October 2023 - Occupation, Oppression, and Apartheid
Welcome back to 'Monthly Musings: A Curated Reading List'
“But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians” ― Nelson Mandela
Palestine
The struggle of Palestinians to end their occupation is very close to my heart. I have been a student of this struggle for a long time. Since October 7th, my heart has been heavily burdened every moment, constantly drawn to the plight of Palestinians and the devastating crisis unfolding in Gaza, and further atrocities in the West Bank (away from the world's eyes).
I have struggled to understand why so many Americans are so oblivious to the plight of Palestinians and why our politicians and government advocate and support at least in words “freedom for all” except for Palestinians. How is it possible that people who are living in an open prison for years in Gaza and suffering daily humiliation under an apartheid system from their occupiers in the West Bank are the ones who are demonized (referred to as human animals by the Israeli Defense Minister)? After years of reading and observing, I have identified six main reasons for Americans and Westerners to ignore the plight of Palestinians and even support their oppressor.
Pan-European Remorse Over the Holocaust: One of the biggest tragedies of the 20th century is the killing of six million Jews by Nazis during the holocaust. Palestinians, who had nothing to do with those monstrous atrocities and the historic oppression of the Jews by Europeans are paying the price of this collective global remorse related to that tragedy.
Information blackout on Palestinian suffering: When I first arrived in the USA in 1990, I had a tough time understanding the one-sided reporting on the topic of Israel-Palestine. Malcolm X is quoted as saying “If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” This quote applies to Palestinians and is related to reason #1.
Christian Zionism: Christian Zionism is a theological and political movement among certain Christian denominations, mainly Evangelicals (almost 20% of the population) that supports the return of the Jewish people to their historical homeland in Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Rooted in the beliefs surrounding the end times, many Christian Zionists interpret the establishment of the State of Israel as a precursor to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This movement has been influential in fostering support for Israel, particularly in the United States, at any cost, and at the expense of Palestinians (Christian Palestinians included).
Lobby/money in our politics: Pro-Israel and Christian Zionist lobbies are very powerful. They make sure that if an aspiring or incumbent politician takes the side of the occupied (Palestinians), he/she is accused of antisemitism. Thus, most politicians have much to lose if they side with the cause of justice in this case and almost nothing to gain (except their conscience, which is not required in our modern-day politics). The Andy Levin-Haley Stevens Democratic primary race is a very recent example of the power AIPAC exerts in our politics.
Racism/Islamophobia: With the recent conflict in Ukraine, I’ve noticed that attitudes towards helping refugees from that part of the world have been more favorable than other refugees in the Middle East, for example, Syria. For some, certain minority groups have less value than others. And in this case, Palestinian lives have the least value, they are just collateral damage. Unfortunately, for some, Palestinians have the wrong skin color and perhaps the wrong religion as well (~8% of Palestinians are Christians). It is very easy to label them as terrorists.
US & European history: Americans and Europeans have annihilated millions of indigenous people and colonized millions more. This does not put us in a good position to lecture others; we just keep a blind eye. How can we lecture Israelis about the settler settler violence in the West Bank when our ancestors did the same in North America?
Don’t get me wrong, all is not lost. There is hope. There is more support for Palestine than I’ve ever seen in my life, including many Jewish justice-oriented organizations like JVP, IfNotNow, and others who are using their voice as well, staging massive, disruptive protests at Capitol Hill and Grand Central Station in NYC.
Fred Hampton of the Black Panthers said, “You can kill the revolutionary but you cannot kill the revolution.” I do believe we will see a liberated Palestine in my lifetime. And we know that whenever people have marched, whenever people have protested, whenever mass movements have taken the world by storm, these were the people who were on the right side of history.
“We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.” — From Artists Call for Ceasefire Now.
My daughter, Samina, shared some words today as well. You can find them here.
If you feel inspired to take action, you can visit this link and follow the call to action.
Working, wishing, and praying for justice and peace.
References
One note here - please try and purchase from your local bookstore (online or in-store), rent from your library, or purchase through the bookshop or thriftbooks link I’ve included. Amazon does not need your money, indie booksellers do, and Amazon is putting them out of business. Just take a few extra minutes to Google bookstores near you and visit their websites.
And check out Haymarket books for their Palestine collection.
Books (Non-Fiction):
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
They Dare to Speak Out : People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby by Paul Findley
Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture and Destruction of Planet Earth by Grace Halsell
The Question of Palestine by Edward Said
I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti
Books (Fiction):
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
Video/Movies:
Born in Gaza (official trailer, it is available on Netflix)
With God on Our Side (2010) | Full Movie | Evan Albertyn | Gary Burge | Ron Dart (on Christian Zionism, beautifully done, available on YouTube for free)
Israel's long war on Gaza w/Norman Finkelstein | The Chris Hedges Report (two stalwarts, who are experts on the subject)
Israel Palestine Double Standard Called Out On BBC Question Time (yet to see these kinds of debates in American media)
Hundreds Killed in Gaza Hospital Blast (title does not do justice to this video, must watch)
Magazines (please subscribe and support):
The Intercept
The Nation
Mondoweiss
Newsletters (please subscribe and support):
The Chris Hedges Report
Michael Moore
The Beinart Notebook
Ahmad Ibsais
Journalists in Gaza (follow them on Instagram, they are documenting everything on the ground. Recommended by my daughter, who says '“if you have anyone in your life who wishes to argue on behalf of Israel and its occupation, tell them to watch these journalists’ stories for 24 hours and see how they feel after.)
@motazazaiza
@byplestia
@hindkhoudary
@wizard_bisan1
Please feel free to add your favorite readings of the month in the comments so others can benefit as well. Let me know your thoughts including what was interesting/useful for you.