Must a Palestinian have an Oscar for the world to care when he’s attacked? (Sleman Altehe | +972 Magazine, 2025-03-25)

972mag.com/hamdan-ballal-attac…
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"When news broke of the settler ambush [on the Palestinian village of Susiya], the headlines focused almost exclusively on one thing: [Hamdan] Ballal’s Oscar win."

"... the emphasis was clear: the assault and detention of a Palestinian is notable because he holds international acclaim."

"Why must a Palestinian’s intellectual recognition be the basis for solidarity? Why does the global media insist on highlighting that Ballal is an Oscar-winning filmmaker?

"This kind of solidarity, grounded in fame or intellectual achievement, dangerously aligns with colonial patterns of recognition. It reproduces the logic that some lives — those legible to Western audiences — are more grievable, more shocking to violate, and more worthy of defense."

#WestBank #HamdanBallal
@palestine@lemmy.ml @palestine@a.gup.pe

Must a Palestinian have an Oscar for the world to care about him?

We can't accept the rules of recognition set by those that dispossess us, especially that our success is what makes us worthy of protection.

^{Jonathan Adler (+972 Magazine)}