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Dear Readers,
We are delighted to announce the release of our editor, Dr. Ramzy Baroud's newest book with a forward by Ilan Pappe.
Please watch the video, read the brief text below and order your copy now:
- Pluto Press (London, UK)
By Ramzy Baroud. Foreword by Ilan Pappe
Baroud's empathetic and lyrical approach reveals new human dimensions of the Palestinian saga, telling it as it has never before been told.
'In the finest tradition of people's history, these sensitive, painful and evocative pieces provide a human face to the painful saga of Palestinian torment and the remarkable courage and resilience of the victims' - Noam Chomsky 'Engaging, unforgettable, complex and unique. The Last Earth provides a unique way of tackling the problem of writing history. Reading it is like walking around a gallery of old master paintings, each telling its own harrowing and often beautiful story about the same episode in human history' - Baroness Jenny Tonge
Spanning decades and encompassing war, mass exodus, epic migrations and the search for individual and collective identity, The Last Earth tells the story of modern Palestine through the memories of those who have lived it.
Ordinary Palestinians have rarely narrated their own history. In this groundbreaking book, acclaimed author Ramzy Baroud draws on dozens of interviews to produce vivid, intimate and beautifully written accounts of Palestinian lives - in villages, refugee camps, prisons and cities, in the lands of their ancestors and in exile. Baroud's empathetic and lyrical approach reveals new human dimensions of the Palestinian saga, telling it as it has never before been told.
Against dominant narratives, the last earth reclaims Palestine's past - and present - for all its people. - Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, media consultant, author and editor of the Palestine Chronicle. He is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara. He is the author of My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto, 2009), and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story (Pluto, 2018), among others books. He has a PhD in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter. |
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South Africa to Cut Diplomatic Ties with Israel Pandor informed parliamentarians of the government's resolution during a ten-hour joint debate on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he delivered last week. "The majority party has agreed, that government must cut diplomatic ties with Israel, given the absence of genuine initiatives by Israel to secure lasting peace and a viable two-state solution that includes full freedom and democracy for the Palestinian people," she said. The comments were made in response to opposition leader Kenneth Meshoe, who had argued that it was disappointing that national and provincial authorities in South Africa had refused help from Israeli companies to address the country's current water crisis. However, the proposal was applauded by parliamentarians and Pandor, who is expected to be appointed vice president in Ramaphosa's new Cabinet, was given a standing ovation as she left the podium. The government's decision was further confirmed on the South African Parliament's official Twitter account. South Africa has been a staunch ally of the Palestinian struggle and regularly spoken out against the atrocities committed by the Israeli government. Last month, the South African representative to the UN told the Human Rights Council that Israel is the "only state in the world that can be described as an apartheid state", just days after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party called for government ministers to strengthen the country's visa restrictions with Israel. Last year, the government also resolved to downgrade the South African Embassy in Israel to a liaison office, and cautioned Tel Aviv for blacklisting supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which included prominent figures of the ANC. The BDS South Africa campaign has witnessed significant support from the nation's public, with universities and churches backing a cultural and economic boycott of Israel affiliated organizations. (MEMO, PC, Social Media) |
| EDITORIAL
More Than a Fight over Couscous: Why the Palestinian Narrative Must Be Embraced As soon as Virgin Atlantic Airlines introduced a couscous-style salad "inspired by the flavours of Palestine", a controversy ensued. Israel's supporters ignited a social media storm and sent many complaints to the company, obliging the airline to remove the reference to Palestine. In the Zionist narrative, Palestine does not exist - nor is it allowed to exist - even if merely as a cultural conception.
The sad irony is that, while Israel appropriated Palestinian-Arabic couscous (the Palestinian dish, in particular, is known as ' maftoul'), branding and marketing it in western countries as 'Israeli couscous', its supporters go to every extent possible to erase any reference that may validate Palestinian Arab culture, whether Muslim or Christian. This is an old habit, an endemic practice that dates back to the destruction of nearly 600 Palestinian villages and localities in 1947-48. Palestinians refer to these earth-shattering events as the 'Nakba', or catastrophe. Tellingly, Israel outlaws the use of the term or the commemoration of the tragic event in any way. From claiming Palestinian Arab culinary culture as their own, to 'Judaized' Arabic street names to rewriting history, Israel and its supporters are relentless. Israel fears a Palestinian narrative because the Israeli government understands, and rightly so, that it is the collective Palestinian narrative that has compelled resistance, in all of its forms for over 70 years. All attempts have failed, until recently.
