Sharif Nashashibi
Arab News
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Sharif:
Time for a unified front on Jerusalem
In May 2018, Guatemala and Paraguay moved their embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following the relocation of the US Embassy earlier that month. The international backlash against all three countries was largely limited to verbal condemnation — more lamentably, the same was true of the Arab and Muslim worlds. For all the furor over the embassy moves, none of the → Read More
Palestinian Authority right to call America’s bluff
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is right to stand firm against the US threat last week to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. The threat came after PA President Mahmoud Abbas responded to last month’s US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by saying the Palestinians will no longer accept the White House as a mediator, and “will not accept any plan” put forward by it. → Read More
Now that Baghdad has won, it’s time to talk to the Kurds
Last week’s acceptance by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court decision barring secession represents the Kurds’ capitulation to Baghdad in the standoff surrounding September’s independence referendum. → Read More
In this year of anniversaries, how much longer must Palestine wait?
The effect of the infamous Balfour Declaration was best summed up by the late British author and journalist Arthur Koestler: “One nation solemnly promised to a second nation the country of a third.” It had no legal or moral right to do so. At the time of the declaration — a year before the end of the World War I and five years before the British Mandate for Palestine began — few could have… → Read More
To succeed, secession bids require recognition
Weeks on from their independence referendums, both the Catalans and Kurds are undoubtedly on the back foot. Neither leadership has yet declared independence, and the likelihood of doing so — let alone implementing it — is receding. Spain says it will trigger Article 155 of the constitution, imposing direct rule on the autonomous region of Catalonia. Madrid has also threatened to arrest Catalan… → Read More
The irresistible force and the immovable objects
If one had been told in advance that in the space of a fortnight there would be two independence referendums — one in Europe, the other in the Middle East, one peaceful and orderly, the other chaotic and violent — the assumption would be that the chaotic one would take place in the Middle East. As it stands, however, scenes of an organized vote and jubilant Iraqi Kurds stand in sharp contrast to… → Read More
The media role in Brits’ bad attitude toward the Arab world
The Arab News/YouGov poll on the attitudes of UK residents toward the Arab world makes for largely depressing reading. More than 80 percent of respondents said they have limited or no knowledge of the region, and more people are not interested in gaining greater knowledge than those who are (35 and 34 percent, respectively). → Read More
The moral case for Kurdish independence
My change of stance on Kurdish self-determination occurred about 15 years ago as something of an epiphany. Discussing Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion with a cousin whose politics I respected, one of the points I raised in opposition to the looming war was the prospect of the country’s breakup due to a likely Kurdish push for independence. → Read More
A ‘truly credible election’ in Syria? The UN envoy is dreaming
“What we are seeing is… the beginning of the end of this war,” UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Friday, referring to his prediction that Daesh’s remaining Syrian strongholds will fall by the end of October. That, he added, raises the possibility of a “truly credible election” in Syria “within a year.” These statements display a worrying degree of naivety. → Read More
The risks of not postponing the Kurdish independence vote
Senior Iraqi Kurdish official Mala Bakhtiar on Monday raised the possibility of postponing next month’s independence referendum in return for economic and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad. Among those concessions, he said Baghdad should help the Kurds overcome a financial crisis and settle debts owed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which he estimated at… → Read More
A suicide bombing and what it means for Hamas
In the absence of a claim of responsibility for Thursday’s suicide bombing in Gaza, which killed a Hamas security man and injured several others, speculation has ensued over who was behind it, with fingers understandably pointing at Daesh. But identifying the perpetrator should be secondary to analyzing the implications for the Palestinian faction domestically and beyond. → Read More
Hopeful about ‘de-escalation’ in Syria? Think again
Hopes raised by the setting up of “de-escalation zones” in Syria may well be dashed by developments on the ground in the last few days that bode very ill for civilians in various parts of the country. Firstly, the zones themselves are being tested. On Friday, the one north of Homs in western Syria saw fighting between opposition fighters and the regime within just hours of the truce taking… → Read More
The wider implications of Israel’s BDS law
Amid the ongoing uproar over Israel’s actions in East Jerusalem, another Israeli injustice was overlooked on Monday, one that took place halfway round the world but has important and wide-ranging implications on the ground. Five Americans were prohibited from boarding a flight from the US as part of an interfaith delegation that was to meet with religious leaders and human rights activists in… → Read More
The hapless, harmless Palestinian leader?
Where other Arab strongmen nurture an image of power, Abbas relies on being seen as an underdog. → Read More
Islam and free speech: What's so funny?
Western media keep using Charlie Hebdo attack to fan propaganda about the 'Islamification' of Europe. → Read More
Why the GCC's hands are tied over Yemen
The Gulf states are reluctant spectators in their own backyard. → Read More
Palestine's wasted time at the UN
Palestinians should have known that the US would vote 'no'. → Read More
Race and economics in Hollywood casting
Hollywood is a profit-driven industry which caters to its audience's preferences to maximise box-office sales. → Read More
Sustaining Iran's regional ambitions at all costs
There is growing unease in Iran over the accumulated financial burden of Tehran's regional military commitments. → Read More
Where are the EU sanctions on Israel?
The BDS movement will grow if the EU does not sanction Israel. → Read More