High-profile Palestinians from around the world have joined forces to create a video expressing their love for Jerusalem.
“Why do I love Jerusalem?” reads the opening sequence of the short video. The phrase is translated into English, French, Russian and Spanish.
An homage to Palestine
Dubbed “a message of love”, the black-and-white clip features Mohamed Hadid, businessman and father of models Gigi and Bella, as well as Academy Award-nominated and Bafta-winning filmmaker Farah Nabulsi, chef Fadi Kattan, mountaineer Mostafa Salameh and actors Yasmine Al Massri and Eyas Younis, alongside authors, composers, journalists and Olympic athletes. Their heartfelt messages are delivered in Arabic, English, French, Japanese, Russian, Serbian and Spanish, highlighting the global nature of the Palestinian diaspora.
Lauding Jerusalem's 'people, diversity and food'
Nabulsi loves Jerusalem “for the way it makes me feel when I’m there”. Journalist Dana Abulaban lauds “its magic”, while Al Massri reminisces about “the smell of the morning”. Chef and author Sami Tamimi, meanwhile, highlights “its people, diversity and food”.
Writer and actress Raeda Taha also speaks of its diversity, while Younis points to its history. Jerusalem's aromas and holy sounds are also cited as things to treasure, while Tanya Zabaneh, founder of My Olive Roots, highlights "its spirit that connects us all."
The snippets are set against a reworking of the song Mawtini, which served as the de facto national anthem of Palestine until 1996, when an official anthem was created.
The initiative was spearheaded by food artist Omar Sartawi. “I was having a conversation with my friend Dolores Al Shelleh and she mentioned us doing a video about current events. At 2am I sent a message to Diana Al Shaer, who has a production company,” he tells The National.
I spoke with Fadi Kattan at 3am to start reaching out to our contacts to ask our Palestinian friends from across the globe to send us a five-second video where they tell us why they love Jerusalem,” he said.
Sartawi was initially aiming for 10 contributors – he ended up with 17. “Everyone was phenomenal and their support and love was beautiful. We were all united in our love of that beautiful city, and I really don't believe we would have succeeded in doing such a video with no budget in such a record time if it wasn't for Jerusalem.”
More on Israel and Palestine:
'We won't leave': regional artists respond to events in Sheikh Jarrah with new works
Pro-Palestine protests held in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey - in pictures
'Big blow' coming: Israel's controversial air strike warnings in Gaza
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
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Series: UAE lead 1-0
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Test
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
