Palestinians, in their own words

And a primer on anti-Palestinian racism.

A word on this publication, Eating an Island: For some time, my only paid subscriber has been my father (love you Dad!); recently someone else joined him (thank you, it’s very kind). Please note, though, that while the payment option is there (apparently I can’t turn it off now), I’ve no interest in compensation for my writing. As well, any money I do receive will go towards the weekly donations I currently send to two people in Gaza for their material needs. As always, thank you for reading. -JRS

In a recent essay, “Recognizing the Stranger,” I wrote that “right now, Palestinian voices deserve centre stage”; that is the purpose of this newsletter. Specifically, I’ll be sharing some Palestinian writers and journalists who publish their work on this platform, Substack.

First, however, I want to consider briefly the concept of anti-Palestinian racism, as it represents, in my view, the key enabler of the US/Israel genocide – as well as Canadian complicity and silence. (Note: My target audience is non-Palestinian and non-Arab readers; if that’s not you, please feel free to skip to the recommendations.)

The function of anti-Palestinian racism

Part of the problem with neoliberal identity politics is that they narrow the lens to see racism only as a personal failing, a wrong set of opinions. If you read my previous essay, you might see what’s happening here, i.e. liberal individualisation. This perspective precludes institutional or systemic analysis – which, by default, renders institutions and systems innocent. (While it might seem cute or cliché, the question “cui bono?” really is an effective heuristic.) 

By contrast, Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields describe racism not as an “emotion or state of mind, such as intolerance, bigotry, hatred or malevolence,” but rather “a social practice, which means that it is an action and rationale for action, or both at once”.¹ Similarly, Adolph Reed Jr. argues that racism is a “taxonomy of ascriptive difference” that serves to “stabilize a social order by legitimizing its hierarchies of wealth, power and privilege”.²

This is another way of saying that racism has a systemic and institutional function. What, then, is the “rationale for action” when it comes to anti-Palestinian racism? In a word: erasure. You don’t need to intellectualize it any more than that. Through this lens, the so-called “complexity” of the Question of Palestine comes into a sharp and appalling focus. 

In April of 2022, the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association compiled a definition of anti-Palestinian racism; I’ll quote it here in full, so that you can more readily identify and call it out. 

“Anti-Palestinian racism is a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives. Anti-Palestinian racism takes various forms including: denying the Nakba and justifying violence against Palestinians; failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people with a collective identity, belonging and rights in relation to occupied and historic Palestine; erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians; excluding or pressuring others to exclude Palestinian perspectives, Palestinians and their allies; defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic, a terrorist threat/sympathizer or opposed to democratic values.”

Palestinians, in their own words

My suggestion to people who show interest in Palestine is simply this: Listen to Palestinians and believe what they’re saying. In light of that, here are some recommended newsletters from writers in Palestine or the diaspora (I’ve selected specific essays, but please support their writing, in general). 

Habiba’s Substack, All shall have prizes 
Writer Quds Mon Amour explores the grim logic behind criticism of the protest against the Giller Prize here in Canada (a prestigious literary award whose main sponsor, Scotiabank, is heavily invested in Elbit Systems Ltd., a company that builds drone technology, guided missiles, and other weapons for Israel).

Mohammed Mohisen, The Politics of Deprivation
Writing from Gaza, Mohisen describes the depraved, material effects of Israel’s attack on the Strip. “Let me take you back to the grim reality. Gaza is suffocated by siege, a prison in every sense, locked on all sides.” 

palipoet, condemnation
Poet and writer Ragad on condemnation as a tool of Palestinian genocide and erasure. “i was born palestinian in america and asked to condemn the resistance of people i had yet to meet belonging to a country robbed from me knowing.”

State of Siege, Post Yahya Sinwar: No Matter What, Palestinians Will Never Give Up
Ahmad Ibsais explains the concept of sumud, or steadfastness, what it means to the Palestinian people, and how it serves as a guide for those in the diaspora. 

Olive-Laced Pen, I Got it from My Baba
Nada Chehade on her father, family and displacement. “In 1948, all four of my grandparents left their villages in Palestine to bordering countries, assuming they would return in a week, but they never got to see their homes again.”

Mohammed R Mhawish, Refaat Alareer Was My Friend. I Will Miss Him Forever
Mhawish reflects on the life and loss of his friend, writer, editor and poet, Refaat Alareer. (If you don’t recognize the name, you may know Alareer’s poem, “If I Must Die”.)

1. Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life.

2. “Marx, Race, and Neoliberalism”, in No Politics but Class Politics.