https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:39:48 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230720-7-books-shortlisted-for-2023-palestine-book-awards/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 08:43:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654052 Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is pleased to announce the books shortlisted for its 2023 Palestine Book Awards. This prestigious event, now in its twelfth year, honours and celebrates books published in English about Palestine and encourages authors and publishers to produce more books on Palestine. 2023 has been another successful year with more than 50 books submitted for consideration; the largest recorded in the Awards' history. The shortlisted winners selected by the judges have added to the diversity of submissions and genres featuring the Palestinian narrative. This year's Award winners will be announced at a prestigious invitation-only event in London this November. The 2023 shortlisted authors are: Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri – They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian […]]]> 654052 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230515-2023-is-palestine-book-awards-most-successful-year/ Mon, 15 May 2023 11:50:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=636563 In what has become the Palestine Book Awards' most successful year, more than 55 books have been submitted for consideration for this year's prestigious honours. Now in its twelfth year, the Palestine Book Awards is continuing to grow and attract new and established talent who are all vying to win an accolade. Seven judges will now read the entries and select the shortlist of books before the winners are announced in November. Keep an eye on the PBA website for more details and for details of which books have been shortlisted. No more nominations are being accepted for the 2023 Awards and anyone wishing to submit a new publication is requested to wait until entries open for the Palestine Book […]]]> 636563 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230424-palestinian-resistance-warns-of-activating-assassination-policy-israel-will-pay-the-price/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:34:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630878 Palestinian resistance factions have affirmed that the occupation's threats to assassinate their leaders will lead to a confrontation and the occupation will pay its price. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the occupation's threats to activate its assassination policy is an attempt to bolster its image after the growth of our people's revolution and the diversification of resistance action fronts. Qassem added that the occupation's hand is no longer free to practice its terrorism, and the resistance's response to any folly will be greater and broader than it expects. He noted that the Palestinian people will continue their legitimate struggle against the occupation and will not fear these threats. For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) […]]]> 630878 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230227-entries-open-for-12th-palestine-book-awards/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 12:10:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=618291 Middle East Monitor's (MEMO) Palestine Book Awards are back for the 12th year and we invite you to submit your best entries. Winning books will be chosen from a number of categories, including Academic, Translation, Creative, Memoir and Social History. Winners will be announced at MEMO's awards ceremony to honour the best books written in English on the subject of Palestine. As well as promoting existing books on Palestine, the awards encourage new authors to write about this extremely important topic with the aim of drawing attention to a cause that is at the heart of the Middle East. Awards winners will be announced in November 2023 in the presence of publishers, authors, journalists, academics and politicians. We welcome all […]]]> 618291 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230205-international-perspectives-on-apartheid-and-decolonization-in-palestine/ Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:36:37 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=611910 A conference was held in London yesterday, hosted by MEMO entitled "International perspectives on apartheid and decolonization in Palestine" and included a diverse group of academics and writers discussing three broad themes: apartheid, genocide and decolonisation. Dr Daud Abdullah, the Director of MEMO, kicked off the event by welcoming all attendees and those watching the live stream. He pointed out that "There are striking parallels between the socio economic conditions that exist in Palestine today and the degradation of the colonised peoples in the past." This, he said was a consistent pattern in settler colonial regimes aimed at destroying and replacing indigenous populations of the Global South. However, the "tragedy" of Palestine need not remains constant, as Abdullah reminded that […]]]> 611910 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230110-israel-detains-15-palestinians-demolishes-6-structures-in-west-bank/ Tue, 10 Jan 2023 