Topic: Mahmoud Abbas

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Saving democracy from extinction reads one poster at a demonstration against the judicial overhaul in April in Jerusalem (image: Tania Kraemer/DW)

Israel at 75

A nation more divided than ever

As Israel prepares to mark Independence Day, the country is at a crossroads. A planned judicial reform by the far-right government has led to deep divisions. By Tania KraemerMore

Israel's controversial judicial reform: Gaps in the systemIsrael's judicial reforms: Benjamin Netanyahu's autocratic turnIsraeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
Still from the film "Notes on Displacement" by Khaled Jarrar (source: Thessaloniki Film Festival)

Khaled Jarrar's documentary "Notes on Displacement"

Putting faces to the nameless

Many films exist about the dangerous escape routes people have been taking to reach Europe since 2015 to escape war, conflict and precarious living conditions. In this very personal documentary, Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar accompanies an old lady from Yarmouk, Syria, who was driven out of Nazareth as a child. By Rene WildangelMore

Afghan refugees in Portugal: Regenerating soil and soulGreece and the asylum-seekers: How do you solve a problem like Moria?Europe′s refugee deal with Turkey: The end of the road
Former Israeli foreign minister Schlomo Ben-Ami (photo: Zuma Wire/Imago)

Middle East conflict

Israel's endless occupation

Fifty-five years after Israel began occupying Palestinian lands, it is more difficult than ever to imagine a way out. The seeds of the two-state solution that were planted by visionary leaders on both sides have failed to take root. All that remains is a fatalistic acceptance of the conflict’s insolubility. Commentary by Schlomo Ben-AmiMore

Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceHagit Ofran of Peace Now: The Zionist still holding a candle for peace and equalityEnd of the Middle East two-state solution? Israeli highways – a fast track to West Bank annexationPalestinian human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma: "We are alive, but we donʹt have a life"
From left to right: Abdullatif Al-Sajani, Bahrain's minister of foreign affairs; Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's foreign minister; Jair Lapid, Israeli minister of foreign affairs; Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state; Nasser Bourita, Morocco's minister of foreign affairs and Sheikh Abdullah bin Sajid, Emirati foreign minister at the Negev Summit (photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/picture-alliance)

Arabs attend Negev summit

Israel moves centre-stage in the Middle East

A straightforward message emerged from last week’s meeting in the Negev desert of the foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the United States: Israel is key to the security of Gulf autocracies and continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East. By James M. DorseyMore

Jewish Diplomatic Corps visits UAE: "Our preconceptions are at odds with reality"Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceActivists fear increased cyber-surveillance: Will repression in UAE intensify under the Israel deal?
Gadi Baltiansky, director of the Geneva Initiative (photo: Gadi Baltiansky)

Geneva Initiative's Gadi Baltiansky

The two-state solution – what future?

A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has practically disappeared from the international agenda. Israel’s unity government has decided against negotiations and Palestinian politics are stuck in deep stagnation. Yet some are working tirelessly to change that. Noam Yatsiv talks to Gadi Baltiansky of the Geneva InitiativeMore

Israeli-Palestinian dialogue: Israel, Palestine – and nuance as the moral imperativeMiddle East: Young Arabs: "more Israeli and more Palestinian than ever"Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe in dialogue: A one- or two-state solution?Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
A woman bashes pan lids together during an anti-government demonstration in Algeria (photo: Getty Images/AFP/R. Kramdi)

European Council on Foreign Relations

Promoting human rights in the Middle East and North Africa

With authoritarianism once more gaining ground in the Middle East and North Africa, the European Council on Foreign Relations explores how European diplomats can be more effective in promoting human rights and democratic values in the regionMore

Arab world: "The people aren't ready" – can Arabs do democracy? Egypt: National Human Rights Strategy: President Sisi's propaganda campaign – a bid to mollify U.S.?Promoting human rights in the Middle East: The U.S. and Arab hearts and minds – an impossible task?Authoritarian reinstatement in the Arab world: Whatʹs left of the Arab Spring
Archive image: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, shake hands for the press at the presidential compound in Ramallah, West Bank, 9 March 2016 (photo: Debbie Hill/AP Photo/picture-alliance)

Joe Biden, Mahmoud Abbas – and the UN

The Palestinian ultimatum

By issuing an ultimatum before the UN General Assembly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hoped to shake the U.S. from its complacency and force Israel to engage in real negotiations to end its occupation of Palestinian lands. With Palestinians losing patience, the alternative is an upsurge in violence, writes Daoud KuttabMore

Middle East conflict: "The Palestinians face repression on all sides"U.S. policy in the Middle East: The America that Israel and Palestine needEscalation in the Middle East: Flare-up between Israel and Hamas paints a bleak picturePalestinian territories: From self-determination to dictatorship: With a rod of iron
Palestinian political consultant Khaled Elgindy speaks during the panel discussion "What's Next for Palestine and the Palestinians?" hosted by the Arab Center in Washington, USA, 6 June 2017 (photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Middle East conflict

"The Palestinians face repression on all sides"

Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Israel: Palestinians have fewer and fewer rights, says Khaled Elgindy. The Middle East could escalate at any time. An interview by Andrea BackhausMore

Palestinian territories: From self-determination to dictatorship: With a rod of ironGaza and the West Bank: Press freedom in Palestine: Condemned to self-censorU.S. policy in the Middle East: The America that Israel and Palestine needInterview with Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinians rediscover their sense of unity
Sporting excellence under the most adverse conditions: the Palestinian national team training in Gaza City (photo: Marihan Al-Khalidi/zum Wire/Picture Alliance)

