Zuhdi Shubeitah
العربية

Archive

30 articles in “Views & Reflections” in 2022 · 534 of 534 available in English (full Arabic archive)

  1. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicVisit to the home of Qalqilya Governorate's oldest residentThe article recounts a 2018 visit to Hajj Jasser Suleiman (Abu Muhammad), a 118-year-old resident of the village of Asla in Qalqilya Governorate, noting his health, memory, and the visit taking place during family condolences.
  2. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicThe Citizen Is Our Most Valuable Asset... But...The article examines the seizure of 12 tons of rotten chicken and other spoiled goods smuggled from Israel and its settlements into Palestinian areas in the West Bank, and urges strict enforcement and penalties by authorities including the Palestinian National Authority.
  3. Readings & BooksTranslated from ArabicMedia and Communication in the Arab WorldThe article examines freedom of expression and the role of media in Arab societies, including censorship, public trust, diaspora press, and media’s contribution to a knowledge society.
  4. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicSarda Grand MosqueA first-person account of attending the Friday sermon at the Sarda Grand Mosque on 31–8–2018, describing the mosque, its donor and land contributors, and a young preacher’s call to prioritize educating children and supporting teachers.
  5. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicThe Culture of Bees and Contemporary Arab CultureThe essay compares the limited, coded communication of bee society with human societies to question the meaning of the phrase “contemporary Arab culture.” It examines divisions in heritage, history, language and political fate that challenge the idea of a single shared Arab culture.
  6. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicThe Self: Between Claiming and Self-ConfidenceThis essay examines modern psychology's distinction between healthy self-confidence and harmful pretension, and warns against judging others by appearances.
  7. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicA Portion in My Mouth: The Forbidden DivorceThe article recounts a personal story of a troubled second marriage and uses it as an extended analogy for the Palestinian people, citing population divisions across the diaspora, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and 1948 Palestine.
  8. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicThe Market System: Between the Bridle We Wear and Calculated DeceptionThe article examines John Kenneth Galbraith's critique of modern capitalism—rebranded as the “market system” or neoliberalism—and argues that multinational corporations, financial institutions and media shape consumer behavior and political-economic power.
  9. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicNote from a Citizen: Public Praise Is Unnecessary in Public ServiceThe piece critiques routine public crediting of senior officials for frontline public-service actions, arguing it overlooks the workers who actually perform the tasks and calls for changing official rhetoric.
  10. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicBrutal Israeli Occupation Soldiers in Al-Bireh Industrial AreaAn eyewitness account says Israeli soldiers prevented a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance from reaching an injured man in his car in the Al-Bireh Industrial Area. The man, described as a paint factory owner in his fifties with slight hearing loss, was reportedly shot after not responding to calls; the ambulance remained waiting.
  11. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicPopular Sayings and PerspectivesThe article examines common pro-market sayings and the arguments for and against nonintervention by the public sector in private business, including concerns about capital flight, favoritism, corruption and lack of disclosure.
  12. The Palestinian Economy in FiguresTranslated from ArabicGovernment Tax Increases: Bad Omen or Good?The article examines the economic effects of government tax increases in the Palestinian context, using 2018 general budget figures, clearance revenues and spending composition to show impacts on household income, consumption, saving and GDP.
  13. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicThe Caged RoosterA narrator in al-Bireh recounts a conversation with his friend Thualbah during a rainy afternoon, sharing a series of Palestinian village anecdotes and proverbs about local customs, gullibility, and everyday life.
  14. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicColombia and Venezuela: Between Neighborliness and UncertaintyThe article examines historical and geopolitical ties between Colombia and Venezuela, their relations with the United States, and recent political and social tensions shaping the region.
  15. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicRamallah Ministry of Finance and Planning website" The piece asks what this suspension means and how the Emergency Law relates to disclosure of financial data.
  16. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicThe Government’s Red Eyes: The Clusters ProjectThe article examines the Palestinian government’s Clusters Project in Qalqilya Governorate, intended to support farmers—including those on lands in Area C—and describes confiscations, road damage, and threats to agricultural infrastructure.
  17. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicAutomatic switch to winter time in PalestineThe article describes how smartphones and computers in Palestine did not switch to winter time automatically in late October 2019, occurring an hour later than in Israel. It notes a possible dependency in communications infrastructure and calls for steps toward disentanglement.
  18. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicMy Subconscious SpeaksA reflective, poetic essay that personifies the State of Palestine as weakened, constrained, and bereft of agency. It examines feelings of loss, humiliation, and a yearning for unity, dignity, and national revival.
  19. Finance & BankingTranslated from ArabicThe factories that produced WWII weapons ended the 1929 Great DepressionThe article examines how Roosevelt's New Deal mitigated the Great Depression but did not fully end it, and argues that US wartime arms production and mobilization in World War II ultimately ended the Depression. It also traces shifts in economic thought and mentions recent crisis responses.
  20. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicTony Blair the Weasel: Ambassador of Bad IntentionsThe article examines Tony Blair’s tenure as the Quartet’s special envoy (2007–2015), his reported mediation in the Israel–UAE normalization, allegations of conflicts of interest linked to consultancy ties with Gulf states, and criticisms of his political role.
  21. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicMemoirs of Dr. Condoleezza RiceSelections from Condoleezza Rice’s 2011 memoir examine U.S. policymaking on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Camp David, negotiations over the West Bank, settlements, and key figures including Ehud Olmert and Yasser Arafat.
  22. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicMaxims with Scattered AgendasThe article examines several famous sayings and how they’ve been used politically and economically, including Keynes on inflation and James Carville’s role in popularizing “It’s the economy, stupid.” It also notes how some governments fabricate crises to distract from economic problems.
  23. Views & ReflectionsTranslated from ArabicSpring Has Sprung in PalestineThe piece reflects on traditional sayings about the countryside and describes winter rains that bring seeds to sprout, calling them a divine blessing and contrasting them with human concerns like wages.
  24. The Palestinian Economy in FiguresTranslated from ArabicThe Idea of Development From Below in PalestineThe article examines a proposal for a bank in Palestine, largely owned by small borrowers and modeled on the Grameen Bank, to provide collateral-free microcredit backed by social guarantees. It discusses how conventional banks exclude the poor and the potential of grassroots development.
  25. Public Affairs & PoliticsTranslated from ArabicCries of Pain... While People SleepA first-person account describing nights of bombings and raids by the Zionist occupying army in al-Bireh, the fear among children and residents, and their determination to remain on their land.