14:36:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=605211 Israeli Army Forces rounded up 15 Palestinians in overnight raids and demolished several structures in the Occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports. The detainees were taken into Israeli custody in the cities of Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Jenin and Nablus, the state news agency, Wafa, reported. In a related development, Israeli Forces demolished six Palestinian structures in the West Bank, according to a local committee. In a statement, the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said two houses were brought down in Jericho and the town of Kafr Al-Dik in Salfit city, while four other structures were razed in Anata town, northeast of Jerusalem. READ: Bill giving illegal settlers full rights as citizens passes first reading in Israel Israel […]]]> 605211 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230105-jewish-groups-call-on-israels-ben-gvir-to-allow-slaughter-offering-at-al-aqsa/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 09:16:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=603799 Jewish organisations yesterday called on Israel's newly-appointed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to allow ritual slaughter of lamb in Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. Israeli media reported that several Jewish organisations submitted a formal request to Ben-Gvir and the Israeli police to allow them to carry out the Passover sacrifice in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Passover falls during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan this year. The requests come following Ben-Gvir's recent storming of Al-Aqsa, which was condemned internationally. Similar calls were made last year with Jewish groups taking to social media platforms to encourage people to sacrifice a lamb at the Muslim Holy site. READ: Haredi Jews attack Ben-Gvir after entering Al-Aqsa Mosque]]> 603799 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221110-pba-2022-address-by-dr-husam-zomlot/ Thu, 10 Nov 2022 14:38:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=592681 Palestine Book Awards 2022: Dr Sara Roy – Keynote speech]]> 592681 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221107-palestine-book-awards-2022-dr-sara-roy-keynote-speech/ Mon, 07 Nov 2022 19:36:32 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=591872 READ: Winners of Palestine Book Awards 2022 announced]]> 591872 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221104-winners-of-palestine-book-awards-2022-announced/ Fri, 04 Nov 2022 23:36:32 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=590742 The winners of 2022's Palestine Book Awards (PBA) were announced on Friday evening in an event in London to recognise authors and their contributions to literature on the subject of Palestine. Seven books were handpicked by the panel of judges and saw their authors presented with awards in five categories. The 11th PBA was held in person for the first time since 2019, after COVID forced MEMO to host the event online. The awards ceremony followed an informal event held yesterday at London's P21 Gallery, in which authors of the nine shortlisted books discussed their work with the audience and participated in a lively debate. The 2022 Palestine Book Awards ceremony was opened by British journalist, author and former associate […]]]> 590742 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221030-tolerance-is-a-wasteland-palestine-and-the-culture-of-denial-by-saree-makdisi/ Sun, 30 Oct 2022 11:00:15 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=587730 One of the most startling aspects of Israel's ongoing takeover of historic Palestine is how, despite the catalogue of human rights abuse, violations of international law and the practice of the crime of apartheid, the Zionist project has been able to maintain support for its cause amongst large sections of the Western liberal community. It is quite common, for example, to find celebrities and politicians who are instinctively opposed to racism, making generous donations and offering support to pro-Israel causes whose main function is to preserve a system of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. This strange phenomenon, which has come to define the hypocrisy of liberals that continue to support Israel, has been given a special label: Progressive Except for Palestine […]]]> 587730 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221023-psychoanalysis-under-occupation-practising-resistance-in-palestine/ Sun, 23 Oct 2022 07:08:42 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=585246 This complex subject is presented with meticulous research by Lara Sheehi and Stephen Sheehi in Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practising Resistance in Palestine (Routledge, 2022). The book goes beyond the 1948 Nakba to portray how Israel's settler-colonial violence cannot be removed from the Palestinian experience and its psychological impact, and the importance of a decolonial approach by clinicians towards their Palestinian patients in order to understand their psychological trauma as well as contribute towards the collective goal of liberation. "Psychoanalysis provides a theoretical framework for Palestinian clinicians and