akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

I'm honored to have won a WGA Award for Outstanding Writing for my feature on Hamas' view of the Gaza war 6 months after Oct. 7 — a beast of reporting + writing made possible by incredible colleagues @huffpost.com 🙏🏽🧿 Here's to more journalistic ambition, whatever the odds, & to solidarity, forever.

submitted 7 days ago • 3 comments

Brett McGurk & other top Biden aides are scoring lucrative new gigs after enabling the devastation of Gaza + paving the way for even more violence under Trump. The goal: keep gaining influence. But their choices shouldn't be swept under the rug. Help me document them for history: akbar.58 on Signal

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

HuffPost just foolishly said goodbye to a huge amount of talent. My departing colleagues are reporters/editors/designers/thinkers who are deeply driven to serving the public & who you would be lucky to have on your teams. If you can, please chip in to support them: t.co/3nbli7F7dQ (also: unionize!)

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

Chris is one of the best extremism reporters in the country. He’s got that rare combination of excellent, urgent reporting and beautiful writing and storytelling that’s every editor’s dream. You should have him write for you immediately!

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Trump's Gaza vision is a direct consequence of Biden's Gaza policy. To understand talk of ethnic cleansing + bloody US overreach (yet again), go back to Nov 2023. Blinken laid out principles the admin called definitive, including no forced displacement & no non-Palestinian control of Gaza. Then...

submitted 18 days ago • 2 comments

I was grateful for another chance for a Gaza deep dive on Jacobin's podcast. Assessing Trump's claim to build peace (as he cuts aid + West Bank violence 🔼) & the Biden team's parting message, aimed at Davos/Aspen more than human rights or critical reflection, here's our latest chat: t.co/ezN2l8YezV

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

I'm on book leave analyzing the Biden administration's record on Gaza, so off day-to-day reporting. But if you want to talk―about the choices of the last admin, moves by the new team or other matters―you can still reach me. I'm on Signal at akbar.58. Anonymity guaranteed; I've never burned a source.

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

Big, important joy today in Israel-Palestine. In the US, recent days have brought something darker: a series of exit statements from Biden officials that avoid reflection or questioning of their choices over 15 months. The American role in what's next is key; so is grappling with how we got here.

submitted 35 days ago • 2 comments

Please join me @velshimsnbc.bsky.social 10a-12p w/ John Brennan @mariaressa.bsky.social Jay Inslee @radiofreetom.bsky.social @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com Emily Danforth Bruce Robbins #Velshi

submitted 36 days ago • 9 comments

The Israel-Hamas deal is a time for innocent people to get some respite — and for honestly reckoning with US Gaza policy, from avoidable bloodshed under Biden to the risks of more violence under Trump. I'll be analyzing the moment on MSNBC today with @velshi.bsky.social at 11:25 ET. Tune if you can!

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

More soon re: ceasefire. As I think about Israel/Gaza/Hamas/Biden, I'm humbled to share that my 2024 feature on rare interviews with Hamas leaders has just been nominated for a Writers Guild award: awards.wga.org/awards/nomin... I'm deeply grateful to my editors—and determined to keep at this story

submitted 39 days ago • 2 comments

Is a Gaza ceasefire deal possible this time? Good discussion with @drhahellyer.bsky.social , @alonpinkas.bsky.social and @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com on what to except as events unfold: www.aljazeera.com/program/insi...

submitted 39 days ago • 2 comments

Our discussion a few hours ago — a deep dive into Biden/Gaza/ceasefire/the future under the incoming Trump admin: www.aljazeera.com/program/insi...

