Gaza War Spurs Political, Cultural, Human Fallout

A Tel Hai College lecturer, Ilana Hairston, drew condemnation after a Facebook post likening Israel to the Third Reich and saying it had “lost the right to exist,” prompting the college, its student union and a deputy foreign minister to denounce her remarks. Returning Israeli soldiers and Gaza veterans report enduring psychological trauma from the conflict, describing lasting, invisible wounds long after frontline service. With a shaky ceasefire in place, Palestinians are debating future leadership, and imprisoned Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti has emerged as a popular contender despite Israel labeling him a terrorist. At the Frankfurt Book Fair, Israeli and Palestinian writers — including Atef Abu Saif — spoke about using literature to salvage memory and culture amid widespread displacement and trauma. A profile of British spoken-word artist Dan Whitlam illustrated how personal storytelling and restorative justice can transform individual trauma into poetry and performance, underscoring the conflict’s wide-ranging political, cultural and human fallout.