for ourselves to understand the experiences of Palestinians and the conditions of Zionist settler colonialism and military occupation under which they live," write the authors in their introduction. The book presents ample feedback […]]]> 585246 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221016-power-born-of-dreams-my-story-is-palestine/ Sun, 16 Oct 2022 08:31:58 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=582735 Sharing a very personal account of his own incarceration at the hands of the Israeli occupation authorities, MEMO's Palestinian political cartoonist, Mohammad Sabaaneh, offers us a glimpse into this harrowing and dehumanising experience in his graphic novel published last year, Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine. Exploring topical themes such as freedom, oppression and the human will to endure and resist, Sabaaneh loosely depicts his own ordeal after his arrest in 2013 and subsequent five months imprisonment for "contact with a hostile organisation", which turned out to be the publication of several of his cartoons in a book written by his brother, a member of the Hamas Movement, about Palestinian political prisoners. This book is on the shortlist […]]]> 582735 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221014-palestine-book-awards-2022/ Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:47:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=586285 You are invited to join us for 11th Palestine Book Awards 2022 – Pre-launch Evening, an evening of celebration with the shortlisted authors. Date and time: Thu, 3 November 2022, 18:00 – 21:00 GMT Location: P21 Gallery, 21 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD ABOUT THIS EVENT The evening is a chance for you to meet the shortlisted authors and discuss their work, inspirations and network with them. The authors who will be on the panel to discuss their books are: Ashjan Ajour Erling Lorentzen Sogge Heba Hayek Maryam S. Griffin Lara Sheehi, Stephen Sheehi Lynn Welchman Mohammad Sabaaneh Mosab Abu Toha Saree Makdisi The event will be chaired by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at St Antony's College, University […]]]> 586285 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221002-things-you-may-find-hidden-in-my-ear-poems-from-gaza/ Sun, 02 Oct 2022 08:00:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=582383 Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear defies order and structure. It is a staggeringly diverse collection and as deep, heavy and haunting as the very days Israel rains down bombs and drones on Gaza. Some of Mosab Abu Toha's subjects in this recently published poetry collection are vast and ungraspable: the 2014 war, F-16 aircraft, immigration, family, exile and loss – especially loss. Each poem uniquely details the alienating cruelty of living under Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip, which has been under a strict Israeli siege since 2007. Given Israel's escalating violence against Palestinians, including its latest three-day bloody onslaught on Gaza last month, resulting in 49 people, including 17 children and four women, being killed, only […]]]> 582383 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220925-sambac-beneath-unlikely-skies/ Sun, 25 Sep 2022 08:00:05 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=580038 It's Christmas Eve in London and Heba Hayek's narrator is looking to bake something that reminds her of home. She settles for basbousa, a coconut yoghurt semolina cake, which translates as 'little kiss.' "No one should be this far," she thinks to herself at the end of a video call in which her father and mother argue over whether she should add cream to the top or middle of the cake. Heba's narrator was born in Palestine and has now moved abroad to study where she is trying to navigate her feelings of being a foreigner in a strange land and memories of home. Sambac Beneath Unlikely Skies, published by Hajar Press, is a collection of vignettes on a girlhood […]]]> 580038 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220918-vehicles-of-decolonisation-public-transit-in-the-palestinian-west-bank/ Sun, 18 Sep 2022 08:00:53 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=578433 A prominent part of Israel's colonial violence is the deprivation of free movement for Palestinians. Maryam S. Griffin's book, Vehicles of Decolonisation: Public Transport in the Palestinian West Bank (Temple University Press, 2022), provides details of the ways in which Israel collectively denies mobility for Palestinians and how, as a result, Palestinian public transportation becomes "a site of social struggle." Griffin's writing contextualises the ramifications of public transportation for Palestinians from within Israel's colonial framework, thus setting the scene for readers to engage with a political reality that is either denied or obfuscated. "Public transport is severely affected by the policies and practices of Israeli settler colonialism," the author asserts in the introduction. Giving an overview of how Israel's colonial […]]]> 578433 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220911-the-palestinian-national-movement-in-lebanon-a-political-history-of-the-ayn-al-hilwe-camp/ Sun, 11 Sep 2022 08:00:22 