Trending News:IRGC says Iran started its Operation True Promise 26 by launching missiles and drones against IsraelIran Halts Attacks on Neighboring States Unless…Iranian govt spokesman: 30% of victims are children; 165 of them killed among 1300 civilians who died by US/Israeli bombingWhite House: ‘We destroyed more than 30 Iranian ships and are moving to destroying the navy completely’White House: ‘We Have 4 to 6 Weeks to End The Military Operations in Iran’IRGC: Iran Has Not Closed The Hormuz Strait Except to Ships Linked to Israel/USAHezbollah Launches 18 Rockets on IsraelOil Prices Soar Past $90 Per BarrelOver 10,000 Flee Israel Since The WarThe US General Who Swallowed His Own TruthUS/Israel Used 3000 Missiles in First 36 Hours of WarTrump: ‘Sending Ground Troops to Iran a ‘Waste of Time’Trump Calls Israeli President a ‘Disgrace’Iran’s Red Crescent: 1332 civilians killed since the start of US-Israeli war on IranIsraeli Media: Sirens Go Off in Tel Aviv300 Oil Tankers Stand at Mouth of Gulf Avoiding Hormuz Strait – Iranian MediaIRGC: USS Abraham Lincoln Struck by Drones in Sea‘They Don’t Know Iran’s Military Lexicon’: First Six Days of The AggressionAnalysis: Why Did Hezbollah Enter This War?‘…We Are Waiting For Them,’ Araghchi Says in Reference to a Ground InvasionWar and The Blame GameIranian Media: Iran Lunched 500 Ballistic, Cruise Missiles and 2000 Drones Since The War StartBoP and The Lurking Devil!Qatar Evacuates Residents Near US EmbassyUS/Israeli War on Iran Enters 6th DayIranian Military Source: ‘If US/Israel moves to topple the regime we will strike Dimona’Al Arabiya: 100,000 Israelis evacuated from the north…Israeli Army: The Israeli airforce dropped 5000 bombs on Iran since the war startedIsraeli Source: 4000-5000 calls made daily between US/Israeli staff to coordinate Iran strikesAn Israeli Official Told Channel 13: ‘We made a wrong assessment…didn’t think Hezbollah could fire missile to far away places’Hezbollah Targets Central IsraelIran/Hezbollah Launch Dual Strikes on Tel AvivIran War Costs US Forces $779 million on 1st DayScott Ritter: US Strikes on Iran is a FailureGulf War: Slipping Into The QuagmireWar Hysteria!War Goes BadlyUS/Israel Attack Natanz Nuclear Site Twice52 Killed in Israeli Strikes on LebanonJordan: Police Answers 133 Calls of Falling DebrisIRGC: Iran Shoots Down 29 Drones800 Targets Struck in Iran – KanIsrael Airforce Makes 1000 SortiesIranian Strike Injures 17 Israelis in BeershebaUS Aircraft Crash in Kuwait In Tel Aviv 200 Buildings Destroyed – Media SourcesRemember GazaIran Targets Office of Israeli PMIsrael Admits to 2 Deaths, 456 InjuredIsrael Paralyzes The West Bank Via its Security BarriersLarijani: Iran Will Not Negotiate With The USIranian Missiles Roam The SkiesAli Khamenei Killed in US-Israeli StrikesIran Strikes Israel 200 Times on Day 1 of WarJordan Police: 73 Reports of Falling DebrisErdogan: Region Could Become a ‘Ring of Fire’100,000 Perform Friday Prayers in Al AqsaAyatollah Khamenei is Alive & Well – FM AraghchiUN Condemns US/Israel Attacks on IranMiddle East at WarIsrael Killed Two-thirds of Journalists Globally – RCBJ eportHammering The UN?Tehran is Ready For Nuclear Accord – Deputy FMExpert: Iran Gets Ready For an Imminent AttackCan USS Gerald R. Ford be Sunk?Tucker Carlson: “I wish I lived among people who pray to God five times a day…”Israel’s Next AI Solution to GazaWhen The Knights Start Falling: A View From Amman50,000 Perform Isha, Taraweeh Prayers in Al AqsaBarghouti: ‘Huckabee Should Resign For US Credibility’Expert Slams Huckabee’s Remarks on Israel’s Right to The Middle