The New Arab Features

#Dounana, an Arabic anthem fueled by resistance and a critique of Western supremacy, has taken the digital world by storm. The New Arab sat down for an exclusive interview with the voice behind the viral hit, Syrian singer @sibasmusic . [video by @rashadalhindi ]

Francesca Albanese (@francesca.albanese.unsr.opt ) the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has become one of the most incisive and vital voices of our time. Yet in the United States, her words are rarely heard. Major networks and newspapers either ignore her reports or label them “biased,” while political elites push to discredit her entirely. In Washington, her very name is almost unspeakable. Across the Global South, however, Albanese’s interventions resonate powerfully. She articulates what many governments and movements from Latin America to Africa have long felt: that a new international order is emerging, one not subordinated to the West but grounded in dignity, solidarity, and justice. In an interview with The New Arab, Francesca Albanese discusses how Palestine exposes Western hypocrisy and how the Global South is reshaping international solidarity and justice. 🔗 Click the link in the bio to read the full interview by @nabulsi_girl_in_italy

Model, human rights activist, podcaster, soon-to-be author and Creative Director for @watermelonpictures , Alana Hadid (@lanzybear ) has long been using her platform to call for a free #Palestine. From wearing her keffiyeh during fashion weeks, talking about Palestine at dinners, and being the Creative Director of a Palestinian-owned and led production company, Alana makes sure Palestine is a part of everything she does. In an interview with The New Arab she delves into how she turned her platform into a tool for justice, and how she uses art, media, and her voice to champion Palestine and demand liberation for all. 🔗 Click the link in the bio to read the full interview by @itsanamalam

Today marks the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, and Palestinians continue to live with its consequences — displacement, loss, and the ongoing struggle for the right to return to their homes. “This isn’t the second Nakba — it’s an ongoing Nakba,” says activist @lanzybear . “Zionism has meant violence for Palestinians from the beginning… We must study, understand, and educate on the history of the Nakba.” Nakba survivors and displaced families carry these memories forward. Umm Aboud recalls, “The day we left, no one believed we weren’t coming back. They kept saying, ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow.’ And tomorrow kept leaving without arriving.” Rami al-Sharafi and Aya Skaik in Gaza hold onto the same truth: “We hold our keys as evidence of our right and our presence… The memory passes from one generation to the next in the same way.” Filmmaker @farah.nabulsi adds, “The Nakba is not a thing of the past. It’s ongoing… There must be accountability.”

In Nablus, the West Bank, photojournalist Ahmed Al Bazz has launched his first photo book, Erasing Palestine. Its release coincides with the anniversary of the Nakba. The 312-page book documents the remains of hundreds of Palestinian villages and towns depopulated and destroyed since 1948, featuring photographs from across present-day Israel, the occupied Golan, and the West Bank accompanied with maps and research texts. The project serves as a visual archive confronting the erasure of Palestinian memory.

In an interview with The New Arab, Saif Abu Keshek (@abukeshek ) recounts the abuse he faced at the hands of Israeli forces after being abducted from a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters. Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, was among dozens of activists taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (@globalsumudflotilla ) seeking to break Israel's siege on Gaza and deliver aid to the enclave's civilian population amid the ongoing genocide. But on 30 April, the flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off the coast of Greece. Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila were detained and taken to Israel for questioning, while the remaining activists were transferred to the Greek island of Crete and later released. The activist explained that as he felt the power of the Israeli forces getting stronger, this was his chance to peacefully escalate each step of the strike. First, he stopped eating; then he stopped talking; eventually, he stopped drinking water. Both Abu Keshak and Ávilla were released and deported on Sunday, and we sat down with Saif to find out more about his ordeal. 🔗 link in bio to read more

The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is one of the world’s most important contemporary art events, held every two years across Venice. This year’s edition, titled ‘In Minor Keys’, features around 40 national pavilions, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco, along with performances and exhibitions throughout Venice’s museums and cultural spaces. While often called the “Olympics of the art world,” the 2026 Biennale has also seen controversy, with protests over the participation of Israel and Russia leading to the resignation of the prize jury. Running until 22 November 2026, Syrian journalist @byrawaatalass takes us on a tour of the MENA contributions this year, highlighting works by artists @aminaagueznay , @danaawartanistudio , @sara.shamma.artist , @jawad.almalhi , and @nabilrnahas .

After spending 15 years in Canada, siblings Zahira, Moaz and Yasseen returned to Syria following the fall of the Assad regime to build something they felt the country had never truly had before: a climbing community. Together, they founded Jabalna (@jabalnaclimbing ) — meaning “Our Mountain” — Syria’s first climbing gym. More than just a sports space, they envisioned it as a place where Syrians could discover new experiences, build confidence, and reconnect with joy after years of upheaval. In its first three months alone, more than 2,000 people climbed at Jabalna, from children as young as five to adults trying the sport for the very first time. For Zahira, creating a safe and welcoming environment for women and girls has been central to the project, helping them feel stronger, more included and more confident through sport. But the siblings’ ambitions stretch far beyond the climbing wall. They hope to establish a national climbing federation and one day see Syrian athletes representing the country internationally — even at the Olympics. Filmed & Produced by Reem Khabbazy

To mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba — the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians that led to the creation of Israel — we attended @galileefoundation ’s Voices From The Nakba: Palestinian Poetry Night at @p21_gallery . Ahead of the performances, we spoke with Galilee Foundation managing director @mahafarra about the importance of commemorating the Nakba each year, and the role poetry, music, and storytelling continue to play in preserving Palestinian memory and identity. The evening featured readings from @abdelfattahabusrour , Zena Agha, and actor @khalid3bdalla , alongside a tribute to Palestinian writer, poet, professor, and activist Refaat Alareer — who was killed in Gaza in 2023 during the ongoing genocide — through a reading of If I Must Die by journalist, writer, podcaster, and poet @laylamaghribi . Music for the evening was performed by @saied.silbak .

The UK Home Office denied visas to all Palestinian artists who were scheduled to attend and perform at a Nakba commemoration event at London’s Troxy venue. The New Arab spoke with actor and activist Khalid Abdalla about the disruption and the UK’s historical and continued suppression of Palestine. @khalid3bdalla – known to many for portraying Dodi Fayed in Netflix’s The Crown, and to others for his outspoken advocacy for Palestine – was one of the key organisers behind the gathering.

The 78th anniversary of the Nakba is just around the corner. The annual event commemorates the forced displacement, ethnic cleansing and massacre of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948 - all of which led to the creation of the state of Israel. These books help tell the story of the Nakba through history, memory and personal experience, offering readers a way to better understand and contextualise Palestine beyond the headlines. What other book(s) do you think should be added to this list?

A new exhibition in Berlin is offering rare insight into Syria’s infamous Sednaya prison through 3D reconstructions, survivor testimonies and virtual reality experiences. 'Sednaya: Syria’s Architecture of Repression and Death' explores how prison architecture itself became a tool of surveillance, torture and execution under the Assad regime, while preserving the memories of detainees, the disappeared and survivors through letters, photographs and personal archives. @byrawaatalass visits to find out more. 🔗 Link in the bio to read more