Palestine takes center stage at Jaipur Literature Festival, world’s largest literary show

AN Audio Willaim Dalrymple
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Updated 30 January 2025
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Palestine takes center stage at Jaipur Literature Festival, world’s largest literary show

Palestine takes center stage at Jaipur Literature Festival, world’s largest literary show
  • Pankaj Mishra, Gideon Levy, Avi Shlaim, Selma Dabbagh to discuss Israel’s deadly war on Gaza
  • More than 400,000 people attended JLF in 2024 and even more are expected to show up this year

JAIPUR: The 18th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, India’s largest literary event, began on Thursday with a special focus on the history and present-day situation in Gaza and Palestine.

Known as the “greatest literary show on earth,” the five-day event is held in Jaipur, the capital of the northwestern state of Rajasthan, bringing to one venue dozens of leading voices from literature, politics, science and the arts from India and abroad.

More than 400,000 people attended the event last year and organizers expect even more to show up this time.

Many of the festival’s sessions will be devoted to Gaza, covering events there during the past 18 months of relentless Israeli attacks that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the territory’s civilian infrastructure.

“What’s happening in Gaza is, in my opinion, the most appalling moral issue of our time and I’m very proud that we are giving this issue the prominence it deserves, and I think in a way that many Western literary festivals might be nervous to do. We are in a position in this country to speak frankly and openly about the horrors coming out of Gaza, and we intend to do so,” Scottish historian and writer William Dalrymple, one of the JLF’s directors, told Arab News.

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Among the speakers will be Pankaj Mishra, the Indian novelist and essayist whose latest book, “The World After Gaza,” is a reckoning with Israel’s latest war on the enclave, its historical context and geopolitical ramifications.

Pankaj will be joined by Palestinian writer and lawyer Selma Dabbagh to discuss how the war — which brought Israel to trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice and has led to International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant — challenges understandings of justice and decolonization.

In another session, Nathan Thrall, an author and journalist known for his 2023 nonfiction work “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy,” who has covered Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, will speak about the human impact of Israel’s apartheid rule over the Palestinian people.

“It’s really an extraordinary lineup. We’ve got Gideon Levy from Haaretz — one of the most outspoken anti-Netanyahu journalists from the Israeli media — speaking in several sessions. I think he’s the bravest Israeli journalist of the lot, and the most outspoken on the horrors,” Dalrymple said.

Levy will speak about the unprecedented loss of civilian life in Gaza during the latest war and how it is likely to impact the future of the region.

Avi Shlaim, emeritus professor of international relations at the University of Oxford, will be talking about his memoir, “Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab Jew,” which “exposes Mossad operations, which tried to get the Jewish community in Iraq to leave through false flag operations, bombing synagogues and so on,” Dalrymple said.

“Then we have Philippe Sands, a very important international lawyer, who was strongly involved in the International Court of Justice case.”

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For Dalrymple, who has spent many years reporting from and writing about the Middle East, raising the issue of Palestine as someone who knows the region also comes with a sense of responsibility. The subject and “the historical background of the terrible injustices which are taking place” are “often badly misrepresented,” he said.

“I have a duty to share what I know with those that are often misled and misguided about what’s happening ... people are seeing a lot on their social media but often they don’t have the education in the history and the politics to make sense of it all.”

Most of the people who will come to the festival may not have a thorough understanding of what is happening, but they can easily gain it by taking part in the event.

“Sometimes there isn’t as much knowledge and as much understanding of the issue, which is why people come to literary festivals. Not everyone in the modern world has time to read 300-page books on the history of Palestine but you can attend very easily a 50-minute session with experts summarizing it,” Dalrymple said.

“Literary festivals in the West are often scared of bringing this up and we’ve seen many examples of sessions on Palestine canceled in venues in the West. For example, when Pankaj Mishra was trying to speak on the same subject which he’s speaking with us, his session was famously canceled at the Barbican last year. So, he’ll be having with us the session that was censored in London ... we pride ourselves on the freedom with which our authors will be able to talk about all these things.”


