‘Everybody can feel the pain': Middle Eastern views on the present and future
Syrian
Amr Alhamad
(42), lawyer and researcher, based in Damascus:
'My hopes for
Syria
have remained the same since the very first day of the revolution in March 2011. I believe everything changed with the liberation of Syria and the fall of [Bashar al-]
Assad
's control. Despite the many internal challenges – sectarian tensions, economic hardship, lack of transparency and competence within the interim government, and ongoing regional interference – my hopes remain strong.
'Honestly, we don't have the luxury to stop fighting for a free Syria. I've lost many friends in this struggle, and I remain fully committed. I've adapted my efforts to meet the evolving needs on the ground. I won't hesitate to give it my all.
'Since the liberation in December 2024, I returned and launched a consultancy company,
Nexus Consulting
, to support media and NGOs, and to provide reliable data on the needs and perspectives of Syrians. Despite all the difficulties, I believe in a better future for Syria – and I'm not alone. According to a recent survey we conducted with more than 10,000 Syrians, the majority still believe in a better Syria, despite the continuing lack of services and economic crisis.
READ MORE
'I also hope this spirit of resilience and hope spreads to Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, and Iran. I truly hope they can join us in this journey toward freedom and dignity.' (In conversation with Sally Hayden.)
Palestinian
Rawan Yousef
, a researcher and academic in Jerusalem (photo and age withheld for safety reasons):
'I think that with the situation now, one of the most humane and visible solutions [is a] one-state solution for the entire people of
Palestine
and
Israel
. So one state on the mandatory or historical lines of Palestine, where everyone has equal rights and where obviously no group of people is supposedly superior to the other, including dismantling the apartheid system of Israel.
'The issue with the Middle East is that there's hostile states, such as Israel, that are still in a colonial settler mindset, and they want to expand, and they want to submit other countries to their will. So my hopes for the region is that people can work towards just peace, and also there would be a sort of balance between different countries.
'I think it is important to think about justice and about people being held accountable for what they've done. An example of this is [Israeli prime minister Binyamin] , and he's a war criminal, so people like him must be brought to justice, and there should be accountability for what he and the Israeli army have done.
'I think people tend to see Palestine/Israel as a complex issue, but in reality it's not that complex. It is an active settler colonial endeavour on the Palestinian lands. And it is as simple as that. One group of people are settlers that have all the international backing, weaponry, everything, and the other population is native, and it's being genocided, it's being ethnically cleansed for the last seven decades. And ethnic cleansing goes into different speeds. So in the
West Bank
, there's also ethnic cleansing, there's also displacement of people. And to achieve peace, there need to be changes in the Israeli mindset and that needs to stop it being a settler colonial state.' (SH)
Iranian
Shima Vezvaei
(37), Tehran-based journalist:
Shima Vezvaei
'Everybody wants to know what Iranians want, and what do they think and what do they feel? And I have to say, it's very difficult to argue that and to talk about that as a homogenous thing ... People belong to different associations. They have been exposed to different media, different narratives, different groups. So it's very natural that we have different moods and we have different opinions.
'What I can say is that no matter what ... everybody, I think, can feel the pain, can feel the fear of a sound of the explosion of a missile, and everybody wants an end to that.
'[As for the future], it's so out of our hands, and it's difficult to predict what's going to happen, and that's the part that sucks, because it depends on a lot of political groups and politicians that don't know anything about how the world should work. And they're breaking any law and any regulations, any system that was supposed to keep the world safe and to stop wars from happening and to de-escalate.
I think political change must be connected to real material lives of our people. Not just powerful men who are running the world
—
Shima Vezvaei
'So I feel like there is nothing to hold on to. There is no law to hold on to, nobody to hope that acts, especially in the US, in Europe. And progressive groups in the Middle East are getting oppressed one after another, and their voices are not being heard.
'I think we have realised, more than before, the liberation of our people can't happen in a vacuum. That our fate is connected to each other. So I'm hoping that this 'ceasefire', or whatever that is (it's crazy even this news is breaking in Truth Social and X, instead of real meaningful negotiations), lasts long. But also an end to the genocide in Gaza, self-determination for people of Syria and Lebanon and Iran.
'I hope the power gets in the hands of people. And we can think about what justice and democracy looks for us, and how to achieve it. How to recognise the diversity of our people and celebrate it. And how to stop this accumulation of power and despotism in our own local governments.
'There is so much at stake now. Especially the achievements of our social movements, our women's movements ... laws, regulations, social and political freedom and equality ...
'I think political change must be connected to real material lives of our people. Not just powerful men who are running the world.' (SH)
Israeli
Sid Knopp
(62) lives in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv and works in military computing:
Sid Knopp
'A ceasefire with a fanatical terrorist regime is always going to be tenuous. The only way I see real progress is if the ayatollah is removed and a 'moderate' leadership comes in.
'My hope for the future is to live in peace without the constant threat of destruction. One would hope that the Islamic extremists in the neighbourhood will finally realise that we are not going anywhere. However, the 'cold peace' we've had with
Egypt
for decades is probably the best we can hope for with Lebanon and Syria.
Most of my family and friends do not agree with my political views. They tend to be more optimistic and way less realistic.
'Gaza is disastrous for everyone involved. Another fanatical regime which pretends that their goal is to 'get their country back'.
