Statement of purpose

For decades, the Middle East has been stuck in a seemingly inexorable spiral of violence ; yet, well-informed observers would argue that justice and its corolaries- peace, regional development and the fulfilling of the people there- may indeed be attainable in the forseeable future. The primary element to that effect arises with the most powerful actor involved - the State of Israel and its American godfather- recognising the condition endured by the people of Palestine as the principal root of evil in this sorry state of affairs : a people stripped of both its land and sovereignty, a people forced into exile and continually submitted to the unleashing of blind and brutal violence.

The State of Israel is rushing headlong into disarray as it lives according to the dogma that it may only survive in the body to which it was grafted through the daily assertion of its supremacy, by the sheer force of dollars and deployment of American technology. Its monolithical vision and biased take on reality are further exacerbated to the point of gridlock by the general tendency of the western medias to give the state of Israel favourable –if over-simplified- consideration.

In contrast, the Arab camp is readily demonized, the more so given the present international context, triggered as it were by the 911 shockwave. Truncated and distorted, the West’s outlook on the Middle Eastern crisis is made even more harrowing by the crafty orchestration of the clash of civilization, courtesy of the neoconservatives currently in power in the U.S.

And yet the disproportionate use of force by Israel is the object of growing criticism, while the persistent violation of the rights of both Palestinians and Arabs is the cause of increasing concern.

It is our firm belief in the above which has prompted us to launch Middle East Watch, in the endeavour to enhance collected contributions of a lucid nature, which we feel might allow for a juster understanding of the conflict, in the hope of building the foundations for an equitable and beneficial outcome, for the different peoples of the region.

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