Gazan fishermen fear Israel will stop them from setting out to sea
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UAE Moments
20 minutes ago
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Is the New Superman Movie Criticizing Israel?
James Gunn's 2025 Superman film has fueled controversy over whether its fictional conflict is a pointed commentary on the Israel–Palestine war. The movie opens with Superman stopping Boravia, an ally backed by the U.S., from invading its neighboring nation, Jarhanpur. Boravia's technologically advanced military attacks unarmed civilians across a fortified border, while Jarhanpuris—often portrayed as non-white and vulnerable- suffer intense casualties. Audience Interpretations Audiences quickly drew parallels: on social media, posts claiming the film is 'very anti‑Israel' gained millions of views, arguing that the Boravia–Jarhanpur storyline serves as an allegory for Israel's actions in Gaza. One user wrote on X: 'Y'all were not kidding about how anti‑Israel and pro‑Palestine that Superman movie was… they were not slick with it AT ALL'. Others on Reddit echoed similar sentiments about the film's depiction of imperialist aggression and the imbalance of power. Director's Perspective Despite the interpretations, Gunn and his team have never officially linked the film to the Israel–Palestine conflict. Gunn described Superman as 'about politics' and 'morality,' highlighting its immigrant narrative and broader themes of social justice and due process. In interviews, he said the film encourages empathy and human kindness, values he feels are eroding in today's polarized world. Criticism and Defense Some conservative critics dismissed symbolic readings of the film as overblown. Commentator Ben Shapiro argued that supposed political messaging is 'really weak' and that viewers may be projecting political interpretations into a blockbuster meant primarily as entertainment. Others praised the film's willingness to explore moral complexity and global themes through superhero storytelling. Superman does not explicitly name any real-world countries or conflicts. Yet the Boravia–Jarhanpur scenario—with Western-backed military aggression against a disenfranchised, largely non-white population—has led many to perceive thinly veiled parallels to the Israel–Palestine conflict. While Gunn has not confirmed intentional allegory, the film invites interpretations that resonate with ongoing geopolitical tensions and broader questions of power, identity, and empathy.
UAE Moments
20 minutes ago
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Israel Bans Palestinians in Gaza from Swimming and Fishing
The Israeli military issued formal orders on Monday, July 14, declaring Palestinian entry into Gaza's coastal waters strictly prohibited. The ban covers swimming, fishing, and diving, and warns that any violations will be met with force by Israeli forces. During Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, more than 6,000 people, the majority of them fishermen, have effectively lost their jobs and sources of food. The fishing sector, once producing around 3,500 tonnes a year, has dropped to zero. Nearly all boats and equipment have been destroyed, and over 210 people from this sector have been killed since October 2023, including at least 60 fishermen. Gaza's fishing port has been destroyed, and all maritime activity has been stopped because of the genocide. Gaza's Government Media Office, led by director general Ismail Al‑Thawabta, condemned the ban as a violation of international law. He described it as a deliberate starvation tactic targeting Gaza's livelihood, undermining the right to work and live with dignity, and amounting to collective punishment under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. As the enclave endures shortages of food, clean water, fuel, and electricity under a broader blockade, the maritime ban marks yet another devastating blow. With no safe space left on land or at sea, more than two million Palestinians in Gaza are stripped of one of the few existing freedoms and sources of survival. This article was previously published on kuwaitmoments. To see the original article, click here
The National
26 minutes ago
- The National
Gaza accusations at centre of Microsoft shareholder resolution
A shareholder resolution related to the allegations levelled at Microsoft concerning the use of its technology in Gaza will be voted on at the company's annual meeting. The resolution seeks to push Microsoft to evaluate its effectiveness in promoting "human rights due diligence processes" related to artificial intelligence. "Shareholders request the board of directors publish a report, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, assessing the effectiveness of Microsoft's human rights due diligence processes in preventing, identifying and addressing customer misuse of Microsoft artificial intelligence and cloud products or services that violates human rights or international humanitarian law," reads the resolution. Since April, the software company has come under criticism from various groups, chief among them No Azure for Apartheid, which consists of current and former Microsoft employees who have criticised the company's contracts with the Israeli military. The group has claimed that Microsoft's AI and cloud products have been used to target Palestinians in the war in Gaza. After weeks of condemnation from No Azure for Apartheid, Microsoft announced in May that an internal review had found "no evidence" its products have been used to harm people in Gaza. There were caveats in the review, however, particularly an acknowledgement that because of the nature of how software and AI tools are used by various entities, Microsoft's investigation might have been limited. The resolution recently submitted for the company based in Redmond, Washington, was filed by about 60 shareholders, "collectively representing more than $80 million in Microsoft shares", said corporation watchdog Eko, which provided a copy of the resolution to The National. Israel's campaign in the enclave – which followed the 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters on Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed nearly 58,400 people and injured more than 139,000. Microsoft is not alone in coming under scrutiny for contracts with Israel. Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Hamilton, Google and others have faced flak. The internal review of Microsoft, despite making the company stand out among others to have been condemned for their ties to Israel, failed to appease those who insist the company's AI tools and cloud computing offerings such as Azure have been misused in Gaza. The lead filer of the resolution, set to face a vote at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting in December, is the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, an international congregation of Catholic women. "Over the years, we have had constructive discussions with Microsoft," read a statement from the group. "However, in this case, we are disappointed that Microsoft's recent statements responding to allegations of complicity in war crimes lack both specificity and detail." Rewan Haddad, a campaign director at Eko, which describes itself as being "committed to curbing the growing power of corporations", said "time will tell if Microsoft's executives heed the call of their investors and people around the world, or continue to profit from and fuel atrocities". Microsoft has not yet responded to The National's requests for comment on the shareholder resolution. Its looks set to face an uphill battle in terms of being approved by Microsoft's shareholders and because resolutions for publicly traded companies in the US are non-binding, enforcing them is difficult. Meanwhile, demonstrators calling attention to the plight of Gazans have continued to interrupt Microsoft events throughout the US.
