Tangible ways the book community can support Palestine
If you're feeling sick and helpless at the never-ending stream of horrific images and videos coming out of Palestine right now, you're not alone.
But if you want to actually do something about it but have no idea where to start, there are ways to contribute no matter your situation, and every single action - no matter how small - adds up to support the demand for a free Palestine.
The below is listed in no particular order, and most options are free!
Read books by Palestinian authors
Buy from an Indie bookstore if you can, otherwise borrow from your local library. If they aren't in stock or don't have them on the shelves, order them in. This shows the demand for Palestinian work and buying from indie bookstores supports both the author and the bookstore for a win win.
Same goes for borrowing from the library - we love supporting our local libraries and they need our support now more than ever as censorship and the effort to try and ban books runs rife across the globe.
Some reading to get you started:
- The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience by Plestia Alaqad
- We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth by Ahmed Alnaouq, Pam Bailey
- We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh
- Forest of Noise: Poems by Mosab Abu Toha
- The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi
- Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd
- Letters From Gaza: A Collection By the People; Unveiling Their Stories and Emotions From the Year That Has Been by Mahmoud Alshaer, Mohammed Al-Zaqzooq
- They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri
- Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire by Jehad Abusalim (Editor), Jennifer Bing (Editor), Mike Merryman-Lotze (Editor)
- The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
- What Does Israel Fear From Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh
- Cactus Pear For My Beloved: A Family Story from Gaza by Samah Sabawi
- Rifqa by Mohammed El-Kurd
- Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative by Isabella Hammad
- Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj
- The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders by Sarah Aziza
Books about Palestine written by others:
- Moral Abdication: How the World Failed to Stop the Destruction of Gaza by Didier Fassin, Gregory Elliott (translator)
- The World After Gaza by Pankaj Mishra
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé
- On Palestine by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappé, Frank Barat (Editor)
- Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill, Mitchell Plitnick
- The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis, Cornel West (Foreword), Frank Barat (Introduction)
- One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Show up at rallies, protests and vigils
There is always activity happening, no matter where you live. Google "Palestinian Events Near Me" to find your closest chapter.
If you're in Aotearoa, visit: Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa, People 4 Palestine, Falastin Tea Collective, Justice for Palestine for information!
If you can't make the next one, go to the one after that. If you can't go to that one, start your own! Take a flag and sign and wave it on a street corner in your neighbourhood. The point is to be seen and heard, so any activity is good activity.
Write to your representatives
Politicians pay attention to numbers. Flood their inboxes and mailboxes. Demand a ceasefire, demand accountability, demand they stop funding or arming genocide.
Important points for your email:
- Call for an immediate ceasefire by the Israeli Government.
- Call for the Israeli Government to provide safe and secure passage for humanitarian aid and medical support and supply.
- Officially recognise Palestine as a sovereign country.
- Condemn the targeting of civilians and collective punishment and declare that there can be no justification for blocking civilian access to water, power and humanitarian aid.
- Call for sanctions against the Israeli Government for their crimes against humanity and continued breach of International Law.
Sign petitions
While not a substitute for direct action, petitions show growing public pressure and can help keep Palestine on the political agenda.
Look for ones run by credible advocacy groups and circulate them widely.
Donate if you can
Even small amounts matter. Direct aid organisations such as Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, local grassroots groups on the ground are doing vital work.
If you can’t donate money, consider donating books, resources, or your time to fundraising initiatives.
There is heaps of amazing merch, tees, prints, totes and more that you can buy where profits will be donated to Palestinian causes.
Some links to check out:
There's also super cool raffles and giveaways like this one!
Share Palestinian voices
Palestinian writers, journalists, and activists are being censored daily. Follow them, amplify their posts, and share their work on your platforms. Elevating Palestinian perspectives cuts through the disinformation and keeps their stories alive.
Consume and share Palestinian media
Read Palestinian publications, watch films, listen to music and podcasts. Support cultural production as a form of resistance.
Podcasts to listen to
Films
- Born in Gaza (Netflix)
- Farha (Netflix)
- Gaza: Surviving Shujayea (Al Jazeera)
Final thoughts
As members of the book community, we already know the power of words, stories, and visibility. Literature shapes culture, and culture shapes politics. By centering Palestinian voices, showing up in public spaces, and putting pressure on those in power, we contribute to a global movement for justice.