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

The Biden administration hopes to salvage its legacy on Gaza with a ceasefire in the coming hours. But the story of what it's helped Israel do for 15 months is bigger than the current headlines. At 17:30 GMT, I'll be on @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social to discuss the emerging deal—and key context.

submitted 40 days ago • 2 comments

Quotes from Christmas cards that Pentagon staff delivered to Lloyd Austin yesterday: "Jesus's 1st miracle..took place in Cana, southern Lebanon, which was bombed by US-supplied weapons" "The Dept, under your leadership, has aided+abetted in this horrific genocide against the Palestinian people"

submitted 61 days ago • 1 comment

Hey all, I’ve been co-coordinating a journalism workshop for DMV-area high school students for the last few years and applications have opened for next year’s program. It’s completely free. Please share with someone you know!

submitted 71 days ago • 12 comments

Month 1 of Israel's ongoing US-backed bombing of Gaza was deadlier than any other single month in conflicts @airwars.bsky.social has recorded: -4x more civilians killed -1900 children killed—7x higher than any parallel -in 65 incidents, at least 20 civilians killed gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org

submitted 71 days ago • 0 comments

I'm out on book leave as of today. Recording this era-defining policy for history is a big responsibility. But US choices are still fueling death & devastation. As I step back from daily coverage, I won't look away from Gaza. I hope you won't either. Tips/thoughts (anon OK): akbar.58 on Signal.

submitted 76 days ago • 2 comments

By the White House yesterday, Syrians were laughing, dancing, sharing pastries. I spotted a man with a huge Palestinian flag. "The liberation of Syria..is the way to liberate Palestine," he argued. "Apartheid & dictatorship are linked" The US is still helping Israel pummel Gaza, I noted. In front..

submitted 76 days ago • 2 comments

"As Palestinians, no matter what comes of this, we haven’t failed. We did our best. And we didn’t lose our humanity."

submitted 79 days ago • 1 comment

🚨🚨🚨REPORTER JOBS ALERT!🚨🚨🚨 We have not one but TWO jobs open, one in our South bureau and another in the Southwest bureau. Both fascinating regions that desperately need more investigative journalists: boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...

submitted 80 days ago • 12 comments

India's nationalist, Muslim-bashing ruling party is now citing the recent articles on the OCCRP to smear the anti-corruption watchdog's work on one of its billionaire allies & to accuse its critics of a conspiracy involving (you guessed it) George Soros. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/din-in...

submitted 80 days ago • 1 comment

AIPAC accuses Amnesty International of "a blood libel" for saying the US-backed Israeli offensive in Gaza is a genocide. It argues Isr "has taken unprecedented steps to warn of strikes + provide food, water, medicine, fuel" – without addressing detailed analysis from Amnesty showing that's not true

submitted 80 days ago • 9 comments

If you need an explainer on what happened in South Korea, @nvisser.bsky.social has you covered.

submitted 81 days ago • 0 comments

South Korea managed a unanimous vote from a majority of the Assembly against martial law within hours; more than 100 House members and six senators came back after the J6 riot and still voted to keep right on coup-ing.

submitted 82 days ago • 4 comments

Beyond likely violating international law, "linking aid & a ceasefire was a strategic mistake...Israel limiting relief in Gaza did not soften Hamas’s posture; if anything it emboldened the terror group by delegitimizing Isr" - @jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

submitted 82 days ago • 0 comments

"The ruling People's Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon has called the declaration of martial law a 'wrong' move & vows to block it." It matters whether pushback to Yoon can be seen as in the national interest, not partisan―& the US can use its influence to make that clear www.bbc.com/news/live/cn...

submitted 82 days ago • 0 comments

The Taliban have now banned women from one of the last options they had for higher education: studying medicine. "Afghanistan faces a dire shortage of medical professionals, particularly female doctors, nurses & midwives needed [for] essential services." amu.tv/141078/

submitted 83 days ago • 3 comments

"Nothing will haunt President Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy as much as his failed policies in the Middle East" - @vanhollen.senate.gov A reckoning among Dems re Gaza has yet to come. Many remain defensive. But slowly, more frank discussions are happening. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

As Israelis more openly discuss permanent control of parts of Gaza – in defiance of US promises + international law – the NYT says Isr soldiers have demolished >600 buildings & seem to have established permanent control in a ~9 mile zone along the middle of the Strip: www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/w...

submitted 83 days ago • 2 comments