2025 Year in Review: Prolonged Conflict, Erratic Policy, and Burgeoning Artificial Frontiers
The past year has presented important lessons for the world to learn
Tag: Palestine
What’s New Is Old: The Enduring Challenge of Non-State Armed Actors in the Post-October 7 Landscape
While these groups may not have the resources or structure of traditional states, they play a major role in the continuation, or cessation, of conflict in the region
Lebanon: Political Imagination, Accountability, and a New Roadmap for Regional Stability
Independent media, some syndicates, civil society organizations, student movements, reform-minded entrepreneurs, and the diaspora continue to carve out spaces of accountability, even as national institutions flounder
Rebuilding from Rubble: The Future of Gaza
Amid the dust and rubble, the new ceasefire offers relief to a war-ravaged Gaza; hope remains for a bright future in the Strip as questions surface of the role civil servants formerly employed by Hamas will play in governance
Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown
The most recent ceasefire deal proposed by the U.S. president makes big promises, but can it deliver?
Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Building a new future for Israelis and Palestinians will require flexibility, compromise, and dedication from both sides as well as the international community
Beyond Its Wildest Dreams: Israel’s Campaign for Geo-Strategic Dominance in the Middle East
Israeli hubris as it celebrates the demise of its enemies will be its ultimate downfall
A State is not Built with Rhetoric Alone—with H.A. Hellyer: CR Amplified ep. 5
Verbal gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state mean little without practical policies to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law
Israel and Iran: Major Threats to Middle East Stability
Both states have violated international law and instigated regional chaos
Confederative Futures and the Burden of Leadership in Israel/Palestine
The pathway to recognition of Palestinian Statehood does not require the world’s approval through the raising of 192 flags; rather, it requires convincing “one state only—the state of Israel”
What Palestinian Statehood Must Mean to Mean Anything
As more governments prepare to recognize Palestine this September, the gesture risks being performative unless matched with concrete policies such as sanctions and legal obligations, and a decolonial vision of statehood that challenges occupation at its roots
Journalism in Peril: The Gaza Genocide as a Global Test of Press Freedom
In Gaza, it isn’t only civilians that are being laid to ruin; the freedom to tell the story of its people is being muzzled by successive Israeli strikes targeting and killing Palestinian journalists
Recognizing a Palestine State: What’s New—and What’s Not
Australia is the latest G8 nation to pledge recognition of an independent Palestine, but long before Western capitals took action, recognition of the Palestinian state echoed across India, Indonesia, South Africa, and much of Latin America in a shared sentiment of justice rooted in anti-colonial solidarity
From Symbolic Victories to a People’s Victory: How Gaza Forged Global Recognition of Palestine
A story of two tracks: the symbolic quest for a state and the daily reality of a people fighting for their existence
On World Refugee Day, the World Must Help Correct the Historic Injustice Against Palestinian Refugees
Since 1948, the international community has offered little more than hand-wringing and humanitarian aid when it comes to the plight of Palestinian refugees. The global community must recognize that return is not a threat to peace, but a precondition for it
Who are Palestine’s Overlooked Refugees? Investigating Stateless Palestinians in Jordan
Stateless Palestinian refugees originally from Gaza who now live in Jordan face a precarious legal and economic situation as they lack adequate support systems. Scant attention is paid to their struggles
The Consequences and Prospects of Israel’s Ban of UNRWA
As the UN agency’s operations continue to be obstructed, its outright ban will continue the perpetuation of severe human suffering and have multidimensional ramifications, from illegality on the international level to political considerations regarding the tenuous ceasefire
Syria Remains at a Dangerous Crossroads
The recent removal of Bashar al-Assad’s regime creates two divergent paths for Syria, one of freedom, and the other that embodies an all too familiar authoritarian style of governance
Palestinian Journalists as Both Storytellers and Targets in the Israel-Gaza War
For Palestinian journalists confronting physical and psychological threats online and on the ground, the perilous pursuit to document Israel’s war on Gaza embodies a deeper personal mission
Israel, Hamas, and the Burdens of History
The violence of the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory war on Gaza have reignited historical collective traumas and existential fears among Jewish-Israelis, the Jewish Diaspora, and Palestinians
Is Israel a Liberal Democracy?
Israel’s democratic principles are under threat both internally and externally. Its long-term survival is to integrate fully into the Middle East, and the key to that integration is to peacefully resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel Accelerates Mass Arrest and Torture Campaigns
The Israeli government has capitalized on public anger and fear following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks to justify arbitrary mass arrests of Palestinians, the systemic use of torture, and inhumane prison conditions
A Reading on the Future of Hamas
The aftermath of October 7, and assassination of senior commanders, has forced an existential rethink within Hamas
It’s Been a Year
It’s time to end this war
China Tests the Water in Palestinian Diplomacy
While the ramifications of the recent unity agreement signed in Beijing by multiple Palestinian factions remain to be seen, it is evident that China has stepped up as a leader in the region
The Olympics: Arenas of Contention
Political tensions simmered under the facade of international communion at the Paris 2024 Games as countries competed both on and off the stage
Iranians Don’t Want a War With Israel
Most believe that Tehran’s engagement in the battle for Palestinian emancipation is intrusive and uncalled for
Less Than a State
Without a new framework that ensures true sovereignty and security for a future Palestinian state, the two-state solution will remain a farce
The World Fears Wider War After Hamas Leader’s Assassination
The international community races to reduce tension after a series of targeted killings carried out by Israel
Prioritizing Palestinian Self-Determination is Long Overdue
The discussion about a one-state or two-state solution must be preceded by efforts to facilitate exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinian people. Only then can a realistic solution be genuinely pursued.
