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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Farran Smith Nehme 🇱🇧 @selfstyledsiren.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My friend @josephfahim.bsky.social's sweeping, eloquent review of NAZA covers points I haven't seen made elsewhere. I'm seeing NAZA on Saturday in a sold-out Alice Tully Hall, which also speaks volumes. www.middleeasteye.net/discover/naz...

middleeasteye.net

NAZA review: Portrait of Israel as a nation stuck in a moral abyss

Testimonies from military and intelligence whistleblowers debunk myths about the reasons behind the Gaza genocide

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

No other film you'll see this year will offer you more contemptible male characters than Valeska Grisebach's latest. Takes a while to get going but ultimately grips you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN_w...

youtube.com

DAS GETRÄUMTE ABENTEUER | Trailer OmU | Ab 24. September im Kino

YouTube video by Piffl Medien

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On the ethical dimension of Naza's aesthetics, why it's not for Arabs, and why the argument about rehabilitation of Israeli cinema is nonsensical. My lengthy review of Naza, the most dangerous film of the post-October 7 era. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/naz...

middleeasteye.net

NAZA review: Portrait of Israel as a nation stuck in a moral abyss

Testimonies from military and intelligence whistleblowers debunk myths about the reasons behind the Gaza genocide

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It's very on the nose, didactic in parts, and some segments are too outlandish to digest, but there's a lot of food for thought in here about how German self-superiority and how the legal system is wired against non-white Germans. Recommended. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbet...

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STAATSSCHUTZ Trailer German Deutsch (2026)

YouTube video by KinoCheck

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I will write about this in time, but I can't be excited about this given a) the obvious staunch censorship and b) the UAE's very cosy relationship with Isr@el. www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture...

thenationalnews.com

Dubai International Film Festival to return in December 2027 after decade-long break | The National

Mona Al Marri calls the revived event a new step in developing the film industry

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In my dispatch from #Venezia83, I wrote about how the American economic system has spawned a new breed of monsters, each of whom has wielded it in their own image to augment their powers. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social Up next: my full review on Naza. www.middleeasteye.net/discover/ven...

middleeasteye.net

Venice Film Festival 2026: American monsters dominate the 83rd edition

Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk were the focus of two stand-out movies, and despite neither being American-born, they owe their success to its culture

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Friends in #Tiff: Go watch Thirteen in Gaza, the first narrative feature made in Gaza by a Gazan filmmaker since October 7. It's bold, unpolished, & will certainly upset a lot of people. It's also very essential. Premieres tonight. My review soon. tiff.net/films/thirte...

tiff.net

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Neither mayor of Venice nor Italian media & MPs objected to his accusations that Italy is complicit in the genocide! In all seriousness,we all know that it could've never premiered in Berlin & all hell would've broken loose in Germany with this speech. #Venezia83 www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfe...

aljazeera.com

Gaza genocide documentary ‘NAZA’ wins Special Jury Prize at Venice

‘NAZA’, a documentary about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, has won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Been bombarded with tons of comments about Naza by folks who haven't seen the film. To each his own of course, but I just find it highly problematic and intellectually unsound forming opinions on reviews and reports on a movie YOU HAVEN'T FUCKIN WATCHED! youtube.com/shorts/COAwW...

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Directors of NAZA documentary about Israeli surveillance and killing in Gaza present their movie

YouTube video by Middle East Eye

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The most damning document of Israel since October 7. A clear-headed act of moral bravely from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Daring, unvarnished, and ultimately enraging. The one film in #Venezia83 that left me shaken. Full review soon. #Naza youtu.be/7-nTtmRbqDA?...

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“Naza” Gaza Documentary Press Conference Held at Venice Film Festival | DWS News | AA14

YouTube video by DWS News

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

It doesn't give you a lot if you’ve been following him closely, and could've been an hour shorter. But it's very compelling; very watchable; and downright damning. It also has the most unsettling ending of any movie this year. #Musk #Venezia83 www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYws...

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Musk | Official Teaser | Bleecker Street

YouTube video by Musk

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

There's Jan 6 in there. Trump. China. Gaza. India. More Gaza. And even Egypt. Didn't expect it to be as intensively political as it is. My favourite entry of the series. #Venezia83 www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mtW...

