Musings of figurative artist Kathryn Kaiser
Musings of figurative artist Kathryn Kaiser

Israel-Palestine Conflict | Press

Because there are too many to list on the Resources and Mutual Aid for Palestine post, I have made a separate page here for the Israel Palestine conflict press: periodicals, news, editorials, blog posts, social media and podcasts. Included are pieces that may not be as mainstream as what most of us are seeing or reading. I will attempt to be selective in what I share here. If you resonate with what you read, do follow these individuals and/or outlets.

I often think of Nelson Mandela’s words from his 1997 speech:

The UN took a strong stand against apartheid; and over the years, an international consensus was built, which helped to bring an end to this iniquitous system. But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

Nelson Mandela’s Address at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Dec. 4, 1997

Nelson Mandela in Keffiyeh - Israel Palestine Conflict Press

Mandela’s grandson, Zwelivelile Mandela (also a member of the South African Parliament) had these words on Palestine:

“The Palestinians are experiencing a worse form of the apartheid regime, worse than that we have ever experienced as South Africans.Zwelivelile Mandela interview with Tehran Times

On that note, perhaps we’ll jump right in with a section on Apartheid…

Page Contents

Israel Palestine Conflict Press Links

On Apartheid

1. Nelson Mandela and Palestine: In His Own Words

On the 30 year anniversary since his release from prison, the late South Africa leader remains an icon for the Palestinians.

Thirty years ago, Nelson Mandela raised a clenched-fist salute as he walked out of Victor Verster Prison.

After spending 27 years in prison, Mandela instantly galvanized the country and would spend the next four years tearing down South Africa’s apartheid system before becoming the country’s first black president.

Huthifa Fayad | Middle East Eye

Link to In His Own Words here.

2. Nelson Mandela, Palestinian Struggles and Decolonization (2021)

Chronologically South African struggles have paralleled Palestinian struggles. These struggles, in different parts of the world, and with very different historical and other contexts, nonetheless displayed powerful resonances. And, of course, they were to find solidarity one with another.

Both South Africa’s apartheid state and the state of Israel are best understood as ‘settler-colonial nation-states’, where full citizenship is enjoyed by the chosen nation (the settlers) and Indigenous peoples and formations are made into permanent minorities.

The colonial logic of ‘native reserves’ and the apartheid logic of ‘separate development’ and ‘self-determination’ uses a chimera of sovereignty to mask processes of exclusion and minoritisation. In neither the South African case nor the Israeli case can the trappings of a modern democratic state hide the fundamental attributes of a colonial polity. South African struggles for freedom and Palestinian struggles for freedom are quintessentially struggles for decolonization.

Nelson Mandela Foundation (link here).

18 July 2021 | Verne Harris | Originally published in Apartheid Briefs, Against Apartheid and Racial Discrimination

3. Israel’s 55-year Occupation of Palestinian Territory is Apartheid

There is today in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 a deeply discriminatory dual legal and political system that privileges the 700,000 Israeli Jewish settlers living in the 300 illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967

Link to UN Human Rights article.

4. Unpack the Past: Mandela, the Keffiyeh and South Africa’s Palestine Embrace

I have included this article from Al Jazeera because it not only discusses the similarities between South Africa apartheid and Palestine, but also the history of the ANC (African National Congress), opposition to all colonization and it’s ties with leaders like Yasser Arafat, Muammar Gaddafi and Fidel Castro.

Al Jazeera | Unpack the Past link here.

On Environmental Destruction

Global Environmental Impact of Israel in Gaza

1. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Is Also a Looming Climate Disaster

Israel and the Palestinian territories are among the most climate vulnerable places on the planet. Yet the newly-formed government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has focused more on shoring up far-right support than addressing the challenges of global warming in the region.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Is Also a Looming Climate Disaster

26 July 2022 | TIME

2. The UN is Investigating the Environmental Impact of the War in Gaza

The United Nations is investigating the environmental impact of the war in Gaza, which has caused a catastrophic spike in land, soil and water pollution. It has accepted an official request from the State of Palestine to carry out an environmental impact assessment, UNEP’s executive director Inger Andersen revealed during a speech in late January.

Link to the UN Investigates the Environmental Impact of the War on Gaza here.

6 March 2024 | Lottie Limb | Euro News

3. Of Olive Groves and Pine Trees – The Story Of Palestine

The conifers that now dominate the landscape are a symbolic stand-in for diaspora Jews around the world whom Israel claims as its own.

The hills of Palestine are covered in dusty scars where olive trees once grew. In their place, rows and rows of pine trees have been planted. The metaphor almost writes itself. While olive trees are indigenous to the land, take decades to mature, and produce vital food and oil, the pines grow fast, produce no fruit, and serve as non-native nostalgia for Europe, from where many of their planters fled.

