Amer Zahr

Palestinian comedian performs his routine during the 1001 Nights show in Bethlehem, August 14, 2015. (photo: U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem)

Arab-American comedians turn hardships into gags at West Bank festival

Thousands of Palestinians flock to Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jerusalem for the 1001 Laughs comedy festival where serious topics such as identity, stereotypes and the difficulty of air travel turned into comedy gold. On Friday afternoon Mo Amer stood under two looming globe-shaped light fixtures pouring heat over a makeshift stage at a Bethlehem hotel. The…

By Dahlia Scheindlin August 16, 2015

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO)

A letter to Israel from a sympathetic Palestinian

As Israel faces international isolation and an uncertain future, one Palestinian offers some empathy: ‘I know how you feel.’ By Amer Zahr Israel, I know how you feel. It’s been a tough year. And it’s only just started. Your world seems like it’s crumbling around you. Everything you knew is no longer true. The comfortable…

By +972 Magazine February 17, 2014

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during UN General Assembly speech, October 1, 2013. (Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO)

Netanyahu at the UN: Enter the twilight zone

To Israel’s prime minister, 1.2 million of his own country’s citizens do not exist. If that’s not living in an alternate reality, then what is? By Amer Zahr It’s hard to describe what it felt like listening to Benjamin Netanyahu speak Tuesday at the United Nations. Many phrases came to mind: “alternative reality,” “parallel universe,”…

By +972 Magazine October 3, 2013

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