History of the Near and Middle East
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A new phase in the Middle East conflictHistory and the war on Gaza
According to the Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi, the Middle East conflict and the war in Gaza are in many ways a consequence of imperial interventions. “Resolution can only be based on dismantling entrenched structures of supremacy and discrimination”, he asserts. Only in this way a two-state solution can be realised.
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What is anti-Semitism?How do you differentiate?
A new anthology sheds light on the various forms of anti-Semitism and the academic debate surrounding it in the light of current controversial debates
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Germany, the Holocaust and colonialismControversy over 'culture of remembrance' reform
Germany's coalition government wants to expand its remembrance culture to include the country's colonial history. Initial proposals have been met with criticism, in particular from heads of Holocaust memorial sites
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The quagmire of historical responsibilityGermany's misguided fight against anti-Semitism
Assessing Israel more critically than other nations is considered anti-Semitic. Yet treating Israel more favourably is problematic too. Philo-Semitism – the unquestioning endorsement of anything Jewish – does not help in the fight against anti-Semitic prejudice
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The Middle East's cosmopolitan traditionBack to a Levantine future?
As regional and global problems rise, the once mixed cities of the Eastern Mediterranean may offer ideas for how we can escape our distress
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Daniel Marwecki on German–Israeli relationsBehind the façade of "atonement"
Historian Daniel Marwecki's 2020 book on the early years of German–Israeli relations has now been published in German under the title "Absolution? Israel und die deutsche Staatsräson". In it, the author describes these relations as a history of mutual interest-led politics
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Israel after the Hamas attacks of 7 OctoberThe echo of the Holocaust
Many Israelis feel reminded of the Holocaust by the events of 7 October 2023. Others reject such comparisons. The government's stance is ambivalent. A report from Tel Aviv
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Middle East conflictTwo peoples' experience of displacement
The Israel-Palestine conflict is multilayered and very complex. The greatest problem is that both sides have reason to believe the other wants to destroy them
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Middle East debate in GermanyThe bell of Gaza
With its fossilised premise of "raison d'etat" Germany is damaging itself. It is time for change – for constructive partnership in a concerted effort to overcome the Israeli-Palestinian catastrophe
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Middle East conflictLife in Palestine before the Nakba
"Against Erasure" documents the diversity of life in Palestine before the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, building a solid foundation for sorely needed, well-grounded discourse on the Middle East
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Middle East: Is there a solution to the endless conflict?Welcome to Abraham/Ibrahim
Who invented it? The Swiss. Why it might be worth looking to the Swiss Confederation in the search for a solution to the Middle East conflict
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Lebanon's TripoliOld wounds and new problems on "Syria Street"
Syria Street in Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city, was a microcosm of the Syrian Civil War for many years. Nowadays, a fragile calm hides the complexities of Lebanon's past and the resilience of its people