Ramia, the village in South Lebanon where I conducted fieldwork, was blown up in an act of war. On October 20, 2024, one month into a two-month war of annihilation, in a two-year (and counting) war, in a 78-year war that has not ended, Israeli soldiers detonated explosives they had wired throughout the village, forcibly and gradually emptied of human life, blowing it up completely.
Read MoreParadoxes of Liberating Palestine: A Letter to Michael Walzer on his 90th Birthday
On the occasion of your 90th birthday, I wish to offer you these words as a possible “new beginning,” of the kind that you identify as necessary for any liberation.
Read MoreAvoiding Gaza: An Open Letter
I am taking the liberty of writing an open letter to citizens of Israel, especially those of you who consider Israel a homeland for Jewish people. Though for a long time this letter has been on my mind, I was held back by a grim, harsh sense of futility. In truth, I have little to say that has not been said by others. Perhaps my imagined addressees as well—in case any of you actually comes across this letter—will quickly judge it by skimming a few sentences.
Read MoreThe Days Before
There is nothing to be said. The city is being encircled from the south and the north in preparation for the attack. “Gideon’s Chariots II” signals the continuation of destruction and demolition. The expected outcome for Gaza City, and what remains of its neighborhoods, is a carbon copy of Jabalia, Al-Zaytoun, Al-Tuffah, Shujaiya, and Rafah. A great devastation will turn vibrant neighborhoods into ruins for rodents.
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