The 1993 Oslo Accord is a critical juncture that shattered the cohesiveness of Palestinian discourse and weakened and divided the Palestinian people. However, it is not too late to remedy this through decisive and concentrated efforts that overcome the challenge of a Palestinian political viewpoint beholden to self-seeking political aspirations and competing factions. In the absence of a Palestinian leadership populated by the Palestinian people themselves, intellectuals must safeguard and present the Palestinian story to the world with authenticity and balance. The clarity and integrity of the Palestinian story has been damaged and divided by Palestinian Authority (PA) tactics which remove Palestinian refugees' right of return from their political platform. Essentially, the story of Palestine is the story of the Palestinian people, for they are the victims of oppression and the main channel of Resistance, starting with the creation of Israel on the ruins of Palestinian villages. If Palestinians had not resisted, their story would have concluded right there and then and they, too, would have disappeared.
Those who admonish Palestinian Resistance, armed or otherwise, have little understanding of the psychological ramifications of resistance, such as a sense of collective empowerment and hope amongst the people. In his introduction to Frantz Fanon's "Wretched of the Earth", Jean-Paul Sartre describes violent resistance as a process through which "a man is re-creating himself". And for seven decades, Palestinians have embarked on this journey of the recreation of the "self". They have resisted, and their resistance in all forms has molded a sense of collective unity, despite the numerous divisions that have been erected amongst them. Relentless resistance, a notion now embodied in the very fabric of Palestinian society, denied the oppressor the opportunity to emasculate Palestinians, or to reduce them to helpless victims and hapless refugees. The collective memory of the Palestinian people must focus on what it means to be Palestinian, defining the Palestinian people, what they stand for as a nation, and why they have resisted for years. A new articulation of the Palestinian narrative is necessary, now more than ever before. The elitist interpretation of Palestine has failed, and is as worthless as the Oslo Accords. It is no more than a tired exercise in empty clichés, aimed at sustaining American political dominance in Palestine as well as in the rest of the Middle East. The peace process is dead, but the Palestinian people are still resisting; unsurprisingly, the people are mightier than a group of self-centred individuals. Grassroots resistance is not constrained by the frivolous politicking of PA leader, Mahmoud Abbas, or any other actors.
Abbas and his men have not only muzzled the political will of the Palestinian people and falsely claimed to represent all Palestinians, they have also robbed Palestinians of their narrative, one that actually unites the 'fellahin' (peasants) and the refugees, the occupied and the 'shattat' (diaspora), into one distinct nation. It is only when the Palestinian intellectual is able to repossess that collective narrative that the confines placed on the Palestinian voice can be finally broken. Only then can Palestinians truly confront the Israeli Hasbara and US-Western corporate media propaganda and, at long last, speak unhindered. But there are obstacles, leading amongst them is the ruthless attempt by Zionist historians and institutions to replace the Palestinian historical narrative with their own. The story of the Palestinian cuisine on an airline menu may appear trivial in the greater scheme of things but it is significant, nonetheless. In the Zionist Israeli narrative, Palestinians, if relevant at all, are depicted as drifting nomads, without a culture or tradition of their own, an inconvenience that hinders the path of progress - a duplicate narrative to the one that defined the relationship between every western colonial power and the resisting natives, always. From the Zionist point of view, Palestinian existence is an inconvenience that was meant to be only temporary. "We must expel Arabs and take their places," wrote Israel's founding father, David Ben Gurion.
