AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

Icy ground

It is fitting that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump should meet today in Alaska. The largest US state, Alaska was purchased in 1867 from...

Gaza, world’s most attention-demanding theatre of war

10 Aug 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's plan to seize Gaza City and the southern enclave is primarily personal. His timing is significant. He made this announcement ahead of the August...

Unconsidered consequences

07 Aug 2025

Six months into his second term Donald Trump has built a loyalist cabinet, refashioned the presidential Oval Office in the White House, and initiated controversial policies, earning him the...

September could be a decisive moment for Palestine

04 Aug 2025

Next month could be a major turning point for Palestine as France, Britain, Canada and six other countries are set to extend recognition of a virtual Palestinian state. While...

The cold truth

31 Jul 2025

While still living in the village of Chemlan in Lebanon’s Chouf mountains, we had an old-fashioned wooden ice cream bucket with a handle to turn a tall metal container....

Israel’s policies deny Gaza’s Palestinians normal lives

27 Jul 2025

Gaza continues to headline regional print and broadcast news. For people following the news, it is nearly impossible to evade the catastrophe that has overtaken Gaza. The strip's 2.3...

Access denied

24 Jul 2025

Israel has refused to renew visas for the directors of three United Nations Agencies operating in Gaza where they provide aid and care for 2.3 million Palestinians. Visas have...

There is widespead concern that Syria might break up

21 Jul 2025

The ceasefire brokered by the US, Turkey, and Jordan appears to have ended a week of violence in Syria's southern province of Sweida where Druze militiamen battled Sunni Bedouin...

Sanctioning the truth

17 Jul 2025

UN rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese retorted to the US decision to sanction her by stating on X that “the powerful [are] punishing those who speak for the powerless;...

Peace process underscores existence of Kurds

14 Jul 2025

Thirty Turkish Kurdish Workers Party PKK fighters destroyed their arms on Friday in a highly symbolic ceremony celebrating the end of their four-decade revolt against the Turkish state and...

Michael Jansen

The author, a well-respected observer of Middle East affairs, has three books on the Arab-Israeli conflict.