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The Historical Reckoning: US and the Nakba Washington, DC – It is a question that reaches a fever pitch this time of year for Palestinian survivors and rights advocates: Can the United States government create just policy in the Middle East without a full accounting — or recognition — of Palestinian history? Thursday marks the annual day of remembrance for the Nakba, a period that began in 1948 with the mass expulsion of Palestinians and the creation of the state of Israel. Since then, Palestinians have endured decades of displacement and ethnic cleansing. But the US government does not recognise the Nakba, which translates to the "catastrophe" in Arabic, even as it continues to assert gargantuan influence over the region and maintains ironclad support for the Israeli government. The Nakba: A Historical Overview Under the second administration of President Donald Trump, the US has taken a further active role in Palestinian affairs, establishing the controversial "Board of Peace" to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, even as it continues to take a permissive approach towards Israel's actions in the region. When faced with the question of whether the US can responsibly address Palestinian issues without acknowledging the Nakba, Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Quincy Institute, believes the answer is simple: No. "If you only acknowledge the humanity and suffering of one side, that forces you also to ignore historical realities that are still with us today," he told Al Jazeera. Elgindy said "political amnesia" has long defined the US government's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Human Cost: Numbers and Impact For decades, the US has supported Israel with billions in foreign assistance and military aid, despite the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and a system of segregation that rights groups say constitutes apartheid. Since October 7, 2023, Israel's war in Gaza has killed at least 75,000 Palestinians. Elgindy told Al Jazeera that the US has played a key role in underwriting the conflict. "For better or worse, mostly for worse, the United States is inextricably tied to the Palestinian issue," Elgindy said. A fundamental – if long delayed – corrective step would be recognition of the Nakba, he said. "It is a historical reality that Palestinians have a collective trauma that is part of their identity and part of their political psychology." The Legislative Push: Tlaib's Resolution On Thursday, US Representative Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution to officially recognise "the ongoing Nakba and Palestinian refugees' rights". It was the fifth consecutive time she has put forward the bill, with the latest version carrying 12 co-sponsors, up from six when it was first introduced in 2022. In a video conference this week, she explained that it was necessary to draw attention to the Nakba, given that the human rights abuses against Palestinians continue. "Too many of my colleagues in Congress like to act like … the state violence against the Palestinian people began with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu," Tlaib said. "We know that Palestinian history has been one of the ongoing Nakba and the ethnic cleansing campaign since the creation [of Israel] in 1948." All told, about 750,000 Palestinians were violently expelled during the Nakba, displaced to refugee camps across the West Bank, Gaza and neighbouring Arab countries. About 400 cities and villages were depopulated, with massacres committed in Balad al-Sheikh, Saasaa, Deir Yassin, Saliha and Lydda, among others. Shifting Attitudes in American Politics Like in past years, Tlaib's latest legislative effort is largely symbolic, with little chance of progressing in Congress, which remains predominantly pro-Israel. Still, the latest resolution comes amid signs of shifting public awareness, with polls showing increasing sympathy for Palestinians and a rise in negative views towards Israel's government. Polls have shown tanking support for Israel, particularly among Democrats, amid the war in Gaza. Attitudes in Congress have also shown significant, if more incremental, signs of change. Though support for Israel was once considered sacrosanct, legislation to block arms sales to the country has garnered growing support. In April, 40 Democrats in the 100-member Senate voted to block the sale of military bulldozers to Israel, a tool in the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories. While legislation to prevent the sale did not pass, advocates hailed the tally as "historic". Thirty members of Congress