Hamas
abuses their civilians, steals billions and is way more interested in terror than actually making progress. We see that following the October 7th massacres, almost two years ago, Hamas and their partners have been well battered, yet Hamas holds on to hostages because they dream of getting back to their previous role of total control and rebuilding their terror network. Sadly, I don't think it will end well for the few living hostages and when the time comes, Hamas will have to be obliterated.' (In conversation with Mark Weiss)
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Syrian Amr Alhamad (42), lawyer and researcher, based in Damascus: 'My hopes for Syria have remained the same since the very first day of the revolution in March 2011. I believe everything changed with the liberation of Syria and the fall of [Bashar al-] Assad 's control. Despite the many internal challenges – sectarian tensions, economic hardship, lack of transparency and competence within the interim government, and ongoing regional interference – my hopes remain strong. 'Honestly, we don't have the luxury to stop fighting for a free Syria. I've lost many friends in this struggle, and I remain fully committed. I've adapted my efforts to meet the evolving needs on the ground. I won't hesitate to give it my all. 'Since the liberation in December 2024, I returned and launched a consultancy company, Nexus Consulting , to support media and NGOs, and to provide reliable data on the needs and perspectives of Syrians. Despite all the difficulties, I believe in a better future for Syria – and I'm not alone. According to a recent survey we conducted with more than 10,000 Syrians, the majority still believe in a better Syria, despite the continuing lack of services and economic crisis. READ MORE 'I also hope this spirit of resilience and hope spreads to Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, and Iran. I truly hope they can join us in this journey toward freedom and dignity.' (In conversation with Sally Hayden.) Palestinian Rawan Yousef , a researcher and academic in Jerusalem (photo and age withheld for safety reasons): 'I think that with the situation now, one of the most humane and visible solutions [is a] one-state solution for the entire people of Palestine and Israel . So one state on the mandatory or historical lines of Palestine, where everyone has equal rights and where obviously no group of people is supposedly superior to the other, including dismantling the apartheid system of Israel. 'The issue with the Middle East is that there's hostile states, such as Israel, that are still in a colonial settler mindset, and they want to expand, and they want to submit other countries to their will. So my hopes for the region is that people can work towards just peace, and also there would be a sort of balance between different countries. 'I think it is important to think about justice and about people being held accountable for what they've done. An example of this is [Israeli prime minister Binyamin] , and he's a war criminal, so people like him must be brought to justice, and there should be accountability for what he and the Israeli army have done. 'I think people tend to see Palestine/Israel as a complex issue, but in reality it's not that complex. It is an active settler colonial endeavour on the Palestinian lands. And it is as simple as that. One group of people are settlers that have all the international backing, weaponry, everything, and the other population is native, and it's being genocided, it's being ethnically cleansed for the last seven decades. And ethnic cleansing goes into different speeds. So in the West Bank , there's also ethnic cleansing, there's also displacement of people. And to achieve peace, there need to be changes in the Israeli mindset and that needs to stop it being a settler colonial state.' (SH) Iranian Shima Vezvaei (37), Tehran-based journalist: Shima Vezvaei 'Everybody wants to know what Iranians want, and what do they think and what do they feel? And I have to say, it's very difficult to argue that and to talk about that as a homogenous thing ... People belong to different associations. They have been exposed to different media, different narratives, different groups. So it's very natural that we have different moods and we have different opinions. 'What I can say is that no matter what ... everybody, I think, can feel the pain, can feel the fear of a sound of the explosion of a missile, and everybody wants an end to that. '[As for the future], it's so out of our hands, and it's difficult to predict what's going to happen, and that's the part that sucks, because it depends on a lot of political groups and politicians that don't know anything about how the world should work. And they're breaking any law and any regulations, any system that was supposed to keep the world safe and to stop wars from happening and to de-escalate. I think political change must be connected to real material lives of our people. Not just powerful men who are running the world — Shima Vezvaei 'So I feel like there is nothing to hold on to. There is no law to hold on to, nobody to hope that acts, especially in the US, in Europe. And progressive groups in the Middle East are getting oppressed one after another, and their voices are not being heard. 'I think we have realised, more than before, the liberation of our people can't happen in a vacuum. That our fate is connected to each other. So I'm hoping that this 'ceasefire', or whatever that is (it's crazy even this news is breaking in Truth Social and X, instead of real meaningful negotiations), lasts long. But also an end to the genocide in Gaza, self-determination for people of Syria and Lebanon and Iran. 'I hope the power gets in the hands of people. And we can think about what justice and democracy looks for us, and how to achieve it. How to recognise the diversity of our people and celebrate it. And how to stop this accumulation of power and despotism in our own local governments. 'There is so much at stake now. Especially the achievements of our social movements, our women's movements ... laws, regulations, social and political freedom and equality ... 'I think political change must be connected to real material lives of our people. Not just powerful men who are running the world.' (SH) Israeli Sid Knopp (62) lives in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv and works in military computing: Sid Knopp 'A ceasefire with a fanatical terrorist regime is always going to be tenuous. The only way I see real progress is if the ayatollah is removed and a 'moderate' leadership comes in. 'My hope for the future is to live in peace without the constant threat of destruction. One would hope that the Islamic extremists in the neighbourhood will finally realise that we are not going anywhere. However, the 'cold peace' we've had with Egypt for decades is probably the best we can hope for with Lebanon and Syria. Most of my family and friends do not agree with my political views. They tend to be more optimistic and way less realistic. 'Gaza is disastrous for everyone involved. Another fanatical regime which pretends that their goal is to 'get their country back'. Hamas abuses their civilians, steals billions and is way more interested in terror than actually making progress. We see that following the October 7th massacres, almost two years ago, Hamas and their partners have been well battered, yet Hamas holds on to hostages because they dream of getting back to their previous role of total control and rebuilding their terror network. Sadly, I don't think it will end well for the few living hostages and when the time comes, Hamas will have to be obliterated.' (In conversation with Mark Weiss)
