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Afghanistan and Gaza: Tragedy and Farce
Karl Marx. Photo: public domain.
JNS.org – Keen-eyed readers of this column will know that I am fond of occasionally quoting Karl Marx’s observation that history repeats itself, “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” In those lines originally published in 1852, Marx was referring to the coup in France the previous year carried out by Louis Napoleon, nephew of the far better-known Napoleon Bonaparte. But since then, his aphorism has been applied in many contexts where current events echo the past.
Looking at recent developments in Afghanistan, I was again reminded of Marx’s quote. When the Taliban first seized power in that shattered country in 1996, that was undoubtedly a tragedy; first for the Afghan people, yet again denied the opportunity to nurture a democratic polity, and later for the United States and the rest of the world. The terrorist atrocities of Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States—the 23rd anniversary of which was solemnly marked last week—were incubated in Afghanistan after the Taliban provided Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda with a haven there. That terrible atrocity right at the turn of the millennium turned history on a different course, setting up an epic battle between Western liberal democracy, with its emphasis on pluralism and individual rights, and an Islamist form of totalitarianism that sought to crush anything and everything in its path it deemed to be a deviation from its vision.
Wars duly followed, in Afghanistan and then Iraq, and existing and new threats, especially from the Islamic Republic of Iran, deepened at just the time that Western publics grew tired of foreign interventions and foreign wars, setting the stage for a revival of both left-wing anti-imperialism and right-wing isolationism. Finally, in 2021, amid the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban returned to power, in a heartbreaking confirmation that the previous 20 years had been a colossal waste of blood and money.
That, too, was a tragedy—and yet, there are elements of farce here that suggest, at least to my mind, that history can repeat itself as both tragedy and farce simultaneously.
As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, only a few regional specialists and policy wonks grasped the grave threat posed by the Taliban. The rest of us were shaken from our slumber when those passenger planes careened into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Twenty years later, with a new generation coming of age, we stopped caring and just wanted out. All that was and is a tragedy, and the restoration of the Taliban is the most tragic aspect of all. But where is the farce?
That can be summarized in one word: Gaza. For all the incompetence and corruption of their leaders, the Palestinians have long been adept at exploiting guilt over colonialism and the long tradition of antisemitism in Western countries, even as large numbers of them thumb their noses at the values our civilizations represent, from the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 massacre, when many danced in the streets and handed out candy in celebration, to the pogrom of Oct. 7 last year, when Hamas and allied terrorist groups murdered, raped and kidnapped their way through southern Israel. The result? As pro-Israel advocates on social media constantly point out, seemingly to no avail, our streets are empty of protesters when blood is shed in Ukraine or Sudan or, indeed, Afghanistan, but as soon as an Israel Defense Forces missile strikes a Hamas command center in Gaza City or Rafah, they pour out like rats from a sewer. Therein lies the farce.
This is why the pro-Hamas movement has to be understood as being about far more than Israelis and Palestinians. The fixation with Palestine is one major reason why Western publics remain largely indifferent to, and even contemptuous of, the suffering of non-Palestinians. And perhaps no current situation illustrates that point better than Afghanistan.
Three weeks before this year’s Sept. 11 commemorations, the Taliban introduced its “Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.” Its primary targets are women, who are forbidden from going to work or to school; who can only use public transport when accompanied by a male chaperone; and who must fully cover their faces and bodies when in public. Most sickeningly of all, Afghan women are now banned—on pain of imprisonment or execution—from speaking in public spaces. To call these measures “medieval” is to do an injustice to the medieval period.
There are no protests of any significance. The millions of people who have attended pro-Hamas demonstrations around the world don’t give a damn. In Western policy circles, the Taliban’s monstrous law is barely discussed; when Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris tussled over the U.S. record in Afghanistan during their presidential debate on Sept. 10, neither thought to mention it. At the U.N. Security Council, all that was mustered was a statement of condemnation—and even that wasn’t unanimous, backed as it was by 12 of the council’s 15 members. It’s no accident that the three countries who opposed the statement—permanent members Russia and China, and non-permanent member Algeria – are all firmly aligned with Iran and its proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas.
And so you wonder in vain whether the “freaking trust fund babies” at Columbia University and other campuses—to cite the unforgettable description of a labor union official whose hard-working members were intimidated and harassed by the keffiyeh mob last semester—will ever speak up for Afghan women (they won’t). You wonder in vain whether the secretary-general of the United Nations, who condemns Israel on a daily basis, will find time to condemn the systemic abuse of the same with similar urgency and frequency. You wonder in vain why a Hamas rapist who gets what he deserves is reinvented as an innocent civilian murdered in a “genocide,” while women in Afghanistan are transformed into chattels and slaves, and the silence around that—like the silence enforced upon them—is deafening. You wonder in vain why we tolerate a world in which morality is skewed so abominably. And then you realize: Wherever tragedy rears its head, farce is not far behind.
The post Afghanistan and Gaza: Tragedy and Farce first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Others Join Gaza Film as Executive Producers Before Venice Premiere
Brad Pitt attends the “F1: The Movie” European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and other high-profile figures in the Hollywood film industry have joined the Gaza-based drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” as executive producers ahead of its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, Deadline reported.
