Latest news with #Franco-Palestinian
L'Orient-Le Jour
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Clementines, kuffiyeh and contradictions: Saint Levant's controlled narrative
Create an account to see the results of the poll You can enjoy 3 free articles by creating an account Email Address Password I would like to receive special offers from L'Orient Today as well as selections of the best articles. Register By creating an account, you agree to the terms and conditions of use and our privacy policy. Register Or register with: Facebook Google Log in to your account to see the results of the polls E-mail Password Log in I forgot my password Log in with Facebook Log in with Google Franco-Palestinian musician and singer-songwriter Saint Levant (Marwan Abdelhamid) knows how to capture a moment. He has mastered the art of embodying major causes — whether or not he fully subscribes to them — to expand his reach. 'He knows his audience: a digitally savvy, mostly young women attuned to identity narratives and raw emotion. It's a generation shaped by social media, where the symbolism of a Palestinian clementine becomes a filtered orange peel, and historical knowledge comes in fragments on TikTok or Snapchat, while books gather dust on the Levant speaks directly to this audience — like he did Saturday night at Batroun's old port during the coastal city's festival. More than 3,000 attendees, including Lebanese, Palestinians and Arabs from across the region, gathered with kuffiyehs, watermelon and red... Franco-Palestinian musician and singer-songwriter Saint Levant (Marwan Abdelhamid) knows how to capture a moment. He has mastered the art of embodying major causes — whether or not he fully subscribes to them — to expand his reach. 'He knows his audience: a digitally savvy, mostly young women attuned to identity narratives and raw emotion. It's a generation shaped by social media, where the symbolism of a Palestinian clementine becomes a filtered orange peel, and historical knowledge comes in fragments on TikTok or Snapchat, while books gather dust on the Levant speaks directly to this audience — like he did Saturday night at Batroun's old port during the coastal city's festival. More than 3,000 attendees, including Lebanese, Palestinians and Arabs from across the region, gathered with kuffiyehs, watermelon... You have reached your article limit When power pivots overnight in the Middle East, context is everything. Stay informed for $0.5/month only! Already have an account? Log in
Le Figaro
17-06-2025
- General
- Le Figaro
At the Arab World Institute: Gaza's Rescued Treasures, Witnesses to a Deep History
The Paris museum is reopening the crates of ancient artifacts unearthed in the Palestinian territory. For years, this heritage has been in exile in Geneva due to the conflict with Israel. A Byzantine mosaic with an animal theme welcomes visitors to the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris. Among the depictions of exotic wild animals, a rabbit attempts to climb a palm tree. This is just about the only joyful note in this exhibition of Gaza's rescued treasures. Among the amphorae, statuettes, funerary steles, clay oil lamps and enormous stone anchors and mooring rings, a beautiful Aphrodite stands out. This white marble statue sits alongside a translucent alabaster vase adorned with lotuses, as well as a stunning treasure of 17,000 pieces of agglomerated silver. This currency was in use during the Byzantine period. À lire aussi It's Official: Wealth Comes at the Cost of Sleep These 130 artifacts are the result of joint Franco-Palestinian excavations undertaken in 1995 on the coastal strip, following the Oslo Accords. The excavations were led by the local antiquities service and the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem (EBAF), which was founded in 1890 and is the oldest research center in these fields in the Holy Land. An exile that began in 2000 Some artifacts also come from the collection of Jawdat Khoudary, a Palestinian who made his fortune in the construction industry. He donated his entire collection to the Palestinian National Authority in 2018. In 2023, when the bombings in response to Hamas' terrorist attack began, most of it was housed in his villa in northern Gaza. It was a private museum, the only one in the area, pending the construction of a public museum. The Israeli army turned it into a command base and transformed the garden into a tank depot. More than 4,000 objects, including an avenue of columns and capitals, are missing or seriously damaged, according to a cartel. What we see at the IMA, however, was safely preserved in crates which were stored at the Geneva Freeport. The exile of this lot began in 2000. While they were waiting to join the future public museum in Gaza, the artifacts were on embassy tours to various European museums, including the IMA. When, after Hamas seized power in the enclave in 2006, the blockade prevented their return there, the Geneva Museum of Art and History, the site of their final stop, took charge of their conservation. À lire aussi The Astonishing Life of Nude Models, Heirs to an Artistic Tradition in Decline 'These pieces are survivors,' says Jean-Baptiste Humbert, a prominent figure among the Dominican friars, who led the excavations from their beginnings until the end of 2023. Humbert notably presided over the discovery of Anthedon, a fortified port dating back to the 8th century BC. 'The extent of the damage caused by recent bombardments is unknown,' the statement reads as we walk past the photos and plans of the site. 'All this heritage is in transit or exile, like most Gazans,' comment scenographers Elias and Yousef Anastas, Palestinian architects living between Paris and Bethlehem. To convey this notion, they created wheeled display stands for these treasures. 'You have before you the witnesses of some five thousand years of history,' says Élodie Bouffard, head of exhibitions at the IMA and curator of this event. Since the Bronze Age, Gaza has been an oasis at the crossroads of maritime and caravan routes. Three hundred sites of heritage interest have been identified there. The influence of multiple civilizations was evident: Canaanite, Egyptian, Philistine, Neo-Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Arab. This represents 365 square kilometers of trade and prosperity punctuated by wars and humanitarian crises. 