AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

Stifling restrictions for Al-Aqsa Mosque worshippers

24 Mar 2025

On the third Friday of Ramadan, the Israeli authorities maintained restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem to attend mid-day prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. At least 3,000 police have been...

Unfair deal

20 Mar 2025

An executive order signed in January by Donald Trump imposes a strict security review of foreigners seeking to enter the US and calls for a list of countries that pose...

Trump’s sudden U-turns create regional unease

16 Mar 2025

Donald Trump’s flip-flops have confused both Palestinians and Iranians and stoked regional tensions during this month. On the one hand, Trump chose to threaten Hamas, which the US branded a...

Destroyed history

13 Mar 2025

Gaza was once a crossroads of the ancient civilisations of the Nile and the Levant. The coastal strip was a trading and transit hub, a rest halt for travellers from...

Why Israel failed to prevent October 7 attack

09 Mar 2025

Israeli investigations into the October 7th, 2023, attack on southern Israel have revealed how its and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, and army failed to identify Hamas’ intentions and pre-empt...

Peacemaking agenda

06 Mar 2025

On March 1, Turkey’s Kurdish militants declared an immediate ceasefire in their 40-year war against the Turkish state. The timing was significant. This was the first day of the Muslim...

Hopes rise over fresh talks for Iran nuclear deal

02 Mar 2025

While the Trump administration has stepped up its “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran by adding to existing sanctions, Tehran has called for fresh negotiations over a “deal” to curb its...

The clenched fist

27 Feb 2025

As soon as he returned to the White House, Donald Trump suspended funding for all foreign assistance, creating confusion in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and consternation among...

Removing of financial sanctions on Syria is important

23 Feb 2025

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani has been touring Arab and European capitals pleading for an end to sanctions which are obstructing the country’s reconstruction and recovery after years of war...

Valuable sources

20 Feb 2025

Bookshops are a way of life. They provide readers with means to know themselves and discover their role in an uncertain world. For peoples struggling towards nationhood books are a...

Michael Jansen

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