We start our tour of the British newspapers from the Guardian, where we read a report regarding the uproar made by the young American actress Emma Watson, the heroine of the Harry Potter films, by publishing a pro-Palestinian message, which sparked controversy and accusations of “anti-Semitism.”
The report, written by art and cultural affairs correspondent Nadia Khamami and titled “Emma Watson’s pro-Palestinian letter sparks a crisis over anti-Semitism,” said Israeli officials criticized the actress’s letter.
According to the report, Danny Danon, who was Minister of Science in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and ambassador to the United Nations, accused Watson of “anti-Semitism”, following she posted a photo on Instagram showing a picture of a pro-Palestinian protest with the phrase “Solidarity is an act.” .
The actress wrote a quote regarding the meaning of solidarity from feminist researcher Sarah Ahmed.
The image published by Watson’s account was first published by the “Bad Activist” Collective during a wave of violence between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip last year, according to the Guardian report.
At the time, other celebrities including model Bella Hadid, singer Dua Lipa and actress Susan Sarandon expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
And while the post garnered widespread support from Palestinian activists, there was strong criticism from Israeli officials, according to the Guardian.
The report indicated that Danon was the most angry, he said, commenting on Watson’s post on Twitter, “10 griffonder points (the name of Watson’s school in Harry Potter) because Watson is anti-Semitic.”
Israel’s current ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, was also critical in dealing with the situation, writing: “The novel may work in Harry Potter, but it does not work in reality.”
He added, “If this is the case, the magic used in the wizarding world can eliminate the evils of Hamas (which oppresses women and seeks to exterminate Israel) and the Palestinian Authority (which supports terrorism). I will support it!”
Danon’s comments have been met with backlash, including by Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the Independent Project, a non-profit organization founded in 2016 following the election of Donald Trump, the report monitored.
“Fantastic evidence of outright mockery and ill-will by exploiting anti-Semitism to confiscate basic expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Greenberg wrote.
The Guardian also quoted British Conservative Party member Saida Warsi, as saying that Danon’s comments were “appalling”. “These continuous attempts to stifle any support for the Palestinians must stop,” she said.
The Guardian notes that Watson, 31, is a feminist activist who has used her platform to support a number of high-profile causes, making her a place on Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2015.
She said that in 2014 she was appointed as a UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador and gave a speech at UN Headquarters in New York to launch the She For Her campaign, a campaign urging men to stand up for women’s equality.
Watson was also appointed to the G7’s women’s rights advisory body in 2019, according to the report.
New mutant of corona virus
And in the Independent newspaper, we read an article regarding the impact of a new mutant from the Corona virus, which was monitored in France, under the title “Why should we not be worried yet regarding a new mutant from Corona?”.
picture released, Archyde.com
Omicron quickly spread to the world following it was detected in November
The newspaper’s correspondent, Samuel Lovett, noted that there is nothing “to be concerned regarding too much” so far, saying that the mutant detected in France preceded Omicron and yet failed to spread globally in the same way.
He added that although the reaction to Omicron was immediate and was filled with real fear and anxiety, the emergence of a new breed in southeastern France was met with a kind of disparagement by many scholars.
He added that in theory, the mutant known as “B.1.640.2” appears to be a problem, as it, like Omicron, has experienced multiple mutations, 46 in total.
In fact, he said, this mutant predated the emergence of Omicron, yet it did not gain international fame in the same way.
He explained that it was first observed in early November, while Omicron was monitored three weeks later, on November 22, and quickly spread throughout the world, and reached all continents by the beginning of the new year.
According to The Independent, so far, it seems that infections with the French mutant “B.1.640.2” have been limited to secondary groups here and there, as we saw in southeastern France, where 12 people were infected, according to an unscientific study issued before Christmas.
The newspaper pointed out that the “standard case”, the first individual identified in the French variant group, had received the vaccine.
The study indicated that he had “mild” respiratory symptoms the day before his diagnosis, according to the newspaper.
The article quoted Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College, as saying that the “B.1.640.2” mutant is not worth “too worried regarding” at the moment.
“This virus had a good chance of causing trouble, but it didn’t really materialize,” he said on Twitter.
“Why was this mutant not so successful in spreading, like the Omicron, despite the high number of mutations?” the author asks.
He notes that although B.1.640.2 carries many of the same mutations seen in previous mutants of concern, much depends on how they fuse with each other to form the characteristics of the virus.
He explained that some mutations damage the ability of the virus to enter our cells or reproduce, which hinders its ability to spread quickly.