EastIsrael Has a “Right” to The Middle East – US EnvoyWelcome RamadanOIC Condemns US Envoy Views on Israel’s Rights in MideastWounders of ArabicWhy Did Israel Detain Media Guru Tucker Carlson?Israel gives Hamas 60 Days to Disarm or Else!Israel Kills Over 1000 Sports PersonsOnly 726 Bodies Recovered 4 Months After The Ceasefire9,500 Missing Under The Rubble in Gaza‘Dignifying Martyrs’ Aims to Recover Bodies From The RubbleIsrael Kills 12 Palestinians in GazaIsraeli Soldier Admits to Killing, Sexual Violance LivestreamPNA Slams Israeli ‘State Land’ Decision as Defacto AnnexationDad Digs For Family After Israel Bombs Their HouseWhen Will ‘Technical Committe’ be Allowed to Enter Gaza?Albanese, Netanyahu and Eleanor RooseveltOver 50,000 Foreigners Serve in The Israeli ArmyGaza Beach Painting Relieves War TraumasThe Epstein Triangle: A View From AmmanTrump’s War Through PoliticsGerman Visit to Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ SlammedHelen Thomas: ‘Fed up With Israel’Gaza Readies For ‘Sweet’ RamadanNetanyahu Leaves Washington Empty-HandedTop Writer Says ‘No’ to BerlinaleIsraeli Soldiers Attack Al Jazeera News CrewSaudi FM: Stop The Killings in Gaza80K Make The Friday Prayers in Al AqsaAlbanese: ‘I Will Not Resign’
Trending News:IRGC says Iran started its Operation True Promise 26 by launching missiles and drones against IsraelIran Halts Attacks on Neighboring States Unless…Iranian govt spokesman: 30% of victims are children; 165 of them killed among 1300 civilians who died by US/Israeli bombingWhite House: ‘We destroyed more than 30 Iranian ships and are moving to destroying the navy completely’White House: ‘We Have 4 to 6 Weeks to End The Military Operations in Iran’IRGC: Iran Has Not Closed The Hormuz Strait Except to Ships Linked to Israel/USAHezbollah Launches 18 Rockets on IsraelOil Prices Soar Past $90 Per BarrelOver 10,000 Flee Israel Since The WarThe US General Who Swallowed His Own TruthUS/Israel Used 3000 Missiles in First 36 Hours of WarTrump: ‘Sending Ground Troops to Iran a ‘Waste of Time’Trump Calls Israeli President a ‘Disgrace’Iran’s Red Crescent: 1332 civilians killed since the start of US-Israeli war on IranIsraeli Media: Sirens Go Off in Tel Aviv300 Oil Tankers Stand at Mouth of Gulf Avoiding Hormuz Strait – Iranian MediaIRGC: USS Abraham Lincoln Struck by Drones in Sea‘They Don’t Know Iran’s Military Lexicon’: First Six Days of The AggressionAnalysis: Why Did Hezbollah Enter This War?‘…We Are Waiting For Them,’ Araghchi Says in Reference to a Ground InvasionWar and The Blame GameIranian Media: Iran Lunched 500 Ballistic, Cruise Missiles and 2000 Drones Since The War StartBoP and The Lurking Devil!Qatar Evacuates Residents Near US EmbassyUS/Israeli War on Iran Enters 6th DayIranian Military Source: ‘If US/Israel moves to topple the regime we will strike Dimona’Al Arabiya: 100,000 Israelis evacuated from the north…Israeli Army: The Israeli airforce dropped 5000 bombs on Iran since the war startedIsraeli Source: 4000-5000 calls made daily between US/Israeli staff to coordinate Iran strikesAn Israeli Official Told Channel 13: ‘We made a wrong assessment…didn’t think Hezbollah could fire missile to far away places’Hezbollah Targets Central IsraelIran/Hezbollah Launch Dual Strikes on Tel AvivIran War Costs US Forces $779 million on 1st DayScott Ritter: US Strikes on Iran is a FailureGulf War: Slipping Into The QuagmireWar Hysteria!War Goes BadlyUS/Israel Attack Natanz Nuclear Site Twice52 Killed in Israeli Strikes on LebanonJordan: Police Answers 133 Calls of Falling DebrisIRGC: Iran Shoots Down 29 Drones800 