Search London Progressive Journal
The King's speech
Uri Avnery discusses the implications of a parliamentary bill that would seek to push the Palestinian population out of the West Bank and into Jordan... [read more]
The Suffering of Palestinian Refugees in Jordan
To highlight suffering is one thing, to alleviate suffering yet another.... [read more]
The Watch on the Jordan
The Arab world is in turmoil. Syria and Iraq are breaking apart, the thousand-year old conflict between Muslim Sunnis and Muslim Shiites is reaching a new climax... [read more]
Interview: Behind the Lines
Hussein Al-Alak speaks with a Jordanian based activist involved in helping Iraqi refugees who have fled to Jordan.... [read more]
The Imperator
In the middle of the 70s, Ariel Sharon asked me to arrange something for him - a meeting with Yasser Arafat... [read more]
Kaya, the royal Dog
The spectacle is almost bizarre: a political party refuses to accept new members. And not just a few individuals, but tens of thousands... [read more]
Perhaps the Messiah will Come
If someone had told me 50 years ago that the rulers of Israel, Jordan and Egypt had met in secret to make peace, I would have thought that I was dreaming.... [read more]
The Shameful Tragedy of Tariq Aziz. A Metaphor for the “New Iraq.”
As with everything to do with “The New Iraq”, the death of the country’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Tariq Aziz, 79, was announced with a lie... [read more]
Self-Boycott
Can a country boycott itself? That may sound like a silly question. It is not.... [read more]
Palestinian Refugees from Syria Lost and ‘Betrayed’
The official position of Arab nations is unambiguous: solidarity with Palestine is paramount. But facts on the ground point to a disturbingly different reality, one in which Palestinians are mistreated beyond any rational justification in various Arab countries, writes Ramzy Baroud.... [read more]
A League of Their Own
Hussein Al-Alak reviews the achievements of Palestinian sportsmen across the Arab world.... [read more]
Whoso Confesseth and Forsaketh
In the tumult of the last few days, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the "unification" of Jerusalem, one of the articles stated that "even peace-activist Uri Avnery" voted in the Knesset for the unification of the city.... [read more]
The Criminality of American and British Illegal Immigrants in Syria
The illegals are UK Special Forces in Syria to assist the “moderate” head chopping, hand chopping, child-decapitating “rebels.”... [read more]
Optimism of the Will
Optimistic? Today? When the Israeli peace camp is in deep despair? When home-grown fascism is raising its head and the government is leading us towards national suicide?... [read more]
Scotland on the Euphrates
Two countries competed this week for first place in news programs all over the world: Scotland and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria... [read more]
Did an undercover cop help organise a major riot?
The wrongly convicted activist John Jordan claims the Met helped plan serious civil disorder. An independent public inquiry is now vital, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]
Ariel Sharon: Serial war criminal, mass murderer
Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire" describes the true legacy of the virulently anti-Arab racist and former Israeli prime minister... [read more]
A Bird’s Eye View
Uri Avnery explains a principle that has long guided Zionists: 'accept every compromise that gives us what we can get at any stage, but never let the final aim out of our sight'... [read more]
Theresa May and Al-Qaeda's ''Assurances''
Hussein Al-Alak reflects on Teresa May seeking assurances that Abu Qatada not be tortured if deported to Jordan... [read more]
The Terrible Problem
Ze'ev Begin, the son of Menachem Begin, is a very nice human being. It is impossible not to like him... [read more]
A Tale of Two Stories
This Tuesday morning he arrived at the gate as usual. But something aroused suspicion among the guards. He was wearing a jacket, though the weather was quite hot on this early autumn day. The guards asked him to remove his jacket.... [read more]
My Palestinian Exile Is Not Theatre, Mr Fleisher. It Is Real Life
I am a Palestinian. Do not relegate me to some imperial design suiting Israel's ends and tell me to pack off to Jordan or anywhere other than where I was born and where my forefathers have lived for well over a thousand year... [read more]
Remember Naboth
An incredible piece of legislation is now being debated in Jerusalem.... [read more]
“What’s in a Name?”
