Muhammad Shehada is a contributing columnist for the Forward.
Muhammad ShehadaContributing Columnist
By Muhammad Shehada
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Opinion Israel’s Racist Campaigns Don’t Just Hurt Us Palestinians. They Hurt Israelis, Too.
It’s hard to describe the anger and fear that I feel as a Palestinian following the current Israeli election cycle. I was born in Gaza. I was molded by the blockade. I have survived three wars. Countless times, death was only a few steps away from me. “Collateral damage” is what we two million civilians…
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Opinion Israelis And Palestinians: Say No To Politicians Who Want Us To Be Enemies
Once again, Israel and Gaza seemed on the brink of war. And once again, a delicate ceasefire has been reached. And yet, while it’s a relief not to be at war, there is a sense of the return of the awful same. Leaders on both sides are desperately trying to impress their constituents by exploiting…
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Opinion We Palestinians Are Caught Between A Government That Tortures Us – And Israel
My first time visiting a Hamas operated police station prison was unforgettable. A rusty blue-colored gate led to a narrow corridor that bifurcated into two depressing, colorless rooms. Inside, tens of people were sitting in the corners of each room on a cold floor or a few rotting mattresses. It was the middle of winter,…
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Opinion Nikki Haley Was A Nightmare For Us Palestinians
Six months after President Trump took office, his newly-appointed ambassador to the UN and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, concluded a tour around Israel and the occupied West Bank with a hopeful tweet, featuring Haley with UNRWA female refugee students. She had discussed their “dreams and hopes.” This morning we visited an UNRWA refugee…
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Opinion The UN General Assembly Was A Disaster For Palestinians
Three days ago, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres opened his UN General Assembly remarks by noting that “Palestinians and Israelis are still locked in endless conflict, with the two-state solution more and more distant.” As if to affirm this statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu’s 40-minute speech on Thursday made no single mention…
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Opinion 25 Years After Oslo, Palestinians Don’t Trust Hamas — Or The PA
Earlier this month, senior Hamas leader and member of Parliament Atef Odwan posted a poll on Facebook that consisted of a single yes-or-no question: “Would you re-elect [PA President Mahmoud Abbas]?” The results were more or less predetermined, since Odwan’s page is frequented mainly by Hamas supporters, and because Abbas is perhaps the most frowned…
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Opinion For Palestinians in Gaza, Peter Beinart’s Detention Is A Luxury. Here Are Our Stories.
This week, noted journalist, CNN contributor and Forward columnist Peter Beinart underwent a shocking ordeal. He was detained and interrogated at Ben Gurion Airport when trying to enter Israel, despite being Jewish and an ardent Zionist. The outrage was so swift that Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu himself called the episode a mistake in…
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Opinion How A ‘Misunderstanding’ Led To Death And Destruction In Gaza
There is only one reason why Gaza and Israel’s South were dragged into yet another devastating confrontation between the IDF and Hamas: toxic masculinity. We now know that another redundant escalation was sparked by a mistake. IDF soldiers were patrolling Gaza’s perimeter fence when they heard something and thought they were being shot at. So…
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