Een paar maanden geleden beschreef ik een hypothetisch einde van de staat Israël. Politiek correcter: ik voorzag, enigszins naïef, een plotselinge, vreedzame overgang van een regime dat slechts de helft van de inwoners tussen de Middellandse Zee en de Jordaan stemrecht geeft,…
Middle East
Israel-Palestine at a crossroads. Again. In early March, six months into the Gazan genocide, I described a hypothetical end of the state of Israel. More politically correct: I optimistically prophesied a sudden switch from a system where half of the people living…
As the title snags your attention, allow me to clarify: this is no call for genocide or displacement of any group or individual, voluntary or otherwise, but an exploration of a governance model, which determines the lives of 14 million people, give…
I look on, once more, in horror. I look away in disgust. Another round of violence, another stain on our collective humanity. A few things bear repeating – though I grow weary of doing so. And why should I, in Belgium, or…
Two US presidents ago, I arrived in Palestine as a rookie ‘aid worker’. Facebook was barely a thing, the Arab Spring a mere season, and the peace process of yet no grounds for cynicism or incredulity. I for one was still a…
Een tweetal Amerikaanse presidenten geleden beland ik als groentje in Palestina. Facebook kwam net piepen. De Arabische lente is nog gewoon een seizoen, het vredesproces geen grond voor cynisme of ongeloof. Ikzelf geloof er op dat moment in elk geval nog in.
Tot aan de beslissing om het Ottomaanse Rijk te ontbinden en op te delen werd het voortbestaan ervan gezien in het licht van haar rol als buffer tegen de Russische ruk richting bevaarbare wateren, en om af en toe op te treden…
We schrijven augustus 2024. Precies tien jaar na afloop van operatie Protective Edge, is die echo uit een ver verleden voer geworden voor specialisten en, meer en meer, historici. Althans volgens een eerste van twee scenario’s: de hier onder geschetste optimistische blik…
March 30, 2011 (MO *) – These days, Judaism and Christianity are often presented as kindred souls who stand for democracy and human rights, while Islam is cut from a wholly different cloth. This essay by Tom Kenis argues that the books…
Islam, jodendom en christendom lijken erg op elkaar 30 maart 2011 ( MO* ) — Tegenwoordig worden jodendom en christendom dikwijls voorgesteld als verwante zielen die staan voor democratie en mensenrechten, terwijl islam uit een heel ander hout zou zijn gesneden. Tom…
Last year in Palestine. Sort of. It’s 2007. I have all but packed. Well, sort of. It’s a tough place to be at, sometimes. Even harder to leave. Although the food’s delicious, for many, it’s becoming increasingly difficult by the day to…
2006 began quite like 2005. And by ‘quite like’ I mean ‘not even remotely comparable’. There were parallels, mind you. Both January’s I served as election observer, presidential and parliamentary respectively. Which entailed a lot of barreling up and down the West…
On arrival I’m set up in the veranda, which is cherished office real estate. Especially in winter. Pamper the newbie, I guess. Back in the days the Bisan headquarters sits in Balu’a, a low-lying suburb of Ramallah of previously marshes, aquatic birds…
My landlord Mitri’s a geography teacher. Man, did he ever teach geography that day. It’s January. Orthodox Christmas. Palestinian Christians from the West Bank are allowed each year to enter Israel. Some good old divide et impera. A permit for worshipping in…
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict according to Scientology. It’s funny how Skully and Mulder never dedicated any time to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Plenty of scope for conspiracy and yet… nothing. Which represents of course, in and by itself, a conspiracy. Time to investigate. Coffee…
Time to get away. Escapism. We’re riding up North for three days. Beach, mountains, old stones, and a blissful absence of checkpoints. A day earlier I go to Jerusalem, get us a yellow-plate car. No use for the green-and-white. Makes me chuckle…
The IDF admits to using “agents provocateurs” at the weekly anti-wall demonstrations in Bil’in. “But they only start throwing rocks after the regular demonstrators do so.” Which begs the question; what’s the point of using infiltrators then? Once more, logic is that…
After a first concert, and the Ramallah workshops our destination is Yata, a small village south of Hebron. Mahmoud, who works for an organization that helps disadvantaged children flags our van, greets us with an energetic smile that could power Las Vegas.