also challenged the longstanding US policy of "official ambiguity" towards Israel's alleged nuclear programme, a subject that had been seen as off limits for decades. The Historical Context: From Truman to Today Even acknowledging the Nakba on the May 15 anniversary remains controversial. The United Nations held its first-ever commemoration of the Nakba in 2023, marking the 75th anniversary. The US, the United Kingdom, Germany and 30 other countries had voted against a UN resolution recognising the event, though. The US subsequently did not attend the proceedings, with a spokesperson pointing to "longstanding concerns over anti-Israel bias within the UN system". Elgindy pointed out that, in the 1940s and 50s, President Harry Truman "spoke out about the terrorism and terror inflicted by Jewish militias and underground groups", even as his government was the first to recognise the state of Israel. Truman's administration, for instance, supported UN General Assembly Resolution 194, which established a so-called "right to return" for displaced Palestinian refugees – approximately six million are registered with UNRWA today. But Elgindy explained that, broadly speaking, the US acknowledgement of the Nakba declined in parallel with an increasingly full-bore embrace of Israel, beginning most forcefully under President Lyndon B Johnson in the 1960s. The Future Outlook: Recognition and Beyond Supporters of Tlaib's resolution have argued that its significance is as much practical as symbolic. "If policymakers don't factor in the Nakba and remedying it to the extent that it can be remedied today, they're simply going to be perpetuating an unjust status quo," Ruebner said. "Without understanding the crux of the matter, it's almost like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole." The Arab Center's Munayyer agreed that recognition "sets an example for things that we should be doing, not just in terms of recognising the past but also recognising the moment". "It shouldn't take us 80 years to recognise the Nakba in Palestine, and it shouldn't take us another 80 years to recognise the genocide that's taking place in Gaza," he said.

The Resilience of a Russian Auteur in ExileDirector Andrey Zvyagintsev has defied the odds to return to the international stage. After a year-long ordeal with severe Covid-19, he is premiering his new film, 'Minotaur,' at Cannes, symbolizing the endurance of artistic expression despite personal and political adversity.Surviving the Pandemic: A 90% Lung Damage BattleZvyagintsev’s journey back to health was arduous. Stranded in a clinic in Hanover, Germany, he faced a critical health crisis.Physical Toll: Suffered from 90% lung damage and was unable to move or feel his limbs for months.Duration: Spent a total of 11 months in various hospitals.Emotional Impact: Learned of the invasion of Ukraine while paralyzed and bedridden, experiencing deep despair.Despite the paralysis, he managed to channel his anguish into his work, relearning to walk and hold a spoon before returning to film-making.The Economic and Geopolitical Cost of Artistic SilenceZvyagintsev’s nine-year absence from cinema represents a significant void in the global film landscape. As a director whose work often critiques Russian state oppression, his silence during the war in Ukraine was felt keenly by critics.Exile: He has chosen to live in France, the country that cemented his reputation with 'Leviathan' in 2014.Political Stance: His films, such as 'Leviathan' and 'Loveless,' have been interpreted as allegories for the apathy and oppression under the Putin regime.Industry Impact: Julian Graffy noted that the loss of his voice has been the most keenly felt among the new wave of directors.Cannes as a Safe Haven for Dissident VoicesThe Cannes Film Festival serves as a crucial platform for Zvyagintsev, allowing him to bypass the censorship and restrictions of his home country. His return to the red carpet is not just a personal victory but a statement on the resilience of culture.Competing for the Palme d'Or against heavyweights like Pedro Almodóvar and Asghar Farhadi, Zvyagintsev's presence underscores the festival's role in amplifying voices from regions under political duress.The Future of Russian Cinema in the WestZvyagintsev’s return suggests a potential resurgence of Russian cinema outside of Russia. As artists face the choice between exile and silence, the international community becomes the new stage for their narratives.With 'Minotaur' premiering, the industry watches to see if this comeback will translate into critical acclaim and whether it will inspire other Russian artists to continue their work on foreign soil.