Targets Struck in Iran – KanIsrael Airforce Makes 1000 SortiesIranian Strike Injures 17 Israelis in BeershebaUS Aircraft Crash in Kuwait In Tel Aviv 200 Buildings Destroyed – Media SourcesRemember GazaIran Targets Office of Israeli PMIsrael Admits to 2 Deaths, 456 InjuredIsrael Paralyzes The West Bank Via its Security BarriersLarijani: Iran Will Not Negotiate With The USIranian Missiles Roam The SkiesAli Khamenei Killed in US-Israeli StrikesIran Strikes Israel 200 Times on Day 1 of WarJordan Police: 73 Reports of Falling DebrisErdogan: Region Could Become a ‘Ring of Fire’100,000 Perform Friday Prayers in Al AqsaAyatollah Khamenei is Alive & Well – FM AraghchiUN Condemns US/Israel Attacks on IranMiddle East at WarIsrael Killed Two-thirds of Journalists Globally – RCBJ eportHammering The UN?Tehran is Ready For Nuclear Accord – Deputy FMExpert: Iran Gets Ready For an Imminent AttackCan USS Gerald R. Ford be Sunk?Tucker Carlson: “I wish I lived among people who pray to God five times a day…”Israel’s Next AI Solution to GazaWhen The Knights Start Falling: A View From Amman50,000 Perform Isha, Taraweeh Prayers in Al AqsaBarghouti: ‘Huckabee Should Resign For US Credibility’Expert Slams Huckabee’s Remarks on Israel’s Right to The Middle EastIsrael Has a “Right” to The Middle East – US EnvoyWelcome RamadanOIC Condemns US Envoy Views on Israel’s Rights in MideastWounders of ArabicWhy Did Israel Detain Media Guru Tucker Carlson?Israel gives Hamas 60 Days to Disarm or Else!Israel Kills Over 1000 Sports PersonsOnly 726 Bodies Recovered 4 Months After The Ceasefire9,500 Missing Under The Rubble in Gaza‘Dignifying Martyrs’ Aims to Recover Bodies From The RubbleIsrael Kills 12 Palestinians in GazaIsraeli Soldier Admits to Killing, Sexual Violance LivestreamPNA Slams Israeli ‘State Land’ Decision as Defacto AnnexationDad Digs For Family After Israel Bombs Their HouseWhen Will ‘Technical Committe’ be Allowed to Enter Gaza?Albanese, Netanyahu and Eleanor RooseveltOver 50,000 Foreigners Serve in The Israeli ArmyGaza Beach Painting Relieves War TraumasThe Epstein Triangle: A View From AmmanTrump’s War Through PoliticsGerman Visit to Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ SlammedHelen Thomas: ‘Fed up With Israel’Gaza Readies For ‘Sweet’ RamadanNetanyahu Leaves Washington Empty-HandedTop Writer Says ‘No’ to BerlinaleIsraeli Soldiers Attack Al Jazeera News CrewSaudi FM: Stop The Killings in Gaza80K Make The Friday Prayers in Al AqsaAlbanese: ‘I Will Not Resign’
Embroidery is present in many cultures around the world and in our region. It is not exclusive to Palestine.
However, Palestinian embroidery is distinguished by its richness in artistic and formative aspects, and its connection to the local landscape. Palestinian women imitated the diverse and rich nature surrounding them.
The economic and cultural situation, along with the cultural and civilizational depth in Palestine, also contributed to this artistic richness in Palestinian embroidery. The photo shows women from Birzeit in everyday dress. From my book in Arabic (Queens of Silk, 2010)
Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.
Top Indian writer Arundhati Roy has pulled out of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) after criticizing “unconscionable statements” by members of the festival jury, who said that art should not be political when asked about the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Roy had been scheduled to attend a screening of her 1989 film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones in the Classics section of Berlinale 2026.
