Victor Kattan

Interview with George Galloway, British Member of Parliament



On June 8, Arab Media Watch correspondent Victor Kattan interviewed British Member of Parliament George Galloway, who is running for a seat in the European Parliamentary elections for Respect-The Unity Coalition on Thursday June 10. Galloway: “…contrary to all the assurances given to Parliament by Mr. Blair, and contrary to assurances given to him by Ariel Sharon, British weapons were being used in the occupied territories… The so-called ethical foreign policy of Mr. Blair doesn’t seem to draw any lines around General Sharon.” 

Madonna pushes her fears over the borderline, cancels Israeli concerts



Citing security concerns, the Queen of Pop last week abruptly canceled an eagerly awaited series of concerts set for this September in Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, which would have included a televised concert on September 11. It is reported that Madonna’s “Re-Invented Tour” will include video footage of a Palestinian boy and an Israeli boy walking arm in arm. The last time Madonna played in Israel was on 4 October 1993 at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park. Read Victor Kattan’s commentary on the irrationality of Madonna’s fears, and why more celebrities should perform in the Palestinian territories. 

The President's Vision: Development Under Occupation



US President George W. Bush set out his vision for the Middle East in a speech he gave in the Rose Garden on 24 June 2002. The problem with his vision is that it keeps changing, writes Victor Kattan, a correspondent for Arab Media Watch who covered the oral pleadings which took place before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in February 2004. He is the author of “The Right of Return Revisited”, which will be published in a forthcoming edition of the Mediterranean Journal of Human Rights. 

Ariel Sharon, George W. Bush, "Unilateral Declarations" and International Law



The endorsement of Ariel Sharon’s unilateral plan of disengagement from the Gaza Strip and from parts of the West Bank by US President George W. Bush has angered many Palestinians and inflamed tensions throughout the Arab world. It has also surprised policy makers, diplomats and politicians from the European Union - including Britain, America’s closest ally - who have sought to distance themselves from Bush’s remarks. It prompted a rebuttal from French President Jacques Chirac in Algiers, who described it as a “dangerous and troubling precedent”. Victor Kattan looks at Sharon’s plan in light of international law. 

ICJ: Justice or Politics?



ICJ: Justice or Politics” was a statement displayed on a banner at a pro-Israel demonstration in The Hague on Monday. In the last three days I have been covering the oral proceedings taking place before the international court of justice and the demonstrations here in The Hague for the British-based organization Arab Media Watch. Whilst the pleadings proceeded smoothly it has been interesting to note how few countries have come out in support of the Palestinians. Victor Kattan reports from the Hague.