For nearly two years now, I’ve hardly been able to do anything. Writing articles proved extremely difficult, while my books went unread. Both dirty laundry and dishes piled up, for each morning I woke up burdened by the weight of an unresolved question: What does the Crab Museum — known as “Europe’s first and only museum dedicated to the world of the decapod” — think of the Israel-Hamas war?
I tried to arrive at the answer. Perhaps the Crab Museum would support Israel, since Jews do not eat shellfish and therefore protect crabs. But apparently crabs are considered a delicacy in Gaza, so maybe that is a significant sign of respect for the crustacean, leading the Crab Museum to side with Hamas. However, some types of crabs are labelled as endangered, and the Palestinians do quite a lot of fishing for crabs, so maybe the Crab Museum should be waving the Israeli flag. Then again, I suspect many of the un-showered college kids actually got crabs when they lived in their shoddy encampments, so I guess the museum too should be against Israel as a sign of solidarity.
Finally, by the grace of God, I no longer have to wonder. The Crab Museum posted an image on social media that says “If you can’t handle us at ‘free Palestine,’ then you sure as hell don’t deserve us as at ‘crabs are cool as heck.’” In its caption, the Crab Museum writes “Our struggles are connected. If we can’t show compassion for our fellow humans, how on Earth are we meant to believe in the beauty of crabs, weevils, badgers or bats?”
I had failed to see it clearly before, but their struggles are connected, indeed. Yes, the Palestinians are regularly abused by the IDF, who dip them in garlicky sauce! Yes, crabs are caught in traps, just as Hamas is trapped in a war it started! Yes, the college campers are spineless and thus invertebrates too! Yes, if you listen closely, the snapping sound from cracking open a crab leg is actually the creature screaming “Death to Israel!” From the river to the sea, crustaceans will be free.