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=577279 Of the 12 official Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Ain El-Hilweh ('Ayn Al-Hilwe) is the largest in both area and population and is known among its 33,000 or so inhabitants as the "Capital of the Diaspora". This title is fitting considering the unmatched degree of political and territorial autonomy the Palestinians enjoy, arguably more than in any other Arab country. It is also one of the most contested refugee camps in the country, containing a host of different political factions, many of which have their own armed militia. Navigating through this complex political landscape, Erling Lorentzen Sogge's The Palestinian National Movement in Lebanon: A Political History of the 'Ayn Al-Hilwe Camp provides an ethnographic study on the post-Oslo camp politics […]]]> 577279 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220904-reclaiming-humanity-in-palestinian-hunger-strikes-revolutionary-subjectivity-and-decolonizing-the-body-2/ Sun, 04 Sep 2022 08:55:35 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=576616 The deployment of the physical body into a site of struggle and resistance remains one of the most poignant and controversial methods of protest. Due to its tremendous toll, practising hunger strikes have always provoked extreme reactions, from bitter irony to deepest admiration. In just a matter of days, physical and mental deterioration begin to take effect. Ultimately, it can lead to death. However, despite this high cost risk, hunger strikes have become a long-standing tradition and weapon for Palestinian prisoners, whose revolutionary subjectivity, according to Ashan Ajour, is exercised through this radical political action in the Israeli jails to not only regain, but also maintain dignity and humanity. This book is on the shortlist for the Palestine Book Awards […]]]> 576616 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220611-9-books-shortlisted-for-palestine-book-awards-2022/ Sat, 11 Jun 2022 17:00:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=577288 The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is pleased to announce the books shortlisted for its 2022 Palestine Book Awards. This prestigious event, now in its eleventh year, honours and celebrates books in English about Palestine. It, equally, encourages authors and publishers to produce more books on Palestine. 2022 has been another successful year with over 50 books submitted for consideration. The highest record of books put forward for the Awards. The shortlisted winners selected by the judges have added to the diversity of submissions and genres featuring the Palestinian narrative. Judges also reviewed 4 children's books. An exceptional new growing genre in regards to Palestine. The 2022 shortlisted authors are: Ashjan Ajour – Reclaiming Humanity in Palestinian Hunger Strikes Erling Lorentzen Sogge […]]]> 577288 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220429-42-palestinians-injured-in-israeli-police-intervention/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:17:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=552255 At least 12 people were injured on Friday in an Israeli police intervention with plastic bullets and sound bombs after dawn prayer, Anadolu News Agency reports. Israeli police intervened after Palestinian youths entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem from Bab Al-Maghrib, one of the gates to the Mosque, and threw stones after performing the dawn prayer. First aid was given to 42 injured people, and 22 of them were hospitalised, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement. Also, the police reportedly prevented the teams of the Palestine Red Crescent Society from entering the Mosque complex. Israeli police forced out those in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa, and closed the doors of the Mosque to Muslims coming from […]]]> 552255 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211124-winners-of-palestine-book-awards-2021-announced-marking-its-tenth-anniversary/ Wed, 24 Nov 2021 21:04:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=514176 For the second year in a row the event was held online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Out of dozens of books nominated at the beginning of the year, seven were shortlisted by PBA judges with four receiving awards. The evening began with a keynote address by Haider Eid, an Associate Professor at Al-Aqsa University, policy adviser at the Palestinian Policy Network-Al-Shabaka, a member of the advisory committee of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, and a founding member of the One Democratic State Campaign. 