Link to Of Olive Groves and Pine Trees

18 December 2023 | Ayesha Malik | Dawn

4. The Story of Palestine’s Colonization and Resistance Is Embodied in the Trees

Israeli settlers create non-native pine forests on occupied land at the expense of Palestinian lives and olive groves.

As an Israeli-born British Jew, I refuse to leave the violence of power and dispossession undisturbed. Through something we can all relate to, a tree, I wish to ground people in the stories that lie behind them. Maybe then, we can finally begin to speak to one another.Mohammed Obed

Link to Story of Palestine’s Colonization and Resistance here.

9 August 2023 | Taya Amit | Truthout

5. How Have the Forests of Israel Swallowed Our Land?

The environmental hypocrisy of the State of Israel as a strategy to dominate Palestinian lands

Israel has planted pines and cypress, most of them after the 1967 war, as part of its ongoing attempt to erase Palestinian existence. Over the past 100 years, the Zionist and the occupation have “reforested” large parts of Palestine, claiming to “make the wilderness bloom.” This typical colonizer tactic (see North America) has turned out to be devastating on local ecologies and the environment.

Link to the article: How Have the Forests of Israel Swallowed Our Land

31 May 2022 | by Dua’a Subhi | Capire Org

Other Current News

1. Israeli Authorities and Palestinian Armed Groups Responsible for War Crimes

UN inquiry finds Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the military operations and attacks in Gaza since 7 October 2023, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, said in a new report today. The Commission also found that Palestinian armed groups are responsible for war crimes committed in Israel. Read more on the UN press release here.

12 June 2024 | United Nations

2. Israeli Army Knew of Hamas’s Plans on 7 October, Report Finds

The Israeli army and intelligence services had detailed knowledge of Hamas’s plan to attack Israel and take captives weeks before the 7 October attack, a newly surfaced document reveals.

“Israeli intelligence officials who monitored the exercise detailed in the document the next steps after breaching into Israel and taking over the posts, determining that the instruction is to hand over the captured soldiers to the company commanders,” it said. “The expected number of hostages, it states, is between 200 and 250 people.”

The news of this report was published in The Times of Israel, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post among other sources.

Link to Israeli Army Knew here.

28 June 2024 | Middle East Eye

Protests & Public Outcry

1. How Online Activism and the Racial Reckoning in the U.S. Helped Drive Support for Palestinians

Even beyond activist circles many say there is a greater understanding of systematic oppression today thanks to the work of BLM and other movements for equity.

“We really have to credit our partners… in Indigenous movements and…the Black liberation movements who have taught the world—taught the U.S. certainly—about state violence, [and] how settler colonies oppress,” says Sandra Tamari, executive director of Adalah Justice Project, a U.S. based Palestinian advocacy organization. “That analysis was there. And then Palestine enters the picture. People are primed. They know how to protest.”

Read Why Pro Palestinian Support is Growing here.

21 May 2021 | Sanya Mansoor | TIME

2. Dr. Samer Attar, American surgeon, shows the unfathomable brutality of the war in Gaza.

Watch this short video of Dr. Samer Attar called Two Weeks Inside Gaza’s Ruined Hospitals here. (Graphic images warning) He was part of the first convoy of international doctors to travel to Gaza, and decided to film his experience himself.

21 May 2024 | Alexander Stockton and Amanda Su | The New York Times

3. Jewish Peace Activists Across the Us Call for Immediate Ceasefire and Justice for Palestinians

Like millions around the world, Rabbi Alissa Wise has been haunted by the gruesome scenes flooding out of Gaza, where civilians have endured more than two weeks of an Israeli siege and bombing campaign that has collapsed homes, destroyed vital infrastructure and sparked a humanitarian crisis.

1000’s of Jews and allies marched on Capitol Hill, where they carried Palestinian flags and rallied in support of Palestinian rights, while Wise led a smaller sit-in with hundreds of activists inside one of the Capitol buildings. The action was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, two of the largest US Jewish groups calling for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Read Jewish Peace Activists Call for Immediate Ceasefire here.

21 October 2021 | Alaa Elassar | CNN

On Colonization

olive trees burned by settlers

1. My Israeli Friends: This is Why I Support Palestinians

It is not always easy to stick to your moral compass, but if it does point north – towards decolonization and liberation – then it will most likely guide you through the fog of poisonous propaganda.Ilan Pappe

It is challenging to maintain one’s moral compass when the society you belong to – leaders and media alike – takes the moral high ground and expects you to share with them the same righteous fury with which they reacted to the events of last Saturday, October 7.

10 October 2023 | Ilan Pappe | Palestine Chronicle

Link to This is Why I Support Palestinians here.

2. Israel and Palestine: A Story of Modern Colonialism

The foundations of Israel are rooted in a colonial project that has modernized its face but continues to subject Palestinians to military occupation, land dispossession and unequal rights.