“Things are a lot more uh, uh…complex… I got certain information. Certain things have come to light…. Uh.. It might not be just such a simple… uh… you know?” Ask a Middle East expert to explain, clear and succinct, what in God’s…
A cloud of uncertainty looms over the region… wait… no… Please don’t panic! It is an actual cloud. Coming from the kitchen upstairs. Lasagnas behaving badly. I’m ensconced at Zan Café, the Kasabah Cinema and Theater’s annexed lounge/restaurant/bar general-purpose watering hole, soaking…
“Crybabies.” Fie on anyone who calls them that. The inhabitants of Sderot I mean. “Killed by a rocket?” a friend of mine asked. “You mean this crude welding together of lawnmower spare parts? You’re more likely to get stabbed in Tel Aviv…
It’s almost noon. Outside the house nothing stirs save the occasional street cat. Dubya is in town. That’s one quiet president, lemme tell you, like he’s taken off his shoes and tiptoed past the Qalandia checkpoint to share sweet tea and whispered…
Murphy is wide awake. As am I. Although perhaps not as wide as the proverbial fat lady, given that she didn’t sing until about six this morning when I conveyed the Rumplestitchkins to their respective abodes. Rock n Roll, you know how…
“My uncle used to drink a lot. We’re talking way back, when a bottle of arak set you back a mere Shekel.” Ramzi’s eyes tell the story with vigor. His hands add to the narrative with exaggerated swigging motions. “He sure liked…
So it’s Christmas soon. The joy. Jingle bells. I’m not at all sure what to make of it anymore. Then again, it’s a religious holiday, not a lump of clay, so I’m pretty much off the hook on that account. Before on…
A logistical nightmare. Forget about sleeping. Murphy flaunts his Law, bares his fangs, incredulous almost. “Wait. Let me get this straight. You’ve invited a Belgian rock band to play, ánd host children’s music workshops? In Ramallah? The hills of Hebron? On the…
I’m out on the town. Any given Thursday. A couple of beers, a few laughs. Drunken ramblings. The later it gets, the less coherent becomes whatever leaves my mouth. “A guy at work bought a car out of the paper. Ten years…
I never cared much for musicals. I remember watching Mary Poppins as a child, impatient and wound up at these lengthy, unnatural irruptions of song and dance. The keen observer in me noticed a certain discrepancy with such unexplained sung jollity, and…
Not one, not two, but three missing links exist in the contentious realm of paleoanthropology. From 10 to 8 million years ago there lived in Africa a common ancestor to the four species of Great Apes, to wit; gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and…
I happily wore sandals today. Not exactly the stuff of red carpets, but they do afford a sense of liberty and ease that helps the imagination cling on to summer. In Belgium you don’t wear sandals in November. One of the perks…
Everybody loves a conspiracy. Even those who profess to hate them. They, of course, are part of the conspiracy. Obviously. Who shot JFK? I for one have a perfect alibi; I wasn’t born yet. That, of course, will hardly convince the avid…
Immediately after alighting from the plane at the brand new airport of Jericho, my wife and I head into the city, and hide for a while behind a promontory of chicken musakhan. The four-hour flight from Newark has rendered my belly a…
I’m a cynical bastard. It’s a self-defense mechanism I guess, a callus on the soul that treads a little softer on the daily carnage spewed out by the newsreel. I’ve long ago given up my belief in any kind of interventionist deity.
My email gives a soft “pling”. Suzan delivers the latest office updates. It’s that time again. During the holy month of Ramadan working hours will be from eight to four instead of nine to five. The rich meals at sundown to break…
Dome of the Rock. Someone who’s unfamiliar with the Middle East could be forgiven to assume it the name of a rock band. But then again, someone very familiar with the Middle East, and Ramallah specifically, will know that it is in…
Time travel runs counter to the laws of physics, however much renegade scientists or plain madmen will time and again claim to the contrary. Of course Einstein knew this too and, were he alive today, his surprise to find an Oktoberfest in…
What is the one thing toothpaste, deodorant, and musical conservatories have in common? They were invented in the 9th century by the man who added a fifth string to the Arab “oud”, thus creating the European lute and forerunner of the guitar.
