Amira Hass received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Women's Media Foundation. This has not been written about in any mainstream paper, nor has it made the headlines of Ha'aretz, Amira's own paper. This is very sad, especially since so many people have criticized the fact that she received the award.
Amira's critics make the argument that she has never truly been in danger, and has never been silenced. Amira agrees that Israel is a democracy, and freedom of speech is supported there. At the same time, the fact that she is Jewish and an Israeli, and dares to criticize Israeli policies of Occupation, does make her a brave soul, a strong person who does not care what the Jewish community thinks about her. The fact that she is one of the only Jewish people who nails it right on the head--that the modern state of Israel cannot sustain its existence through the oppression of Palestinians, that Israeli citizens (including herself) are all guilty of perpetuating the oppression, and that things have to change in order for Israel to exist--makes her an outsider, and that is a hard life. She has not gone through her career unscathed; she has been beaten up by Jewish settlers, she has had stories go unpublished, she has been "banned" from Gaza. Amira Hass has sacrificed a lot to bring her stories to the world, and we must recognize her for this.
Great video of Amira's acceptance speech for her award, as well as an interview with Democracy Now!.
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