Egypt’s Balancing Act
Jon Alterman: Karim Haggag, welcome to Babel.
Karim Haggag: Thank you Jon, thank you for having me. It’s great to be with you.
Jon Alterman: Egypt has had a security focus on the Israeli border since the creation of Israel in 1948. Help us understand the context. How does the current Egyptian concern over Gaza rank among the various crises that Egypt has felt on its border with Israel over the last 75 years?
Karim Haggag: This is a fundamentally different challenge than the large-scale armed conflicts that Egypt fought with Israel over the years, » Read more about: Egypt’s Balancing Act »
World Refugee Day Highlights Growing Challenges
The growing rate of refugees across the globe constitutes an international crisis. Supporting these displaced people requires acknowledging the consequences of conflict and building resilient frameworks to protect refugee rights
War on Palestine Underscores the Supremacy of Geopolitics
Why do states ignore violations of international law in Gaza?
In Targeting UNRWA, Israel Aims to Destroy the Right of Return
Hoping to capitalize on world sympathy after October 7, Israel tried to use its allies to defund and dismantle the UN relief agency.
Showing Palestine Refugees that Americans Care
The Cairo Review asks the UNRWA USA National Committee questions about its purpose, processes, and operations amid the existential crisis UNRWA is facing.
Time to Renew an Old Promise? A Brief History of Global South Solidarity with Palestine
Anti-colonial and post-colonial politics have shaped global understandings of the Israel-Palestine conflict for decades, beyond the narrow vision of many Western countries
Death or Detention: Israel’s Attacks on Journalism Follow a Lethal Pattern
Israel’s campaign of targeting and silencing the media has hidden its crimes under a dark shadow
Bridging Local and Global Assistance for Palestinian Refugees in Egypt
What happens to those who are beyond UNHCR and UNRWA’s scope of operation?
UNRWA After October 7: Building a Comprehensive Response Framework for Palestinian Refugees
UNRWA’s future cannot be considered in isolation—a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach, with displacement issues at its center, is now necessary.
Scrolling Social Media Sentiments on the Gaza War
Despite efforts of platforms like Meta to curb political content generally, frustration and sympathy for both sides of Israel’s War on Gaza continues to run deep among users
The Implementation Crisis—with Richard Falk
International law scholar Richard Falk discusses international law and politics as they pertain to the ongoing genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and the wider Palestinian plight, in addition to UN reform.
‘UNRWA is a Lifeline of Hope’—Foreword by Antonia De Meo
UNRWA’s Deputy Commissioner-General for Operational Support, Antonia De Meo, provides a foreword to the Cairo Review’s Spring 2024 issue dedicated to the agency amid the unprecedented challenges it faces
In Darkness All is Black: Exploring the Realities of Violence by the Israeli State and Hamas
The events of October 7 and beyond raise a major ethical question: by what standard is the violence that Hamas uses against Israel different from the violence that the Israeli state uses against Hamas?
U.S. Position on Gaza Risks Wider War in the Middle East
Just days before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan proclaimed a “quieter” Middle East, and, with faintly concealed satisfaction, declared how little attention he – and thus the nation – needs to devote to the region’s myriad geopolitical headaches.
But now, Israel’s war on Gaza has dragged the United States back to the Middle East, and the Biden administration finds itself sucked into the vortex of multiple regional flashpoints revolving around Gaza. » Read more about: U.S. Position on Gaza Risks Wider War in the Middle East »
A Palestinian Gandhi or an Israeli de Gaulle? Why the Context of Violence Matters
Questioning why there hasn’t been a Palestinian Gandhi or Mandela ignores the history and context in which Palestinian resistance occurs, especially the abiding violence visited on the Palestinians since 1917
Ringside Seat to Real-Time Radicalization
Research on radicalization finds that exposure to violence leads to further violence. Israel’s military campaign has made Gaza a “living Hell.”
Failures of International Law and Violence in Gaza
The recent attacks on Gaza have raised important questions regarding the effectiveness of international law in preventing violence
From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East
The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.
The Saudi Gambit in Washington
Saudi Arabia is in a position to become a major international player but to sustain such a role it needs to consolidate its leadership in the Middle East.
The Arab Summit, which concluded in Jeddah last weekend, may well have just confirmed the Kingdom’s leadership of the Arab World. But now Riyadh needs to transform that into a regional leadership role.
Such a regional undertaking requires—in addition to taking the lead on the political settlement of the various crises that have plagued the region—the sagacious management of its relationships with both the United States and Israel. » Read more about: The Saudi Gambit in Washington »
The Hundred Years’ War
Rashid Khalidi’s First-Row Seat at the Decades-Old War on Palestine