Dear Friends,

I have so much to tell you about my travels to the West Bank, and I am working on those Postcards to send as soon as I can. But today I feel I must revisit the question of why I travel to Palestine. It is because we in the US do not get accurate information about the news there. I went to Palestine to see for myself. I wanted to learn from Palestinians and to hear their perspectives, which are so rarely featured in mainstream western media. And why do I return to the West Bank whenever I can? To continue to learn, but also because the people there are exceptionally kind, warm and generous, and the place is beautiful. (I should add that the food is great too.)

Today I want to tell you some recent news from Palestine/Israel that you may not have heard. I have no personal knowledge of this story, but I am sharing it because sometimes I feel like I am living in an alternate universe, one that others around me are not part of. My family, friends, and colleagues are generally well-read and keep up with the news through a variety of sources. But many critically important stories are simply not featured in mainstream US news. Like this one:

Reports say that Israeli soldiers tortured a toddler

A 21-month old child, Jawad Abu Nassar, was detained along with his father Osama in Central Gaza on March 19. According to the family, the two had gone out shopping around 10 am.

Witnesses saw that both father and son were detained by Israeli forces. A loudspeaker from a quadcopter drone ordered Osama to remove all his clothes except his underwear, and to undress the child also. Soldiers arrived, and they ordered Osama to place the child on the ground.

Both Osama and Jawad were taken into Israeli custody. Ten hours later, as shown in a video from the Israeli military, Israeli soldiers released the child to the International Red Cross, who contacted the family. Jawad’s father Osama is still in Israeli custody.

Reports say that soldiers tried to pressure Osama by torturing the child, including burning his body with cigarette butts and piercing his legs with a sharp object. The family found scars on Jawad’s legs, and doctors at the nearby hospital confirmed that the scars appear to be cigarette burns and puncture wounds. Doctors say the wounds are not from shrapnel.

The story has been covered by Al Jazeera, TRT World, Middle East Eye and Al Haq; the latter (Al Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization) includes an affidavit from Jawad’s mother.

Critical readers may wonder what parts of this story are true. I have no first-hand knowledge, other than what I’m reporting here, including the undisputed fact that the child was held by Israeli forces for 10 hours. Physical evidence and medical reports suggest that the child was tortured. However, an Israeli military spokesperson said that the claims that Israeli soldiers abused a toddler are false. But I invite you to imagine: what would the news coverage be if this had been a Jewish Israeli child?

For those who don’t believe such a thing is even possible, here is testimony from an Israeli soldier who was stationed in Gaza more than 30 years ago. The soldier reported his commander’s abuse of a 4-year-old, along with the commander’s words: “These kids need to be killed from the day they are born.”

Here are some other stories, just from this week, that have not been covered (to my knowledge) in mainstream US news. There are multiple sources for each of these stories, but I am providing below the names of the sources linked here.

• A 17-year old Palestinian boy died in an Israeli prison after being starved; this week, an Israeli judge closed the case. Israeli soldiers testify that starvation is just one form of torture used against Palestinians in detention (Sources: Times of Israel and Breaking the Silence, an organization of former Israeli soldiers)

• Rapists released: Israeli soldiers who were filmed gang-raping a Palestinian prisoner have been released and are free to return to military service. (Source: Mondoweiss)

• During the purported ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli army carried out airstrike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians (Source: Democracy Now)

• UN experts demanded Tuesday that Israel immediately release a detained Palestinian pediatrician, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, citing reports of torture and serious health risks. Another Palestinian physician from Gaza, Dr. Adnan al-Bursh was raped to death in December 2024. (Sources: Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera)

• A UN report warned that Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians, and that it has long been protected in these practices by decades of impunity (Source: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights)

• A member of the Israeli Knesset, Yitzik Kroizer, said today about the city of Jenin, in the West Bank: “There are no innocent civilians in Jenin, there are no innocent children in Jenin.” The comments were in response to Israeli soldiers killing a Palestinian family. Kroizer added, “I support the IDF fighters in every situation, even if the incidental cost is children or women." (Source: Video on X from the official channel of the Israeli Knesset)

If you have not heard these stories, you might want to diversify your news sources. Here are some ways to do that: Read news reports from independent media such as Drop Site News, Zeteo, and Mondoweiss (if you share your email on the sites, they will send you a free daily news digest). Zeteo has a new weekly newsletter called ‘This Week in Palestine’. Other good sources are Palestine Deep Dive, The Electronic Intifada, Middle East Eye, Jewish Currents, and Al Jazeera (cable news channel and aljazeera.com). Social media accounts can also be excellent sources of information. This is a document I’ve prepared with social media and other sources (novels, films, websites and more) that I continue to use to learn about Palestine.

Next up, more about my recent trip to the West Bank. In the meantime, I would be happy to hear from you with any comments, concerns, or questions you may have.

Salaam,

Nancy

If this message was forwarded or if you reached it from a link, you can subscribe to receive future Postcards directly