The LeadPunk, intellectual, feminist, theorist, brave as hell, vulnerable, funny—Valie Export was a hero to many women. Since the 1960s, she was driven by a fierce conviction that art and media would play an essential role in women's liberation: that women must picture their own reality in the name of social progress. In Women's Art: A Manifesto (1972), she wrote that women must "use art as a means of expression, so as to influence the consciousness of all of us". What she demanded was revolution.The Revolutionary Art of Valie ExportI keep returning to her work. Can't stay away. Her work was heavy with explicit threat and pain, and she made evident the violence of forcing women's bodies to inhabit structures that were not designed for them. For the 1973 performance Hyperbulia she crept naked through a corridor of electrified wires, exposing herself voluntarily to shocks. Her 1976 photocollage The Birth Madonna shows a woman positioned like a Renaissance Madonna seated on a drying machine from which spews a bloody towel—it still provokes shock.Challenging Societal ConstraintsExport spoke with tremendous clarity about her work and the ideas underpinning it. Her father died during the war, and she was sent to a convent with her two sisters while their mother worked as a primary school teacher. The first of her many expulsions came aged 10 when she was discovered exploring the nun's living quarters. Her experience of girlhood was of constraint—of having little or no control over her own life.In 1967, aged 27, she swapped her married name Waltraud Höllinger for the moniker VALIE EXPORT. A play on a cigarette brand, written in capital letters, it was a decisive rejection of patriarchal structures. She would be known neither by her father's name, nor by her ex-husband's.The Power of PerformanceHer work was intended to explode the structures containing her—in cinema, in art and in the wider society. In Action Pants: Genital Panic (1969) she walked along the rows of a Munich art cinema with her exposed pubic region level with punters' faces, and plastered the walls of Vienna with posters of herself in crotchless trousers holding a gun.For Tap and Touch Cinema in 1968, she constructed a theatre in a box strapped to her chest, with people on the street invited to reach into the darkness and touch her breasts while she watched them. Documentary of the performance exposes the shifting power dynamic between Export and the men who accept the invitation. It was brilliantly subversive and unsettling.More recently, her 1968 performance From the Portfolio of Doggedness has drawn attention—during which she led Peter Weibel crawling through the streets of Vienna by a dog lead. Weibel was dressed in a business suit, a disturbing echo of the commuters milling around him.A Lasting Feminist LegacyHer 1972 manifesto described how the spark kindled by women's art might ignite far-reaching social change. It concludes by stating the importance of documenting and honouring the life and work of those who had come before, as we must now do hers. "The future of women will be the history of woman."I grieve her in the most selfish way: there were so many things I wanted to ask her about. Having survived decades in which women's art was marginalised and ignored, she had so much to tell us. Like a fool, I kept delaying a planned interview. Now it's too late.

The Farewell of a Harlequins LegendAfter 18 years with Harlequins, New Zealand's Nick Evans is preparing to say farewell to the club where he has made an indelible mark as both a player and coach. The 45-year-old former All Black fly-half, who helped the club win the Premiership title in 2012 as a player and again in 2021 as a coach, admitted this week: "It's going to be really hard to let go of this club." His departure marks the end of an era for Harlequins, a club that has become his home thousands of miles from his native New Zealand.A Career Forged at the StoopEvans joined Harlequins in 2008 and quickly became an integral part of the team's fabric. As a player, he was known for his skill, creativity, and popularity, embodying the positive approach that Quins brought to the game. After transitioning to coaching, he continued to bring innovation, constantly seeking new ways to break down opposition defenses. Despite a disappointing season for the team in what would be his final year, Evans' contributions over nearly two decades have been substantial, leaving a lasting legacy at the Stoop.The Numbers Behind the LegacyDuring his playing career, Evans made over 200 appearances for Harlequins, scoring more than 1,500 points. His precision kicking and creative playmaking were instrumental in the club's 2012 Premiership victory. As a coach, he helped develop the team's attacking strategies, culminating in another title win in 2021. His influence extended beyond the field, as he mentored young players like Marcus Smith, who has emerged as one of England's most exciting fly-halves. Evans' ability to adapt and innovate has been a constant throughout his tenure, even as the team faced challenges maintaining consistency.Shaping English Rugby's IdentityEvans' time in England has given him unique insights into the national game and its relationship with traditional playing styles. He believes England has the talent to compete with the world's best at next year's World Cup, identifying them as one of five teams capable of causing trouble. However, he also sees a tension between England's traditional identity—epitomized by players like Jonny Wilkinson, George Ford, and Owen Farrell—and more instinctive players like Marcus Smith. Evans suggests that England could learn from South Africa's ability to maintain a clear DNA while adapting their style, potentially finding a middle ground that accommodates both approaches.The Future of Harlequins and English RugbyAs Evans prepares to move on, he leaves behind questions about Harlequins' future identity. The club once prided itself on the TRUE mantra—Tempo, Ruthless, Unpredictable, Enjoyment—but Evans acknowledges that this identity has been inconsistently applied. His departure creates an opportunity for the club to redefine itself, while his insights suggest that English rugby must evolve to accommodate different playing styles without losing its fundamental character. Wherever Evans goes next, his influence is likely to continue shaping the game, as he brings a unique perspective forged from nearly two decades at the highest level of both English and New Zealand rugby.