Dr Faysal Mikdadi asks if first names are linked with the individual name holder's GCSE results... [read more]
Oil, Blood, Confusion, Fear: Fuelling The British Public's Appetite For War
Back in 2003, Tony Blair stated that Saddam Hussein could hit Britain with a missile within 45 minutes. He also said that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction... [read more]
No2VAG's request falls on deaf ears
No2VAG has a legitimate right to be heard by the NLWA, as Ellen Graubart explains. The campaign group has requested a hearing at the Authority's meetings, and three times the group has been refused.... [read more]
Short Essay on the Arab Revolutions
This short essay is a study of the Arab Revolutions of 2010-2011... [read more]
Crusaders and Zionists
Caesarea was built by King Herod some 2000 years ago and named after his Roman master, Augustus Caesar. It once again became an important town under the Crusaders, who fortified it.... [read more]
The March of Folly
There are two ways to look at historic disasters. The one sees them as plots of evil persons, the other as acts of folly.... [read more]
Respect the Green Line!
The most incisive analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict I have ever read was written by the Jewish-Polish-British historian Isaac Deutscher... [read more]
Extreme, Extremer, Extremest
By 1967, the situation was quite different. The causes of the new war were disputed, David had turned into Goliath, a world-wide Cold War was on... [read more]
Nasser and I
Forty five years ago Gamal Abd-al-Nasser died at the early age of 52. It continues to have a huge influence on the present, and probably will on the future... [read more]
British Government Racism – Europe’s Shame?
Britain’s top “diplomat” has accused migrants of threatening Europe’s “standard of living.”... [read more]
Syria: America’s “Inherent Resolve” to Destroy Another Sovereign Nation
The US led “coalitions” of recent years have, it seems, moved on from destroying towns, now entire sovereign nations are laid to waste... [read more]
The Israeli Salvation Front
The 2015 election was a giant step towards the self-destruction of Israel. An Israel Salvation Front is needed now.... [read more]
Splendid Isolation
Almost a thousand Israeli personalities have already signed an appeal to European parliaments for their governments to recognize the State of Palestine... [read more]
The Son of my Eyes
Ruvi Rivlin, who was recently elected to the high but largely ceremonial post, is far from being a leftist... [read more]
Syria and Ukraine: Two Elections, Diplomatic Shenanigans, Double Standards and Insurgents
Thursday 15th May marked Nakba Day, Yawm an-Nakba, “Day of Catastrophe”: the onset of the displacement of perhaps 800,000 Palestinians... [read more]
Syria and Ukraine: Two Elections, Diplomatic Shenanigans, Double Standards and Insurgents
... [read more]
Palestine and Israel: A Modest Suggestion for Peace (Part 1)
Faisal Mikdadi discusses the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presents a road map for achieving peace between all peoples and factions that reside in these lands (Part 1)... [read more]
Israel’s Plans for a New Arab World
Dr Faysal Mikdadi discusses the consequences of the division and disorganisation seen amongst the countries of the Arab world... [read more]
The Roma of Iraq- a forgotten community
Iqbal Tamimi considers the fate of the Roma women of Iraq: from dancing and prostitution before the US invasion of Iraq to harassment and begging on the streets afterwards.... [read more]
One Holy Land United With Liberty and Justice for All
The absurd mythology of Zionism cannot hold firm forever, writes Ahmed Amr.... [read more]
Palestinian Boxing: Raging Bulls
Despite cramped conditions and limited resources, the Baqa'a boxing club has provided a valuable facility for the young men of one Palestinian refugee camp, as Hussein Al-Alak explains.... [read more]
Princely Visits
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, second in line to the British throne, visited Israel this week.... [read more]
Strong as Death
I have spent many happy hours in Gaza. I had many friends there. From the leftist Dr. Haidar Abd al-Shafi to the Islamist Mahmoud al-Zahar, who is now the foreign minister of Hamas... [read more]
The Day of Shame
I asked myself: what would I have done if I had been a youngster of 15 in the Gaza Strip?... [read more]
The Great Day
Two days ago, the State of Israel celebrated its 70th birthday. For days we heard about nothing else. Innumerable speeches full of platitudes. A huge festival of kitsch.... [read more]
The Victorious Delusional Three in Damascus
The US, UK, and France launched a 30 minute attack on Syria for an alleged chemical attack by the Syrian military on Islamist militants in the small city of Douma, just 9km away from the capital Damascus... [read more]
From Afghanistan to Anantnag via Abbotabad (Part 1)
The death of twenty people on April 1 between Indian security forces and armed Hizbul Mujahedin militants in Anantnag district in Indian-controlled South Kashmir is a stark reminder of a criminal legacy of the anti-colonial religious-nationalism that has its modern roots in the Afghan jihad... [read more]
A Song is Born
