‘State terrorism’: Qatar PM leads Arab world fury at Israel for striking Hamas leaders in Doha
Illegal and unethical for ‘rogue player’ Netanyahu to target ‘negotiators from the other side’ being hosted by the mediator, says PM Al-Thani; Saudis ‘deploying all capabilities’ to support Gulf ally
The target of Israel's strike in Doha was a meeting of Hamas' negotiating team, led by the group's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya. The officials had gathered to discuss the latest U.S. cease-fire proposal as part of ongoing talks on a hostage deal.
Israel has further cemented its reputation as a war-mongering state. Its strike on Tuesday in Qatar's capital, Doha, was among the most dangerous, unnecessary and harmful military operations it has ever conducted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government confirmed what had long been suspected: it doesn't want any cease-fire deal in Gaza that would also secure the return of hostages held by Hamas, as their fate is of no concern. The attack's sole objective is the continuation of the war and, if possible, its expansion to new fronts.
never again rolling tanks (n)ever again bomber after bomber
anything new
under Gaza's smeared sun?
smoky rubble
beyond smoky rubble, and yet
again smoky rubble
word after word
squeezed out of the PM's mouth
in broad daylight
this daily "banality"
of dying, of death in Gaza
(FYI: L4 alludes to Jewish philosopher and political thinker Hannah Arendt's ground-breaking book, , Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil)
it’s peaceful now
M-16 rifles are blooming, 2000-pound bombs singing, and Merkava tanks sweeping the streets.
Gaza is cleaner than ever, clean of blood-covered children. Yet, somewhere among the rubble the only moving thing is a boy’s eyes that look up to Heaven.
a mural
on the separation wall
of the West Bank:
in midair a girl grasps
a bunch of rainbow balloons
Contemporary Haibun Anthology 20
To conclude today's "Special feature" post, I would like to share with you the latest entry of Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXV: "smoky darkness"
written in response to the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini's
September 1 2025 statement:
Gaza is “becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law.”
smoky darkness ...
God's name slips further
into it
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXVI: "the world(s)"
The World(s)
half awake
to the call of a muezzin ...
in and out
of this cracked window
an Israeli sniper drone
smoky darkness ...
the world
within this hushed silence
and yet is there a world
where no fireballs fly
