For Palestinian journalists, Nobel Prizes won't bring Gaza peace

I was sitting in the back of a car heading towards Dublin a couple of weeks ago when Motaz Azaiza, the viral Palestinian photojournalist, turned and told me that he'd been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

Motaz's smile widened as he scrolled down the article and learnt that he wasn't alone; three other Palestinian journalists had also been nominated: Bisan Owda, Wael Al-Dahdouh, and Hind Khoudary.

But like much of the last 76 years of Palestinian existence, such fleeting moments of joy were soon spoiled. "Wait, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have also been nominated," Motaz sighed, visibly deflated. 

It got me thinking: what does the Nobel Peace Prize actually represent, and how can it be that Palestinian journalists who've risked their lives to cover genocide in Gaza are on the same list as a depraved criminal and a morally corrupt billionaire? 

I've always been wary of the currency attached to the Nobel Peace Prize. Growing up, I learnt that Henry Kissinger was awarded the prize in 1973, whilst simultaneously carpet bombing Cambodia and orchestrating countless military coups in Latin America. Later in life, I watched on as Barack Obama received the accolade in 2009, seemingly for pioneering deadly drone warfare over Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. 

The Nobel Prize itself is named after the Swedish industrialist, Alfred Nobel, famed for inventing dynamite and other such wonderfully peaceful explosives.

Ironically, given his penchant for destruction, Nobel stressed in his will to have a 'peace' category alongside the five others. Even more ironic is how Nobel's discoveries have invariably contributed to the wholesale destruction of Gaza, which Motaz and his colleagues desperately tried to cover, many in vain. 

As a reminder, more Israeli bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 11 months than on London, Dresden & Hamburg during the entirety of World War II. 

At least in the Western world, the prize has come to represent a north star of morality and social good. However, the political currency of the award is far greater; nominations and winners are seen to be politically motivated and guided by the West's faulty definition of what constitutes "working for peace". 

All too often has the Nobel Peace Prize been laundered and exploited by Western backers to overshadow their imperial crimes and glaze over the mass graves dug in the Global South. 

Palestinian journalists are being used as political pawns

This year the Palestinian nominees have all been nominated by Norwegian Members of Parliament. And whilst these may have been pursued in good faith, it once again highlights the West's tone-deaf response to genocide.

Half of the nominated Palestinian journalists are still trapped in Gaza, with their colleagues routinely assassinated and their own lives under constant threat. 

Surely it would have been better to push the Norwegian government to end its complicity in genocide, given that Norwegian arms are currently being used by Israel to massacre Palestinians?

Instead, the work of Palestinian journalists has been downplayed and their work stirred into the political agendas that fuel this godforsaken award.

It's clear the majority of this year's nominees are fuelled by the interests of Western imperialism, whether for pursuing an anti-China agenda, an anti-Russia agenda, or anything that serves the imperial project of the Occident. 

One of the Palestinian nominees is 25-year-old Bisan Owda, whose daily videos on the genocide — "It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm still alive" — have captured the hearts and minds of millions. Her work has also been nominated for an Emmy. 

But rather than being lauded for her bravery, Bisan's Emmy announcement was met with a signed letter of over 150 pro-Israel celebrities and entertainment figures calling for her to be taken off the shortlist.

Even more surprising was that the US National Academic of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) — the body responsible for the nominations — defended her nomination, alongside a bigger letter of support for Bisan from Palestinian filmmakers including Farah Nabulsi and Elia Suleiman. 

NATAS' defence of Bisan's nomination came as a greater shock than the nomination itself. Hollywood has spent decades vilifying Palestinians and the wider Arab community, dehumanising us to such an extent that they wouldn't even consider us for an award. 

And even if Bisan wins an Emmy, Palestinians are so accustomed to tragedy that it wouldn't be a surprise if Israel decided to take her life, as they've already done with over 160 Palestinian journalists since October 2023. Palestine has become the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist; no Nobel Prize or Emmy can protect them from the wrath of Israel. 

The legitimacy of the Nobel Prize, the Emmys or any other 'major' honour is highly contestable — they all have political agendas. In the case of the Nobel Peace Prize, a gold medal and a million dollars are no substitute for the countless deaths of loved ones.

It comes nowhere close to honouring the real work of Palestinian journalists, who have put themselves on the frontlines to report on the genocide of their own people, who know every time they put on a press vest they are even more of a target. 

As the daughter of a Palestinian journalist, I have firsthand experience of the sacrifices that the profession demands. And rather than patting each other on the backs for their performative activism, the Nobel Peace Prize should start honouring the work of journalists like Motaz, Bisan, and my father by advocating for a ceasefire or, if they’re as brave as those they nominate, go even further and support decolonisation, freedom, and justice. 

Farrah Koutteineh is the founder of KEY48 - a voluntary collective calling for the immediate right of return of over 7.4 million Palestinian refugees. Koutteineh is also a political activist focusing on intersectional activism including, the Decolonise Palestine movement, indigenous people's rights, anti-establishment movement, women's rights and climate justice.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @key48return

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.