The situation in the Gaza Strip is as close to hell as one can get. Food at subsistence level, electricity for two to four hours a day, the water is polluted. Work is extremely scarce. Only the most severely ill are let out.... [read more]
The War on the Post Office
The US Postal Service, under attack from a manufactured crisis designed to force its privatization, needs a new source of funding to survive. Postal banking could fill that need.... [read more]
The Fake Enemy
Netanyahu doesn't care. Peace is the last thing he has on his troubled mind. He is far more committed to the eternal conflict with both the Arabs and the Iranians. After all, what would life be like without enemies?... [read more]
Children of Stones
It was in May, 1939. The British rulers of Palestine had just published a White Paper, putting the dampers on our Zionist vision. The world war was drawing close, and the British Empire needed the support of the Arab world.... [read more]
Jerusalem
On the 26th May 1967, using money borrowed from my stepmother after swearing her to secrecy because I lived in unjustified terror of a very kind Dad, I boarded a flight to Jerusalem... [read more]
The Visitation
There were two Donald Trumps this week. One of them was touring the Middle East, being feted everywhere. The second was in Washington, where he was battered from all sides... [read more]
Palestine's Nelson Mandela
Divide et impera – "divide and rule" – since Roman times this has been a guiding principle of every regime that suppresses another people. In this the Israeli authorities have been incredibly successful.... [read more]
The Tunic of Nessus
In a few weeks, Israel will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War. Millions of words, most of them hollow, will be poured out. As usual.... [read more]
Danegeld
It was just over a thousand years ago that the King of England shook his piggy bank and found it full of twigs and trinkets. He needed dosh and he needed it fast.... [read more]
The Invisible Diasporan (Part 2)
Even Churchill had, amidst the overgrown hedgerow of complex racism, a deep-rooted sense of decency and humanity when he acknowledged the injustice to Palestinians... [read more]
The Invisible Diasporan (Part 1)
Mallards Cottage was where I wrote my first novel. I called it The Return. I used to dream most of its events – the very plot was born of a dream on Christmas Eve of 1976... [read more]
The Cannons of Napoleon
All intelligent Israelis realize by now that we are facing a fateful choice: either two states, or an apartheid state, or a single Arab-majority state. Most Israelis want none of these.... [read more]
That's How It Happened
When everybody on both sides was exhausted, the war ended with a set of armistices, which defined the recognized borders of Israel... [read more]
Being There
President Donald Trump – we must get used to these three words. The only one thing that can be said with some certainty is that nothing is certain. That this man is totally unpredictable... [read more]
Confessions of a Megalomaniac
I was invited by Mahmood Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, to take part in joint Palestinian-Israeli consultations in advance of the international conference in Paris.... [read more]
Don't Send Him!
Donald Trump has spat in the faces of at least half the Israeli population. He has appointed a bankruptcy lawyer named David Friedman to the job of US ambassador in Israel.... [read more]
Trump’s $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan: Lincoln Had a Bolder Solution
Central banks have been pumping money into the global economy without a whole lot to show for it... [read more]
It Can Happen Here
Political ideas and structures don't die easily. The human mind is lazy and apprehensive, and clings to familiar ideas, long after they have become obsolete... [read more]
Twenty-Four Hours in Yemen: UN, US, UK Devastation, Complicity and Double Standards
“Let me ask you one question. Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness? Do you think that it could?” ... [read more]
Today Forty Nine Years Ago
Palestine and Israel can live in peace and harmony. If only we could just glimpse all that we have in common in our humanity... [read more]
A Document with a Mission
When David Ben-Gurion read out Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, I was in Kibbutz Hulda.... [read more]
The Other Gandhi
I had a visitor: General Rehavam Ze'evi, known by his nickname Gandhi, an extreme rightist, came to see me.... [read more]
Squaring the Circle
This week, President Rivlin published a peace plan. That is not a usual act by a president, whose office is mainly ceremonial.... [read more]
European Union Throws Greece and Refugees to the Sharks
"Hypocrisy, the most protected of vices." Moliere (Jean Baptiste Poquelin, 1622-1673)... [read more]
My Terrorist, Your Terrorist
After World War I, when the victorious Great Powers carved up the Ottoman Empire between them, France insisted on the creation of a Christian Lebanese state under its stewardship... [read more]
The Great BDS Debate
But what does peace mean? Peace is made between two enemies. It presupposes the existence of both. When one side destroys the other, as Rome destroyed Carthage, it puts an end to the war. But it is not peace... [read more]
Holy Water
