Palestinian self-determination is a crucial step in ending the logic of racialization and civilizational hierarchy that produced anti-Semitism and genocide. This logic measures Palestinian life as less valuable than Israeli life. To say otherwise is to suggest that standing up for Palestinian rights is somehow anti-Jewish. Critiquing this logic is a moral responsibility.
By Zeina Azzam
Forty years ago today, the Palestinian citizens of Israel rose up against the Israeli government, which had just announced new and extensive land expropriation plans in the Galilee. Palestinians called for a general strike on March 30, 1976 to protest this latest manifestation of an ongoing policy of land confiscation. The protests turned bloody after violent confrontations erupted between the Palestinians and the Israeli army and border police. In the end, six Palestinians were killed, tens were wounded, and hundreds were arrested.
Being Palestinian: Personal Reflections on Palestinian Identity in the Diaspora, edited by Yasir Suleiman, contains over 100 contributions of prose and poetry by men and women spanning several generations, most of whom live in exile in the United States and the United Kingdom. Sharif S. Elmusa, one of the book’s contributors and an established author and poet in his own right, provides an overview of the book and reads selected excerpts.
Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif was killed. In the style typical of Israeli aggression against unarmed Palestinians, he was first wounded after allegedly attempting to stab an Israel occupation soldier in the occupied city of Hebron. He lies on his back, his arms stretched across the road, and his head moving about. A soldier confers with his superior officer, before moving to “confirm the kill” – a term used by the Israeli military in reference to field executions of Palestinians.
From a distance, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians never seems to change. Up close, it changes a lot. And that includes changes in the minds of the participants. NPR’s Emily Harris has been talking with people who’ve changed their views, and they include a Palestinian woman who lives on the West Bank.
A Palestinian teacher has won a $1m (£707,000) global teaching prize – with the award announced in a video message by Pope Francis. Hanan Al Hroub grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp and now is a teacher of refugees herself. She specialises in supporting children who have been traumatised by violence. The winner was announced at an awards ceremony in Dubai, with a video message of congratulation sent by Prince William.
Settlers yelling, “Death to the Arabs,” knife attacks, shootings at checkpoints, Ramallah closed for twenty-four hours, talk of a third intifada as Gaza festers in conditions of great suffering. This is the context of Palestine. The debate in the U.S. is narrow. It sees only the Israeli point of view, which has become increasingly cruel and less grounded in reality. But this is where things lie, even as more and more people in the United States no longer accept this framework.
By Zeina Azzam
The bucolic Palestinian village of Wadi Foquin, nestled in a lush valley on the West Bank, is known for its fruits and vegetables, honey, olive trees, and natural springs. Situated near the green line with Israel, it lies five miles southwest of Bethlehem. Wadi Foquin is also a village fighting for its very existence.
As soccer grows in popularity in the U.S. and more fields sprout up around the country, in some places in the world building a field is not just about love of soccer, but about freedom. Such is the situation in Wadi Foquin, a small agricultural village in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories. The village council of Wadi Foquin began construction on a soccer field in the summer of 2015 to accompany a newly built park providing recreational space for their children, youth, and families.
Through educational events, humanitarian support, and cultural preservation, the Jerusalem Fund is helping build the movement for Palestinian liberation.
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