"Photography has long served to trivialize the atrocities of war," writes anthropologist Sophia Goodfriend, and not just in Israel and Gaza but everywhere now that smartphones are commonplace on the battlefield. (Be advised: There are images of violence in this article.)
Tracing 75 years of Israeli war photography, an anthropologist explains how images that reframe disproportionate violence as proof of victory have intensified in the war on Gaza that erupted in 2023.
Throughout the genocide, IDF soldiers have looted the homes and belongings of Palestinians. There are videos online of soldiers rummaging through boxes of clothing and jewelry in destroyed homes. In a Facebook group, an Israeli woman posted a photo of a plastic bag full of makeup, with a caption asking what she should do with the “gifts from Gaza” that her husband, an IDF soldier, brought back for her.
Eyeshadow palettes and underwear: these objects have intimate relationships with their wearers, and that’s what makes it insidiously violative to loot as a “gift” or “trophy.” This perverse practice of stealing Palestinian women’s personal objects—objects that touch a skin, a body—and treating them as “souvenirs” of conquest to gift to their wives is a form of sexual violence. The production and circulation of these images among the Israeli military is a tactic to perpetuate violence against Palestinian bodies, beyond and without physical contact.
Israeli Soldiers Loot Cosmetics, Rugs, Motorbikes from Gaza Homes, Upload Videos on Social Media
In November, Palestinian singer Hamada Nasrallah was shocked to discover a TikTok of a soldier playing the guitar that his father had bought him 15 years earlier.
To maintain colonial hegemony, you need consensus, not only physical domination. Israel lost the consensus it had for so long, & it knows it. This shows that decolonization isn’t only a material & physical act of resistance but also one that changes the hearts & minds of people.
TRT World on Instagram: "Famous American photographer and activist Nan Goldin opened her exhibition in Germany’s Berlin by condemning Israel’s war on Gaza and criticising Germany for ignoring anti-Muslim hate."
11K likes, 232 comments - trtworld on November 24, 2024: "Famous American photographer and activist Nan Goldin opened her exhibition in Germany’s Berlin by condemning Israel’s war on Gaza and criticising Germany for ignoring anti-Muslim hate.".
Khaled Tabasha on Instagram: "A specialized Israeli military unit entered the city of Khiam in Lebanon but subsequently lost communication. According to some reports, Israeli forces may have killed their own soldiers to prevent their capture by resi$t-@nce forces attempting to apprehend them. Israel has refused to share any news about the incident."
2,684 likes, 164 comments - khaledtabasha on November 23, 2024: "A specialized Israeli military unit entered the city of Khiam in Lebanon but subsequently lost communication. According to some reports, Israeli forces may have killed their own soldiers to prevent their capture by resi$t-@nce forces attempting to apprehend them. Israel has refused to share any news about the incident.".
The Electronic Intifada on Instagram: "In his resistance report, contributing editor Jon Elmer provides the latest news on the Lebanon front. This is a segment from The Electronic Intifada's day 383 livestream. Ali Abunimah, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Jon Elmer and Asa Winstanley were joined by writer and analyst Justin Podur. The full broadcast is available to watch on YouTube, Rumble and Twitter/X, or you can listen to it on your preferred podcast."
2,292 likes, 50 comments - electronicintifada on October 29, 2024: "In his resistance report, contributing editor Jon Elmer provides the latest news on the Lebanon front. This is a segment from The Electronic Intifada's day 383 livestream. Ali Abunimah, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Jon Elmer and Asa Winstanley were joined by writer and analyst Justin Podur. The full broadcast is available to watch on YouTube, Rumble and Twitter/X, or you can listen to it on your preferred podcast.".
MintPress News on Instagram: "Elbit Systems UK loses its biggest contract worth over £2billion, as the Ministry of Defence scraps the Watchkeeper drone project The project was led by Leicester's Israeli weapons factory, UAV Tactical Systems, which has been subject to relentless community protests and direct actions carried out by activists representing Palestine Action."
