Gaza’s Catch-22s
Khaled Diab, author of Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, meditates on the implacable illogic of the Gaza-Israel stalemate.
Latest Reviews
Making a Film in Gaza
The screenwriter and would-be director of Gaza Airport recounts her struggle to make a feature film in Gaza.
Gaza IS Palestine
Jenine Abboushi recalls family histories and lifelong friendships linking Gaza with Ramallah, Jenin and Jerusalem.
A Response to “Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” 2014-15
California poet and activist Tony Litwinko reacts to the painted images in "Gaza: Mowing the Lawn" from Jaime Scholnick.
“Gaza: Mowing the Lawn” by Artist Jaime Scholnick
Art critic Sagi Refael reviews painted images from the 2014 Gaza war that he calls "one of the most significant politically-charged art series of recent years."
In Retrospect: An American Educator in Gaza
A native Californian of Arab heritage finds herself returning to Gaza again and again to teach promising students at Al Azhar University.
The Diplomats’ Quarter: Wasta of the Palestinian Authority
Author and attorney Raja Shehadeh recounts the legend of Ramallah's ritzy neighborhood, designed for heroes of the Palestinian Authority.
Wasta on Steroids: Speculative Finance & the Housing Market
Mischa Geracoulis discovers the film Push and explores the incredible greed and inequity of the speculative housing market.
“Pakistani Bureaucrats & The Booze Permit”—a story by Tariq Mehmood
Novelist and filmmaker Tariq Mehmood weaves a tale of wasta, women and booze in Rawalpindi.
In Tunisia, Wasta Kills When It Comes to Covid-19
Our correspondent in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reports on the vaccination crisis exacerbated by wasta.
Wasta Tawla, or how the Wastafarians Fared at Fawda
Bethlehem chef Fadi Kattan recalls the disaster of wasta leading up to Christmas Eve at Fawda restaurant.
Lebanon’s Wasta Has Contributed to the Country’s Collapse
Novelist Samir El-Youssef recalls adolescent challenges and more recent experience where wasta was a necessity.
Vitamin W: The Power of Wasta Squared
In which C.S. Layla, the American daughter of a Jordanian professor, remembers life and wasta in the old country.
Lebanese Oppose Corruption with a Game of Wasta
Victoria Schneider reports from Beirut on the new Wasta board game that satirizes corruption in Lebanon.
Syria’s Ruling Elite— A Master Class in Wasta
Lawrence Joffe on how the al-Assad and Makhlouf families have mastered the art of control and corruption in a country decimated by a decade of war.