Mirjana Spoljaric’s words are prescient. ‘Gaza has become worse than hell on earth’ the President of the ICRC tells the BBC. World leaders ‘will be haunted’ by their collective lack of action to stem the bloodbath in Gaza, she says, because there is no justification for the Israeli government ‘stripping Palestinians of [their] human dignity’. […]
The Normalisation Doctrine, making mass killing old news
I once met the journalist Patrick Cockburn, and he was a bit grumpy. Which made me sad because I have a long-term crush on Patrick. His sharp often caustic analysis, especially of violence and conflicts across the Middle East, has guided and inspired me for many years: I call him my intellectual crush, and there’s […]
When Weapons Trump Aid
I once experienced the quite terrifying sight of a man outside my gate with a machete in one hand and a Kalashnikov in the other. He wasn’t a guard – and the single guard who worked the gate fled. I still vividly remember watching the armed man as he paced back and forth; I knew […]
Shadow scripts…..one you might have missed
My bloke and I have just been to Lanzarote, a wonderful trip (i.e. cheap & sunny). Shining blue skies, 26 degrees all day, volcanoes, cactus and frothing waves punched by Atlantic gusts. You get the picture. Though we went hand-baggage only – easier than it sounds, you can buy sun-cream and T-shirts anywhere these days […]