The tide is turning for Palestine in the West, with prominent figures who previously remained silent now raising their voices against the devastating violence in Gaza.
In the past several weeks, three open letters – one from literary figures; one from the global film industry ahead of the Cannes Film Festival; and one from those in UK film, music and beyond – have categorically condemned Israel’s continuing assault and called for a ceasefire.
British writer Zadie Smith – a year after writing an essay in The New Yorker scolding campus protesters for making some students feel unsafe, and others for “quibbling over the definition of genocide” – was among the most prominent names to join an open letter signed by 379 other writers from across the UK and Ireland.
“The use of the words 'genocide' or 'acts of genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organisations,” the letter reads.
The UK letter, signed by 300 figures from across the entertainment industry including Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed and Dua Lipa, was also pointed. It was addressed to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and urged him “to take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza”.
“Mothers, fathers, babies, grandparents – an entire people left to starve before the world’s eyes,” the letter read. “Two hundred and ninety thousand children are on the brink of death – starved by the Israeli government for more than 70 days.”
Actor Steve Coogan, who signed the letter, later took part in reading the names of children killed in Gaza publicly at a vigil in Westminster, London, telling Sky News: "They're all children who had lives, who had nothing to do with the conflict and need to be remembered."
Coogan added that it was more difficult to speak up in the direct aftermath of October 7, but as the "mass, indiscriminate killing of innocent people" has continued for 20 months, "more and more people are realising that this has stop”.
A similar open letter was published just before the start of the Cannes Film Festival earlier in May, signed by Ralph Fiennes and Richard Gere among others.
A notable trend has emerged between the lines of these letters. As Coogan pointed out, earlier in the war, many felt they could not speak out, for fear of repercussions. In 2023, some actors who spoke out for Palestine, such as Scream star Melissa Barrera, were dropped from projects after calling Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide".
But now, the public pressure to speak out about Gaza - and often to use the word "genocide" – has moved in the opposite direction far enough to move those who had held back their feelings to speak out.
At Cannes, jury president Juliette Binoche initially did not sign the open letter against "genocide", even dismissing press conference questions about her lack of support for the initiative. Then, at the opening ceremony that night, Binoche honoured a slain Gazan photojournalist, but did not name Israel specifically or use the word "genocide". But after a public backlash, Binoche added her name to the letter the next day.
Nobel-prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai made her most pointed statement yet on Gaza on May 20. She wrote on X: “It makes me sick to my stomach to see Israel’s cruelty and brutality in Gaza … I call on every world leader to put maximum pressure on the Israeli government to end this genocide and protect civilians.”
Even Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, previously criticised for performing in Israel in 2017, issued his first statement against the country's recent actions on Friday. On Instagram, Yorke said he “remained in shock that his supposed silence was somehow taken as complicity”. He denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “horrific blockade of aid to Gaza”, adding that the “excuse of self-defence has long worn thin”.
Notably, however, Yorke stopped short of using the word “genocide” and criticised “unquestioning” use of the phrase “free Palestine”.
Perhaps part of the reason the Overton window has shifted is the sheer number of celebrities who have continued to speak out, regardless of the professional consequences.
Rachel Accurso, better known as the massively popular children's entertainer Ms Rachel – who boasts 15 million YouTube subscribers, a Netflix deal and a line of merchandise, has remained steadfast in her support for the children of Gaza.
Accurso told NPR in May: "I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me."
The message is clear. The more prominent figures keep their voices raised, the more even the most reticent are compelled to use their voices for peace. In the arts world, silence when thousands are at risk of starvation is, for many, no longer an option.
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
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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.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
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- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