2021 Winners of 10th Palestine Book Awards announced Academic Award: Eric Skare – 'A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East' Biography Award: Timothy Brennan – 'Places of Mind: A […]]]> 514176 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211124-palestine-book-awards-2021/ Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:57:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512072 Watch the 10th annual Palestine Book Awards, held on Wednesday, 24 November 2021 at 6.30pm GMT. The evening began with a keynote address by Haider Eid – an Associate Professor at Al-Aqsa University, a policy advisor at Al-Shabaka, and a member of the advisory committee of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The keynote was followed by a roundtable discussion with this year's shortlisted authors proving an opportunity to explore their books. Professor Eugene Rogan of St Anthony's College, Oxford, will moderate the dialogue with PBA Judge Prof Nur Masalha. The 2021 Winners Academic Award Erik Skare A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East (Cambridge University Press) Biography Award […]]]> 512072 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211111-conversations-on-afghanistan-the-middle-eastern-perspective/ Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:26:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509412 This is a recording of the webinar hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and Middle East Monitor, on November 10, 2021. Guests included: Dr Daud Abdullah Director, Middle East Monitor Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry Director General, ISSI Ambassador Khalid Mahmoud Chairman BOG, ISSI Amina Khan Director, Centre for Afghnistan, Middle East & Africa, ISSI Hashmat Moslih Political Analyst, Former Head of Planning at Al Jazeera Arabic and English online Ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri Former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Ahmad Shah Durrani Author, "An Outside the Box Look at Afghanistan"]]> 509412 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211101-places-of-mind-a-life-of-edward-said/ Mon, 01 Nov 2021 10:30:29 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=505031 If there was one figure central to postcolonial studies and the intellectual force behind the Palestinian meeting with Western academia, it was undoubtedly the late Edward W Said. Although he was an American citizen –his father having fled to the US to escape Ottoman conscription in World War One – Said was born in Jerusalem in 1935 and raised in Cairo. He was very much an international and intercultural figure from his youth. Despite his education in famed Western institutions such as Princeton and Harvard Universities, as well his academic career at Columbia University, Said was also involved intricately in the life of the "Near East", and was all too familiar with its cultural and intellectual rhythms. Through ground-breaking writings […]]]> 505031 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211027-writing-palestine/ Wed, 27 Oct 2021 15:30:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=503799 Join us online for the launch of Writing Palestine – a book celebrating the tenth year of the Palestine Book Awards. If you have not already, grab a copy of the book here.   About Writing Palestine The Palestine Book Awards which was established to honour and endorse the best books written in English on Palestine. The book, with Arabic and English texts, uniquely brings together revered names: Rima Khalaf, Salman Abu Sitta, Ramzy Baroud, Ilan Pappé, Richard Falk, Karen Abu Zayd, Salim Vally and Eugene Rogan, all of whom were either keynote speakers at our annual receptions or recipients of Awards, including Lifetime Achievement Awards. What unites them is their deep belief in the power of books and their commitment to […]]]> 503799 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211002-book-launch-a-shared-struggle-stories-of-palestinian-and-irish-hunger-strikers/ Sat, 02 Oct 2021 09:00:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=496809 A Shared Struggle: Stories of Palestinian and Irish hunger strikers details the personal experiences of 24 Palestinian and 7 Irish hunger strikes in their fight to win their basic rights. Watch the launch for this remarkable book, highlighting the plight of Palestinian and Irish hunger strikers and the intersectionality of the Palestinian-Irish struggle against settler-colonialism. The stories in A Shared Struggle provide an answer as to why a prisoner might choose starvation (sometimes to death) over accepting humiliating prison conditions. The contributors to this book hope that it will serve as another bridge that connects Palestine with Ireland and make more people across the world aware of the plight of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails today. Get your copy of the book: […]]]> 496809 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210617-gazas-health-sector-challenges-in-war-and-peace/ Thu, 17 Jun 2021 15:15:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=477708 Israel's 11-day bombardment of Gaza in May 2021 has further devastated the besieged Strip's health infrastructure, already struggling amid a tight blockade and the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli airstrikes left Gaza's Palestinian Health Ministry and main Covid-19 lab out of service, 2 senior doctors dead and nearly 30 hospitals and health clinics either destroyed or damaged. Join our panel of distinguished experts on Thursday 17 June 2021 at 5 pm GMT (6 pm UK) to discuss the impact of Israel's targeting of Gaza's medical facilities. The webinar is being organised in association with PalMed Europe.]]