During a private tour captured on video, Donald Trump posed an unexpected question to Xi Jinping: whether the Chinese leader brings other presidents to a secret garden. The moment, recorded on 2026-05-15, quickly circulated online, prompting analysts to dissect its diplomatic implications. Trump's Unexpected Question to Xi During the Private Tour Location: Unnamed "secret garden" within a Chinese diplomatic venue. Participants: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Key Quote: "Do you bring other presidents to the secret garden?" Diplomatic Symbolism of the Secret Garden The "secret garden" is perceived as a private, symbolic space where leaders can engage away from formal settings. Such venues often serve as back‑channel environments, allowing for candid dialogue and relationship‑building beyond the public eye. Potential Ripple Effects on US‑China Relations Perception: Trump's query may be seen as a light‑hearted probe or a subtle challenge to Chinese diplomatic customs. Media Reaction: Coverage ranges from amusement to concern over possible misinterpretations. Policy Impact: No immediate policy shift, but the incident adds a layer to ongoing narrative about mutual respect and protocol. Analysts' Outlook Following the Exchange Experts suggest the episode is unlikely to alter substantive negotiations, yet it underscores the importance of personal rapport in high‑level diplomacy. Future private tours may be approached with heightened awareness of how informal remarks can be amplified in the digital age.

A Global Celebration of Visual Storytelling For the 15th installment of the annual Photoville festival, which sees more than 90 exhibits of photographic portfolios from all around the world, festival co-founder Sam Barzilay is thinking about apples – specifically the bizarre and at times cosmic-looking ones in the exhibit Old Apples. "I was so delighted it got selected," he enthusiastically shared. "It's the most whimsical thing we have, it's about apples and how there are no two apples in nature that are the same." Diverse Exhibitions Reflect Contemporary Society With exhibitions celebrating everything from cumbia music to the many ways people play soccer globally and even a fox sanctuary, Photoville may be more whimsical than ever, but the show also delivers a satisfying range of the hard-hitting reportage and documentation that have made prior years so vital. Collections this year run the gamut from turbocharged wildfires in the western US to how racial inequalities affect water access to the ways in which ICE has brought chaos to many American communities. Amplifying Marginalized Voices Through Photography In light of efforts by the Trump administration to erase the reality of trans people, Photoville offers two exhibits that attest to the enduring nature of trans lives. Special Girls, which draws from the mammoth archive of photographer Remsen Wolff, shows off 1990s-era photos of trans women, as well as gender nonconforming individuals such as crossdressers and drag queens. "The world has changed dramatically from then to today," said Barzilay, "this is a celebration of the fact that this is not a new idea." Documenting Human Resilience in Challenging Circumstances Lexi Parra's portfolio of work The Avillas documents what happens after the titular family's matriarch self-deports amid terrifying threats directed toward immigrants in the United States by the Trump administration. The photos make for an extremely difficult reminder of what happens when a beloved member of a family is torn away from it. "It's looking at their lives today as they try to figure out what to do next," said Barzilay. The extremely moving collection Puppies Behind Bars is the fruit of the nearly two years that photographers Ashley Gilbertson and Ava Pellor spent in the men's maximum security Green Haven, documenting the titular program wherein those incarcerated raise puppies to become service dogs. "The dogs humanize an environment that's devoid of all humanity," said Gilbertson. "It gives men who have committed grave crimes against society a chance to do something, it gives men a chance to show weakness and vulnerability to be emotionally open and playful, it gives them a sense of responsibility." Cultural Preservation Through Visual Documentation The Women's Grass by Blackfeet Nation photographer Whitney Snow documents that intricate web of cultural knowledge and practice that has grown