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Venezia 83: THE PERVERT'S GUIDE TO UTOPIAS (Venice Open Film on Films)

YouTube video by Fred Film Radio

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The best film in #Venezia83 competition and the surefire Golden Lion winner. Lee Chang-dong's most politically barbed film to date. The richest character study of any film you'll see this year. A masterful picture by one of the greatest living filmmakers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd3q...

youtube.com

Possible Love | Official Trailer | Netflix

YouTube video by Netflix

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

"The Basics of Philosophy" is what happens when an octogenarian Calvinist discovers gender fluidity, combines it with catholic guilt, tries to make sense of both, and eventually gives up. Also, the man knows jackshit about Spinoza! #Venezia83 youtu.be/Jy1pkLuVgaE?...

youtu.be

The Basics of Philosophy new clip official from Venice Film Festival 2026

YouTube video by The Upcoming

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

For my money, the best Arab film of the year and the most gripping portrait of post-2019 Lebanese revolution Beirut made thus far. Electrifying. . More soon in my @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social reports. #Venezia83 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu_n...

youtube.com

FURIES - Exclusive First Clip

YouTube video by Le Pacte International

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A couple of intriguing characters in search for a story in one of Herzog's most pointless films to date. And no, I couldn't go along with this ride. The Mara sisters are great though. #Venezia83 www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZN...

youtube.com

BUCKING FASTARD (2026) - Official First Look Clip - HanWay Films

YouTube video by HanWay Films

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Many will complain that it lets Rupert Murdoch off the hook or that it's not critical enough, but that's missing the point of the picture.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

On the Middle Eastern films of this year's Locarno, Manal Issa's brilliant comeback performance, Alessandra Sanguinetti's moving speech on Palestine, & what happened at the heated discussion of 'Revolutionaries Never Die'. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/loc...

middleeasteye.net

Locarno Film Festival 2026: Palestine, Iran and Gaza's genocide continue to dominate debate

The 79th iteration of the iconic festival took place in Switzerland between 5 and 15 August

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

A penetrating study of the moral price of what happens when a divided place and people decide to move on. Reverberates beyond Germany and World War II. Pawlikowski's most affecting and least fatalistic film to date, and my favorite of his. youtu.be/-I2-X9v-ogs?...

youtu.be

FATHERLAND | Official Trailer | Only in Theaters October 23

YouTube video by MUBI

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Friends on the East Coast, Al Bustaan and I are thrilled to host a special screening of Tarik Saleh's "The Nile Hilton Incident," tomorrow, August 20, at our premise in South Philadelphia. www.albustanseeds.org/events/film-...

albustanseeds.org

FILM SCREENING : THE NILE HILTON INCIDENT — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Film Screening : The Nile Hilton Incident

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I'm done with Almodovar. What an utterly disposable, self-indulgent, pointless pic. Not as embarrassing as "The Room Next Door," but close...so close. With 'Bitter Christmas,' Almodovar has reached a new peak of irrelevance. One big shrug of a movie. youtu.be/7PgPkSpuYpY?...

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BITTER CHRISTMAS | Official US Teaser (2026)

YouTube video by Sony Pictures Classics

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Thrilled for Manal's much-deserved best actress win at #Locarno for "L'estive",a sensitive, deeply-felt,& brilliantly calibrated performance that ranks as the best of her career.A great comeback in one of the very few solid Middle Eastern pics of 2026. www.youtube.com/shorts/ztaNr...

youtube.com

MANAL ISSA wins best performance at Locarno and talks about Palestine & Lebanon.

YouTube video by Frank Barat

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Brad @bradwhipple.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

mass layoffs at Pixar despite Toy Story 5 about to cross $1 billion at the box office. there is simply no amount of money that will make corporations happy enough to not upend people’s lives.

variety.com

Pixar Bears Brunt of Disney Studio Layoffs as Company Axes Several Hundred Staffers

Pixar Animation Studios, despite riding high on the success of summer blockbuster "Toy Story 5," was hit particularly hard in a wave of corporatewide layoffs at Disney.

