My book review in The National newspaper: Twenty years is a long time to wait for new writing but in the case of Indian writer Arundhati Roy she’s remained deeply engaged with her country over the last two decades. After the huge success of her first novel, The God of Small Things won the Man…
Articles in The National
What 50 years of Israeli occupation does to Palestine
My investigation and analysis in The National newspaper on the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of Palestine: For the two million Palestinians living under siege in Gaza, every week presents new challenges. Electricity is now reduced to about four hours a day due to political infighting between Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas. Israel refuses to…
The wonder, anger and occupation of Jerusalem
My essay in The National newspaper about the city of Jerusalem: House demolitions occur regularly in East Jerusalem, well away from the tourist path. According to the United Nations, Israel destroyed 190 Palestinian homes in 2016 and displaced thousands of people. It was the highest figure since 2000. I’ve witnessed Palestinian families thrown out of…
The ominous future for Palestinians without outside support
My article in The National newspaper in the UAE: A group of old women sat outside in plastic chairs on a warm, Gaza day and sang traditional Palestinian songs. It was a happy mood at the Aged Care Foundation, the only community club for the elderly in the entire territory of two million people. The…
Life and death inside the Gaza Strip
My… feature story in UAE newspaper The National on my recent trip into Gaza. I last visited the territory in 2009 (here’s my short film from that trip and my major report). The National published my story as its cover feature this weekend (see the PDF here:… gazacover-final… +… gazainside-final): During the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas in…
What happens if Israeli occupies Palestine forever?
My essay in UAE newspaper The National: From its beginning, Israel’s settlement project was shrouded in secrecy. Newly uncovered documents from 1969, two years after Israel’s takeover of the West Bank and Gaza, revealed that the military censor was used to keep documents hidden that proved the establishment of illegal settlements. After 50 years of…
How Israeli settlers are winning (for now)
My essay in UAE newspaper The National: During this month’s Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating various disasters in Jewish history, thousands of Israelis marched along the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem and called for annexation of the occupied West Bank. Pro-settlement group Women in Green, founded in 1993 and “dedicated to safeguarding…
Arms dealers making a killing from the European refugee crisis
My essay in UAE newspaper The National: The defence industry has never been happier. With sales at unprecedented levels – US$65 billion (Dh 238bn) in 2015, according to the… Global Defence Trade Report… – France, the United States, Canada and Britain have become global leaders in arms exports. The Middle East is the largest importing region and…
Where is all the US aid money in Afghanistan?
My investigative feature in UAE newspaper The National… (PDFs of the stunning looking feature… DC.front… and… DC.spread): The human cost of the Afghan war has been devastating. The United Nations estimates that at least 20,000 Afghan civilians have been killed since 2001 and violence is worsening across the country. United States president Barack Obama, fearing an Iraq-style state collapse…
The desperate need for peace in South Sudan
My piece in The National: A woman in a black and white dress stood with a huge pot on her head. She had walked for days, with her two young children also carrying goods, to reach the camp for internally displaced persons in Bentiu, South Sudan. They were all exhausted by the time they registered…