As a global political project, “human rights” has little resonance for most Israeli Jews. As Israel continues to fly in the face of hegemonic international norms, what can tip the balance? A contribution to the openGlobalRights debate on Emerging Powers and Human Rights. العربية, עברית
Politically, the country is a melting pot of regional and highly localised concerns, playing out along axes of political opportunism, religion and economic necessity, with various religious groups operating as local militias.
In the current climate of political fragmentation and the expired mandates of the executive and legislative branches of the Palestinian Authority, the rights and the duties of the citizens and the government should not continue to be swept aside.
Principles related to self-determination and the right to resist subjugation are principles that most Palestinians know, and most western governments don’t like to talk about as much.
The outcome of the Trayvon Martin case holds critical implications. We are not responsible for George Zimmerman pulling the trigger, because the law treats this as an action subject to legal judgement. Is this the banality of legal?
Israel has charged five Palestinian teenagers for having allegedly thrown stones at a settler’s car. They face 25 years to life imprisonment for attempted murder. Yet again, the system punishes the crime while being blind to the triggering circumstances.
Twin disaffection on the part of both Syrians and Palestinians in Jordan should be put in historical context. Both Palestinians and Syrians can claim historical links to Jordan, including arguments of political control and ownership, which may now surface more strongly.
The hope for progress in the core middle-east dispute arises at the very time when a new Iranian president tests Israel's unyielding stance on nuclear security.
The recently issued EU guidelines banning funding to projects in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is not a new proactive political strategy; it is simply a matter of legal necessity.
Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week, Stealing Ramadan
