It’s disturbing how the US news media often tends to flit from story to story, seemingly incapable of sustaining attention on events that require it. The nightmare of Gaza, which received in-depth treatment for more than a year, has now faded from view eclipsed by other dramatic developments in the Middle East.
In the past weeks, news out of the Middle East in American outlets has been dominated by Israel’s devastating attacks on Lebanon and the now Israeli-enforced “ceasefire”. In the past few days, the major reporting has had to do with Al Qaeda spin-off Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, on the move and capturing major Syrian cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs, leading to the downfall of the Bashar Al Assad government.
While these developments are, of course, consequential, Israel's continuing war on Gaza and its lingering wounds deserve our attention.
Against this backdrop, it was notable that on a single day this week The New York Times carried three big stories, filling a full page and a half, on the continuing nightmare in Gaza. These included one on Amnesty International’s new report charging Israel with genocide in Gaza, and another on a deadly Israeli strike in the midst of one of the “humanitarian zones” in Gaza. The largest of the stories was on the struggles of disabled people in Gaza. Combined, the three describe the horrors of Gaza’s past 14 months, the continuing bombings visited on its displaced Palestinians, and the agonising future that lies before so many of them.
The Amnesty International story was significant for several reasons. It is, after all, the world’s pre-eminent human rights organisation. When I served a four-year term as a presidential appointee to a US commission that dealt with issues of religious freedom, our annual reports and our own investigations relied heavily on the work of Amnesty. The US State Department does as well. Whether dealing with countries in Africa, Asia, or the Arab world, attention is given to what Amnesty has reported. Countries are routinely denounced for their abusive behaviours with the notation “as Amnesty International has reported” – with one exception, and that is, Israel. Amnesty’s work everywhere has been revered, but when it has been about Israel, it has been reviled.
It’s always painful to face human suffering. But it’s important that we do it, especially in the case of Gaza, because we Americans are in part responsible for it
It's therefore quite significant that Amnesty has taken a bold step to declare quite forcefully that “Israel committed, and is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”. They continue: “Israel’s unlawful conduct throughout its military offensive, resulted in unprecedented harm to Palestinians in Gaza that resulted in the massive scale of killings and serious injuries over a short period of time.”
In response to these charges, the Israeli authorities have followed what has become their familiar script. They “lie, deny, and obfuscate”. And they ultimately fall back on charging their accusers with bias. Interestingly, to date, there has been little or no response from officials in Washington.
That was not the case back in 2022 when Amnesty International and another prominent human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, issued reports finding that Israel had imposed an apartheid system on the Palestinian people under their control. Congress and the White House were quick to denounce both human rights groups – upon whom they rely so heavily for information on other countries.
Also worth noting was the fact that neither The Washington Post nor The New York Times even carried the story about the apartheid charges. This genocide report, on the other hand, has received major coverage in both papers.
The Israeli air strike in the safe zone of Al Mawasi was both cruel and deadly, killing at least 45 Palestinians. Cruel because it is supposed to be a humanitarian shelter zone where Palestinians who Israel ordered to leave other areas were supposed to be safe. Bombings of this sort are a daily occurrence, but rarely receive coverage, both because they have become commonplace and because the “big” stories of the day are occurring elsewhere.
Maybe the most disturbing story of the three was the piece about the plight of the disabled in Gaza. Before this war there were 56,000 disabled people in Gaza. While no new data is available, it is certain that the number has grown significantly in the past year. The Times accompanied its story with pictures of children without limbs lacking wheelchairs, rehabilitation facilities, or surgery when needed. The story describes in some detail the agony of a disabled Palestinian in Gaza, who simply needs to go to the bathroom, where there are none that can accommodate a wheelchair.
It’s heartbreaking to look at the faces of these children sitting in the rubble of destroyed neighbourhoods. They are innocents without a future. It’s hard to imagine living in a crowded tent area in the midst of winter or in the remains of a destroyed building on a bombed-out street. But this is life for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children.
It’s always painful to face human suffering. But it’s important that we do it, especially in the case of Gaza, because we Americans are in part responsible for it.
Just because the suffering in Gaza disappeared from the front pages of many news outlets doesn’t mean it’s not still happening. The violence and death continues, and it's important that that we not forget that.
Latest on the Israel-Gaza war
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The five pillars of Islam
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
The%20specs%20
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Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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SWEET%20TOOTH
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FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
