History and Politics of the Modern Middle East
Published in the Washington Post.
They have acted in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, also known as the Saudi peace plan, which called on the Arab League to terminate belligerency with Israel. It also envisioned a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel in exchange for Israel withdrawing to the June 4, 1967 lines and agreeing to “a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem” that accorded with “UN General Assembly Resolution 194 while rejecting all forms of patriation.”
Published in the Jewish Chronicle.
During the 1950s and 60s, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser guided and shaped Arab public opinion.
Nasser emerged as the undisputed leader of the Arab world by championing pan-Arabism — a secular ideology that advocated Arab unity and freedom from Western influence. It also championed the liberation of Palestine, a euphemism for the creation of a Palestinian Arab state on the ruins of Israel.
Continue reading “A Humiliated Arab World Turns to Islamism”
Published in Sharnoff’s Global Views on Dec. 31, 2012.
Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has remained elusive. The politically correct paradigm proffered by the international community including Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the United States has been two states, two peoples: an independent Palestinian state including the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel. Continue reading “Will Jordan and Egypt Play a Greater Role in Palestinian Affairs in 2013?”
Last week stories you may have missed from the Middle East and beyond:
“Protesters Burn Bangladesh Buddhist Temples” Al-Jazzera
“Qatar Urges ‘Arab Intervention’ in Syria” The Sydney Morning Herald
“Egypt Mulling Qatari Proposal for Arab Intervention in Syria: Morsi Aide” Ahram Online
“Turkey’s Kurdish Calculus” Wall Street Journal
“Israel Finance Minister Says Iran Economy ‘on Verge of Collapse‘” Reuters
“Arab Spring Affects Countries Differently, Says King” Jordan News Agency
“Many Egyptians Fear Morsi May be an Autocratic Leader Who Replaced Another” Washington Post
I would like to share a list of background reading on the modern Middle East. This list is by no means exhaustive, but provides a basic understanding of a very complex and fascinating region. Continue reading “Middle East Background Reading”
I wanted to focus specifically on the recent events in Israel and the West Bank. For economic reasons, most Palestinian protestors are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad although some have called for President Mahmoud Abbas to step down. Some analysts surmise that the “Arab Spring” has now reached the West Bank. The immediate anger is directed against Palestinian leaders. However it remains to be seen if they can satisfy protestor demands through economic incentives like the Gulf regimes or if they will divert attention toward Israel and incite a third intifada.
“Palestinians Seek to Amend Economic Accord with Israel” Reuters
“We Are Not Scared: Mahmoud Abbas Tries To Quell A Palestinian Arab Spring” IBT
“Fayyad: Protests Prove PA Committed To Freedom of Expression” Ma’an News
“Mofaz: Bi-National State More Threatening Than Iran” The Jerusalem Post
“Palestinian Price Protest Turns Violent in West Bank” Reuters
“Palestinians Blame Israel for Dire Economic Situation in West Bank” Israel Hayom
“Ramallah Protestors Call on Abbas to Resign” Ma’an News
Al-Ahram reports that a Gazan teen unable to find employment and care for his family set himself on fire in Gaza’s main hospital last Thursday. He succumbed to his wounds Sunday evening. The teen’s father said he had appealed to the Hamas government in Gaza and the West Bank Palestinian Authority to find work, but received no response. Continue reading “Palestinian Self-Immolation”
The Palestine-Israel Journal, an independent quarterly publication run by Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, has a new issue which examines the dramatic challenges facing Israeli and Palestinian civil society in 2012.
I am thrilled that my article which explores the role of nonviolent Palestinian third parties as an alternative to Fatah and Hamas is featured in the journal. I will post the full text when it becomes available.
Michael Sharnoff, PhD 