Parents will be parents. Families worry as much as the cardiovascular system allows. Don’t ever let reality get in the way of fear. Blood pressure. Cholesterol. In many ways parenting is probably the most dangerous profession available to humans. “It’s not like…
What’s so Belgian about Belgium? What constitutes a nation? Julius Caesar once famously said, “Of all the Gauls, Belgians are the bravest.” Luckily he wasn’t there to see me run that day, in ignominious defeat, from a flock of geese. I am…
I am horrible at time-keeping. It is eight o’clock, and I’m standing at the bar. Muhammad, the bartender, greets me with a smile. “Kif halak?” “I’m fine,” I say, scanning the room. Ol’ Blue Eyes stares down at me from the wall,…
Are the Spice Girls in town? No, not really. Lebanese pop-singer Nancy Ajram then? Or perhaps eighties one-hit-wonder Charles & Eddie? If no one else can help you, and if you can find them,… maybe Palestinians hired the A-Team? Quite unlikely. And…
Just a regular town I got the job. The phone interview with a crackly voice, one time-zone away, had gone well. Belgian development money would pay for me to go and support a small organization that’s active in the field of women’s…
Johny, net de vijftig voorbij, is van alle markten thuis; een man van de wereld. Hij heeft een diploma in Business op zak van de V.S., is een beetje met consulting bezig, vastgoed ook, en hij schrijft momenteel een boek. “Het gaat…
“We zijn altijd bezet geweest. De Turken lieten ons verhongeren. De Britten brachten ten minste scholen, straten en ziekenhuizen.” Ramzi is de vader van mijn huisbaas Mitri. Polio verlamde zijn benen toen hij tien was. Ondertussen is de brave man bijna tachtig,…
Vroeg of laat moest het ervan komen. Zulke dingen kennen een zekere wetmatigheid; Newton zou je bijna zeggen. De ene zijde heeft de macht moeten opgeven, de andere heeft er net van geproefd en de smaak bevalt. Het gaat hier over Fatah…
Half vier ’s morgens, laatstleden. Geroep en het rauwe geknal van metaal op metaal (pollepel op ketel zeg maar) grijpt me bij de gedroomde kraag, sleept me de wakkere wereld binnen. De gemeente Al-Bireh, een deelgemeente van Ramallah, betaalt elk jaar iemand…
Palestijnen gaan graag naar theater. Diegenen die het zich kunnen permiteren althans. Zoals overal gaan die theaterstukken dan over dingen die van ver of nabij relevant zijn; hoe mensen met mekaar omgaan, hoe mensen met bepaalde situaties omgaan, en hoe die situaties…
Gaza staat in brand. Israël staat in rep en roer. Dat is in korte schets het gevolg van de ontvoering vorige week van een Israëlische soldaat door Palestijnse militanten. De situatie dreigt duidelijk te escaleren en de hoop op vrede van een…
Het centrum van Ramallah; Een drukke rotonde met als naam “Manara”. De betekenis daarvan komt ergens in de buurt van vuurtoren. Er staat inderdaad een soortement stanketselachtige toren met daarrrond vier leeuwen die symbool zouden staan voor de vier machtige families of…
Ramallah heeft een uitgaansleven dat beslist levendig genoemd kan worden. Men danst en drinkt er, zelfs tijdens de islamitische vastenmaand. “Maar soms heb je wel eens zin in iets anders, andere mensen, andere plaatsen,” zegt Wahbeh, een Palestijnse architect uit Jeruzalem. In…
Meer dan een miljard mensen op deze wereld hangen een geloof aan dat intrinsiek extremistisch is en hebben de neiging om hun overtuiging met geweld uit te dragen. Dat is de impliciete boodschap van de Deense cartoons die momenteel voor opschudding zorgen.