around sweetgrass. Long used by the Blackfeet in both religious ceremonies and as medicine, the plant is the province of the tribe's women, who have passed down knowledge of sweetgrass from generation to generation. "Women are held to a very high regard in our society," Snow said. "To have plant knowledge like that is considered very prestigious." The Future of Documentary Photography Festivals As Photoville continues to grow in its 15th year, it represents a vital platform for photographers addressing pressing social issues while also celebrating the beauty and diversity of human experience. The festival's ability to balance whimsical, light-hearted exhibitions with profound social commentary demonstrates the power of photography to both comfort and challenge viewers. In an increasingly polarized world, events like Photoville provide spaces where diverse perspectives can be shared and understood, suggesting that documentary photography festivals will continue to play an essential role in fostering empathy and understanding in the years to come.

RMT Union Reaches Out for Talks Amid Strike ThreatHopes have been raised that next week's strikes by London Underground drivers could yet be averted, after sources said the RMT union had put out feelers for talks. The RMT members, almost half of London's Tube drivers, are due to strike for two 24-hour periods from midday on Tuesday and Thursday, closing some lines entirely and bringing widespread travel disruption to the capital until the weekend.Background of the DisputeThe action follows a similar wave of strikes in April, with more planned for June in the dispute over a planned four-day week working pattern. No talks have yet taken place and with neither Transport for London (TfL) nor the union apparently willing to alter course, further strikes had appeared inevitable. TfL has warned passengers that many services will not operate next week.Union's Position and Opportunity for ResolutionHowever, a source close to the dispute said that union representatives had now reached out to seek a deal, giving TfL a "window of opportunity" to prevent further strikes. They said that tube drivers were prepared for a long strike campaign of disruption, adding: "It is clear TfL needs to move from its uncompromising position and make some new proposals that do not impose new working conditions that tube drivers will not accept. An opportunity exists for the employer to do the right thing by Londoners and make a reasonable offer to the union."Expected Impact on London's Transport NetworkWith the strike still expected to take place, TfL has urged customers to plan ahead expect significant disruption, with early closures of services on Tuesday and Thursday and late starts on Wednesday and Friday. No trains at all will run on the Circle line, Piccadilly line, and in Zone 1 on the Metropolitan line and the Central line. However, TfL stressed that Londoners and visitors would still be able to travel around the city, with other rail lines and transport modes running, and even some Tube trains during the two 24-hour strike periods.Alternative Transport Usage During Previous StrikesThe Elizabeth line, London Overground and DLR will run as normal, as well as buses, although increased demand and traffic is likely to slow some services. Data from the last strikes in April showed that people continued to travel with patronage across the entire TfL network down only 13-14% overall on most strike days, and approaching normal levels on the Friday. The bike hire firm Lime reported about 20% more trips than average on strike days, while rival Forest said rush hour hires were up between 35% and 50%. Tap-ins to the tube were down between 42% and 48% from Tuesday to Thursday but only 31% on Friday, when travel on TfL services was down 6% overall.TfL's Response and Future OutlookTfL said it was not too late for the RMT to withdraw its planned strike action, and said the objections the union has raised would be resolved with further, more detailed work. The Aslef union, which represents a slight majority of London Underground drivers, has backed the TfL proposals for a four-day week. Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: "It is disappointing that the RMT is planning this strike action despite our best efforts to resolve this dispute. We have been clear that our proposals for a four-day week are designed to improve work-life balance and are entirely voluntary."