In the last few months Netanyahu has appointed new people to several of the most important government functions... [read more]
When God Despairs
God is shaking his head. These humans, He asks Himself, will they never learn... [read more]
The Widening Gap
In any list of Israel's 100 most important women, Ilana Dayan would occupy a prominent position... [read more]
King Bibi
The real danger of Netanyahu's reign is his total lack of an answer to Israel's main problem... [read more]
Seashore Thoughts
Looking out at the sea, I thought about the three great dangers I perceive... [read more]
Syria: The Murder of Dr Khaled al-Assad, The Guardian of Palmyra
When a new Syria one day confronts the impossible task of rebuilding itself, one elderly academic’s quiet resistance will provide a stark example of dauntlessness and civilization amidst the rubble of its bleakest hour... [read more]
The Molten Three
In 2009, the three leading ministers – Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman – decided that the time had come to attack Iran... [read more]
Divide et Impera
Binyamin Netanyahu is not known as a classical scholar, but even so he has adopted the Roman maxim Divide et Impera, divide and rule.... [read more]
The Real Naqba
Three weeks ago was Naqba Day – the day on which Palestinians inside and outside Israel commemorate their "catastrophe... [read more]
Who Will Save Israel
The battle is over. The dust has settled. A new government – partly ridiculous, partly terrifying – has been installed
... [read more]
A Boy Called Bibi
There are two different opinions about Binyamin Netanyahu. It is difficult to believe that they concern the same person... [read more]
A New Israeli-Palestinian Discourse
There is a need for both Israelis and Palestinians to change their discourse which is based on a mixture of rewriting history, expansionist aims, victimhood and endless conspiracy theories where none exist... [read more]
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bomb?
My father once taught me how to withstand blackmail: imagine that the awful threat of the blackmailer has already come about. Then you can tell him: Go to hell... [read more]
Iraq: The Destruction of Nineveh’s History – Murdering Mesopotamia
March 19th commemorates the twelfth anniversary of the beginning of the destruction of Iraq... [read more]
Two activists pay tribute to Palestinian minister killed at human rights day ceremony
Planting a tree should be a joyous occasion, new life, growth and the fruits of labour but not in the West Bank where this simple act cost Palestinian minister, Ziad Abu Ein (55) his life... [read more]
The Pen Trumps the Sword Anytime (Part 4)
The fourth part of an 'Introduction' to an illustrated book of poetry by Faysal Mikdadi. The collection, Painted into a Corner, appeared in the summer of 2014... [read more]
The Pen Trumps the Sword Anytime (Part 3)
The third part of an 'Introduction' to an illustrated book of poetry by Faysal Mikdadi. The collection, Painted into a Corner, appeared in the summer of 2014... [read more]
The Pen Trumps the Sword Anytime (Part 2)
The second part of an 'Introduction' to an illustrated book of poetry by Faysal Mikdadi. The collection, Painted into a Corner, appeared in the summer of 2014... [read more]
The Imminent Prospect of a US-Iran Breakthrough worries the Hawks
The international community grapples once again with the imminent prospect of a “nuclear deal” between the US (P5+1) and Iran before the extended deadline of November 24 arrives... [read more]
Muhammad, Where Are You?
About a month ago, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, the government statistical office published a set of interesting items about the population of the state... [read more]
Decent Respect
Sweden, like Britain, was always considered a "pro-Israeli" country, loyally voting against "anti-Israel" resolutions in the UN. If such important Western nations are reconsidering their attitudes towards the policy of Israel, what does it mean?... [read more]
Two Speeches
If I could choose between the two rhetorical gladiators, I would rather have Mahmoud Abbas representing Israel and Netanyahu representing the other side... [read more]
God Wills It!
For six decades my friends and I have warned our people: if we don't make peace with the nationalist Arab forces, we shall be faced with Islamic Arab forces
... [read more]
Letter to President Obama
Dear Mr. President, I was sorry to hear that you have been upset by that rogue President Putin... [read more]
Little Pharaoh
The moment General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his forces removed Morsi from the Egyptian Presidency, I said that he was doing precisely what President Gamal Abdel Nasser did back in 1952... [read more]
Peace Comes through Forgiveness
I am a Palestinian. My family moved to Beirut after Israel was created because we were the "myth" that was Palestine... [read more]
The Assassination
From the first moment, I did not have the slightest doubt that Yasser Arafat was assassinated... [read more]
The Culture of Blame Will Get Us Nowhere
Dr Faysal Mikdadi challenges the culture of blame associated with the long running conflict between Palestinins and Israelis
... [read more]
Who is listening to the Syrian people?
