In the 2019 presidential elections, many Tunisians turned to Kaïs Saïed as a solution. Saïed ran a populist campaign as a political outsider, calling for ending corruption and reforms to the electoral system. In the final round of voting, he captured nearly three-quarters of the vote for an overwhelming victory and strong electoral mandate. In July 2021, Saïed dismissed the…
Governance
The fall and rise of Marwan Barghouti
Long regarded as a future leader of Palestine, Marwan Barghouti has been imprisoned by Israel since 2002. What would his release mean for the future of the Middle East? In the early hours of 5 March 2002, a 21-year-old officer in the Palestinian navy stood across the street from the Sea Food Market restaurant in downtown Tel Aviv carrying an M16 rifle,…
‘Self-silencing’: For Palestinians, talking about Hamas comes with hazards
Long before Hamas’s murderous rampage in Israel on Oct. 7, the group made a name for itself with its ruthless takeover of Gaza in 2007. Its calling card? Killing its political rivals execution style in the streets, in hospital shootouts, and by throwing them off the rooftops of high-rise buildings. Since then, arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances has been…
Most Gaza Residents Do Not Support Hamas, According to Poll Conducted a Day Before October 7 Attacks
‘Collective punishment is always wrong, but certainly if there is a claim that the citizens of Gaza are really supportive of this government — they’re really not,’ one of its authors told The Messenger Less than one-quarter of residents of the the Gaza Strip said they would vote for Hamas if given the opportunity, and more than two-thirds said they…
Opinions of Hamas from Palestinians in Gaza
Israel’s pummeling of Gaza with airstrikes continues almost three weeks since the attack by Hamas militants into southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis. As the death toll mounts in Gaza, there is concern that all Palestinians there are being lumped together with Hamas and seen as legitimate targets. Host Marco Werman speaks with Amaney Jamal,…