Palestinian Christians in Gaza remember Pope Francis and his daily calls to the Catholic church in Gaza. “Gaza was among his last words,” one member of the parish told Mondoweiss. “His voice made us forget the sound of the planes and the bombs.”
The Middle East Studies Association’s Laurie Brand speaks to Mondoweiss about the history of attacks on the field of Middle East Studies, the current designs of the Trump administration, and the capitulation of universities.
Pope Francis telephoned a church in Gaza nearly every night since October 2023. But the New York Times didn’t include that fact in its obituary.
A review of JNF Canada’s tax filings confirms the organization failed to report over $100,000,000 CDN in donations since 2003. The finding raises serious questions regarding JNF activities and the preferential treatment given to Zionist charities.
It is not just pro-Palestinian students in the U.S. who are facing the threat of deportation. Anti-genocide activists in Germany and Greece are also currently under threat of deportation, an unprecedented move to quash popular support for Palestine.
Americans have always been ignorant of the deadly realities of their empire. Now that genocide is being live-streamed to their phones, they have no excuse. Still, many would rather mourn the death of ideals than those being killed in their name.
They tell me to evacuate my home, my land.
As if my home has legs;
As if the olive tree, that for decades rooted deep,
Will up and follow;
As if the echoes of my mother’s lullabies
Will pack their bags and draft with us to the exile.
As both Eastern and Western Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, the divide between Palestinian Christians and those in the West has never been larger. The core of this divide is the racist theology of Christian Zionism.
Internal dissent in Israel’s military establishment is pushing the government to sign a ceasefire deal that would return Israeli captives at any cost. Netanyahu might find a political way out by promising right-wing allies that the West Bank is next.
As students protesting the Gaza genocide encounter violent repression, the push to integrate Arab American Studies and Palestine into Ethnic Studies faces censorship and political attacks as well.