5,779 likes, 130 comments - mintpress on November 22, 2024: "Elbit Systems UK loses its biggest contract worth over £2billion, as the Ministry of Defence scraps the Watchkeeper drone project The project was led by Leicester's Israeli weapons factory, UAV Tactical Systems, which has been subject to relentless community protests and direct actions carried out by activists representing Palestine Action.".
Middle East Monitor on Instagram: "Canadian writer donates $25,000 prize to causes in Palestine and Lebanon Canadian writer Madeleine Thien was awarded a $25,000 (CAD) prize by the Writers' Trust of Canada for her body of writing. To the audience's surprise, she announced she would 'return the prize money to the world', including part to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and part to the Lebanese Red Cross."
7,850 likes, 265 comments - middleeastmonitor on November 22, 2024: "Canadian writer donates $25,000 prize to causes in Palestine and Lebanon Canadian writer Madeleine Thien was awarded a $25,000 (CAD) prize by the Writers' Trust of Canada for her body of writing. To the audience's surprise, she announced she would 'return the prize money to the world', including part to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and part to the Lebanese Red Cross.".
Today, the British government scrapped a multimillion contract with Elbit Systems, key Zionist entity genocide facilitator. Palestine Action are putting their liberty if not lives at risk daily battling this company, and achieving serious results. Be humbled, and inspired.
Boycat on Instagram: "🚨 Barclays Finally Divests from Israeli Weapons Giant Elbit! 🚨 After months of relentless activism, Barclays has dumped its shares in Elbit Systems—the company arming Israel’s military.💥 Want to see what a boycott can do? Check out how Palestine Action took direct action to make this happen. This is proof that collective action works! 🙌 @pal_action"
990 likes, 12 comments - boycatapp on October 31, 2024: "🚨 Barclays Finally Divests from Israeli Weapons Giant Elbit! 🚨 After months of relentless activism, Barclays has dumped its shares in Elbit Systems—the company arming Israel’s military.💥 Want to see what a boycott can do? Check out how Palestine Action took direct action to make this happen. This is proof that collective action works! 🙌 @pal_action".
Boycat on Instagram: "🚨📉 BREAKING: Global Boycott Hits U.S. Fast Food Giants Hard! 🍔🍕🥤 From KFC to McDonald’s, major chains are feeling the pressure as global customers say NO to brands tied to injustice! Americana Restaurants, the regional powerhouse behind KFC, Pizza Hut, and more, just announced a 48% plunge in profits 😱. Starbucks? McDonald’s? They’re down too. It’s simple: the boycott is working, and every choice matters. Want to track brands and take action? 💪 Download Boycat to join the movement for a just world! 🐾"
3,205 likes, 40 comments - boycatapp on November 4, 2024: "🚨📉 BREAKING: Global Boycott Hits U.S. Fast Food Giants Hard! 🍔🍕🥤 From KFC to McDonald’s, major chains are feeling the pressure as global customers say NO to brands tied to injustice! Americana Restaurants, the regional powerhouse behind KFC, Pizza Hut, and more, just announced a 48% plunge in profits 😱. Starbucks? McDonald’s? They’re down too. It’s simple: the boycott is working, and every choice matters. Want to track brands and take action? 💪 Download Boycat to join the movement for a just world! 🐾".
Nasser Mashni on Instagram: "Be sure to share and comment. Boycotts work! The biggest win of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign! Intel, the chip maker, has halted construction of a $25B factory in Israel! Moody’s... not a coffee shop, but a ratings agency has downgraded Israel credit rating – the first time in its history... even Moody’s is now rating Israel as “negative”. Foreign investors stripped $9B from the Israeli stock market Another $4B in bonds! A senior banker says... “we are already feeling an econo0mic boycott and are becoming pariahs in some countries”... it may be some now, but it will soon be ALL! More than 80% of the start-ups in Israel reported suffering damage from the war, Over 50% of start-ups left with less than six months of cash. Angel investors dropped by 75%, every other important economic number all trending down! Mc Donalds and Starbucks taking a belting! Keep it up, keep boycotting, keep the pressure up! These are the companies we all need to t...
