Sitting in the press centre at UN headquarters in Geneva, speaking to colleagues and nabbing a delegate to the Syrian “peace” talks should show journalists that this, the fourth round, is not “same old, same old”.Yes, there are the “same old” sides: the government and the “old” e

Donald Trump’s short-lived suggestion the US could back the “one-state solution”, involving a bi-national Palestinian-Israeli state, instead of the internationally accepted “two-state solution”, alarmed Palestinians, Israelis and the international community.A day later, Trump’s U

It is hardly surprising that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly a decade, should elect Yahya Sinwar, a hardliner from its military wing, as its next de facto prime minister to replace moderate Ismail Haniyeh.He is set to be named leader of the Hamas organisation at home and a

During his presidential election campaign, Donald Trump proclaimed long and loudly that he sees Iran as Washington’s regional enemy.He pledged to “tear up” the agreement providing for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, reached in

It is significant that there have been demonstrations at airports and in cities across the US against Donald Trump’s decree banning citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries from entering the US for months until “extreme vetting” procedures decide who may be admitted.US citizen

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has left both parties in uncharted territory, plagued by uncertainty and, even, enmity.Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for Britain to be accorded the benefits of the single market without being obliged to abide by its rules and regulat

So far this year, there have been two major efforts to promote political settlements in the Eastern Mediterranean region: the Geneva negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and the Paris gathering dealing with Palestine and Israel.While in Geneva between January 9 and 12

In the closing days of last year, The Independent’s regional correspondent Robert Fisk tackled the issue of truth telling in an article titled “We are not living in a ‘post-truth’ world, we are living the lies of others”.In the body of the article, he argues that “… we always hav

The Daesh-claimed attack on the upmarket nightclub in Istanbul must be counted as a “blowback” to policies adopted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Having been ready to use takfiris as tools to advance his policies, his government is now regarded as “apostate” and an ene