“The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer is also joining the film as an executive producer as well as “Roma” director Alfonso Cuaron. Meanwhile, Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner from Pitt’s production company Plan B. Britain’s Film4 and the Saudi Arabian state-owned MBC Studio are also supporting the film, according to Deadline.
Written and directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” focuses on the real-life death of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car that had allegedly come under fire by Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip in January 2024 and later found dead. Israel claimed its military troops were not in the area at the time. The movie is based on real audio recordings of Rajab’s calls to Red Cresent volunteers, who tried to keep her on the line and get an ambulance to help her. Her death sparked global outrage including at Columbia University, where anti-Israel students broke into the academic building Hamilton Hall and symbolically renamed it as Hind’s Hall in April 2024.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3 before making its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“I cannot accept a world where a child calls for help and no one comes,” Ben Hania said in a released statement. “That pain, that failure, belongs to all of us. This story is not just about Gaza. It speaks to a universal grief. And I believe that fiction (especially when it draws from verified, painful, real events) is cinema’s most powerful tool. More powerful than the noise of breaking news or the forgetfulness of scrolling. Cinema can preserve a memory … May Hind Rajab’s voice be heard.”
Ben Hania’s film “Four Daughters” was nominated for an Oscar last year and her previous project, “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” was selected as the Tunisian entry for best international feature film at the Academy Awards in 2021.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday, almost six weeks to the second anniversary of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 2023, that resulted in the murder of 1,200 people while 251 were taken as hostages back to Gaza. The festival ends Sept. 6.
Hundreds of Italian and international artists signed an open letter calling on the Venice Film Festival to condemn what they claim is Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Israel has adamantly denied the charge, noting it’s targeting a terrorist group in Gaza that tries to embed itself among the civilian population to create more casualties.
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New Play About Establishment of Israel During Truman’s Presidency to Make World Premiere Off-Broadway in October
US President Harry Truman receives a menorah gifted by visiting Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and Abba Eban, Israel’s envoy to Washington. Photo: National Photo Collection of Israel / Government Press Office
A play about the creation of the Jewish state during the administration of US President Harry Truman is set to make its world premiere Off-Broadway in New York City in October.
From playwright Willian Spatz and director Randy White, “Truman vs. Israel: Abzug and the Undressing of Truman” will play at the Theatre at St. Clements with a preview on Oct. 9 before officially opening on Oct. 16. Its limited run will end on Jan. 4, 2026. The play is produced by Greenhouse Theater Center
“President Harry S. Truman’s unlikely rise to power led to one of history’s most pivotal moments: the founding of Israel. In [the play] he faces the sharp mind and relentless questioning of trailblazing lawyer Bella Abzug, as the truth behind one of his most consequential decisions comes to light,” reads a synopsis of the play provided by Playbill. “This gripping new play strips away the layers of legacy, power, and politics to reveal the man behind the presidency. Smart and provocative — this is history in the hot seat.”
The cast includes Willy Falk, who will play Truman, Sasha Eden, as Bella Abzug, Matt Caplan and Mark Lotito. Falk created the role of Chris in the original Broadway production of “Miss Saigon.” He has also appeared in the plays “Les Misérables” and “Marilyn,” and recently in the HBO series “And Just Like That….”
“Truman is just a compelling character,” White said in a statement cited by Playbill. “A man at the center of so many consequential decisions, and getting it from all sides. But claiming to have no regrets. So, when a young Bella Abzug shows up – eager to make her mark as a young lawyer – the interrogation begins. ‘Truman vs. Israel’ is like a fabulous (in all senses) and riveting first draft of history.”
In 1947, Truman supported the idea of partitioning what was then known as the Palestine Mandate under British administration into Jewish and Arab territories. On May 14, 1948, Truman was the first world leader to officially recognize Israel as a legitimate Jewish state, only eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel.
Abzug was a Jewish lawyer from the Bronx, New York, and a Columbia Law School graduate who served three terms in the US Congress, where she introduced and supported legislation about economic and military aid to Israel. She was the first Jewish woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and fought heavily to reverse the 1975 UN resolution that defined Zionism as a form of racism. The resolution was eventually revoked in December 1991.
When she was younger, as part of the Zionist youth group Hashomer Hatzir, Abzug helped raised money to build a Jewish state in the land of Israel. One of her fundraising tactics was to lecture about Zionism at New York City subway stops, according to the Center for Israel Education.
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Shawn Mendes Calls Out Antisemitism Amid Israel-Hamas War During Concert in Portugal
Shawn Mendes poses on the red carpet for the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards at Manchester Co-op Live in Manchester, Britain, Nov. 10, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mina Kim
Canadian singer Shawn Mendes said during his concert on Thursday night at the MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, that the suffering Palestinians are facing in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war is not an excuse for targeting Jews with hatred.
“What’s been happening in Gaza has been absolutely breaking my heart, and turning pain and suffering into hatred towards Jewish people as a whole is wrong,” the Grammy-nominated artist told the audience at his show. “Turning pain and suffering into hatred, period, is wrong and it’s not the way.”
“I really believe in our generation,” added Mendes, who is Portuguese. “I feel like it’s our generation’s job to learn from the wisdom of our parents and grandparents but also learn from the mistakes of those generations. The future is truly in our hands and I feel like it’s our responsibility to stop these cycles of pain and to choose love.”
Mendes is not Jewish and this is seemingly the singer’s first time speaking out about antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas war.