17K likes, 602 comments - iamthenassman on June 18, 2024: "Be sure to share and comment. Boycotts work! The biggest win of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign! Intel, the chip maker, has halted construction of a $25B factory in Israel! Moody’s... not a coffee shop, but a ratings agency has downgraded Israel credit rating – the first time in its history... even Moody’s is now rating Israel as “negative”. Foreign investors stripped $9B from the Israeli stock market Another $4B in bonds! A senior banker says... “we are already feeling an econo0mic boycott and are becoming pariahs in some countries”... it may be some now, but it will soon be ALL! More than 80% of the start-ups in Israel reported suffering damage from the war, Over 50% of start-ups left with less than six months of cash. Angel investors dropped by 75%, every other important economic number all trending down! Mc Donalds and Starbucks taking a belting! Keep it up, keep boycotting, keep the pressure up! These are the companies we all need to target. What works best is if we all boycott together... Tell your friends educate them about the boycott divestment and sanctions movement. There is a brilliant resource on the apan website apan.org.au the link is in my bio... From the river to the sea".
Jewish Voice for Peace on Instagram: "In a huge win for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, one of the world’s largest pension funds, announced it divested almost half a billion from Israel Bonds. Norway’s pension fund divested the entirety of their Israel Bond holdings. “We believe that it is entirely wrong for the Government’s foreign pension fund to invest in government bonds, which directly contribute to financing the war in a region like Gaza,” says Beckham of HK Norway, a Norwegian trade union. Israel Bonds are loans from individuals and institutions that send money directly into the Israeli government’s war chest controlled by the Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right Israeli politician and self-identified “fascist homophobe,” who openly calls for genocide and total ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Israel Bonds represent up to 25% of Israel’s foreign debt, which means that they provide critical financial support for Israel’s apartheid regime, ongoing dis...
100K likes, 991 comments - jewishvoiceforpeace on February 22, 2024: "In a huge win for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, one of the world’s largest pension funds, announced it divested almost half a billion from Israel Bonds. Norway’s pension fund divested the entirety of their Israel Bond holdings. “We believe that it is entirely wrong for the Government’s foreign pension fund to invest in government bonds, which directly contribute to financing the war in a region like Gaza,” says Beckham of HK Norway, a Norwegian trade union. Israel Bonds are loans from individuals and institutions that send money directly into the Israeli government’s war chest controlled by the Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right Israeli politician and self-identified “fascist homophobe,” who openly calls for genocide and total ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Israel Bonds represent up to 25% of Israel’s foreign debt, which means that they provide critical financial support for Israel’s apartheid regime, ongoing dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and the Israeli military’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. Just like all forms of divestment, Israel Bonds divestment is a powerful means of withdrawing financial complicity from Israeli apartheid, occupation, and genocide of Palestinians; and it’s also an opportunity to challenge the political and moral support undergirding Israeli violence and oppression such investments fund. As people of conscience, we applaud this act of solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide. As we celebrate the Norwegian Pension Fund for divesting from Israel’s settler-colonial regime, we also call on individuals and institutions invested in Israel Bonds to follow suit! Read more at jvp.org/wirenorway or at the link in our bio.".
85 Finnish organisations commit to boycott against Israel
A campaign urging Finnish businesses and organisations to declare themselves “Apartheid-Free Zones” has gained momentum, with 85 entities joining the initiative. The campaign aims to pressure Israel to adhere to international law and respect Palestinian human rights. Participants in the campaign pledge to support the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which promotes non-violent measures to oppose Israel’s policies.
Boycott Forces Starbucks Malaysia To Close 50 Stores - BusinessToday
Starbucks Malaysia, under the ownership of local licensee Berjaya Food Berhad (BFood), is facing its toughest challenge yet. The company continues to experience a steady decline in sales due to the ongoing pro-Palestinian boycott, which shows no signs of abating. The boycott is largely driven by the perception of the…
As the Genocide in Gaza Continues, Palestinian K-pop Fans Organize For Their People
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There is political murmuring across the empire to crack down on boycotting Israel. The audacity of governments to attempt to force us into consuming products drenched in blood tells us one, very loud, very clear thing: BOYCOTTS WORK
