There are two issues of our time, really, that I think amount to a litmus test for morality [...]. One is what you're prepared to do on behalf of the Palestinian people. — June Jordan
or, October, somehow.
As we email this to you, the state of Israel, a settler colonial state, is conducting a genocidal bombardment on the 2 million people living in the Gaza Strip and alongside, using that bombardment as a smokescreen, furthering their land grabbing and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. We hope, over the past few years, we’ve made it abundantly clear that we stand with Palestine. As you might have noticed, we have devoted our twitter feed over the past three weeks to keeping the focus on the crimes Israel is committing. While the mainstream media is insistent on parroting western government Zionist propaganda, it is in times like this that social media comes to the fore. Listening to and amplifying Palestinian voices is key in disrupting the Zionist colonial project. We encourage you to follow these accounts in particular (but of course, there are countless others as well): Mohammed El-Kurd, IMEU, This is Gaza, Good Shepherd Collective, MoTaz on twitter, and Plestia Alaqad, Omar Suleiman, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Eye, Palestine Action on instagram.
The state of Israel is an illegal entity, formed by an ethnic cleansing first started over 70 years ago. Close to 6 million Palestinian refugees are denied a right to return that any Jewish person might lay claim to, despite having no ancestral link to the land. In doing so, they evict Palestinian families from the very buildings they’ve lived in for years. All of this is documented and if you want to know more, you can start with Decolonize Palestine or Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé (free, among others, from Verso Books right now). If you prefer documentaries, here’s a great thread with recommendations. There is so much out there by which to educate yourself that, by now, claiming ignorance is not just privileged but actively harmful. The very least that Palestinians ask is that you talk about their cause, that you keep eyes on it. If you have ever asked regarding historical atrocities how such things could have happened, you only need to look around now to see the media bias, the western governments turning a blind eye at best, and actively warmongering at worst, to answer that question for yourself. How can any of them ever say “never again” when this is how they react in the face of another genocide?
And, let’s be clear: this is a genocide. The definition contained in Article II of the Convention describes genocide as “a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part”. When you have all the experts calling it thus, when the Israeli PM, president, and many members of parliament are all propagating genocidal rhetoric, we should not mince our words. There are no mitigating factors here: Israel is using Hamas’ attack as an excuse to further its aim to wipe Palestine off the map and we cannot stand by and let them do so.
Keeping your eyes on Palestine, rejecting western government and Israeli propaganda, letting it be known that you will not accept a genocide conducted is the least any of us can do.
For more direct actions, Egyptian sisters Mirna and Yara El Helbawi started distributing e-sims to Palestinians and here’s more info on how you can help them. For folks in the UK, check out Medical Aid for Palestinians and Palestine Action. And anywhere in the world, you can take part in the boycotts that the BDS movement calls for, namely against Carrefour, Siemens, PUMA, McDonald’s, and others.
We also recommend a recording of yesterday’s free event from Palestine Festival of Literature - But We Must Speak: On Palestine and the Mandates of Conscience. It should give you some hope, and all of us could use it right now.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
And now in terms of our blogging. We didn’t have a lot on the blog this month, for obvious reasons. But we did have:
September’s music releases and November’s book releases (although there’s no twitter thread about them this time, so you’ll have to find the links here).
An excerpt of Shitty Craft Club.
We’ve been reading…
I read ARCs of Allison Saft’s upcoming books last month, A Dark and Drowning Tide and A Fragile Enchantment, and honestly I can’t stress just how much you don’t want to miss out on these. Fantasy romance, but like capital-r Romance! All wrapped up in gorgeous, gorgeous, writing. Truly perfect reads.
The other reads I have for this month’s newsletter were all part of my quest to read every book that was on my tbr at the start of 2023 (only 19 to go!). Helped out by our internet being cut off thanks to a provider fuckup, I made good progress last month so have four excellent reads to recommend you.
Summer Fun was recommended to me at Gay’s the Word way back last October. Of course, true to form it took me a year to get to, but it was so worth it. I’m not quite sure how to describe it so obviously that means you’re just gonna have to read it. In a quick pivot to nonfiction, my next rec is How to Survive a Plague. I read And the Band Played On in September, so this was the next logical read. A very thorough look at the AIDS crisis from the early 80s through to today and, insofar as I can call it enjoyable, it was that.
My other reads were The Northern Girl and Juniper Lane, two very distinct books. The Northern Girl was a continuation of my minor obsession with 70s-90s SFF (trust me, if you’ve never read gay SFF from this era you’re missing out on a goldmine!) and can be read as a standalone (although the rest of the series is also great). It gave me big Astreiant vibes too, one of my favourite series. Juniper Lane, in contrast, is a slowburning new adult romance, between two girls who find themselves off balance in their lives, and an unexpected connection between them.
In my defence, I have been trying to read this Polish classic for the longest time (The Peasants), and it’s kind of making it impossible for me to read anything else. And I did actually read more than one book in all of October, but it was mostly nonfiction about Palestine. (Side-note: definitely pre-order a copy of Against Erasure: A Photographic Memory of Palestine Before the Nakba). But anyway!
I read Lucky Bounce, which was one of my most anticipated romance novels of 2024 (2023 before they moved it). You probably already know I adore Nary’s writing, and she didn’t disappoint this time either. It has amazing, lovable characters, both of whom are kinda disasters; it has the cutest kid; it has some tension coming from families & responsibilities. Look out for this one!
(Also Charlotte wants it in writing that she also loved Lucky Bounce.)
We’ve been watching…
I (Anna) was rewatching True Blood to shut off my brain in the evenings, but it’s not like I would recommend it, so.
We’ve been listening to…
GOING YET! by MARIS / Red Light by CUTTS / Erika by Rosemary Joaquin / Aoede by Mashrou’ Leila / Pushing Daisies by Maz Lovella
Thoughts and things that caught our eyes
Nothing much, apart from Palestine.