> 477708 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210614-pba-announces-shortlisted-books/ Mon, 14 Jun 2021 18:12:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=477653 Seven books have been shortlisted for this year's Palestine Book Awards, Middle East Monitor is happy to announce. The Palestine Book Awards (PBA) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in November 2021 as part of its annual ceremony that honours and celebrates books in English about Palestine. 2021 has been another successful year with a total of 39 books submitted for consideration. The shortlist winners selected by the judges include both Palestinian writers and those of a variety of different backgrounds, adding to the diversity of submissions. They include and range in topics from those submitted by American Professor Marc Lamont Hill who was sacked by CNN after a speech he made on Israel and Palestine at the United Nations and […]]]> 477653 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210423-memo-marks-10-years-of-the-palestine-book-awards/ Fri, 23 Apr 2021 12:46:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=467893 READ: The Palestine Book Awards and resisting the falsification of history]]> 467893 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-the-making-of-hamas-foreign-policy-book-launch/ Thu, 18 Feb 2021 09:48:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=456882 ]]> 456882 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201106-keynote-speech-at-palestine-book-awards/ Fri, 06 Nov 2020 13:21:10 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=433093 The following is the Keynote Address delivered by Dr Rima Khalaf at the Palestine Book Awards 2020. Dr Khalaf served as the minister for several Jordanian ministries between 1993-2000; was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017; and is currently the President of the Global Organisation Against Racial Discrimination and Segregation. Her address was delivered at the 9th annual Palestine Book Awards, hosted on Zoom, on 5 November 2020. Learn more about the Palestine Book Awards here. I thank the Palestine Book Award Committee for inviting me to speak at this special and inspiring event.  One of the things that makes our event uniquely special is its focus on a […]]]> 433093 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201105-palestine-book-awards-2020/ Thu, 05 Nov 2020 16:00:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=432034 The 9th PBA awards ceremony began with a keynote address by Dr Rima Khalaf, President of the Global Organisation Against Racial Discrimination and Segregation. Dr Khalaf discussed the impact of literature on the generations to come and the role Zionists played in trying to erase their wrongdoing through this form of art. This was followed by a roundtable discussion with the shortlisted authors, hosted by Professor Eugene Rogan, St Anthony's College, Oxford. A total of 38 books were entered in this year's competition, with seven books being shortlisted by a panel of expert judges. The awards were categorised as follows: Academic, Creative, and Lifetime Achievement Award. Click here to view the Palestine Book Awards 2020 winners.]]> 432034 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201104-memo-in-conversation-with-prof-salman-sayyid/ Wed, 04 Nov 2020 09:00:07 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=432403 Has Islamophobia gone global? Can it be said that there is a common thread connecting Uyghur Muslims held in concentration camps in China; the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar; the rise of Hindu nationalism and the systematic attacks on Muslims in India and Kashmir; Israel's ongoing occupation and brutal treatment of the Palestinians; and the growing hostility towards Muslims in the West? These were the questions posed during MEMO's conversation with Professor Salman Sayyid yesterday. The academic from the University of Leeds, whose major publications include: A Fundamental Fear, Thinking Through Islamophobia and Recalling the Caliphate, began by fielding questions on the definition of Islamophobia before describing the global dimension of anti-Muslim racism. Islamophobia, explained Sayyid, is "a type […]]]> 432403 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201007-memo-in-conversation-with-dana-nawzar/ Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:00:10 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=425897 MEMO's interview with UK-based Kurdish writer Dana Nawzar about Kurdish statehood, the current status of Kurdish autonomy in the Middle East and militant Kurdish groups. Dana Nawzar holds degrees from the American University of Iraq in Sulaimani, University Putra in Malaysia, and Durham University in the UK, and has written extensively on the Kurdish issue and other topics concerning the Middle East for a variety of outlets. UK-based Kurdish writer Dana Nawzar initially touched on the historical plight of the Kurds following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent lack of their own nation-state. At that time, he recounts: "Suddenly the entire Middle East is being redesigned by colonialist powers. Everyone is given a nation-state because you had […]]]> 425897 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200910-palestine-kashmir-the-destruction-of-indigenous-cultural-heritage/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 09:00:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=419090 