SUMMARY
The New Orleans community is mourning the loss of a 17-year-old Palestinian American killed last month. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar is one of the 94 children, and 370 Palestinians total, killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7. In late January, over a hundred cars formed a motorcade in his memory along a New Orleans highway. Amna Nawaz spoke with Hafeth Abdel Jabbar about his son's death.
View the transcript of the story here.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM UP QUESTIONS
- Who are Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Hafeth Abdel Jabbar? How does Hafeth describe his son?
- What do you know about the West Bank? Where is it located? (see map)
- When and where was Tawfic killed?
- How has the White House responded so far, according to Hafeth?
- Why do you think does Hafeth says he cannot trust the results of the Israeli investigation into his son's death?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Read the quote by Hafeth Abdel Jabbar:
There's no justice. I think we lost human — humanity. My government, my president, we claim democracy. We claim human rights, and we claim that nothing should be done against humanity. And now our own guns is killing our own children. And my son, it's a big example. And it shouldn't be — it shouldn't matter if he's American citizen, or he's from Mexico, or he's Latin, or he's Chinese, or he's white, or Jewish, or Muslim, or — children shouldn't be killed. People shouldn't be killed for no reason, like my son did.
- How do you think the Biden administration should respond to Tawfic Abdel Jabbar's death?
- Why do you think so many innocent civilians end up getting killed in war and conflicts that they are in no way responsible for? See extension activity below to explore more.
Media literacy: Why do you think the NewsHour chose to interview Hafeth Abdel Jabbar? If the NewsHour were to do a follow-up story, who do you think they should interview?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to find out more about?
FOR MORE
What students can do:
Read this report by CFR Education - Council on Foreign Relations: Who is in charge of Gaza and the West Bank?. You may wish to read the article with a peer or family member and discuss which topics you would like to learn more about.
Check out CFR Education's World101 Resources to learn more about the history of the conflict in Israel and Palestine, including The Civilian Consequences of Conflict:
....wars in recent decades have become increasingly deadly for civilians. Civilian casualties outnumbered battlefield deaths during World War II, as combatants bombed major cities. And between 1990 and 2000, civilians accounted for 90 percent of the world’s four million war-related deaths.
CFR Education's "The Civilian Consequences of Conflict" resource explores the threats facing civilians in today’s conflicts and their devastating consequences. Which conflicts occurred between 1990 and 2000 that led to so many civilians dying? What about conflicts since 2000?
Young people may ask the question: Why? Why do humans go to war if it is civilians who end up paying the price? What does the changing nature of conflict mean for our future?
Encourage students who want to explore global issues to talk with a peer or family member and follow-up in class or with the teacher as to how these discussions went.
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