Permission to Narrate
by Jonathan Kuttab
Palestinian advocates consistently struggle against determined efforts to silence them and to ignore, if not outright demonize, their very existence. In particular, Palestinian perspectives and narratives have constantly faced an uphill struggle to gain a hearing, particularly in the United States and other Western nations. The late Edward Said spoke often of this phenomenon; he understood that denying the Palestinian narrative has always been integral to the Zionist attack on the Palestinian people.
An important part of the struggle for justice in Palestine is attempting to break through this obstacle, to raise the world’s awareness to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people. This silencing has a deep history, starting with the Zionist denial that there is such a thing as a Palestinian people to begin with (“a land without a people” was the bizarre claim). Year later, there was the demonization of the PLO as a terrorist organization and attempts to have Arab countries, notably Jordan, speak on behalf of the “Arab refugees.” Even the term “Israeli Arab” used by Israel for its Palestinian citizens is yet another attempt at national erasure. Finding a platform to speak within the mainstream/corporate media, finding a publisher or distributor, or even having purely cultural, musical, literary, culinary, and/or other aspects of Palestinian existence acknowledged has been a never-ending uphill struggle.
Years ago, many had hoped that after the taboo against the PLO and the dreaded “P” word was broken with the historic handshake between Arafat and Rabin on the White House lawn and the initiation of the Oslo peace process that there might be an end to such campaigns of silencing and cultural erasure. Yet these hopes were soon dashed as the peace process quickly stalled, as the prospect of genuine statehood dimmed, and as the Palestinian Authority was effectively turned into a tool for controlling its own people. Yet, against all odds, the Palestinian people continue to survive as we raise our voices and bring our cause before the world in the face of repeated attempts to silence us, appropriate our culture, or deny our very existence.
The latest manifestation of this phenomenon is seen in the reaction to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, organized by a group of Philadelphia activists led by Susan Abulhawa (author of Mornings in Jenin), at the University of Pennsylvania from September 22-24. I am currently in attendance.
The festival will feature Palestinian writings and writers and provide a platform for Palestinians to speak.
No sooner had the event been announced than an organized campaign to shut it down began. Jewish-Zionist organizations, including the Jewish Federation and the ADL contacted the President of the University of Pennsylvania, the Provost, the Deans, and some of the festival’s funders. The letters spoke of “anti-Israel bias and antisemitism,” thereby conflating political repudiations of Israel and its apartheid regime with the noxious attitudes of bigotry and racism inherent to anti-semitism. The tactic used by such groups was to raise the issue of the “safety of Jewish students” who would feel uncomfortable and threatened by such a festival. The letter quoted from the previous positions and statements of some of the speakers; including Marc Lamont Hill, who lost his position at CNN for advocating for a free Palestine “from the river to the sea”; Roger Waters, who openly challenges Israeli policies; and other Palestinian authors, whom one can easily expect to be opposed to repressive Israeli policies and therefore demonstrably “anti-Israeli.”
The university responded with a letter expressing understanding for the concerns of the ADL and the Jewish Federation, though it fell short of their demands to cancel the festival or distance the university from it. The organizers pushed back with a detailed letter of their own, insisting that it is the Palestinian students and Palestinians generally who feel marginalized, unheard, silenced in the face of cultural erasure, and who are most in need of such festivals to give expression to their beautiful culture, literature, and identity.
Meanwhile, similar attempts have been made to silence and censor the launching of the new Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism (ICSZ), even to the point of attacking the Ethnic Studies discipline in which the institute is situated, as well as against other Palestinian academics at institutes throughout the country. Learn about the ICSZ and their upcoming conference here as well as letters written in support of their academic freedom here.
FOSNA, in our dedication to being a Christian voice for Palestine, is of course deeply committed to amplifying Palestinian voices. We often highlight and share about recent publications by Palestinian writers, all of which are referenced in our website. We urge you to check them out.
The Palestine Writes Festival at the University of Pennsylvania has itself sold out, with 1400 participants set to enjoy the many activities available. FOSNA is participating, with a table showcasing our writings as well.
We will be reporting from there on social media, so please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok @fosnalive.