An international webinar looking at the on-going destruction of indigenous cultural heritage in Palestine and Kashmir. For seven decades the Palestinian and Kashmiri struggles for national liberation and self-determination have been subjected to measures that have often been described as genocidal. They entailed acts aimed at destroying their national culture, political autonomy and national will. Whether conducted in whole or part, the destruction of a people's cultural heritage results in the same consequences – cultural genocide. In this webinar, our experts assess the political and legal consequences of these policies. This webinar was organised by Middle East Monitor, in associated with the Centre for Middle East and Africa (CMEA) of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI). The CMEA provides […]]]> 419090 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200902-uyghur-rights-activist-arslan-hidayet-on-the-lack-of-international-support-and-solidarity-with-uyghur-muslims/ Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:05:36 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=419534 China's crackdown on its Uyghur citizens, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority, has faced international scrutiny in recent months. This, though, is not enough, Arslan Hidayet, the General Secretary of the Uyghur Revival Association, has insisted. Hidayet also exposed the inconsistency in support for the Uyghurs and the unquestionable obligation that the Muslim world has to defend those who are trapped along with Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek Muslim minorities. Many Muslim-majority countries aren't speaking out because they don't want to jeopardise their economic relationships in China, he explained. The exception is Turkey, which has condemned China on the issue of human rights abuses in Xinjiang Province, the former East Turkestan. However, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's priority has changed with his government […]]]> 419534 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200826-memo-in-conversation-with-dr-salman-abu-sitta/ Wed, 26 Aug 2020 08:30:12 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=418651 Few have documented Israel's erasure of Palestine better than Dr Salman Abu Sitta. Best known for his ground-breaking project mapping historic Palestine and developing a practical plan for implementing the right of return of Palestinian refugees, Abu Sitta, who was born in the Palestinian town of Be'er Sheva during the British Mandate period, has spent 40 years digging for every piece of information documenting the localities of hundreds of Palestinian homes and villages before their existence was wiped off the map by Zionist colonisers. He is regarded as perhaps "the world's foremost expert on the Nakba". MEMO caught up with Abu Sitta for a conversation about his new work: Atlas of Palestine 1871- 1877: This is Arab Palestine before the […]]]> 418651 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200805-interview-with-mark-ayyash-on-navigating-palestine-in-a-post-blm-world/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:51:32 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=413942 The killing of George Floyd by a police officer just over two months ago sparked protests across his home city of Minneapolis and major cities around the world. These mainly peaceful protests inspired by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement put the topic of police brutality and, more broadly, racism at the centre of public discourse. Parallels were drawn very quickly between the plight of the Palestinians and the legacy of racism in the US and elsewhere. To discuss the political and cultural significance of this moment, MEMO spoke to Mark Ayyesh, Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University, Canada, and began by asking how the Palestinian academic felt watching waves of protests triggered by Floyd's death. His immediate reaction, said Ayyesh, was "anger", "frustration" […]]]> 413942 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200723-no-way-to-gaza-book-launch/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:35:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=412001 Watch the virtual book launch for our latest book – No Way to Gaza: A Chronicle of Adventure and Fraud Under the Egyptian Blockade. A group of Brazilian filmmakers on an academic mission attempt to reach the Gaza Strip via Egypt. What was supposed to be an alternative route to the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing, which allows only accredited journalists and humanitarian organisations to pass, soon became a dangerous adventure into the depths of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's dictatorship and his controversial war on terror in the Sinai Peninsula. This chronicle, which gathers the group's anecdotes and adventures, also tells the story of the Palestinians who risk everything to get to their homeland. It exposes an Egypt that, after the seed of […]]]> 412001 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200704-palexpo-2020/ Sat, 04 Jul 2020 11:58:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=408806 The Palestine Expo will be going online to welcome guests at its third event on 4-5 