Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

It came as a shock. The United States announced that on 3 January 2020, it had killed Qassem Soleimani (1957-2020), Head of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, as well as the Al Quds (the Islamic name for Jerusalem) Forces (designated as a terrorist group), which is a combination of CIA & special forces. Soleimani has been described as ‘second in command in Iran after Supreme Leader Ali Khameini,’ ‘Iran’s viceroy in Iraq,’ and the single-most powerful operative in the Middle East. His reach extended to Europe, Africa, and South America. He is directly credited with the deaths of 600 American servicemen in Iraq, and of late, a US contractor. The killing of Soleimani was ordered by US President Donald Trump. It was a response to the shelling and killing of a US contractor a few days earlier, as well as an incident at the US Embassy in Baghdad. While Trump’s US (and non-US) critics said he acted impulsively and precipitately, the assassination comes after several recent Irani...

As Christians prepared for Christmas and Jews for Hanukkah (both were on December 25th this year), the United Nations (UN) Security Council voted on Resolution 2334. Initially it was sponsored by Egypt, who announced a delay after a phone call from President-elect Trump. The next day, 23 December 2016, New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela jointly sponsored it and it passed 14 to 0 (including permanent members UK, France, China and Russia). The United States abstained. Israel was furious, protesting to all ambassadors of Security Council member nations who have embassies in Tel Aviv . Terminology Two-state solution: An independent (Arab) Palestine and independent Israel living peacefully side-by-side in territory west of the Jordan River. This has been the position of the international community for decades, stretching back to the 1930s and 1940s. Israeli settlements: Settlements are Jewish Israeli communities built on land captured from the Arabs in the Six-D...

When it comes to nuclear weapons and the Middle East, any deal is a big deal. As the epicentre of the earth in geography, energy, and theology, the last thing the world needs is a nuclear arms race in this strategic tinderbox of a region. That’s why for many years, the world has viewed with alarm the prospect of an atomic Iran. Iran has consistently said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; nevertheless, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini wanted nuclear weapons. In addition, the doctrine of taqiyya, which means to conceal a religious (apocalyptic) agenda when revealing it could bring danger, is well-known among western decision makers. Israel sees the potential development of an Iranian nuclear device as an existential threat. Even Europe is perspiring at the brow: Iran’s missiles can reach many places in Europe.  That’s why the United States (US), the United Nations (UN), and the European Union (EU) has slapped sa...

•   It’s a breach of protocol; •   It will damage bi-lateral relations; •   It will torpedo negotiations and lead to dire consequences. What was this ‘thing’ that caused such commotion in the Obama Administration? A speech to be given by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister to the US Congress. The controversy raised the profile of the upcoming speech more than any advertising campaign could. Well, it finally happened on March 3rd: The speech. Netanyahu spoke to a joint-session of the United States Congress about the Iranian nuclear threat. It was not the first time he spoke to Congress - he has done it before. Nor was it the first time he spoke about Iran - he has been warning about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program for many years. It appears that the reason this speech attracted so much extra attention is that: 1.   America is right now in the middle of sensitive negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions; 2. ...