AMMAN: Palestinians have praised the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking as being “uniquely courageous” in his support for non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation.
In a statement marking the scientist’s death, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said that the Briton “will be missed.”
She added: “We join the rest of the world in celebrating his exceptional achievements and legacy, not just in science, but in his deep understanding of the human condition and spirit.”
Hawking visited Birzeit University, in the Occupied West Bank, where Ashrawi used to teach English, in 2006. He was known as a long-term advocate of the Palestinian cause.
When Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza in late 2008, Hawking condemned the attack. He said: “A people under occupation will continue to resist in any way it can. If Israel wants peace it will have to talk to Hamas like Britain did with the IRA.”
In 2013 he endorsed an academic boycott of Israel and withdrew from a major conference in Jerusalem, which was hosted by Israel’s then president, Shimon Peres.
Hawking was also a keen supporter of Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, who spent much of his life leading the struggle against apartheid.
On meeting Mandela in 2008, Hawking said: “I admire how you managed to find a peaceful solution to a situation that seemed doomed to disaster. It was one of the great achievements of the 20th century. If only the Israelis and the Palestinians could do the same.”
Palestinians praise ‘uniquely courageous’ Hawking for stance against Israel
Palestinians praise ‘uniquely courageous’ Hawking for stance against Israel
The art of war: fears for masterpieces on loan to Louvre Abu Dhabi
- UAE paid more than €1 billion to borrow priceless works, but experts in France want them back
PARIS: The Middle East war has raised fears for the safety of priceless masterpieces on loan from France to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum’s only foreign branch.
The Abu Dhabi museum, which opened in 2017, has so far escaped damage from nearly 1,800 Iranian drone and missile strikes launched since the conflict erupted on Feb. 28.
However, concerns are mounting in France. “The works must be removed,” said Didier Selles, who helped broker the original agreement between France and the UAE.
French journal La Tribune de l’Art echoed that alarm. “The Louvre’s works in Abu Dhabi must be secured!” it said.
France’s culture ministry said French authorities were “in close and regular contact with the authorities of the UAE to ensure the protection of the works loaned by France.”
Under the agreement with the UAE, France agreed to provide expertise, lend works of art and organize exhibitions, in return for €1 billion, including €400 million for licensing the use of the Louvre name. The deal was extended in 2021 to 2047 for an additional €165 million.
Works on loan include paintings by Rembrandt and Chardin, Classical statues of Isis, Roman sarcophagi and Islamic masterpieces: such as the Pyxis of Al-Mughira.
A Louvre Abu Dhabi source said the museum was designed to protect collections from both security threats and natural disasters.