The foundations of Israel are rooted in a colonial project that has modernized its face but continues to subject Palestinians to military occupation, land dispossession and unequal rights. Seventy years later, the wounds of the Nakba are still open, as Israel prohibits over five million refugees the right of return – while guaranteeing citizenship to anyone who can demonstrate Jewish ancestry.

29 May 2019 | Daniel Avelar & Bianca Ferrari | Open Democracy

Link to Israel and Palestine: A Story of Modern Colonialism here.

3. Is Israel a Settler-Colonial State? The Debate Explained

That charge has been the subject of fierce debate in recent months amid the continuing Israeli assault on Gaza after the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

Colonialism is a system in which one people dominates another and uses the subjugated group’s resources for its own benefit (the British Raj in India is a classic example). Colonial projects take many forms, but Israel is accused of being the result of a specific variety: settler colonialism.

Read Vox article here.

17 April 2024 | Haleema Shah | Vox

On Zionism

1. Herzl’s Troubled Dream: The Origins of Zionism

Zionism has been seen either as a movement of national liberation or as a form of settler colonialism. In reality, it is both.

The subject of Zionism elicits strong feelings. For some, the Zionist movement and its progeny, the State of Israel, represent national liberation. For others, Zionism is a racist, colonial project. The story of Jewish nationalism is more complex.

Read Herzl’s Troubled Dream here.

6 June 2023 | William Eichler | History Today

2. Herzl’s Zionism: Historical and Ideological Development

This article examines Zionist claims to colonize Palestine and the role of Great Britain and prominent European Zionist Jews in the effort to establish Israel. Theodore Herzl, his lieutenants, and supporters, appeared as respectable statesmen, scientists, journalists, and businesspeople who advocated for freedom, liberation, and combating antisemitism. They deliberately collaborated with known antisemites and worked to dismantle ancient Jewish communities, removing Jews out of their countries of origin, colonizing Palestine for the creation of a Jewish state.

Read Herzl’s Zionism at Science Open here.

 19 January 2024 | Samir Abed-Rabbo | Arab Studies Quarterly

On Ethnic Cleansing

1. Deir Yassin Makes a Mockery of Israel’s “Never Again” Pledge

Orphans of Deir Yassin Massacre

Israel’s recent onslaughts against Palestinians have left behind scenes of devastation that eclipse Deir Yassin.

The Nakba set a precedent for further crimes against Palestine. While it is vital to study and educate people about the facts of those crimes, we should recognize too, that the Nakba has assumed symbolic significance. It is symbolic of how Palestinians have endured endless suffering and dispossession.

“Israel denies the Nakba and seeks to erase our history. That makes understanding the Nakba’s significance all the more important. There is nothing easy about that task. Everything I have seen in Deir Yassin is beyond my comprehension.” ~ Dina Elmuti

8 April 2022 | Dina Elmuti | The Electronic Intifada

Read Deir Yassin Makes a Mockery of Israel’s “Never Again” Pledge here.

2. Destroyed in the Nakba, Rebuilt Memory by Memory

Recreating a Palestinian Village 75 Years After the Nakba
Bayt Nabala was among 530 Palestinian villages destroyed at Israel’s birth. It was home to about 2600 people.

This article not only explains the Nakba very well, it features beautiful images of the village of Bayt Nabala before 1948. Al Jazeera recreated Bayt Nabala and all that was lost, based on memories of survivors and their descendants using artificial intelligence-generated representations and documented history.

Read Recreating a Palestinian Village here.

15 May 2023 | Amandas Ong | Al Jazeera

3. David Ben-Gurion and Israel’s Expulsion of the Palestinians

On 3 November 2011, the self-appointed media watchdog CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) informed the Journal of Palestine Studies (JPS) of an incorrect citation in an article by Ilan Pappé published in its Autumn 2006 issue. The incorrect citation referred to a quotation by Israeli founding father David Ben-Gurion supporting the expulsion of Arabs from Palestine.

CAMERA asked JPS to “issue a correction stating that the quote attributed to Ben-Gurion does not appear in the references cited” in JPS and its website “to prevent further erroneous uses of this quote.” JPS editor Rashid Khalidi explains the journal’s response, which included the full publication of an English translated letter that Ben-Gurion wrote to his son in 1937. Watch Rashid Khalidid’s response here.

2 April 2012 | Rashid Khalidi | Journal of Palestine Studies

4. The Deir Yassin Massacre: Why it Still Matters 75 Years Later

The brutality of the Deir Yassin prompted thousands of Palestinians to flee, just weeks before Israel was created.

On April 9, 1948, just weeks before the creation of the State of Israel, members of the Irgun and Stern Gang Zionist militias attacked the village of Deir Yassin, killing between 100 and 300 Palestinians.