In a strongly worded statement, Roy said the selection of the film had initially filled her with warmth and nostalgia. She noted that she had long felt disturbed by the positions of the German government and several cultural institutions on Palestine. Still, she said she had consistently received solidarity from German audiences when speaking about Gaza, which encouraged her to consider attending the festival.
However, Roy said she changed her decision after hearing comments from members of the Berlinale jury earlier that day.
“Like millions of people across the world, I heard the unconscionable statements made by members of the jury of the Berlin film festival when they were asked to comment about the genocide in Gaza,” Roy wrote.
She described labeling the genocide a political issue then insisting that art should remain separate from politics as “jaw-dropping.” She added that such framing shuts down urgent conversations about a crime against humanity.
Roy stated clearly in her message that she believes events in Gaza amount to genocide against Palestinians by Israel. She further added that the United States and Germany, along with several European governments, support and fund Israel and therefore share responsibility.
“If the greatest film makers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them,” she wrote, adding that she felt “shocked and disgusted.”
Roy concluded her statement by confirming that, “with deep regret,” she would not attend the Berlinale.
The controversy emerged after journalists asked Berlinale jury members to comment on the genocide in Gaza and Germany’s support for Israel, which also funds the festival.
Polish producer Ewa Puszczyńska, a member of the jury, refused to answer.
“There are many other wars where genocide is committed, and we do not talk about that,” Puszczyńska said. She described the issue as “complex” and claimed that it was unfair to ask jury members to comment on government policies.
Roy’s withdrawal adds to rising tensions within European cultural spaces over the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Artists, writers, and filmmakers have increasingly debated whether cultural platforms should take political positions. – Quds News Network
Broadcaster Rami Al-Sharafi works on a laptop inside the damaged Zaman FM radio station building in Gaza, marking what may seem an unlikely return to the airwaves amid the rubble of the deadly two-year Israel-Hamas war.
While 23 local radio stations were operating in Gaza before the conflict erupted, they were all destroyed and ceased broadcasting, he told UN News.
“Today, we are the only radio station broadcasting on FM from within Gaza after this widespread destruction,” he said. “We hope that other local radio stations will resume broadcasting, thus allowing competition in providing media services to the people of the Gaza Strip.”
Ahead of World Radio Day, observed on 13 February, the resumption of broadcasting comes at a time when Gaza’s media infrastructure still faces significant challenges amid local and international calls to support journalism as part of broader recovery and reconstruction efforts in the sector.
UN News
A journalist works in the damaged office of Zaman 90.60 FM radio station in Gaza City.
Digging through the rubble
After a hiatus of nearly two years due to the war, some local radio stations in the Gaza Strip are transmitting again, in a move showing gradual efforts to revive the media landscape in the war-ravaged Strip – much of which has suffered widespread destruction of infrastructure and civilian institutions from Israeli attacks.
Zaman FM operates in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, where Israeli attacks triggered a famine and left mountains of debris in the streets.
The cracked walls of the station’s building tell a story of immense destruction and the scene inside is unlike any other radio studio in the world.
Employees dig through the rubble to keep the station broadcasting, working with minimal technical resources while behind them, awareness posters warn people of the dangers of dilapidated buildings.
On-air messages of hope
Local radio remains vital in Gaza as humanitarian crises persist, power outages continue and access to other media remains limited. This makes radio one of the most effective ways of getting key messages out to the public, along with health guidance and information about other services.
Gaza is in dire need of professional local radio stations capable of broadcasting awareness messages and guidance bulletins in light of the spread of diseases, the deterioration of the education system and the disruption of many basic services, said Mr. Al-Sharafi, director of the radio station and host of the morning programme, An Hour of Time.
“We need to deliver information to the population and guide them to the services that have stopped and are gradually being resumed,” he said, “especially in light of the difficult health conditions and the spread of epidemics.”
Amid the destruction all around, Mr. Al-Sharafi sits behind his dust-covered microphone and does just that.
He sends morning greetings to Gaza residents and provides them with important information and updates, bringing some much-needed hope to the airwaves across a devastated landscape that has only just begun to recover – UN News
CrossFireArabia