The Third Nakba The Kaabneh Bedouin community in the West Bank is facing its third forced displacement since 1948, with Israeli settlers and military forces driving them out of their homes and lands. The community's leader, Abu Najjeh, describes the ongoing crisis as the 'third Nakba'. A History of Displacement The Kaabneh community was first expelled from their homes in 1948, during the Nakba, and again in 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank. In 2023, they were forcibly displaced from their community of Ein Samiya, and have since been relocated multiple times. The Current Crisis The community is currently living in a temporary tent in Rammun, but Israeli settlers have established an outpost nearby, and attacks have resumed. The community's livestock, which was once a thriving livelihood, has been decimated, and many family members have been forced to scatter to other areas. The Humanitarian Crisis The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that since January 2023, over 5,900 people from 117 communities across the West Bank have experienced full or partial displacement due to settler attacks and related access restrictions. At least 45 communities have been erased completely. The Future Outlook The Kaabneh community's situation is a microcosm of the larger crisis facing Palestinians in the West Bank. With ongoing settler violence and military attacks, the humanitarian situation is likely to continue to deteriorate. The international community must take action to address the root causes of the conflict and protect the rights of Palestinian communities.

The Return of a Championship PartnershipEmma Raducanu has rehired Andrew Richardson, the coach who helped guide her to her sensational US Open triumph in 2021, on a formal basis as she prepares to return to competition next week in Strasbourg in the buildup to the French Open.Richardson will accompany Raducanu at the WTA 500 event as she competes for the first time in two months after being sidelined by post-viral illness. During the early days of her return to the courts, Raducanu travelled to Richardson's base at the Ferrer Academy in La Nucía, Spain, near Benidorm, for a clay-court training block that doubled as a trial period for a potential formal partnership.In a statement, Raducanu said: "Grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time."A Historic Collaboration RenewedRaducanu and Richardson have a long history, with the pair first working together during her youth. Raducanu had been working with Nigel Sears at the beginning of her breakthrough summer in 2021, before joining forces with Richardson in July. Their partnership yielded one of the biggest surprises in tennis history as Raducanu won the US Open that year as a qualifier without dropping a set.Less than two weeks later, Raducanu controversially chose not to extend her coaching partnership with Richardson, which had begun on a short-term interim basis. This decision generated significant discussion, with many suggesting it would have been beneficial for Raducanu to continue with a familiar face who had worked so successfully with her at a time when so much of her life had instantly changed.A Pattern of Coaching ChangesThe decision not to continue with Richardson marked one of the first of many coaching changes for Raducanu, who has since struggled to find the right person to guide her on a permanent basis. Raducanu last worked with Francisco Roig for six months before the pair parted ways in February. Roig now coaches the six-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek.Raducanu travelled to her most recent tournament, Indian Wells in March, with the LTA coach Alexis Canter. Considering how much scrutiny her life and career still generate, Raducanu has constantly sought out familiar faces she knew before her breakthrough in 2021.Quest for StabilityHer longest coaching stint was with Nick Cavaday, another of her childhood coaches, with whom she worked for more than a year until he stepped away because of personal health matters. Her return to the top 30 last year was a result of her partnership with Mark Petchey, another person with whom she worked before her breakthrough, whose tennis broadcast work meant they could work together only on an ad-hoc, informal basis.Now she has returned to the coach who helped her to her greatest achievement, suggesting a renewed focus on stability and proven results as she continues her career in the highly competitive world of professional tennis.