I went to my first anti-war-in-Palestine demonstration in London in 2014. Before that, while living in Iran, I was mostly protesting the Iranian government's support of Hamas which I still do. Since 2014, I have, sadly, participated in many more demos of the same nature. I worked on a performance project, At Home in Gaza and London, directed by Julian Maynard Smith and Taghrid Choucair Vizoso with collaborators in Gaza (2016-18). I made several friends in Gaza through this project and through these long-distance friendships I learned about their daily lives – and the difficulty of the daily life, for example constant power cuts meaning no internet or meaning the humus in the fridge is gonna go off (so they prefer humus imported from Israel) or the lack of quality medical treatment. The cultural centre (Said Al-mashal) in which we/they performed was later specifically targeted and bombed by Israel. In 2021, while on residency at the United Nations, I focused on their archives around Palestine and the history of Zionism. As someone in the art and academia worlds of decolonisation, who teaches on creative engagements with archives and history, I have tried to learn more about the history of Palestine. Some resources I have read or watched in the years or come across through trusted sources are below. I haven't fully read every word of every source but to my understanding none of these sources are coming from an anti-semitic intention, they might well be anti-Israel state but not against the innocent people of any faith, nationality or belief. 

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Donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians

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Read

• Potential History, book by Ariella Aisha Azoulay: if you have access to global banking system definitely buy it here, Verso is good and the book is worth every penny. Otherwise, look it up here.

• The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine: book by Ilan Pappe: read

• Jewish Voice for Peace: follow

• Graylit: Cultural Work Connecting Palestinian and Jewish Histories to Collective Liberation: explore

• Let's Talk Palestine: read

• The Funambulist Issue Learning with Palestine: read

• Gaza in Crisis, Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe: read

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Watch

• Edward W Said London Lectures: watch

• Gaza in context Teach-in sessions: watch

• They Do Not Exist (Laysa lahum wujud) by Mustafa Abu Ali (1974): watch

• Two Blue Lines, documentary by Tom Hayes: watch

• Aljazeera documentaries on Palestine: watch

• Ryuichi Hirokawa: Witness from the East: watch 

• 'We teach life, Sir', Rafeef Ziadah: watch

• In Search of Palestine - Edward Said's Return Home: watch

• Graylit film list on Palestine: view

• The works of artist Emily Jacir: just look it up

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Listen

• Let's Talk Palestine podcast: listen

• Radio Al Hara’s Until Liberation Learn Palestine with lectures, talks, interviews, stories, poetry, sound: listen

 

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Reading lists

• Decolonize Palestine: view

• Free Palestine: a Verso reading List: view

• University of California Press, Palestinian Studies: view

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... for now.​