July. After a successful event at the Olympia London last year, 2020's PalExpo will have leading specialists in the entertainment, academic and political arena. Over the 2 day virtual conference, guests will include: Jeremy Corbyn, the former Leader of the Labour Party; Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset Yousef Jabareen and Sami Abu Shehadeh; the former General Secretary of the Palestinian National Democratic Assembly (NDA) Awad Abdel Fattah. While former UNRWA chief Karen Abu Zayd, prominent journalist Gideon Levy from Haaretz and media expert Wadah Khanfar, former director of Al Jazeera are all expected to partake in the event. View the programme and full list of speakers […]]]> 408806 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200702-israel-annexation-apartheid-the-media/ Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:25:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=408613 Israel's coalition government's plan to unilaterally annex large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the Jordan Valley, has provoked widespread international outrage and condemnation. Annexation of occupied territory is illegal and inadmissible under international law. The Israeli threat, therefore, constitutes an affront to the world community who view it as consistent with the longstanding policy of denying of Palestinian self-determination and the consolidation of Israel's apartheid rule. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move will write another "glorious chapter in the history of Zionism", the Palestinians are defiant. For them the move means the loss of vital land which had been earmarked for a future independent state; it has also dealt a lethal blow to their dreams […]]]> 408613 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191104-noura-erakats-address-at-palestine-book-awards-2019/ Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:00:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=370415 Palestine Book Awards winner Noura Erakat addresses the Palestine Book Awards ceremony on 1 November 2019 READ: Winners of 8th Palestine Book Awards announced]]> 370415 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191005-remembering-jamal-one-year-on-sarah-leah-whitson/ Sat, 05 Oct 2019 11:30:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=365363 Human Rights Watch's Sarah Leah Whitson speaks at Remembering Jamal: one year on about the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi which took place at the British Library on 2 October 2019. READ: MEMO hosts Remembering Jamal one year on]]> 365363 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191005-remembering-jamal-one-year-on-victoria-brittain/ Sat, 05 Oct 2019 07:30:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=365361 UN consultant,writer and journalist Victoria Brittain speaks at Remembering Jamal: one year on about the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi which took place at the British Library on 2 October 2019. READ: MEMO hosts Remembering Jamal one year on]]> 365361 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191004-remembering-jamal-one-year-on-sue-turton/ Fri, 04 Oct 2019 17:45:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=365358 Renowned war correspondent, filmmaker and news anchor Sue Turton speaks at Remembering Jamal: one year on about the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi which took place at the British Library on 2 October 2019. READ: MEMO hosts Remembering Jamal one year on]]> 365358 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-beyond-palexpo-foa-chair-ismail-patel-at-palestine-expo-201/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:37:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352662 ]]> 352662 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-beyond-palexpo-chief-nkosi-zwelivelile-mandela-mp-at-palestine-expo-2019/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:36:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352646 South African MP and the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, speaks at Palestine Expo, a two-day festival of music, art and lectures, held in London on 6-7 July 2019. READ: Nelson Mandela's grandson: 'Israel is an apartheid state, period']]> 352646 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-wadah-khanfar-on-one-state-the-future-at-palestine-expo-2019/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:35:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352642 Wadah Khanfar, former director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, speaks at Palestine Expo, a two-day festival of music, art and lectures, held in London on 6-7 July 2019. READ: Wadah Khanfar on 'Deal or Disaster of the Century' at Palestine Expo 2019  ]]> 352642 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-chief-nkosi-zwelivelile-mandela-mp-on-one-state-the-future-at-palestine-expo-2019/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:34:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352641 South African MP and the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, speaks at Palestine Expo, a two-day festival of music, art and lectures, held in London on 6-7 July 2019. READ: Nelson Mandela's grandson: 'Israel is an apartheid state, period']]> 352641