When the ravages of Alzheimer’s leave an elderly woman marooned in painful memories of October 1950, her grandchild comes up with a creative strategy.
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Bending the truth
ALEX HALL exposes the moral double standards peddled by Western media in name of political expediency when dealing with Hamas
NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN: Palestinians walk through the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, on April 1, 2024
New releases from Simone White, Brass Funkeys, and Souad Massi
SUE TURNER is compelled by a history that shows how far a country can turn in on itself to collude with abuses of power
RON JACOBS is persuaded by the parallel drawn between Charles Manson and Donald Trump
In this comparison of Britain pre- and post Thatcher, WILL POMORE applauds the analysis, but distrusts the solutions offered
MARIA DUARTE defends a solid, late-career Spielberg conspiracy flick that calls for empathy in a hostile world
Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters
Helena Cobban and Rami C Khouri, OR Books, £15.99
WHEN Piers Morgan was inviting every guest to “condemn Hamas” only a few notables, including Norman Finkelstein, declined to take the bait and thus seal the terms of debate before even starting it.
As far as Western discourse was concerned, Hamas were the perverts at the bottom of the seventh circle of hell, sadistic fanatics who took great pleasure in atrocities.
Just World Educational, a small US non-profit educational outfit with a board that includes the authors, decided that this demonisation was a serious obstacle for a political solution and a workable peace. Indeed, in a ruling-class narrative that appears ubiquitous at this present time, when an adversary is evil, diplomacy itself becomes pandering to evil and eradication is the only logical course of action.
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