Assigning the Palestinian people the role of dislocated, disinherited and nomadic people without caring about the ethical and political implications of such false representations has erroneously presented Palestinians as a docile and submissive collective, to be wiped out by those more powerful. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Palestinian resistance is the unremitting example of the strength and resilience of the Palestinian people. Palestinian culture is rooted, like the olive trees and mountains of Galilee. Yes, the fight has been an arduous one. Between the rock of Israeli occupation and Hasbara and the hard place of Palestinian leadership acquiescence and failure, Palestine, Palestinians and their story have been trapped and misconstrued. It is time for us to step up. We, as Palestinian writers, historians and journalists, assume the responsibility of reinterpreting Palestinian history and internalizing and communicating Palestinian voices, so that the rest of the world can, for once, appreciate the story as told by wounded, but tenacious, victors. - Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. His latest book is 'The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story' (Pluto Press, London, 2018). Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. |
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This B'Tselem Report Exposes Israel's Pollution of the Occupied West Bank Israel remains the only UN member state which has never declared where its borders are. In fact, it has refused to demarcate any borders due to the Zionist intention to colonize the whole of historic Palestine. For less desirable requirements, however, it does not hesitate to apply a temporary suspension of its agenda, recognize separate areas and impose additional hardships on Palestinians. As with several other discriminatory policies, Israel acknowledges Palestinian existence and land only when it can use such recognition to suit its nefarious purposes. Human rights group B'Tselem's December 2017 report called "Made in Israel: Exploiting Palestinian Land for Israeli Waste" reveals that there are 15 Israeli waste treatment facilities in the occupied West Bank. Six of these facilities process hazardous waste. By treating its waste in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel is evading several responsibilities which can be summarised by pointing out one particular discrepancy, as B'Tselem states: "Transferring waste into an occupied territory is a far graver issue, as residents of an occupied territory cannot oppose the decisions of the occupying power." The report investigated four of the hazardous waste treatment facilities and a sewage treatment plant in the occupied West Bank. The ramifications of such facilities, which B'Tselem states are operating without strict control, include the contamination of soil and water, the risk of drug resistant organisms and an increased threat of illness. Natural resources are also being damaged permanently. B'Tselem has outlined the differences in Israel's waste treatment legislation, showing that it applies less stringent procedures for waste facilities in the occupied West Bank. Inside Israel "proper" - that is, the land not recognised as occupied by international law - waste treatment facilities require permits from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The facilities are also required to carry out assessments that detail their impact upon the environment. Since waste treatment facilities in the occupied West Bank are regulated by the Administration of Local Councils, Israel does not face the same obligations and is therefore not required to carry out impact assessments due to the absence of legislation on pollution. The exemptions from accountability in the occupied West Bank have made it easier for hazardous waste to be treated away from scrutiny and with the opportunity to oppress Palestinians further. B'Tselem makes an important observation in this regard; it is Palestinians who are denied freedom of movement and whose spaces are restricted, unlike the Israeli settler population in the occupied territories, who have the freedom to live anywhere they choose. With such discrepancies as a result of colonial expansion, it is important to make a connection between the violations and Israel's exploitation of land and how it defines ownership. The report's conclusion reads thus: "Israel has turned the West Bank into a sacrifice zone, exploiting and harming the environment at the expense of the Palestinian residents, who are completely excluded from the decision-making process." The last premise, which is the exclusion of Palestinians, is disregarded routinely when discussing the implications of Israeli colonialism, due to the refusal to connect land appropriation with the consequences of such exploitation. This report clearly associates the environmental and health impact with the wider colonial project. The international community's recording of Israel's violations, though, are situated within the context of violations themselves, thus breeding further impunity for Israel while eliminating the collective international responsibility towards Palestinians. - Ramona Wadi is a staff writer for Middle East Monitor, where this article was originally published. She contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. |
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| SELECTED ARTICLES By Ramzy Baroud As soon as Virgin Atlantic Airlines introduced a couscous-style salad "inspired by the flavours of Palestine", a controversy ensued. Israel's supporters ignited a social media storm and sent many complaints to the [...] By Rima Najjar As a Palestinian, I am skeptical about Mahmoud Abbas's address, billed by the press as "Abbas delivers rare address at UNSC meeting", which calls for two states. Whereas I believe that the Boycott, [...] A former Israeli soldier has said that it is the responsibility of Israeli citizens to call for an end to the occupation in order to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinians. During [...] By Ramona Wadi Israel remains the only UN member state which has never declared where its borders are. In fact, it has refused to demarcate any borders due to the Zionist intention to colonize the [...] The Israeli government is to boycott the Paris Film Festival over the organizer's decision to air a movie that is said to "hurt the reputation of Israel's military". Culture Minister, Miri Regev, is said to [...] By Rima Najjar Facebook is under pressure to chill or suppress speech that delegitimizes the Jewish state in the context of the Palestinian national liberation movement and international solidarity for Palestinians. At the same time, speech that delegitimizes Palestinians [...] By Wasan Abu Baker After my father's release from and Israeli prison in 1988, our family, friends, and neighbors had a huge celebration welcoming him home. He spent a few months as a political prisoner [...] Virgin Atlantic was the subject of a social media row after removing the word Palestinian from an in-flight meal following complaints. A couscous-style salad had been described on a menu as "inspired by the flavors [...] Israel is ramping up its crackdown on the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as the government plans a blacklist for citizens and companies in Israel that support the movement to then deny them tax [...] By Break the Maritime Blockade of Gaza Gaza is the largest open air prison in the world, with 2 million people, mostly children. Now it is lacking potable water, with only 2-4 hours of electricity [...] By Ramona Wadi The White House has dismissed statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding discussions with the US about Israel's annexation ambitions. Within the larger framework, this latest diplomatic dispute does not carry [...] By Yves Engler The anti-Palestinian consensus among Canada's three main political parties is crumbling and NDP members could bury it this weekend. After taking an all-expense paid trip to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's conference in Washington [...] |
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