FOSNA News
Preach Palestine 2023: Exposing Apartheid with the Light of Truth
"Hope," in the immortal words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, "is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Responding to the call of our sisters and brothers in Palestine, FOSNA calls upon all communities of faith and conviction to stand firm in the light of truth and preach against apartheid this advent season. Preach Palestine and work to dismantle the darkness of oppression and segregation endemic to the Israeli apartheid regime.
We have gathered resources for worship planners from a diversity of traditions and voices that lift up liberation from Turtle Island to Palestine and beyond. Be it an entire service or a single prayer, a study series or a guest lecture, and/or a film screening or a fundraising event, we are asking you once again to Preach Palestine and lift up the Palestinian people, such that they would come to experience the joy, justice, and peace of Christ's liberating reign as a very real light in the present darkness.
Can you commit your congregation to Preach Palestine this Advent season?
Get Involved!
We invite you to join us in the following events and activities:
September 22-24: Philadelphia, PA
Palestine Writes
FOSNA is a proud sponsor of this year's Palestine Writes literature festival!
Palestine Writes is the only North American literature festival dedicated to celebrating and promoting cultural productions of Palestinian writers and artists. Born from the pervasive exclusion from or tokenization of Palestinian voices in mainstream literary institutions, Palestine Writes brings Palestinian cultural workers from all parts of Historic Palestine and our exiled Diaspora together with peers from other marginalized groups in the United States.
Join us at the University of Pennsylvania the weekend of September 22nd for this exciting and important festival.
Wednesday, September 27 · 7 - 8:30pm EDT
Please join PARCEO and Haymarket Books on Wednesday, September 27th at 7 PM for the launch of our “Curriculum on Antisemitism from a Framework of Collective Liberation” grounded in a deep commitment to challenging antisemitism and all forms of injustice.
This new curriculum was created by PARCEO, together with educators, scholars, and activists. The need for educational resources on antisemitism within a pedagogic framework of collective liberation is particularly important for this moment–as rising white nationalist violence targets many of our communities, including Jews, Muslims, Black people, immigrant communities, trans and queer people, among others, and as false charges of antisemitism are directed at seekers of Palestinian justice.
Join PARCEO and Haymarket Books for a discussion on a new curriculum on the importance of combatting antisemitism as part of our broader struggles for justice.
Speakers:
Robin DG Kelley, activist, scholar, writer; Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA
Lesley Williams, activist and educator against racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinianism.
Jamil Dakwar, human rights lawyer and chair of Adalah Justice Project’s advisory board
Abby Saul, early childhood educator and social media specialist
Nyle Fort, minister, social justice organizer, scholar; Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies, Columbia University
Nina Mehta, community educator and co-director, PARCEO, an education, resource, and research center
Mark Tseng-Putterman, a historian of Asian American community politics, Cold War imperialism, and social movements.
September 28: Online
NVI Presents: Jonathan Kuttab's Book Launch, "The Truth Shall Set You Free"
Thursday September 28, 2023, 12:00pm-1:30pm ET
Hosted by Maia Carter Hallward, with Special Guest Mubarak Awad, NVI Founder.
(Nonviolence International) Join us as we welcome Jonathan Kuttab to speak about his memoir along with special guest Mubarak Awad. Jonathan Kuttab is a co-founder of Nonviolence International, a Palestinian Human Rights lawyer-and Christian pacifist. In this marvelous memoir, he takes us on a personal journey from anger and thoughts of violence to his deep commitment to unrelenting peaceful activism. Be forewarned: This is not the journey of a starry-eyed idealist. It’s a true life story of a man who has witnessed violence, terrible injustice, suffering and heart-wrenching losses. 3 of the chapters are devoted to nonviolence and the work of his cousin Mubarak Awad who will also be joining the book launch. After discussion of his book we will transition into talking about nonviolence and the future of Palestinians and Israelis today.
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Palestine) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! Week 39: September 24 to 30 - Bedouin Rights Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
Refugee Bedouin communities in Palestine and Israel have experienced decades of home demolitions and forcible transfers along with virtually non-existent services. In September 2011, Israel adopted the Prawer Plan. One of its goals was to relocate 40,000 to 70,000 Negev Bedouin from their chosen homes to government-mandated lands. Here’s what you need to know about Bedouin villages such as Al Khan al-Ahmar and what you can do so that together we can rise up.