9 April 2023 | AlJazeera

Read The Deir Yassin Massacre here.

Podcasts

Note: Most of the following podcasts are available on multiple platforms. I have not listed them all here.

1. This Is Palestine

This Is Palestine is a podcast that highlights people, issues, and events around Palestine. We bring you stories from the ground in Palestine, and we speak with experts and activists to bring you unique perspectives and analysis about Palestine from across the world. Learn more and/or listen here. Available on Apple Podcasts.

2. PreOccupation: A Not-So-Brief History of Palestine

PreOccupation podcast is a deep dive into the social, economic, and political history of Palestine. Through the narration of Palestine’s history, the podcast hopes to address some of the most common misconceptions about Palestine and Palestinians.

Find out more here. Listen to PreOccupation on Apple Podcasts here.

3. The Mandates

The BBC Radio 4 series, The Mandates examines how British and French control of the Middle East a century ago shaped the region in ways which still reverberate today. This series is a great 3 episode intro to the colonization of the Middle East.

In The Mandates, we hear from a range of historians; experts in the events a century ago on the territory covering modern-day Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. We spoke to women and men directly affected by the convulsions that gripped Europe and the Middle East, and their descendants today.

Read more about the series here, and listen on BBC Radio 4 here.

4. Rethinking Palestine

Rethinking Palestine is a podcast from Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, a transnational think tank that brings together Palestinians from across the globe to produce critical policy analysis and craft visions for a liberated, self-determined future. Host Yara Hawari engages with a range of Palestinian analysts to discuss recent developments and long-standing questions facing Palestinians worldwide.

Rethinking Palestine on Apple Podcasts here.

5. Across the Divide

Across the Divide explores the intersection of the Christian faith and social justice in Palestine-Israel and its relationship to the church in the West. The podcast is hosted and produced by a group of Palestinian and American Christians, and seeks to provide a space for thoughtful and critical conversations that reflect on the situation in Palestine-Israel through the lens of Christian faith, theology, and the Bible.

Listen to Across the Divide on Apple Podcasts here.

6. Build Palestine: Under the Olive Tree

Each week Build Palestine asks the question: what will make real impact on the ground? Because continuing the status quo is not an option. We need new, creative ideas that will uplift our community.
You’ll hear from social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, policymakers, impact investors, teachers, mothers, taxi drivers and more as we dream together under the olive tree.

Episodes in Arabic and English.

Listen to Build Palestine on Apple Podcasts here. Also on Spotify.

Social Media

The following social media account links are a combination taken from the Australian collective The Toolkit and my own ‘following’ list. I have chosen to focus on people and content most directly related to the conflict. Many of these accounts have additional links in their bios. Please amplify their voices.

Some of these individuals may have accounts on other platforms. The reader should be able to find them without much difficulty.

Journalists on the Ground in Gaza

Journalists in Occupied Palestine

News & Content Hubs

Palestinians In Palestine

Palestinians in the Diaspora

Jewish Voices

Other Important Voices

Special Mention

1. Al-Shabaka’s collection of publications.

al-shabakaAl-Shabaka has put together a pertinent and comprehensive collection of publications to inform readers.

Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network was launched in April, 2010, as the first and only independent, transnational Palestinian think tank. We bring together over 200 analysts from across the globe to produce critical policy analysis and craft visions for a liberated, self-determined future.

From Al-Shabaka website: On October 7th, 2023, Hamas’s armed wing led the Al-Aqsa Flood, a guerilla operation where fighters broke through the Gaza barrier, seized Israeli settlements, killed an estimated 1200 Israelis, and took an additional 200 hostage.

As much of the world struggles to make sense of this devastation, Palestinians speaking out continue to be dehumanized and silenced in an effort to quash testimonies that challenge the dominant discourse.

To counter this strategy, Al-Shabaka has compiled a collection of its past works that may serve to ground readers in the wider context of this current moment.​ Together, these publications, webinars, and podcasts speak to the many layers that form the foundation of this point of rupture. They offer possibilities for new ways both to understand the past and present, as well as to envision a radically different future.

Link to the resources page on Al-Shabaka site here.

2. Visual Explainer of Israel’s Assault on Gaza

Note: there is a content warning on this video by Jack Matari when you open it. It is not (the least bit) graphic.

Unexpected Sources

1. The Israel Hamas War | Last Week Tonight

An accurate account of the Israel-Hamas conflict told from present day back to the inception of Hamas and Netanyahu’s rise to power. For those who prefer a lighter telling of recent history, in a comedy/current events program format. John Oliver pretty much nails the lead up to the current events in just a few minutes and leaves us with a glimmer of hope at the end of the segment.

Watch The Israel Hamas War on YouTube here.

13 November 2023 | John Oliver | Last Week Tonight

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