Because I constantly rag on the New York Times, I figure it’s equally important to call out the rare occasions when their journalists accurately report on something newsworthy. I’ll be honest, I was shocked to see this article included in their coverage; I thought the outlet might be allergic to properly covering what’s happening in Palestine.
The article provides insight into the life of a Palestinian family simply trying to exist in the illegally-occupied village of Huwara. If the name Huwara rings a bell it’s because it was the site of a violent apartheid rampage just a few weeks ago. Huwara is a town of about 8,000 people that sits on the only major road connecting the West Bank’s north and south, and is traversed regularly by both Palestinians and apartheid Israeli settlers. This has made it ground zero for Israel’s expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank, and a target of frequent attacks and harassment by scumbag settlers driving through.
On Feb. 26 the violence reached new levels as two settlers were shot and killed by a suspected Palestinian gunman as they drove through Huwara, prompting an angry mob of hundreds of Israelis from the illegal hillside settlements to rampage through the town and neighboring villages, throwing rocks and burning homes, businesses and vehicles. In the wake of this attack, in which a Palestinian man was murdered, the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is an illegal settler himself, called for Huwara to be “erased” by the state. Since then, hundreds of cowardly Israeli soldiers are now regularly deployed on the streets of Huwara, frequently shutting roads and intersections and forcing businesses along the main road to close while seizing rooftops and entire buildings.
The fact that an outlet like the New York Times is interviewing Palestinian families and getting an accurate assessment of their concerns is a clear sign of the shifting Overton window with regards to Palestinian coverage. Someday, perhaps the leading outlets in this country will grapple with the fact that Israel is an apartheid settler-colonial state built on the mass graves of Palestinians. Someday perhaps they might even mention the fact that this apartheid state is also the largest foreign beneficiary of American tax dollars. Or perhaps that’s asking for too much.
Side Items
Another Yemeni Tragedy: A stampede in Sanaa, the capital city of Yemen, resulted in the deaths of at least 78 people and dozens more injured. The crowd was apparently jolted by gunfire and an electrical explosion at an event meant to distribute financial aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This was the deadliest tragedy in years that was not directly related to Yemen’s long-running war, and it comes ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week. These are some of the most desperate and downtrodden people on the planet right now, innocent civilians who have lived in fear for years, and this latest calamity is truly the cherry on top of a sundae of pain and devastation
Final Days of Ramadan: The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is coming to a close this week, as hundreds of millions of people around the world look forward to returning to regular eating and sleeping schedules. The final 10 days of Ramadan are considered particularly sacred, and it’s often thought that the 27th night of Ramadan is Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Power, the most sacred night of the year. This year I learned that in January 1835, during the 27th night of Ramadan, enslaved African Muslims in Bahia organized one of the biggest rebellions against slave masters in Brazil. The Malê Rebellion, also known as The Great Revolt, was a Muslim-led slave rebellion in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The uprising occurred on a Sunday during Ramadan when enslaved African Muslims and freemen rose against their government. Yoruba and Hausa Muslims organized the rebellion, but non-Muslims from various backgrounds also participated. A timeless and historic reminder that collective action works
REI Portland Closure: Nothing to see here, just your favorite outdoor co-op engaging in more union-busting behavior. In an abrupt email that came as a shock to many employees, REI announced plans on Monday to close one of its oldest stores in Portland’s Pearl District early next year. The email sent to members of the retail co-op cites an increase in break-ins and thefts in the neighborhood, and claims that they’re no longer able to provide the level of customer and employee experience that REI strives for. What they conveniently fail to mention in the email is that REI Portland was in the midst of unionization efforts as employees recognized the futility of trying to improve their circumstances individually. Not a great look from your neighborhood outdoor outfitter
Failed SpaceX Launch: At some point we should probably start recognizing and admitting that Elon Musk is a fraud. In the culmination of years of technological tests and regulatory work, SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the first time earlier today, but fell well short of reaching space after it exploded shortly after launching in a mid-flight failure. The rocket flew to a maximum altitude of about 39 kilometers (~127,000 feet) before catastrophically disintegrating. That distance is well short of the 100 kilometer mark that is internationally-recognized as the boundary of space. Thankfully there was no crew on board this time, so it’s only the ego of Mr. Musk and the pockets of taxpayers that suffer. In the end, after much self-praise and fanfare, Musk gave his fans about four minutes of excitement