voices
“History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.” Karl Marx coined the phrase to denote the cyclical nature of history. When tragedies reoccur in the same context they become a farcical spectacle, pointing not only to the cynical human nature but also the poor imitation of past events. My 94-year-old Palestinian grandmother, Ghefreh, does not know Karl Marx, and I doubt she cares about philosophy. But she understands that tragedies do recur and that history can “often rhyme" — to quote Mark Twain. "The tent turned into a house in a refugee camp. The refugee camp turned into a co...
The New Arab
In Washington, murmurs of discontent over Bibi's handling of Israel's war on Gaza have turned into outright disdain. The decision of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, one of Israel's staunchest allies, to call for the ousting of Benjamin Netanyahu sent shockwaves throughout the Capitol. President Biden then trumped Schumer by scolding Netanyahu, calling his approach on Gaza a "mistake", and break decades of bilateral convention. Both cases suggest that Bibi, and his right-wing sidekicks, are the problem, not Israel itself. Remove Netanyahu and everything will be peachy. But how accurate is...
The New Arab
The demand for reparations to atone for slavery and tackle the modern legacy of structural racism left in its wake is by no means a new campaign. Following the murder of George Floyd, global Black Lives Matter protests have become more amplified and have energised the calls for justice. But these rallying cries have been met with dismissal and inaction from a political class who are, quite simply, disconnected from reality. "Slavery is not our history – it interrupted our history. Nor is it a politically partisan issue. It’s a feature of European development with a continual price paid by blac...
The New Arab
While thousands of aid trucks remain stuck on the Egyptian side of the border, hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on the verge of famine in the Strip. Say what you want about logistics, gridlock at Rafah adds to the growing suspicion amongst Gazans that the Egyptian administration may be involved in the Gaza crisis, either through a lack of will or ability to live up to its historic responsibility toward Palestine. Egyptian inaction aligns with the belief that Egypt under al-Sisi has helped sustain Israel's Gaza blockade. The casual mistreatment of and profiteering from Palestinians at the Ra...
The New Arab
In recent weeks disturbing revelations of widespread sexual torture and rape of Palestinian women by Israeli forces invading Gaza have come to light. Last week it was reported that a pregnant Palestinian woman had been kidnapped and held hostage alongside her family by Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital. She was brutally beaten for several hours and after telling the Israeli soldiers she was five months pregnant, the beating only intensified. This was then followed by soldiers raping her in front of her husband and children, threatening to shoot any of them that close...
The New Arab
During the 2024 NFL Super Bowl last month, Israel aired a 30-second ad at halftime justifying its genocide in Gaza. At that very same moment, Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) were committing a massacre in Rafah, killing tens of Palestinians. With 123 million viewers, this year’s Super Bowl became the most watched in the game’s history. The public’s response to Israel’s ad was subdued, forcing us to reflect on the perceived separation between sports and politics for which American politicians often advocate. This supposed separation is often selectively emphasised to align with the interests of ...
The New Arab
In his State of the Union speech last week, President Biden announced that the US military will install a temporary port off Gaza’s shore to deliver large shipments of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave’s 2.2 million people, as Israel continues to block aid. He promised there would be no boots on the ground in Gaza, adding that Israel, “must also do its part.” After 164 days of Israel’s relentless war on Gaza, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, the UN warned of an unfolding famine, especially in the north, where people have turned to animal feed to survive. More than half a ...
The New Arab
Eid in Gaza used to be special. Lights hung up in the shopping districts, sweets sold in the streets, and children ran in between their homes while lighting the stainless steel scouring pads which act like sparklers or mini fireworks when lit. In Gaza, our celebrations marking the holy month of Ramadan and Eid were always filled with joy. Today, it is incomprehensible that this same happy place does not exist anymore. It has been over 150 days of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, during which it has lived under the terror of soldiers on the ground and airstrikes overhead. Over 31,000 Palestinians h...
The New Arab
In the half light of a Gaza neighbourhood obliterated by Israeli bombardment, Israeli soldiers rummage through a boot full of underwear that has been looted from the houses they’ve pillaged and destroyed. “I swear,” one of them says to the camera, “Palestinian women are the sluttiest in the world.” Amidst all the horrors that have been live-streamed from Gaza, the underwear of Palestinian women in the hands of Israeli soldiers has become a sickening motif. There is something deeply uncomfortable about how normalised this violation of Palestinian women’s private life has become. We can scarcely...
The New Arab
“Is Palestine reduced to a sack of flour now? Is innocent blood now part of our daily bread?” This is Abeer, my friend, an academic at the now-destroyed Islamic University of Gaza, commenting on the so-called aid airdrops. Over the past two weeks, several countries beganairdropping aid into Gaza, amidst an impending famine especially in the North. Israel continues to prevent humanitarian aid - including food, water, and medical supplies - from entering, pushing 2.2 million people to the brink of starvation. Not only are the aerial drops nowhere near enough to prevent mass starvation, they also...
The New Arab
閲覧を続けるには、ノアドット株式会社が「プライバシーポリシー」に定める「アクセスデータ」を取得することを含む「nor.利用規約」に同意する必要があります。
「これは何?」という方はこちら