“In the ebb and flow of life’s moments, a bond flourished, transcending the formalities of mentorship,” the Gaza writer Eman Basher says of her relationship with Refaat Alareer, who was assassinated in December. Their friendship was “a notable shift for someone like me, who seldom forges friendships easily.”

• The Electronic Intifada

Recent calls for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza by Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were met with a statement of concern from State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. Washington’s concern rings hollow given that the Biden administration is funding and enabling the violence displacing Palestinians from their homes.

• The Electronic Intifada