Israeli Elections: A setback for peace?

The few who still believe that there can be a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbours were struck another blow in the Israeli elections on January 22nd. The largest party remains Binyamin Netanyahu’s right-leaning Likud-Beitenu party who took 31 of the 120 seats up for grabs. Though since 2009 Mr Netanyahu has failed to push for negotiations with the leaders of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel’s economy has weathered better than many others and although his party lost almost a quarter of their seats the most likely situation is for Mr Netanyahu to retain his place as Israeli Prime Minister. Unfortunately, what may be keeping him in power is an unpleasant new set of allies, even less keen than the outgoing coalition was on seeking a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.

Good News from Palestine?

Aimee Pratt shares first-hand experiences of a nation teetering on the brink of statehood

There is a popular Arab proverb; he who swings an aggressive sword will be swung by it. But when Palestine submitted their bid for independent statehood last week to the United Nations, a contemporary twist could now easily be added; he who swings an aggressive sword will be swung by it – unless your name is Israel and you have a best mate that goes by the name America.

When the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday, he was simply asking for two things: freedom from Israel’s brutal occupation and formal international recognition of Palestine as a fully-fledged independent sovereign state. Considering Israel’s violation of several UN resolutions concerning their illegal attainment of Palestinian land, Abbas’s decision to try seeking diplomatic refuge in this huge international organisation is undoubtedly justified.

Issue 89

First issue of the term includes an eyewitness account of Palestine in the months preceding its bid for statehood, coverage of Glasgow’s new Rest of UK student fees and plenty of tasty film, music and arts reviews. Let us know what you think in the comments. Best email, comment or letter gets a pint from the Editors. We’ll be uploading all articles individually over the weekend too. Enjoy, folks!