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Sight and Sound magazine @sightsoundmag.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

“[Ben] Rivers has produced his most hopeful feature to date: a film suggesting that, to see, feel, and absorb this newly refurbished world, one must adopt unknowing eyes” @josephfahim.bsky.social reviews Mare’s Nest www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

bfi.org.uk

Mare’s Nest review: Ben Rivers’ most hopeful film

Ben Rivers' Mare's Nest stars Moon Guo Barker as a young wanderer moving through a post-apocalyptic landscape shaped by myth and change.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The most revolutionary, most original Arab composer and songwriter of the past half century. The man who singlehandedly changed Arab music, introducing funk, disco, electronica,and jazz and mold them into uniquely Egyptian sound. RIP. One of the greats. english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/...

english.ahram.org.eg

Legendary Egyptian composer Hany Shenouda dies at 83 - Music - Arts & Culture

Legendary Egyptian composer and arranger Hany Shenouda passed away on 20 July at the age of 83.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Two months ago, Arab-American relatives told me to "stop criticizing the U.S. and get the hell out of here" when I objected over the country's handling of the #WorldCup. The resultant piece is reflection what this violent exchange says about America. www.middleeasteye.net/discover/how...

middleeasteye.net

How the World Cup brought out the best and worst of America

Football's message has always been rooted in egalitarianism, but our writer says the US has left a very noticeable mark on the world's most popular sporting event

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Alrighty folks. For our July film night, Al Bustan and I are thrilled to host a special screening of "Sleepless Nights " one of the foundational Lebanese Civil War documents by Lebanon's finest documentarian, Eliane Raheb, on July 16 at 6 pm in South Philly. www.albustanseeds.org/events/film-...

albustanseeds.org

FILM SCREENING : SLEEPLESS NIGHTS — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Film Screening : Sleepless Nights

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Asad and Seven Dogs:Two strikingly different visions of what an Arab blockbuster should be:a clash between flawed, ambition undermined by political timidity, and Turki Al-Sheikh's grand Saudi project of "Show me the money!" For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/sev...

middleeasteye.net

Asad versus 7 Dogs: Two starkly different movies compete to be the summer Arab blockbuster

A historical epic takes on a Bad Boys style action romp in what our critic describes as the Barbenheimer of Arab cinema

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Sight and Sound magazine @sightsoundmag.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Georgian director Alexandre Koberidze invites us to try a new way of seeing with a low-res road movie shot on a 2008 Sony Ericsson phone. Joseph Fahim reviews Dry Leaf. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

bfi.org.uk

Dry Leaf review: Blurred it through the grapevine

Georgian director Alexandre Koberidze invites us to try a new way of seeing in a subdued low-tech portrait of a post-Soviet nation between two worlds, shot on a 2008 Sony Ericsson phone.

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

🏳️‍🌈 Ms. Marya E. Gates 🦩 @oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

just gonna reply here to remind people I worked at Netflix, was in filmmaker meetings, have seen a lot of things I wish I hadn't. I'm sure it's the same at every studio, but the Netflixspeak will always get under my skin.

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

🏳️‍🌈 Ms. Marya E. Gates 🦩 @oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

is that not just called lying???

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Alrighty folks. My big interview with Tarik Saleh on the legacy of his Cairo trilogy, the critical backlash in the Arab World, and why he's not planning to abandon Egypt anytime soon. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/vis...

middleeasteye.net

A vision of dissent: Tarik Saleh on his acclaimed Cairo trilogy

Saleh talks to Middle East Eye about his series that started with the film The Nile Hilton Incident, which premiered around the time of the 2011 revolution

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Now that Cannes is over, I need to blurt this out. Reason why I didn't go because there was nothing for me to do in there. Three Arab features, all about wars, poverty, refugees, and oppressive patriarchy. The same shit that has been done to death over the past 30 years.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

It took me a while to get to it, but here it is. My review of Tarik Saleh's 'Eagles of the Republic' - the concluding part of his Cairo trilogy - is published in the June issue of @sightsoundmag.bsky.social . Out now in stores. Only available in print for now. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

bfi.org.uk

Sight and Sound: the June 2026 issue

On the cover: Marilyn Monroe at 100 Inside the issue: the fifth anniversary of the Black Film Bulletin’s return to print; At the movies with Guillermo del Toro; Brazilian cinema in focus; Scanners I...

