Best for:
Those interested in how to respond to some of the accusations that come when one is fully supportive of a free Palestine and opposed to the occupation and genocide.
In a nutshell:
Sim Kern (they/them) is a Jewish author interested in debunking some of the common talking points people use to justify what Israel is doing in Palestine.
Worth quoting:
“When the oppressed call for ‘liberation,’ colonizers hear ‘genocide,’ because that’s all they know — they can only conceive of violent, oppressive relations between enslaver and enslaved. But decolonization is not genocide.”
“If Palestine can get free, then anyone, anywhere can get free, And a certain class of people are willing to bun down the world rather than let that happen.”
Why I chose it:
Even though so many of us have seen the horrors of the past two years and have spoken out, there are some arguments that often come up that can be challenging to respond to, especially when emotions are running high. I was interested in a book that could address some of these issues, backed up by research and an understanding of the history of Palestine and Israel.
Review:
As I type this review, I’ve just received the following BBC breaking news alert: “UK and 25 nations condemn Gaza aid killings as Israel launches new ground offensive.”
I’m kind of shocked they bothered to say anything, as so many western countries have done fuck all to help Palestinians in Gaza over the many decades that they have been displaced, or even in the last two years, depending on how one chooses to view things.
This book is a very easy read (in as much as a book about the history and genocide in a region can be ‘easy’), Author Sim Kern is an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace who has done loads of reading on the topic of Palestine. I recognize that many Zionist Jewish individuals disregard anything said by the Jewish individuals in JVP as being unrepresentative of Jewish people as a whole, with some going so far as to say JVP support terrorism. The latter is frankly a ridiculous claim, but everyone is allowed their own opinion (though not their own facts).
Kern addresses right up front the fact that we should be centering Palestinian voices in these discussions, and provides many suggested readings. Interestingly, the book is published by a Palestinian-owned imprint run by a Palestinian woman, who reached out to Kern to suggest they write this book as a natural follow-on to the work Kern has been doing for the past few years to educate folks on Palestine on social media.
The book is broken into three parts – an introduction (‘How I Became a Reluctant Influencer for a Free Palestine”), a wrap-up (“Towards Collective Liberation – What Does ‘Free Palestine’ Even Mean?), and the heart of the book, called Answering Hasbara. The topics Kern takes on include ones that I think many folks who have opposed the occupation and ongoing genocide in Palestine but who are not scholars of the area have struggled with.
The chapter I was most interested in addresses the idea that criticizing Israel is antisemitic. It is obvious to me that there are quite a few people who are indeed antisemitic who have taken advantage of this moment to express those antisemitic views. However, I strongly disagree with the idea that opposition to the Israeli government and the Israeli occupation of Palestine is inherently antisemitic.
It also does a great job of framing the occupation, displacement, and genocide of Palestinian people in a much larger historical picture, exploring how it is connected to bigger questions about colonizing, capitalism, and oppression. I found the final section to be especially inspiring, because it looks beyond where we are into what actually could be possible. I often find myself thinking ‘This? This is what society has decided is what we should be doing with our lives?’ when I look at military action, and governmental actions that harm the most vulnerable among us. It doesn’t have to be that way.
As I am not an expert in this area, I am sure that there is information in the book that is simplified, or perhaps missing details others would have included. Kern includes a link to a site where they said they will be posting any errata or changing information that is no longer accurate, which I appreciate. And this won’t be the last book I read on the topic, though I do think it is a decent starting point.
I think it’s important to read more, and especially more Palestinian voices. Kern in fact ends with three letters from families who have given birth since the latest violence. They are heartbreaking. And they are such a good reminder that yes we can have endless debates, discussions, and book clubs, but in the end, there are real people being burned alive, starved, and forcibly displaced, and all with US and UK taxpayer money. It’s horrifying to see in real time,, and we as humanity owe it to Palestinians – and victims of the other genocides taking place right now across the world – to listen to their voices and actually do something to help them.