Nas Daily’s move to the UAE receives criticism

Nuseir Yassin, better known as Nas Daily, has found himself in controversy yet again. The influencer/content creator who previously lived in Singapore has recently moved to the United Arab Emirates amidst its new diplomatic relations with Israel. The new relationship allows Israeli citizens to live and work in Dubai, and Nuseir Yassin was among the first and most prominent Israeli passport holders to make the most of the opportunities. His move has had an immediate impact as it has garnered new funding for his tech and production companies and helped his social media following to increase. However, it has come at a cost: the rift between Nuseir Yassin and Palestinians, his own people, is now farther than ever before. 

Nuseir Yassin, Nas Daily, has always had a somewhat neutral stance in the Israel-Palestine conflict. His nuanced view of the subject has often left his viewers perplexed and somewhat angry. Many of his content surrounding it have seen him face backlash from the public in the past as they have suggested that the conflict is between two sovereign countries and not a case of one country being occupied and oppressed by another.

On one hand, he condemns the occupation of the West Bank, is in favour of the creation of a Palestinian state and has been vocal about the discrimination of Palestinians in Israel. On the other hand, he makes content condemning the antisemitism of Palestinians, calls for the Arab society to educate themselves and points out the positive aspects of Israel. His controversial stance has seen him lose hundreds of thousands of followers in the past.

Given the sensitive nature of the conflict, his most recent actions do not sit well with a lot of people, especially Palestinians. His move to the UAE certainly did not help the cause as the relationship between Israel and the UAE has been perceived as betrayal by Palestinians as this meant that the Emirates denounced Palestinian sovereignty.

Yassin's decision is also being considered as an act of abandoning his own. Ramzi Abbasi, another prominent Palestinian influencer has labelled his actions as "beyond betrayal" and has also stated that they put a hefty dent on Palestinian right.

Nuseir Yassin identifies himself as Israeli-Palestinian and considers his mixed identity as a "middle finger" to anyone who does not like the other country. However, it looks like his move created divided opinion even amongst Palestinian. While some consider it as bridge-building between the two countries, a large portion is very much against it and are calling to boycott his shows and projects. The reality is that a conflict of this magnitude and with so much history will always be in black and white so Nas Daily's position on the matter will never be fully accepted by all.