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
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
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The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Results
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Company%20profile
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