94 points of historical, cultural or religious interest, damaged or ravaged As with the foundations of the port of Anthédon, the Saint Hilarion monastery with its fabulous Paradise mosaic — a site UNESCO included on its list of World Heritage in Danger in the summer of 2024 — or Qasr al-Basha, the Pasha's Palace, a relic of the 13th century, where Napoleon Bonaparte slept for a few nights during his Egyptian campaign, a physical inventory is being compiled as much as possible. The EBAF warehouse itself is under rubble, along with its archives, shards and papers alike. Was there looting? No one knows, not even René Elter, Jean-Baptiste Humbert's successor. Maps on the walls give the full measure of the tragedy. On March 25, based on satellite images, UNESCO inventoried 94 damaged or ravaged sites of historical, cultural or religious interest. There's an immense contrast between the apocalypse depicted in recent photographs and the previously unpublished pictures of the Gaza oasis at the beginning of the 20th century. These are modern prints from the EBAF's collection of glass plates, documenting life between 1905 and 1926. Has October 7, 2023, also destroyed this deep history? Fortunately, many have deployed great energy to preserve this history, including the 40 students of Intiqal ('transmission' in Arabic). Since 2017, this program has been implemented in Palestine by the NGO Première Urgence Internationale, with the support of EBAF, the French Development Agency, the British Council and the Aliph Foundation, the world's leading fund dedicated to the protection or rehabilitation of heritage weakened by war, climate change or natural disasters. Nothing will be easy in this area, where two-thirds of the buildings are in ruins and their surroundings are not yet safe. But everyone believes it's not impossible. 'Rescued Treasures from Gaza: 5000 Years of History,' at the Arab World Institute (Paris 5th arrondissement), until November 2. Tel.: +33 1 40 51 38 38.
Middle East Eye
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
Greta Thunberg joins activists sailing from Italy to Gaza to break Israeli siege
A ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday set off from Sicily to the Gaza Strip carrying "symbolic" aid to break the Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan were among the 12-person crew of the Madleen, which is expected to take seven days to reach Gaza. Journalist Andrea Legni reported from aboard the ship that they were carrying "fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars donated by hundreds of Catania residents". The barrels of relief were described by the organisers as "limited amounts, though symbolic". 'We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,' Thunberg told reporters at a news conference in the port of Catania. Read more: Greta Thunberg joins activists sailing from Italy to Gaza to break Israeli siege The Madleen, carrying aid from Italy to Gaza (Freedom Flotilla Coalition)
Qatar Tribune
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
FFC aid ship aiming to break Israel's siege of Gaza sets sail from Italy
International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says one of its vessels has left Sicily to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a different ship in the Mediterranean. The 12-person crew, which includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, set sail on the Madleen from the port of Catania on Sunday, carrying barrels of relief supplies that the group called 'limited amounts, though symbolic'. The voyage comes after another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. While FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident, it has not responded to requests for comment. 'We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,' Thunberg told reporters at a news conference before the departure. The Swedish climate activist had been due to board the Conscience. She added that 'no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised'. The activists expect to take seven days to reach their destination, if they are not stopped. The FCC, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza. It said the trip 'is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes'. United Nations agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly two million inhabitants. The situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began 19 months ago, the UN said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave. Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing extremely limited UN-led operations to resume. On Monday, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Israel, but with the UN and international aid groups refusing to work with it, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. The FCC is the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza, allegations Israel vehemently denies. 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' said activist Thiago Avila. Avila also mentioned the upcoming Global March to Gaza – an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and members of the media – which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, calling on Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and reopen the border.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aid ship aiming to break Israel's siege of Gaza sets sail from Italy
International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says one of its vessels has left Sicily to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a different ship in the Mediterranean. The 12-person crew, which includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Irish actor Liam Cunningham and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, set sail on the Madleen from the port of Catania on Sunday, carrying barrels of relief supplies that the group called 'limited amounts, though symbolic'. The voyage comes after another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. While FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident, it has not responded to requests for comment. 'We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,' Thunberg told reporters at a news conference before the departure. The Swedish climate activist had been due to board the Conscience. She added that 'no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised'. The activists expect to take seven days to reach their destination, if they are not stopped. The FCC, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza. It said the trip 'is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes'. United Nations agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly two million inhabitants. The situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began 19 months ago, the UN said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave. Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing extremely limited UN-led operations to resume. On Monday, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Israel, but with the UN and international aid groups refusing to work with it, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. The FCC is the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza, allegations Israel vehemently denies. 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' said activist Thiago Avila. Avila also mentioned the upcoming Global March to Gaza – an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and members of the media – which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, calling on Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and reopen the border.