World Bank to release damage assessments for Ukraine, Gaza

World Bank to release damage assessments for Ukraine, Gaza
Updated 5 sec ago
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World Bank to release damage assessments for Ukraine, Gaza

World Bank to release damage assessments for Ukraine, Gaza

WASHINGTON: The World Bank will release an assessment of damages to infrastructure in Gaza in coming days, along with an updated assessment of damages in Ukraine on February 25, Anna Bjerde, the bank’s managing director of operations, said on Monday.
Bjerde said the Gaza report, prepared together with the United Nations and European Union, would provide a fuller overview of damage to the Palestinian enclave after an interim report in April showed it suffered $18.5 billion in damages to critical infrastructure in the first four months of the war.


At least 30 killed after Bolivia bus plunges into ravine

At least 30 killed after Bolivia bus plunges into ravine
Updated 21 min 3 sec ago
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At least 30 killed after Bolivia bus plunges into ravine

At least 30 killed after Bolivia bus plunges into ravine

LA PAZ: A passenger bus plunged into an 800-meter-deep abyss in southern Bolivia on Monday, killing at least 30 people and injuring 15, police and local media said.
The bodies of “at least 30” people have been recovered and transported to morgues after the accident near the town of Yocalla, police colonel Victor Benavides told AFP.
The accident happened on a narrow two-way road between the cities of Potosi and Oruro, with the route running along a ravine nearly half a mile deep.
Local news outlet Unitel reported at least 15 people injured in the crash — including three children — had been transferred to hospital.
Several were in a serious condition.
It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the bus.
Authorities said their initial theory was that the crash was caused by speeding, with the driver “unable” to control the bus, according to Benavides.
This is the most serious road accident reported in the South American country so far this year.
Nineteen people were killed when another bus careened off a road, also near Potosi, last month.
Bolivia’s winding mountain roads are notoriously deadly.
Road accidents kill an average of 1,400 people every year in the country of about 12 million inhabitants, according to government data.


Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded
Updated 18 February 2025
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Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

TORONTO: A Delta Air Lines jet with 80 people onboard crash landed Monday at the Toronto airport, officials said, flipping upside down and leaving at least 15 people injured but causing no fatalities.
The Endeavor Air flight 4819 with 76 passengers and four crew was landing at around 3:30 p.m. in Canada’s biggest metropolis, having flown from Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota, the airline said.
Paramedic services told AFP 15 people were injured including three critically — a child, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s.
All wounded, including those with minor injuries, were taken to area hospitals either by ambulance or helicopter, the paramedic service said.
Dramatic images on local broadcasts and shared on social media showed people stumbling away from the upside down CRJ-900 plane, shielding their faces from wind gusts.
Fire crews appeared to be dousing the aircraft with water as smoke wafted from the jetliner.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Air Lines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” the airport authority posted on X. The airport suspended all flights after the incident.
Facebook user John Nelson, who said he was a passenger on the flight, posted a video showing the crashed aircraft and wrote: “Our plane crashed. It’s upside down.”
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off,” he added.
Delta said its connection flight operated by Endeavor had been “involved in an incident,” and promised to share further details as it confirmed them.
“Initial reports were that there are no fatalities,” the airline said through a spokesperson’s statement.
A massive snow storm hit eastern Canada on Sunday. Strong winds and bone-chilling temperatures could still be felt in Toronto on Monday when airlines added flights to make up for weekend cancelations due to the storm.
“The snow has stopped coming down, but frigid temperatures and high winds are moving in,” the airport warned earlier, adding that it was “expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travelers on board around 1,000 flights.”
Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed there were 80 people on the flight. “I’m closely following the serious incident at the Pearson Airport involving Delta Airlines flight 4819 from Minneapolis,” she posted on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, said he was “relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson,” adding that airport and local authorities were providing help.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was deploying a team of investigators to the site of the crash.
This comes after other recent air incidents in North America including a mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet in Washington that killed 67 people, and a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that left seven dead.


‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk

‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
Updated 18 February 2025
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‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk

‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
  • Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting ‘Elon Musk has got to go’ and ‘No kings on Presidents Day!’
  • One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, ‘Deport Musk Dethrone Trump’

BOSTON: Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate Monday at rallies corresponding with the Presidents Day holiday.
Dubbed “No Kings on Presidents Day” by the 50501 Movement, the latest protests came less than two weeks after a similar nationwide event on Feb. 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both protests denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-government organization designed to slash federal spending.
Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting “Elon Musk has got to go” and “No kings on Presidents Day!” The temperature was below freezing with wind chills in the teens.
Boston protesters, some dressed in Revolutionary War-style clothing from the 1700s, carried signs saying such things as “This is a Coup” and “Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up.” One sign had a depiction of Uncle Sam saying “I Want You to Resist.”
“I thought it was important to be here on Presidents Day to demonstrate for what America stands for,” said Emily Manning, 55, a Boston engineer who came to the rally with her two teenage sons. “American values are not the values of the plutocracy or the limited few rich people.”
Organizers of Monday’s protests, which were focused on state capitals and major cities including Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Florida; and Seattle, said they were targeting “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.”
One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, “Deport Musk Dethrone Trump.”
Many demonstrations were slated for cities where temperatures were well below freezing as a polar vortex worked its way across the country.
The rallies followed a series of Trump executive orders and came just days after layoffs across federal agencies as part of an effort to reduce the government workforce.


What do people want from a leader in a rapidly changing world?

What do people want from a leader in a rapidly changing world?
Updated 28 min 31 sec ago
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What do people want from a leader in a rapidly changing world?

What do people want from a leader in a rapidly changing world?
  • Gallup poll spanning 52 countries reveals “hope” as the top need from leaders, followed closely by “trust”
  • In low-income countries, hope becomes crucial for reducing suffering and giving people a sense of a better future

LONDON: What are leaders for? It sounds like an obvious question, with equally obvious answers.

But a new survey, conducted across 52 countries and territories and accounting for 76 percent of the world’s adult population, has refined those answers down to just four words: hope, trust, compassion and stability.

And of these “four needs of followers,” one emerges head and shoulders above the rest – hope, followed closely by trust.

These were the headline findings of an international survey released by international polling company Gallup at last week’s three-day World Governments Summit in Dubai.

The summit, which has been held annually in the city since 2013, brings together heads of government, officials and thought leaders “to address universal challenges and set the agenda for next-generation governments.”

Topics tackled at this year’s summit included the impact of artificial intelligence and how governments can maintain the trust of their citizens in the face of the maelstrom of misinformation and conspiracy theorizing generated in this digital age.

The World Governments Summit in Dubai, which has been held annually since 2013, brings together heads of government, officials and thought leaders “to address universal challenges and set the agenda for next-generation governments.” (AFP)

And trust and hope, the survey found, are what people want most from their leaders, whether in government or at the head of the companies for which they work.

“Today’s leaders face profound and complex challenges, such as climate change, conflict and artificial intelligence, and must make decisions that affect the lives of their followers,” wrote Jon Clifton, Gallup’s CEO, who was present at the launch of the report during the World Governments Summit on Feb. 11.

The “Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want” put it this way: “In this changing world, it is crucial for leaders to understand the reasons people follow them.”

To better understand how people around the world perceive leaders and their impact, Gallup first asked participants to name a leader who has had the most positive influence on their daily lives. They then asked them to list three words describing what that leader contributes to their lives.

The survey found that “hope is the primary need of followers around the world” — a finding that would have come as no surprise to the 19th-century French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who defined a leader as “a dealer in hope.”

When asked to list three words that best describe what leaders contribute to their lives, 56 percent said “Hope,” followed by 33 percent who named “Trust.”

It is, according to the Gallup report, essential for leaders to recognize that “hope is a powerful motivator. It stands out as the dominant need across followers, with 56 percent of all attributes tied to positive leaders grouping into this theme — particularly the attributes of inspiration, vision and personal integrity.

The Gallup survey found that “hope is the primary need of followers around the world.” (Getty Images)

“Hope gives followers something better to look forward to, enabling them to navigate challenges and work toward a brighter future. Without hope, people can disengage, lose confidence and become less resilient.”

The survey found that hope is the primary need across all 52 countries surveyed, ranging from just over four in 10 people in Bulgaria, Jordan and Lebanon to at least two in three in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Egypt.

In fact, hope as a need fulfilled by leaders was above the global average of 56 percent in Egypt (72 percent), Saudi Arabia (66 percent), the UAE (64 percent). By contrast, hope was found most wanting in Palestine (49 percent), Jordan (44 percent) and Lebanon (41 percent).