Throughout the whole Syria crisis, one thing which has been striking, is the clear absence among British political circles, to actually listen to the points being raised by the Syrian people... [read more]
My World Is Upside Down
What does the ordinary Arab man or woman in the street think about current events? Dr Faysal Mikdadi ponders... [read more]
The Majority of Israelis and Palestinians Want Peace
Susan Walpole discusses how the majority of Jews and Muslims wish to live in peace... [read more]
Lurking Danger: Palestinian Refugees in Syria
Palestinian refugees in Syria cannot expect to exist outside a paradigm of danger and unpredictability. Their brethren in Lebanon learned the same lesson years ago, writes Ramzy Baroud.... [read more]
Poisoning Arafat
Uri Avnery asks whether the late Palestinian Prime Minister, Yasser Arafat, was assassinated by Ariel Sharon... [read more]
The Predicament of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon exist on the margins of a larger political question concerning the country’s irreconcilable sectarian, factional and familial divides, Ramzy Baroud reports... [read more]
Illegal Settlements Bonanza: Israel Plots an Endgame
Israel’s colonization policies are entering an alarming new phase, comparable in historic magnitude to the original plans to colonize Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the war of 1967, writes Ramzy Baroud.... [read more]
What Marwan Barghouti Really Means to Palestinians
Marwan Barghouti, the prominent Palestinian political prisoner and Fatah leader, is a unifying figure among Palestinians, last week he called on Palestinians to launch a “large-scale popular resistance” which would “serve the cause of our people,” writes Ramzy Baroud.... [read more]
The Stolen War
Uri Avnery shows how Hamas' decision to make peace with Israel scuppers plans for war... [read more]
Palestine: Those Who Inspired Us in 2011
2011 had its share of tragedy. Human lives were lost in Palestine. But hope was also sustained by the sacrifices of numerous ‘ordinary’ people, says Ramzy Baroud.... [read more]
''You are fed up with him?''
Uri Avnery gives his opinion on a recent leaked conversation between Presidents Obama and Sarkozy... [read more]
Everybody\'s son
Uri Avnery comments on the recent Israel-Palestine prisoner swap and the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit... [read more]
The More Enemies, The More Honor
Uri Avnery reflects upon Israel\'s faltering relations with its allies.... [read more]
Schism opens in Israel
The spreading of the Arab Spring marks a change in Israel’s ability to continue its policy under the Netanyahu government of intransigence and refusal to negotiate a fair settlement with the Palestinians and the Obama administration in good faith, argues John Wight.... [read more]
The Traitor of Baghdad
Hussein Al-Alak sheds light on prominent Iraqis who helped pave the way for the imperialist invasion of their nation.... [read more]
Gaddafi, the War on Libya and the Left
Ben Maisky scrutinises Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s Socialist and anti-imperialist credentials and questions whether certain sections of the left are mistaken in their support for Gaddafi.... [read more]
Such is the Peace Process: Obama as a Salesman
Ramzy Baroud reflects on the mood of pessimism emanating from the latest round of peace talks in the Middle East.... [read more]
Scoundrel with Permission
Uri Avnery on how a spate of brutal murders by recent Jewish immigrants to Israel has focused attention on the country's controversial Law of Return.... [read more]
Tutu's Prayer
Looking back at the fall of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, Uri Avnery asks what lessons - if any - can be learned by activists campaigning for justice for Palestine.... [read more]
Whose Acre?
Uri Avnery on how the battle over the identity of the historic port of Acre reflects wider struggles over cultural identity in Israel-Palestine.... [read more]
Lover of the Country
Uri Avnery remembers a writer and activist who devoted his life to challenging the militarism of the Israeli state.... [read more]
Who Killed Yasser Arafat and Why?
Ramzy Baroud considers the implications of the conspiracy theories surrounding Yasser Arafat's death five years ago.... [read more]
Middle East 'Spies': A New Front for Gaza's Conflict
Ramzy Baroud examines a controversial new dimension to Israel's counter-terrorism strategy.... [read more]
Stop Israel's Massacre in Gaza!
With hundreds of innocent civilians killed in Israel's brutal attack on Gaza in recent days, Walter Leon argues that the Israeli labour movement has a moral duty to help rally domestic opposition to the aggression.... [read more]
A Third Palestinian Intifada in the Making
Prominent journalist and author Ramzy Baroud considers the many uncertainties ahead for the Palestinian struggle. ... [read more]
How Iraq’s Once Effective Healthcare System Was Sold Down the Nation’s Two Rivers
On top of one million dead, war has shattered an Iraqi healthcare system already decimated by sanctions.... [read more]
