Benjamin Ashraf

London

Editor at The New Arab

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newarab.com

Articles

Why 'American woman in Pakistan' won my heart

2 months ago | newarab.com | Benjamin Ashraf

I'm sure it didn't take Onijah Robinson long to realise that, much like in New York, survival in Karachi is all about hustle. She must have felt it the moment she landed at Jinnah International Airport, surrounded by a sea of shalwar kameez-clad locals shouting, "Madame, please", as she grabbed her bags off the carousel, preparing herself to meet her e-husband in Pakistan for the first time.
Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel's insurance policy

Oct 2, 2024 | english.alaraby.co.uk | Benjamin Ashraf

Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel's insurance policy Jordan's attachment to the status quo has been eclipsed by Israeli expansionism, forcing its balancing act into uncharted territory, writes Benjamin Ashraf. When will Jordan, the anointed "oasis of calm" in the Middle East, admit it's stuck in quicksand?
Losing its leverage, Jordan could become Israel's 'human shield'

Oct 2, 2024 | english.alaraby.co.uk | Benjamin Ashraf

Losing its leverage, Jordan could become Israel's 'human shield' Jordan's attachment to the status quo has been eclipsed by Israeli expansionism, forcing its balancing act into unprecedented terrain, says Benjamin Ashraf. When will Jordan, the anointed "oasis of calm" in the Middle East, admit it's stuck in quicksand?
Losing its leverage, Jordan could become Israel's 'human shield'

Oct 2, 2024 | newarab.com | Benjamin Ashraf

When will Jordan, the anointed "oasis of calm" in the Middle East, admit it's stuck in quicksand? That moment may be upon us sooner than we think, though Friday nights in Amman's Abdali boulevard - a copy of the Gulf's glass-ridden skyline - still heaves with Jordanian youth, iced lattes in hand, puffing the tobacco industries' latest, if equally carcinogenic invention.
Losing its leverage, Jordan has become Israel's insurance policy

Oct 2, 2024 | newarab.com | Benjamin Ashraf

When will Jordan, the anointed "oasis of calm" in the Middle East, admit it's stuck in quicksand? That moment may be upon us sooner than we think, though Friday nights in Amman's Abdali boulevard - a copy of the Gulf's glass-ridden skyline - still heaves with Jordanian youth, iced lattes in hand, puffing the tobacco industries' latest, if equally carcinogenic invention.
Pakistan cricket's World Cup woes mirror its soap opera politics

Jun 17, 2024 | english.alaraby.co.uk | Benjamin Ashraf

Pakistan cricket's World Cup woes mirror its soap opera politics Pakistan’s humiliation by the United States in the T20 Cricket World Cup reflects a country bewitched by the abyss, writes Benjamin Ashraf. If pets look like their owners, the Pakistan cricket team must resemble an anarcho-state. A Molotov cocktail of post-colonial pride and nuclear-armed rivalry, supporting Pakistan is not for the faint-hearted.
Pakistan cricket's World Cup woes mirror its soap opera politics

Jun 17, 2024 | newarab.com | Benjamin Ashraf
Inside Israel's military-pop complex

Dec 21, 2023 | newarab.com | Shahla Omar |Benjamin Ashraf

Stationed by the border, a group of Israeli soldiers huddle together, waiting for the army's in-fight entertainment to begin. The atmosphere seems festive, there's a live band and what appears to be a well-lit stage, though the brightness comes from cameras and scanners that surveil the base. A radio pylon looms over a dusty backdrop. We're reminded this is Gaza, not Glastonbury. "Gaza, you b*tch," Israeli pop star Lior Narkis shouts to raucous applause.
Until the final breath: Ghassan Abu-Sittah's oath to Gaza

Oct 25, 2023 | english.alaraby.co.uk | Benjamin Ashraf

Gaza's healthcare is on its knees. Critical fuel shortages have forced 13/35 hospitals in Gaza to close, while Palestinian bodies pile up. The New Arab spoke with Al-Shifa Hospital's Ghassan Abu-Sittah about the catastrophic conditions on the ground. British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah knows that life in Gaza hangs on the whistle of a warplane; hear it and it’s already too late. Israel targets ambulances so the injured must fend for themselves.
Ghassan Abu-Sittah's oath to Gaza

Oct 25, 2023 | newarab.com | Benjamin Ashraf

British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah knows that life in Gaza hangs on the whistle of a warplane; hear it and it's already too late. Israel targets ambulances so the injured must fend for themselves. They pray for a car with fuel and a road free from bombs, there's no time to mourn. Loved ones remain strewn across the wreckage: scattered limbs; mangled corpses. There's a taste of metal and a smell of burning flesh. A droned desertion fills the square.