Category: Columns

Whose Holocaust is This?

Even those with the most vivid imaginations could not have envisioned the turn that the lessons of the Holocaust, commemorated internationally today, would take. Never before has Israel been in such a morally diminished position to represent the survivors who rebuilt their lives here after the Holocaust. Never before has it so starkly contradicted its ability to uphold the messages of the Holocaust and advocate for its universal lessons. 

The Growing Rift between Holocaust Scholars over Israel/Palestine

A chasm has formed between Holocaust scholars concerning Israel/Palestine, deepening immeasurably since 7 October 2023. Unlike previous controversies in the field, the divide is not just historical or methodological; it revolves around academics’ role in the world today, particularly the public stand they choose to take on Palestine/Israel and Zionism. Two main camps have formed. Put reductively, one camp defends Israel, while the other defends Palestinians, although differences between individual scholars within each camp make for more of a spectrum than a clear-cut divide. How, despite a diversity of ideas and foci within each camp, did two academic-political antipodes solidify over several decades, and how have 7 October and the ensuing war widened the rift between them?

UN experts horrified at blatant disregard for health rights in Gaza following deadly raid on Kamal Adwan hospital

GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, today called for an end to blatant disregard of the right to health in Gaza, following last week’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the arbitrary arrest and detention of its director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya.