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Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
In the often unexpected twists and turns marring the decades-long struggle by Palestinians to achieve long-awaited justice for their cause, the defunding of UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, has emerged as one of the primary goals of the Israeli political establishment and its subservient lawmakers in the United States, especially as the far-right in Israel began to move from the fringe to the center of the state’s political arena.
The five-day war between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza ended in a ceasefire Saturday, with both sides claiming to have won the round. The aftermath resulted in 30 Palestinian deaths, including children and two in Israel. This number of casualties is relatively lower, on both sides, than it has been during similar conflagrations in the Strip. And some would describe the aftermath as yet another stalemate.
The congratulatory video message by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Israel's 75th Independence Day on April 26 was a blatant insult to millions of Palestinians under occupation and in the diaspora. It was an affront to anyone who is disgusted by Israel's immoral and illegal 56-year occupation of Palestinian territories, the 16-year-siege of Gaza, the building of illegal settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes, the incarceration and killing of children, and the repugnant violation of UN resolutions and international conventions and laws, in addition to numerous human rights violations.
One of the most underestimated contributors to the domestic GDP of several Arab countries is migrant workers, also called expatriate workers. Arab governments should pay close attention to this strategic source of foreign capital. There were an estimated 169 million international migrant workers in the world, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2019, constituting 4.9 percent of the global labor force in the destination countries.
As the conflict in Sudan enters its second week, punctuated by short-lived truces, the battle for control of the capital Khartoum is inconclusive. And both sides of the internecine war claim to have the upper hand. But as foreign missions are evacuated, and diplomatic efforts to enforce a ceasefire appear to be deadlocked, various scenarios for a possible outcome are unfolding, and none are good for the country's future.
The third holiest Muslim site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, or Al-Haram Al-Sharif, has become a dangerous flashpoint that could ignite the entire region. The shocking events of last week, when Israeli soldiers stormed the holy site, beating worshipers and causing serious damage to the main building, is an assault on a Muslim place of worship that is under the custody of Jordan. Nothing can justify the barbaric Israeli action, which was repeated for several days during Ramadan.
Russia is stepping up its efforts to normalize ties between Syria and Turkey in a bid to bolster its alliance with Damascus, which has proved exceptionally beneficial to both sides since President Vladimir Putin ordered a military incursion in 2015 that ended up saving President Bashar Al-Assad's regime. The recent attempts by Moscow to set up a meeting between Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have to be considered against the backdrop of Russia's elusive victory in Ukraine and the heightening tensions between Moscow and the West.
Consensus is building up among Arab countries over reinstating Syria’s membership in the Arab League after more than a decade of civil war that has ravaged the country while pushing for an Arab solution to the crisis that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
With over 12 weeks of anti-government protests culminating in Sunday night's mass demonstrations following the sacking of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a beleaguered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally caved into pressure and announced on Monday evening that he was suspending the passing of a controversial law to limit the powers of the judiciary.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the US-British invasion of Iraq. The invasion, launched on falsified evidence, set in motion a series of cataclysmic events from which neither Iraq nor the region has been able to recover. Conservative figures put the number of Iraqis who perished under occupation or in the ensuing civil war at no less than half a million. Many more were maimed or displaced in the process. And few would dare deny that the illegal invasion of a sovereign country remains the most egregious and blatant aggression of the 21st century.
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