Middle East conflict impacts soccer

Palestine's football dreams take a battering

When it comes to talent, Palestine may well be able to compete with other football teams in the region, but growth and development are hampered by the situation in the Palestinian territories. The explosion of violence between Israel and Hamas in May seriously disrupted preparations for the World Cup qualifiers. John Duerden reportsMore

Film review: "The 90 Minute War": A level playing fieldFilm review: ''Zaytoun'': Unpicking the HatredBerlinale 2019: Marwa Zein's "Khartoum Offside": Football, film and freedom in Sudan2022 FIFA World Cup and human rights: Pointing the finger at Qatar's rulers is not enough
16 May 2021, Amsterdam, Netherlands: a Black woman seen holding a placard over her head against colonialism during a demonstration. In Amsterdam thousands of Dutch people gathered at the Dam Square in Amsterdam to condemn the Israeli attacks and the forced evictions of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem (photo: Ana Fernandez/Zumo Wire/imago images)

Israeli-Palestinian dialogue

Israel, Palestine – and nuance as the moral imperative

As someone accustomed to presenting his country to interested outsiders, Israeli teacher and tour guide Noam Yatsiv makes the case for a more nuanced appreciation of the historical circumstances in Israel/Palestine, deeming it a "moral obligation" of European observersMore

Arabs and Jews in Israel: You can't tear us apartIsraeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceInterview with Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery: ''Israel needs peace, not settlements''
13 March 2021, Gaza city, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory: General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party Mustafa Barghouti speaks during a protest on the Palestinian Wounded's Day (photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images/ZUMA Wire)

Interview with Mustafa Barghouti

Palestinians rediscover their sense of unity

Mustafa Barghouthi, Palestinian politician and secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party is a key voice of the secular liberal left in Palestinian politics. Following the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, he gives his view of events in Israel and the Occupied Territories in recent days and his hopes for German and European foreign policy going forward. Interview by Jannis HagmannMore

Human Rights Watch: "A threshold crossed: Israeli authorities and the crimes of apartheid and persecution"Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceNoam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe in dialogue: A one- or two-state solution?New peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict: Two states, one homeland
Israel: missiles are intercepted over Ashkelon by the Iron Dome (photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Escalation in the Middle East

Israeli-Hamas hostilities: same old story, or is it?

A young generation is rising up in the Middle East, fed up with the old politics. They are no longer interested in a two-state solution or territory, but in equal civil rights in an Israeli state, writes Karim El-Gawhary in his commentaryMore

Israel-Hamas conflict: Gaza and Israeli residents struggle through a new realityUnrest over Sheikh Jarrah: With Jerusalem on edge, Palestinian families face evictionEscalation in the Middle East: Flare-up between Israel and Hamas paints a bleak pictureAsk Project initiator Corey Gil-Shuster: Ask Israelis, ask Palestinians – beyond black and white
A Palestinian boy pulls a cart carrying his brother and their belongings as they flee their home (photo: Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Middle East conflict

Gaza and Israeli residents struggle through a new reality

Hostilities broke out between Hamas and Israel less than a week ago. But a swift escalation has left civilians on both sides trying to come to terms with the maddening unpredictability. Tania Kraemer reports from IsraelMore

Escalation in the Middle East: Flare-up between Israel and Hamas paints a bleak pictureJoseph Croitoru's "Al-Aqsa oder Tempelberg": Zeroing in on the Middle East conflictInterview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
Corey Gil-Shuster, director of the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University, during filming (photo: Ask Project)

Interview with Ask Project initiator Corey Gil-Shuster

Ask Israelis, ask Palestinians – beyond black and white

In 2012, fed up with people expressing clear-cut opinions on the rights and wrongs of the Middle East conflict, Canadian conflict researcher and long-time Israeli resident Corey Gil-Shuster grabbed his video camera and went out onto the streets in Israel and the Occupied Territories to ask ordinary people their views. The result: the Ask project. Inge Gunther met up with him for Qantara.de in Tel AvivMore

Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceNew peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict: Two states, one homelandArabs and Jews in Israel: You can't tear us apart
Joe Biden and Palastinian President Mahmoud Abbas (photo: Debbie Hill/AP Photo/picture alliance)

U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world

Joe Biden and the Middle East – bid farewell to Trumpism

Recognising the shifting geopolitical priorities facing America and the Arab states, analyst Marwan Muasher cites three areas in which U.S. President-incumbent Joe Biden's Middle East policy is likely to differ from that of his predecessor Donald TrumpMore

Arab reactions to the U.S. presidential election: "The world needs a break from the Trump era!"U.S. elections and the Middle East: Arab dictators hold their breath at Trump's possible exitU.S. foreign policy in the Middle East: Slave to the Trumpian impulse
Atef Abu Saif (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Nasser)

Interview with Palestinian Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif

"We need citizen-oriented policies"

The foyer is hung with pop-art pictures of Palestinian poets and thinkers such as Mahmoud Darwish and Edward Said. The Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Ramallah is keen to present itself as open-minded, modern – just like its new boss, Atef Abu Saif. Interview by Inge GuntherMore

Book review: "The Drone Eats with Me" by Atef Abu Saif: A war without distinct edgesInterview with think tank veterans Yossi Alpher and Ghassan Khatib: "The Oslo peace process approach is over"Interview with Palestinian human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma: "We are alive, but we donʹt have a life"

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