"When Americans stand up for Gaza, they do so to affirm their own humanity as world citizens who envision a more benign world order than the prevailing one," Ida Audeh writes. "A happy byproduct of that activism is the loosening of taboos around criticism of Israeli policies and actions. Each protest strikes a blow at the shield that had surrounded Israel and protected it from scrutiny; it affirms people’s insistence on their right to express opinions on the issues of the day, even (or perhaps especially) when those opinions differ from the government line."

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"At the U.N. Israel has always benefitted from diplomatic protection by the United States, but as Israeli massacres, settlement building, ethnic cleansing of communities and so on have become more and more flagrant, Western powers have pushed the idea that it is a 'thoughtcrime' to accuse the perpetrating state," Ian Williams writes. The ICJ case against Israel shifts this dynamic. "The ICJ ruling has potential practical consequences, as a catalyst for initiatives for diplomatic, cultural and financial boycotts, which is why the Likud government actually fought the case brought forth by South Africa."

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"Al-Shuja‘iyya was once a vibrant and heavily populated neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, where people were energetic and always on the go," explains Shahd Safi. Now decimated by Israeli bombardment, Safi follows the harrowing plight of the city's residents as they navigate death, trauma, hunger and repeated displacement. 

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