Thank you for bringing this up, and I really appreciate your perspective. I absolutely didn’t mean to romanticize the pain or loss experienced by Palestinians. I care deeply about what happened to them, and I understand how much weight those words carry, especially the day I found out Reem’s granddad said that to her.

In Arabic, expressing love by calling someone your soul or life is really common, and I’ve always found it beautiful. I didn’t mean to suggest it only comes from a romantic partner either, if my grandparents said it to me, I’d still faint standing. I find it incredibly touching that Reem’s grandfather loved her so deeply, and I genuinely respect that. I would never want to diminish their experience or indirectly show disrespect. I was simply moved by the depth of that kind of love. Xx