The Israelis Attacking Their Palestinian Neighbors

Plus: mourning Flaco the owl; the increasing vitriol toward Kamala Harris; and a new “Shōgun.” View in browser | Update your preferences Tuesday, February 27, 2024 In today’s newsletter, another front of the war, and then: • Mourning Flaco, the owl who escaped • The increasing attacks on Kamala Harris • A new “Shōgun” on a grand scale The Israeli Settlers Attacking Their Palestinian Neighbors With the world’s focus on Gaza, settlers have used wartime chaos as cover for violence and dispossession. By Shane Bauer Photograph by Tanya Habjouqa / NOOR for The New Yorker The sounds of destruction carried through the valley. It was October 28th, and I was standing on a rocky slope in the West Bank with Bashar Ma’amar, a Palestinian who records the aggressions of Israeli settlers. Ma’amar pointed a camera at a group ransacking a house below us. A couple of days before, the settlers had set fire to it; the house’s owner had gone to the police, but they had not intervened. As we watched, one settler kicked at the front door, and another tried to penetrate the charred walls with a board. Others tore a hole in the roof and slipped inside. On the hillside opposite us, three Israeli soldiers and a man with a rifle stood watching. Eventually, the settlers joined the soldiers to walk back to Eli, their settlement, where mothers pushed strollers down tree-lined blocks of red-roofed houses, people played tennis on courts with views of Palestinian farmland, and men and women carrying M16s and Uzis shopped in strip malls. Keep reading Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » Editor’s Pick Our Local Correspondents Mourning Flaco, the Owl Who Escaped The Eurasian eagle-owl lived for a year outside captivity, learning to hunt and travelling widely throughout Manhattan. “I felt like I lost a friend,” one birder said. Another looked for a glimmer of hope: “I think we can all agree—that Flaco would agree—that the one year of freedom, even if his life was cut short, was better than living ten more in a box where he couldn’t fly.” By Naaman Zhou From the News Desk Daily Comment The Increasing Attacks on Kamala Harris The Vice-President is trying to cast herself as a leader and connect with voters who are not excited about the Democratic ticket. By Peter Slevin Daily Comment The Vatican and the War in Gaza A rhetorical dispute between the Church and the Israeli government shows the limits—and the possibilities—of the Pope’s role in times of conflict. By Paul Elie Culture Dept. Notes on Hollywood Can You Really Want an Oscar Too Much? It’s the ultimate paradox of campaigning: an actor must somehow be dedicated but not try-hard, authentic but not award-hungry. By Michael Schulman On Television In “Shōgun,” an Update Is a Double-Edged Sword The FX series attempts to tailor its source material—a 1975 novel about an English sailor turned samurai—for modern audiences, but gives them little to seize on emotionally. By Inkoo Kang The Current Cinema Two African Migrants’ Fantastical, Harrowing Odyssey in “Io Capitano” Matteo Garrone’s epic about two young Senegalese cousins attempting to reach Italy is his finest film since “Gomorrah.” By Justin Chang Fun & Games Dept. Crossword A Moderately Challenging Puzzle It may be the size of a golf ball, baseball, or softball: four letters. By Wyna Liu Shouts & Murmurs How People with Dietary Restrictions See Menus Vegan options: Mound of celery and carrots (no dip); the garnish parts of the charcuterie board. By Emily Menez Daily Cartoon Tuesday, February 27th By Adam Douglas Thompson Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play a quiz from our archive » P.S. Before his death, Flaco the owl had ascended to a special place of American celebrity: famous enough to be mocked in a Shouts & Murmurs column. Just last week, Evan Allgood imagined that Flaco might be letting all the attention go to his beautiful head: “I noticed that Flaco had dropped his Carolina drawl and affected an old-school New York accent, like Ryan Gosling. He said he’d been working with a dialect coach so he wouldn’t sound like a hick on his new podcast. . . .” 🦉 Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the daily newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.