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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
slow-paced
Read as a follow up to One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This." To riff off of Michael Brooks (RIP), the so-called “Palestinian question,” or any euphemism you prefer to use to avoid calling it what it is—apartheid and genocide—really isn’t hard to answer.One side continually inflicts collective punishment, forces people into concentrated areas, bombing them until kingdom come, and establishes a state with two distinct sets of rules: one for one ethnicity and one for the other. The most pt question to ask here is: why? Why do people say, “oh well...it’s complicated” when, morally, historically, and equitably, the answer is straightforward?
Pappe addresses this head-on by challenging the myths surrounding Israel that allow people to make these caveats. These myths largely allow the reputation laundering of horrific state-level war crimes under the guise of combating “terrorists”—often labeling the victims as such after the fact. The United States is its biggest ally for a reason, which boils down to these myths:
How can you oppose Israel taking over an “empty area”? Criticize Zionism when that and Judaism are conflated—even if you’re Jewish and criticize it, you’re just an antisemitic asshole that should be dismissed? Challenge a country that claims to be the “only democracy” in the Middle East? Pappe understands that these questions are rooted in misguided and often blatantly false ideas.It’s powerful and essential now even more than when it was originally published in 2017 (credit to Verso for knowing this and their rerelease of it).
However, what I love about Pappe’s ideas and previous writing is that he is clear, concise, and gives credit to those before him. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and he consistently acknowledges his predecessors beyond the footnotes, stating, “Here is the work I stand upon.I’m giving you a summary of their arguments and my interpretations; I can’t emphasize enough that you check out their work.” He maintains this motif here, but the other parts fall short.It left me disappointed in how this work is framed.
Judging a book based on what you think it’s going to be versus what it actually is can often be a losing game. But, the way it is billed matters. It’s not an introductory text; it’s academic to a fault and digs so deeply that novices will likely get lost. It’s the same old Verso problem: you need a Master’s degree to understand it, but if you have the Master’s degree, you’re not going to be breaking too much new ground. Pappe is a brilliant writer and I hate to see him fall into this trap, but sometimes it just happens.
Instead of dwelling on that, I’d like to build upon the shoulders of giants as he has before and really recommend "Free Palestine! A Reading List" by Haymarket Books. That publisher has, frankly, never missed. Their reading lists provide the support and explanations of why theory and action can never be separated, which are essential for a liberated future. Pappe’s on there! Read that instead of this if you’re looking for something that clarifies the current situation.You might also explore the back list of "Ten Myths of Israel"; that’s really all you need from this work.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Ten Myths About Israel works like a book of FAQs for anyone looking to gain more footing on the settler colonial project called Israel, including its foundation and its goals.
After the Hamas-led "prison break" on October 7th 2023 which resulted in large amounts of casualties and captured Israelis, the Israeli forces launched high-tech genocidal campaign on the population of the Gaza Strip in return. Packed inside one of the most densely populated open air prison, at least hundreds of thousands have been butchered either with bombs or with starvation, large portion of the dead and wounded are children. Millions around the world took to the streets calling for an end to this brutal massacre. It's crucial now more than ever for the average workers to hear the cries of the Palestinians, learn about the regime imprisoning them, and take action.
Amidst the bombardment of state sponsored news from the US and other pro-Zionist agencies, many of us without context prior to the event may feel like the violent backlash is justified (somehow.) It is not justifiable of course, and it's even easier to demystify the Israel project entirely with this medium sized read. From its advent in collaboration with the British empire to the racist and anti-Semitic roots of Zionism, Dr Ilan Pappe presents to us the timeline and rationale explaining how the so-called Jewish state is utterly dangerous to the Jewish communities everywhere. While the Israel state is composed of Jewish politicians, generals, and civil servants, the actions of a state, especially one committing crimes against humanity, could not and should not be protected as if they're religious activities. By presenting Judaism and the state of Israel as one and the same, the Jewish people bears the brunt of Israel's crimes.
On the myth of the two-state solution, Dr Pappe argues that the idea cannot lead to lasting peace in the region as it still perpetuates the anti-Semitic basis of Zionism. He proposes the one-state solution which would establish a democratic and secular society rather than a Jewish supremacist one that relies heavily on the absolute destruction of the indigenous population. He concluded that no matter how the spoils of the nation is divided within Israel, a normal life for its citizens can never be achieved as long as the pillaging of Palestinian lives and land still serve as the basis for their existence.
As someone who've been tagging along with pro-Palestine protests and human rights activists in 2024, the information presented in this book is not entirely new, however, it does provide great resources, structure, and depth to the ongoing Palestine solidarity movements today. Against the rise of fascism in Europe, in the US and around the world, learning about Palestine and about the Israel regime will remain a top priority for any liberation movements to be able to detect and resist racist, imperialist, Zionist elements regardless of their main areas of activism. Ten Myths About Israel is definitely a must-read, not just for those with an interest in this particular regime but for anyone striving for a more just world.
After the Hamas-led "prison break" on October 7th 2023 which resulted in large amounts of casualties and captured Israelis, the Israeli forces launched high-tech genocidal campaign on the population of the Gaza Strip in return. Packed inside one of the most densely populated open air prison, at least hundreds of thousands have been butchered either with bombs or with starvation, large portion of the dead and wounded are children. Millions around the world took to the streets calling for an end to this brutal massacre. It's crucial now more than ever for the average workers to hear the cries of the Palestinians, learn about the regime imprisoning them, and take action.
Amidst the bombardment of state sponsored news from the US and other pro-Zionist agencies, many of us without context prior to the event may feel like the violent backlash is justified (somehow.) It is not justifiable of course, and it's even easier to demystify the Israel project entirely with this medium sized read. From its advent in collaboration with the British empire to the racist and anti-Semitic roots of Zionism, Dr Ilan Pappe presents to us the timeline and rationale explaining how the so-called Jewish state is utterly dangerous to the Jewish communities everywhere. While the Israel state is composed of Jewish politicians, generals, and civil servants, the actions of a state, especially one committing crimes against humanity, could not and should not be protected as if they're religious activities. By presenting Judaism and the state of Israel as one and the same, the Jewish people bears the brunt of Israel's crimes.
On the myth of the two-state solution, Dr Pappe argues that the idea cannot lead to lasting peace in the region as it still perpetuates the anti-Semitic basis of Zionism. He proposes the one-state solution which would establish a democratic and secular society rather than a Jewish supremacist one that relies heavily on the absolute destruction of the indigenous population. He concluded that no matter how the spoils of the nation is divided within Israel, a normal life for its citizens can never be achieved as long as the pillaging of Palestinian lives and land still serve as the basis for their existence.
As someone who've been tagging along with pro-Palestine protests and human rights activists in 2024, the information presented in this book is not entirely new, however, it does provide great resources, structure, and depth to the ongoing Palestine solidarity movements today. Against the rise of fascism in Europe, in the US and around the world, learning about Palestine and about the Israel regime will remain a top priority for any liberation movements to be able to detect and resist racist, imperialist, Zionist elements regardless of their main areas of activism. Ten Myths About Israel is definitely a must-read, not just for those with an interest in this particular regime but for anyone striving for a more just world.