Clovis Maksoud

Clovis Maksoud is a former ambassador and permanent observer of the League of Arab States at the United Nations and its chief representative in the United States for more than 10 years.

Iraq | Aug 15, 2014

Iraq regroups under Abadi

As Iraq's new prime minister assembles his administration, international support offers hope for Iraq's fight against the Islamic State and the destructive sectarianism that enabled the advance of terror.

Salim al-Jabouri (R), new speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and Shi'ite deputy speaker Haider Abadi (L), a member of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, speak during a news conference in Baghdad, July 15, 2014. Iraqi politicians named Jabouri, a moderate Sunni Islamist, as speaker of parliament on Tuesday, a long-delayed first step towards a power-sharing government urgently needed to save the state from disintegration in the face of a Sunni uprising. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (

Lebanon | Aug 5, 2014

Will Arsal unite Lebanon?

The overwhelming popular support for the Lebanese military’s response to terror encroachment in Arsal suggests that the Lebanese public may yet believe in national unity.

Men fire in the air as mourners carry the coffin of Lieutenant Colonel Nour Eddine al-Jamal, who was killed during Sunday's fighting between Lebanese army soldiers and Islamist militants in Arsal, during his funeral in Basta area in Beirut August 4, 2014. The Lebanese army advanced on Monday into a border town attacked by Islamists at the weekend in the most serious spillover of the three-year-old Syrian civil war into Lebanon. The military pounded areas around the town of Arsal with artillery for a third d

Palestine | Aug 1, 2014

Barghouti appeals for Palestinian resistance, national unity support

Marwan Barghouti calls on Palestinians to mobilize against the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip through "sacrifice, resistance and struggle."

Palestinians walk past graffiti depicting jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti on a section of the controversial Israeli barrier near the Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah May 25, 2011. Palestinians and Israelis alike saw little prospect of a fresh start to Middle East peace talks on Wednesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's keynote speech to Congress. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2MVS6

Palestine | Jul 28, 2014

Former Israeli ambassador calls for 'crushing' Hamas

Remarks by former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren on allowing Israel to "crush" Hamas symbolize the brutality of the current conflict.

Israel's President Shimon Peres (C) and Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren (R) are bathed in blue light, save for the red focusing light of a camera, as they take their seats in the audience at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, March 4, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YUFE

Palestine | Jul 22, 2014

Israel's legal framework for Gaza strikes

Declaring Gaza a "belligerent, entity sui generis" has informed Israel’s strategy in the conflict.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires a missile towards the Gaza Strip July 22, 2014. Israel pounded targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and United Nations diplomats pursued talks on halting the fighting that has claimed more than 600 lives. With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 616, including nearly 100 children and many other civilians, Gaza health officials said. Israel's casualties also mounted, with the military announc

Palestine | Jul 10, 2014

Palestinians need unified strategy of resistance

The Palestinian political leadership should declare Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah's cabinet the the government of the State of Palestine to render national unity and resistance effective.

Palestinians stand next to a picture depicting late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as they inspect a house which police said was damaged in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City July 10, 2014. Israeli air strikes killed eight members of a family including five children in a pre-dawn raid on Gaza on Thursday, Palestinian officials said, while Hamas-led fighters launched rockets at Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3X

Palestine | Jul 8, 2014

Obama's 'peaceful' path to security

Although US President Barack Obama’s Haaretz article sought to reassure the world of the United States’ support for a two-state solution, the Palestinians would appreciate a more tangible demonstration.

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during his address to Israeli students at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem March 21, 2013. Obama appealed directly on Thursday to the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of stateless Palestinians and recognise that Jewish settlement activity in occupied territory hurts prospects for peace. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3FA5I

Palestine | Jul 1, 2014

Ya'alon deliberately provokes Palestinians with 'memorial settlement'

The Israeli defense minister’s proposal of a new settlement in the memory of the murdered teens is another step in Israel’s plan to undermine the new Palestinian national unity government.