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On 14 May, Israel will celebrate 70 years of independence. On that day, the United States is also expected to move its embassy to Jerusalem in the spirit of celebrations amongst Israelis, and mourning of Palestinians who are reminded of the Nakba: the day they lost their land 7 decades ago. To mark the upcoming occasion, an Israeli senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official spoke to Al-Monitor regarding Israel’s historical narrative at 70 years of independence, indicating that Israel´s democratic existence in a region of autocratic regimes bestows further legitimacy to the imminent   festivities. Plus, Donald Trump has endorsed Israel’s right to be recognised by the Palestinians as the homeland of the Jewish people. Yes, Trump´s statement seals the deal and provides the missing and crucial conformation of the Jewishness of Israel and the Jerusalemness of its capital. It is interesting how the official´s enlightening proclamation came right after his/her reiteratio...

Inspite of seeing her making out passionately with another man at the staircase, he decided to ignore the issue, but confront – and prosecute – her for the affair she had 10 years ago. I was advised* to start off with a sexy tone to lure readers into skimming through…I hope that was sexy enough, albeilt the unappealing context of this article.   Now, the hot affair is a perfect analogy for what has happened between The Netherlands and Turkey following the famous Armenian genocide recognition vote. On 22 February, the lower house of the Dutch Parliament approved a motion that recognises the Armenian genocide of 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. According to Christin Union parliamentarian Joel Voordewind, The Netherlands ¨cannot deny history out of fear of sanctions. Our country houses the capital of international law after all, so we must not be afraid to do the right thing here too".  "We are acknowledging history", he said. Turkey obviously was li...

In a succinct version of a harangue, Jordan´s Prime Minister attributed the critical financial conditions in Jordan to the consumerist culture of its citizens (revert to article published in the Jordan Times on Valentine´s Day in the spirit of love). Problems that stretch from lack of transportation services to the elevated cost of rudimentary sustenance products had one root cause: the greedy, consumerist Jordanian citizen. Interestingly, and on the same day, a news article was published in the Washington Post indicating that following a meeting between the Jordanian and Foreign Minister and the American Secretary of State, Washington pledged to give Jordan at least $1.275 billion a year annually over the next five years, replacing a previous three-year commitment of $1 billion annually. This generous support comes two months after Jordan urged Washington to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital at the famous UN vote. The US was livid, promised to ...

Movies tend to awaken senses and invite ideas to take a deeper and more profound spot in one´s mind. A series of shots with visual effects that are interwoven beautifully within a script could allow for a reassessment of notions and beliefs. In the movie 'Darkest Hour', the mute inner dialogue of Winston Churchill once he was appointed Prime Minster of England at the acme of World War II resonated with a sapient audience from the future. Churchill´s romantic and patriotic refusal to bow before German attacks and offer a dignified surrender was admired by viewers, who reminisced about the days of glory and pride. The weak, feeble figure of Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, First Earl of Halifax, was naturally ridiculed for its defeatist standpoint. After all, it was the Earl of Halifax who pushed for striking a deal with Adolf Hitler after the fall of most of Western Europe. But Churchill the hero defied his party and its leadership, and stood by the pride and will of a ...

It was a clever plan. A 17-year-old carpentry-apprentice waited patiently until the target client purchased furniture from his employer, who in return tasked the young man in particular with delivering the furniture to the target’s rented apartment. Just when he made sure that no one was around, except for the landlord of course, the master-mind behind the plot charged and stabbed the victim with a screw-driver-turned-into-a-weapon. The victim quickly reached for his gun and fired a round of shots in the air that killed both the young attacker, and the innocent bystander (landlord). The failed attempt was politically motivated, as intelligently clarified by the law enforcement authorities of the screw driver victim’s country. Yes, the 17-year-old planned all of this to get out an important political message. No one shall be safe…furniture shops will serve as a breeding ground for young political criminal wannabes.   The whole incident, sarcasm-free, occurred a week earl...

         In an insightful  op-ed , political analyst Fahd Al Khitan criticised the newly approved instructions developed by the Greater Amman Municipality regarding the professions that can be run from one’s own home. These professions range from intellectual activities, services, and food production. His criticism to these instructions is valid, but fails to address a number of key issues that are of equal – if no exceeding – importance.   His argument that the conversion of buildings into small shops will create disturbances, tarnish the public appearance of residential areas, and contribute to further chaos and disquiet in already poorly planned neighbourhoods is pertinent to the problem at hand. Mr Khitan’s shift to the associated economic problems that will arise as a result to probable tax evasion, misuse of buildings’ infrastructure, and business- generated dregs is also understood, and so is his concluding paragraph and main argumen...

             President Donald Trump is on an international tour that was kicked off with a visit to Saudi Arabia. It was followed by a trip to Israel, which was subsequently followed by expected mess, confusion, and poor strategic vision. Trump opened his first visit to Israel by saying that he sees growing recognition among Muslim nations that they share a ´common cause´ with Israel in their determination to counter Iranian threats. The opportunity was ripe for a peace deal, he said. Reading this statement could be interpreted in only one of two ways: continued American arrogance and determination to fuel sectarianism, or stupidity. The latter option – as appealing and convincing as it may sound – might not be the sole motor behind the actions and the statements of the American president. His lack of experience is compensated for by the shrewd and wise insights received from veterans in diplomacy - such as Jared Kush...