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I took a look at the post-October 7 Israeli cinema, placing under the microscope five recent films including Nadav Lapid's "Yes", Amber Fares' "Coexistence, My Ass!" and Assaf Machnes's "Where To?" My latest. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/aft...

middleeasteye.net

After 7 October: Five Israeli films that try to address the Palestinian elephant in the room

Israeli cinema is slowly developing a pariah status on the festival circuit but these films try to take a critical stance on the state’s treatment of Palestinians

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

In my April Cinema, Etcetera column,I wrote about the unheralded success of Egyptian blockbuster "Bershama" at the US box-office,the resistance of the Western film establishment to Arab comedies, and the importance of showing and studying mainstream Arab pics. www.albustanseeds.org/news/arabcom...

albustanseeds.org

Cinema, Etcetera | Why Does the West Ignore Arab Comedies? — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

By Joseph Fahim “Comedy doesn’t translate,” distributors and curators insist; cultural specificity, local pop culture references and the very rhythm and tone of humor are seen as impossible to uni...

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

albustanseeds.org

Cinema, Etcetera | Why Does the West Ignore Arab Comedies? — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Mark Cousins @markcousinsfilm.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

After the war in Iran mess, rise in living costs, ICE urban assaults, blasphemous posts on socials, criminalisation of many working people, insiders lining their pockets, Trump approval ratings are 33-36%. 1 in 3 americans are making their lives, and those of millions in other countries, worse.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

It took me took two month to watch more than 50 Arabic series shown in this year's Ramadan series in what is always the most painful assignment of the year! Happy to confirm that this was the worst Ramadan season in recent memory!

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

For our April screening of Cinema, Etcetera, Al Bustan & I are hosting the anthology 'Khartoum,' the most essential document about the current war in Sudan made thus far. Join us in our Philadelphia headquarters,310 Master St, this Friday,April 17 at 6 pm. www.albustanseeds.org/events/khart...

albustanseeds.org

Film Screening: KHARTOUM — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Film Screening part of Al-Bustan’s Cinema Etcetera Series

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Reposted by Joseph Fahim

Farran Smith Nehme 🇱🇧 @selfstyledsiren.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Swear to the almighty I'll vote for whoever primaries this fool in '28. WhoEVER. The first Uber driver willing to take me to JFK. The oldest cat at Brooklyn ACC. Either one of the nesting doves in our backyard, I don't CARE. If he survives a primary I'll write in Nan Goldin, I am DONE.

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

For my March 'Cinema, Etcetera' column at Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, I wrote about the Oscars, the Berlinale, the growing chasm between German and American media, and the hierarchy of political speeches at awards ceremonies. www.albustanseeds.org/news/awardss...

albustanseeds.org

Cinema, Etcetera | The Oscars and Berlinale Show the Limits on Political Speeches at Awards Ceremonies — Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

By Joseph Fahim Film, however politically explicit, can rarely match the immediacy of a speech. Unlike cinema, which, no matter how direct, remains open to interpretation, a speech is an unambiguo...

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

As someone who lost his father at a young age, this was a very tough watch. And once again, I cried my eyes out. A new peak for Nigerian cinema. www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IC...

youtube.com

MY FATHER’S SHADOW | Official Trailer | In Theaters Now

YouTube video by MUBI

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Joseph Fahim @josephfahim.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

On the aftermath of the #Berlinale + reviews of several Middle Eastern films, including Golden Bear winner "Yellow Letters," silver Bear winner "Salvation" and "Chronicles of a Siege" among others. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/ber...

middleeasteye.net

Berlinale 2026: Arab and Turkish filmmakers deliver strong line-up despite Gaza controversy

Palestinian-Syrian director Abdallah al-Khatib ruffled the feathers of the German elite with his passionate defence of the Palestinian cause

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