Review: Salman Abu Sitta’s autobiography
The Electronic Intifada, 27th September 2016 Unlike Jawhariyyeh, al-Hout or Sayigh, Galilean hills, Lebanon and Jerusalem do not loom large in Abu Sitta’s account. Instead, his life story is rooted … Continue reading
Gribetz, “Defining Neighbours”
A few fascinating and thought-provoking excerpts from Jonathan Gribetz’s excellent exploration of intellectual life and perceptions of faith in Late Ottoman and early inter-war Palestine (Defining Neighbors: Religion, Race, and … Continue reading
Reviewed: Mohannad Sabry on Sinai
Electronic Intifada, 11th February 2016 Heavily militarized by Egypt and portrayed in the West as a stronghold of Islamist militant supporters of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, how do … Continue reading
Neoliberalism and higher education: a wee example from Edinburgh
As Isabel Lachenauer, one of the first – and possibly the last – graduates of the University of Edinburgh’s Advanced Arabic masters programme writes: I strongly urge the Head of … Continue reading
New review: Jean-Pierre Filiu’s history of Gaza
Electronic Intifada, 28th October 2014 Gaza was a key strategic point, the last source of water before the Sinai, from the perspective of armies and merchants heading from the Levant … Continue reading
New review: Ruth Padel’s ‘Learning to make an Oud in Nazareth’
Electronic Intifada, 24th September 2014 The Holocaust and the extermination of Europe’s Jews usually appear in juxtaposition to the issue of Palestine either in clumsy attempts to equate the two, … Continue reading
New review: ‘Traces & Revelations’ at Durham’s Oriental Museum
Electronic Intifada, 10th April 2014 But in hosting Traces and Revelations, a viscerally exciting new show of paintings by Hazem Harb and Mohammed Joha, the Oriental Museum at the University … Continue reading
New review: Raba’i al-Madhoun’s The Lady from Tel Aviv
Electronic Intifada, 2nd August 2013 The novel uses the account of this return journey as a framing device for his life story, told with a perceptive wit and verve which … Continue reading
New review: Louisa Waugh’s ‘Meet Me In Gaza’
Electronic Intifada, 23rd July 2013 For people who know nothing of Gaza but lazy media stereotypes, this book is a perfect introduction. And for those who think they know all … Continue reading
New article: ‘I Exist’ photo exhibition reviewed
Electronic Intifada, 19th June 2013 In a very different set of images, Jerusalem-based photographer Tanya Habjouqa documents the 2009 Arab Bodybuilding Championships in Amman, Jordan: dubbed the “Gaza Martyrs Tournament” … Continue reading
Gazan writers denied UK entry
It can, of course, be taken as read that the UK Border Agency are utter bastards, but that doesn’t stop me getting very, very angry at individual cases. Here’s the … Continue reading
New article: Hani Zurob artist biography reviewed
Electronic Intifada, 17th June 2013 Hani was… born and raised in the Rafah refugee camp. His first public art consisted of the graffiti and political posters of the first intifada, … Continue reading