"Those to whom evil is done."

The latest article by Yahia Lababidi, an Arab-American writer of Palestinian heritage. Don't use the Holocaust as a shield against criticism of what Israel is doing to Palestinians, he argues .

Probably only a small number of my readers know the name Yahia Lababidi, in the same sense that Palestinian writers, poets, and artists receive relatively little attention in the United States or elsewhere in the world. Here is how PEN America describes him:

Yahia Lababidi, an acclaimed Arab-American writer of Palestinian heritage, is celebrated for his profound aphorisms, lyrical poetry, and insightful essays. His recent works, including Palestine Wail (Daraja Press, 2024) and What Remains To Be Said (Wild Goose Publications, 2025) explore themes of politics, spirituality, and the human condition. Hailed as a modern-day master of the aphoristic form, Lababidi’s short meditations evoke comparisons to Rumi and Gibran. A global literary ambassador, Lababidi’s writings have been translated into over a dozen languages, resonating at international festivals and beyond.

Lababidi just announced on his Facebook page today that he has a new piece out, and it’s one that deserves very wide reading. Here is what he said, and some passages out of the article:

“It’s a privilege to appear in #Australia’s oldest radical literary magazine, Overland Literary Journal:”

‘I understand the weight of history. I understand Jewish trauma, and the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust. But suffering does not confer moral immunity. Trauma, when unexamined, can calcify into ideology. And when the lessons of that trauma are applied only inward, they become a license for further harm.

This is the tragedy at the heart of what we are witnessing: a people who know what it means to be dehumanised, now dehumanising others. The grief is doubled for the victims and for the soul of the perpetrators.

To name this #genocide is not to be #antisemitism. It is to be honest. To call for Palestinian liberation is not to call for #Jewish suffering. It is to insist that no people should live behind walls, under drones, or under occupation.

The world must stop using the Holocaust as a shield against legitimate criticism. To do so desecrates the memory of the six million Jews who perished. Never again must not mean never again for some. It must mean never again for anyone.’

You can read the whole article here.

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