Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

Sign In Sign Up

Palestine

Breaking the Fourth Wall—Reading Sadallah Wannous in a Time of Genocide
Sentence to Hope: A Sa’dallah Wannous Reader, by Sa’dallah Wannous, Robert Myers (Translation), Nada Saab (Translation)
MER Article

Breaking the Fourth Wall—Reading Sadallah Wannous in a Time of Genocide

Robert Myers and Nada Saab, Sentence to Hope: A Sa’dallah Wannous Reader, Yale University Press, 2019. At the end of Sadallah Wannous’ 1970 play, The Adventures of the Mamlouk Jabir’s Head, the action takes an abrupt, dark but entirely predictable turn. Wannous—a Syrian playwright who was born
Marya Hannun • 9 min read
Narratives of 'the Oppressed'—The Dialectic of Resistance Behind the Axis
Iranian Ambassador in Syria Mohammad Hassan Akhtari (2nd L) and Ahmed Jibril (2nd R), the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), lead a demonstration January 23, 1998, at the Yarmouk Palestinian camp, near Damascus to mark International Quds Day in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Louai Behsara/AFP via Getty Images
MER Article

Narratives of 'the Oppressed'—The Dialectic of Resistance Behind the Axis

Since its formation, the Axis of Resistance has embodied a defiant stance against imperialism and Zionism. The phrase itself first circulated in the English-language media, in the early 2000s—a response to then-President George W. Bush’s ominous talk of the “axis of evil.” By 2010, at the latest, the
Olmo Gölz, Ruth Vollmer • 10 min read
Resisting Carceralism and Fighting for Freedom—A Roundtable
An Egyptian policeman near watch towers at Tora prison on the southern outskirts of Cairo. Picture taken during a guided tour organized by Egypt’s State Information Service on February 11, 2020, Khalid Desouki/AFP via Getty ImagesA demonstration in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on August 3, 2024, in solidarity with Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and the people of Gaza. Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
MER Article

Resisting Carceralism and Fighting for Freedom—A Roundtable

Four activists reflect on building a global anti-carceral movement.
Sahar Francis, Asim Qureshi, Kaouther Ferjani, Yara Sallam • 19 min read
Times of Struggle and Cultural Liberation—A Conversation with Elias Khoury
Elias Khoury. Originally posted on Facebook by the Lebanese publishing house Dar Al Adab in 2013. Photographer unknown.Palestine in a World on Fire, co-edited by Katherine Natanel and Ilan Pappé.Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury.Children of the Ghetto, My Name is Adam, by Elias Khoury.
Current Analysis

Times of Struggle and Cultural Liberation—A Conversation with Elias Khoury

An Excerpt from 'Palestine in a World on Fire' in light of Elias Khoury's passing.
Elias Khoury, Ilan Pappe • 20 min read
Israel Is Waging War on Palestinian Prisoners
Palestinian men are detained by Israeli forces in the streets of Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 7, 2023. Photo taken by Israeli soldiers and widely distributed on social media. Some men in the photo were interviewed by journalists from +972/Local Call.Image and caption from Human Rights Watch: Dr. Khalid Hamoudeh (far left in the front) and Dr. Wadee Qasem (far right in the front) are detained along with other healthcare workers, internally displaced civilians, and patient’s families near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. © 2023 Channel 12 via journalist Nir Debori/TelegramImage and caption from Human Rights Watch: A leaked photograph of the detention facility at the Sde Teiman military base shows a blindfolded man with his arms above his head. Interviewed healthcare workers described this image as punishment imposed by Israeli soldiers on Palestinian detainees if they speak or move. © 2024 PrivateKnesset member Limor Son Har-Melech (right) and Yitzhak Kroizer (in white) from the far right-wing Otzma Yehudití party stand with armed and masked reservists from Force 100. Israeli right-wing activists demonstrated with masked IDF reservists and broke into Beit Lid military police base following the detention of 9 military reservists from the unit today, who were suspected of sexual abuse of a detainee at the Sde Teiman compound. Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesA Palestinian man who was detained by Israeli forces is welcomed by his wife and son (whose hand is holding onto his father’s arm) as he arrives for a checkup at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis after his release alongside others on August 20, 2024. Bashar Taleb / AFP via Getty Images
Uncategorized

Israel Is Waging War on Palestinian Prisoners

Behind the systematic torture and sexual violence in Israeli prisons, from MER's fall issue, 'Carceral Realities and Freedom Dreams."
Lisa Hajjar, Basil Farraj • 24 min read
State Secrets and Crimes—Rape at Israel's Sde Teiman Prison
Knesset members Limor Son Har-Melech (right) and Yitzhak Kroizer (in white) from the far right-wing Otzma Yehudití party stand with armed and masked reservists from Force 100. Israeli right-wing activists demonstrated with masked IDF reservists and broke into Beit Lid military police base following the detention of 9 military reservists from the unit today, who were suspected of sexual abuse of a detainee at the Sde Teiman compound. Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Current Analysis

State Secrets and Crimes—Rape at Israel's Sde Teiman Prison

A timely preview of MER's fall issue, 'Carceral Realities and Freedom Dreams.'
Lisa Hajjar, Basil Farraj • 7 min read