Egypt

Whether it’s poems that resist the drumbeats of war or hold a mirror up to the sorrows of New Orleans, Hammad’s work continues to articulate the redemption that she reminds us is always there. In her new poem, Into Egypt, Hammad dives into the energy of the current uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, holding the narrative of Egypt’s revolt in a personal, deeply moving light.

Multiple publications in Egypt have reported that more than 350 persons were injured by Egyptian forces during a protest outside of the Israeli consulate in the Cairo suburb of Giza last night, citing health ministry figures. Peaceful protests outside of the Israeli embassy were ongoing on Sunday, the day that marks the Palestinin Nakba — the forced dispossession of the Palestinian homeland with the establishment of the State of Israel. But the scene turned violent towards the end of the night.

More than half of Egyptians want their country’s peace treaty with Israel annulled. That is the finding of a new poll by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project. This will be a bitter disappointment for those who have been saying that the Arab uprisings have ‘nothing to do with Israel’ or would even be to the advantage of Israel.