Issue 315-316
On the Road to Rafah—The Sumud Convoy and New Maghrebi Geographies of Resistance
When the last bus came to a halt in Sirte, a coastal city in Central Libya, many thought it marked the end of the road. But it was only a turning point. What began as the Sumud Convoy—a historic act of Maghrebi solidarity with Palestine—had already transformed into
Refusing the New Normal—An Interview with the Gulf Coalition Against Normalisation
MER’s Summer/Fall issue examines the material underpinnings of normalization five years after the Abraham Accords and amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza—developments rejected and contested by peoples across the Gulf. The Gulf Coalition Against Normalisation (Gulf CAN), founded in 2019, unites groups across the region to coordinate
Identity and Cultural Diplomacy of the Abraham Accords
In December 2020, three months after the Abraham Accords were signed enabling the first commercial flights between Israel and the UAE, a short video went modestly viral on Israeli twitter. A man in a white dishdasha and ghutra introduces his friends to the camera as curious bystanders look on. They
The Abraham Accords and Sudan’s Global Counterrevolution
On October 23, 2020, Sudan became the third Arab-majority country to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. The deal between Israel and the civilian-military Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC)—formed after the popular revolution ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019—was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates
Israeli Agribusiness and Morocco’s Green Frontier
In March 2023, the Israeli firm Netafim—a global provider of drip irrigation technology—opened its first Moroccan factory in the city of Kenitra. Wahid Aguertite, a farmer, walks among orange trees dried out by drought on Morocco’s southern plains of Agadir in the country’s agricultural heartland, October
Energy, Water and the Cost of Jordan’s Dependence on Israel
On the morning of June 13, 2025, air-raid sirens sounded across Amman and other Jordanian cities warning residents to shelter in place. Hours earlier, Israel had launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, triggering 12 days of retaliatory missile and drone strikes. Jordanian protesters chant slogans against a government agreement to
From Oslo to Offshore—The Rise of Energy Normalization in the Eastern Mediterranean
When US President Donald Trump’s first administration unveiled its “Peace to Prosperity” plan in January 2020, the glossy document promised Palestinians a share in regional growth. Part of its vision was an Eastern Mediterranean Energy Hub anchored in Egypt, designed to coordinate gas development and boost exports from the
Fiber Optics and the Hidden Politics of Connectivity
On February 18, 2024, Houthi forces in Yemen fired two ballistic missiles at the MV Rubymar, a Belize flagged, British owned, bulk carrier cargo ship. The crew dropped anchor and evacuated, but the ship began to drift. Six days later it crossed the path of three intercontinental submarine data cables—
The Military-Industrial Backbone of Normalization
In February 2025, as international condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza reached new heights, Abu Dhabi hosted the International Defence Exhibition and Conference. Over five days a record 34 Israeli arms companies, including giants like Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, showcased their latest wares alongside