And the survey makes clear that, while government leaders obviously play a significant role in the lives of their citizens, other types of leaders understandably have a more direct, day-to-day impact on people’s lives and happiness.

Overall, asked what leader had the most positive influence on their lives, an overwhelming and perhaps unsurprising majority of those surveyed (57 percent) named a family leader.

Next, with 11 percent, came work managers, followed by political and religious leaders, both named by 7 percent of respondents.

Celebrities, the survey reveals, are rarely considered to exert the most positive influence in people’s daily lives — just 2 percent of adults name a celebrity.

Which type of leader has the most positive influence varies enormously from country to country – for example, workplace leadership is important to 70 percent of people in China and 52 percent in the UAE, while political leadership is cited by 38 percent in Tanzania (the highest rating), 33 percent in Israel and 22 percent in Turkiye.

While Gallup’s research into followers’ needs offers valuable insight, the answer to what makes a good leader lies in a holistic understanding of themselves, their role, and the needs of their followers. Without first understanding what followers expect and need, a leader’s ability to lead successfully is in question.

“Great leadership is defined not by authority alone, but by how much the people who follow leaders trust and support them,” the Gallup report said.

“The best leaders — of countries, organizations or other groups — keep their followers in mind when making decisions, because without them, even the most capable leader lacks true influence.”

IN NUMBERS

  • 60% of survey respondents say they look for hope in political leaders.
  • 54% look for it in family members.
  • 59% in religious leaders.
  • 59% in managers.

The survey also found a direct connection between wellbeing and life satisfaction and the extent to which the basic expectations of leadership — hope, trust, compassion and stability — are met.

Gallup measures life satisfaction by asking respondents to imagine a ladder with ten rungs, with the lowest rung representing the worst possible life and the highest the best.

Those who rated their current life a “7” or higher and their anticipated life in five years an “8” or higher are categorized as thriving. Those on “4” or lower are considered to be suffering.

By this metric the survey reveals a subtle but significant association between hope and life satisfaction. Among those who do not associate hope with the leader they mention, only 33 percent are classed as thriving and 9 percent as suffering, whereas thriving rises to 38 percent and suffering dips to 6 percent among those for whom the need for hope is met.

Although suffering is relatively rare, the survey results show it decreases as more needs are met. This is especially important in low-income countries, where higher levels of suffering make hope for a better future crucial in reducing pain.

While Gallup’s research into followers’ needs offers valuable insight, the answer to what makes a good leader lies in a holistic understanding of themselves, their role, and the needs of their followers. (Pexels)

Trust is the second most important need identified by the survey (33 percent), and this has “an additive role” when combined with hope and either stability or compassion, in which case rates of thriving increase to 43 percent and 39 percent respectively.

Followers need to trust that their leaders will keep their word and act with integrity, the “Global Leadership Report” says, adding: “Trust is the foundation of human relationships,” enabling people to collaborate toward shared goals more effectively.

The report adds that its research into the needs of followers “offers a blueprint for current and future leaders.”

“As we navigate an era marked by rapid technological advancements and global interconnectedness, the ability to pivot and respond to new challenges is more important than ever,” the report said.

“Leaders who keep the four needs of followers at the forefront when making decisions will likely be most destined to make a positive impact on the world.”

Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup. (Supplied)

The Gallup report further states that leaders “must ultimately know three things to succeed” — they must understand the needs of their followers and fulfil the four needs of hope, trust, compassion and stability; they must know themselves, and lead with their strengths; and “the most successful leaders also have a deep understanding of the demands of their specific role and the expectations attached to it.”

However, Gallup leaders cannot meet their followers’ needs without first knowing themselves, the report says, adding that effective leaders develop their innate strengths, refining natural talents through knowledge and skill to unlock unique leadership approaches and maximize their impact.

The best leaders, the report concludes, “achieve success — despite varied roles, organizations and industries — by bringing multiple teams together and making great decisions, driving the purpose and performance of their organization.

“The more leaders can provide their followers with hope, trust, compassion and stability by leaning on their unique strengths and applying them to the specifics of their role, the more successful they will be.”