increasing pressure as people demand explanations for the country's ongoing economic plight. Is Palestine on the brink of an upheaval like the Arab Spring that swept through other countries in the region? By Fabian Schmidmeier