During the past two weeks Fatah, the ostracised Hamas and an array of splinter groups that amalgamate into the key representatives of the Palestinian people struck an accord. After strenuous negotiations the two main factions managed to reconcile and bridge the gap between them to help unify all factions into one group. The negotiations took place between the leaders of the Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad (including Khaled Meshaal of Hamas, Ramadan Shallah the known [...]
Reading the papers today I was struck by the quality of coverage on North Korea and the evil masterminds behind one of the most closed countries on earth. There was a lot of talk about how in a globalised world, North Korea and countries such as Cuba would be forced to change due to the tidal wave of democratisation unleashed by the Arab Spring. There was also a lot of naivety about Europe being a [...]
Moral equivalence is a very dangerous argument to get into. It comes down to the idea that some nations, due to their history and by their international record and standing should be judged by higher standards than their neighbours, and non-state actors such as terrorist groups. One of the most common arguments for moral equivalence is used against Israel. It often starts like this “Of course Hamas is terrible, but Israel should know better as [...]
A period of relative calm in Gaza was shattered last week by a series of IDF airstrikes that left three Palestinians dead. Amongst the casualties was a 42 year old man, killed when shrapnel hit his home. Israel’s response to civilian casualties was as typical as it was callous – an expression of “regret” followed hastily by “but it was the fault of Hamas for being embedded within the civilian population.” The fact that Israel [...]
In September of this year, eight years after coalition troops had first entered the country, President of Iraq Jalal Talabani told the UN General Assembly that his country had now been completely liberated. In the meantime, the world has witnessed a series of liberations in other Middle Eastern countries. By comparison these were speedy affairs, taking months rather than years. They were not marred by the levels of bloodiness witnessed in Iraq. Notably, they were [...]
News is being reported of the possible release of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. It appears that Hamas and the Israeli government have reached a deal that makes imminent his release within forty-eight hours. The soldier in question was captured on the 25 June, 2006 by Hamas in a daring cross border raid. It was a lucrative capture, depending on what perspective you look at it from. In exchange for Shalit’s release, Hamas is expecting one [...]
Like Sean McHale, I’m all in favour of freedom of speech. But I’d have to disagree with the main thrust of his article on Julius Malema, although not in his assessment of the man himself (“a vile character”) or various other points. Modern South Africa is a nation with incredible potential and enormous faults. After centuries of institutionalised racism and nearly 50 years of Apartheid, they narrowly avoided civil war, in no small part due [...]
Julius Malema is a vile character. Undereducated, his political buffoonery has been met by laughter and derision across South African politics. His racist rebuke of a white BBC reporter was the distasteful act of a small man. His rabble-rousing Shoot the Boer (white farmer) was initially met with political discord from the higher echelons of the ANC and later by the courts, branding Malema’s verse as “hate speech” and consequently banned. Now, there are few [...]