Rasha Abdulhadi, an expert in genocide and the liberation of Palestine, discusses the importance of refusing genocide, the dire state of Palestine, the critique of calling for a ceasefire, connecting struggles against settler colonial violence, the settler colonial project in Palestine, and unmasking hidden events of resistance and genocide.
The violence against Palestinians is an ongoing genocidal project that has been happening for over 75 years and it is crucial to refuse and deny this genocide.
Solidarity with Palestine is essential, and the use of poetry, literature, and language is significant in countering the violent repression and opposing the punishment of language.
It is important to challenge the dominant narratives, legal frameworks, and superficial understandings of the conflict, questioning the efficacy of legal mechanisms and going beyond reliance on international law to actively resist and oppose the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.
Deep dives
The Escalation of Genocidal Violence: Ongoing and Not Inevitable
The speaker argues that the violence against Palestinians is not a mere ceasefire or a war, but an ongoing genocidal project that has been happening for over 75 years. They emphasize the importance of refusing this genocide and highlight the possibility of denying it. The call is made to throw everything into the gears of genocide and use any means available to oppose it.
The Need for Solidarity and Care
The podcast episode provides a space for solidarity with Palestine and emphasizes the importance of standing in solidarity with Palestinians. The guest, Rasha Abdullari, shares their experiences as a cultural organizer, editor, and poet. They highlight the significance of poetry and literature in countering the violent repression of language and justifying total and solitary violence against Palestinians. Rasha calls on writers and publishers to join in opposing the punishment of language and supporting the struggle for Palestinian liberation.
The Ongoing Colonial Violence Against Palestine
The podcast discusses the recent escalation of colonial violence against Palestine and highlights the relentless genocidal violence carried out by the settler colonial state. The guest emphasizes the importance of language in the struggle and challenges the framing of the conflict as a war, highlighting the reality of ongoing genocide. The conversation also addresses the need to question and critique the dominant narratives and legal frameworks used to discuss Palestine.
Challenging Language and Legal Frameworks
The podcast examines the use of language and legal frameworks in discussing Palestine and emphasizes the need to go beyond superficial understanding. The guest challenges the notion of a ceasefire, arguing that it does not address the ongoing genocide against Palestinians. They question the efficacy of legal mechanisms in stopping a genocide and call for deeper actions of solidarity and resistance that go beyond reliance on legal frameworks and international law. The episode invites listeners to critically examine the language used in discussions about Palestine and to resist falling into the traps of slippery terms and legalistic approaches.
Rejecting Compulsory Zionism and Genocide
The podcast episode discusses the importance of resisting compulsory Zionism and the genocide of the Palestinian people. It emphasizes that people, regardless of their profession or background, should not consent to the systematic violence and should actively challenge the ongoing annihilation of multiple peoples, including the Palestinians. The episode encourages individuals to resist the violence perpetrated by powerful states and institutions, such as refusing to engage in activities that support genocide, conscientiously objecting to violence, and participating in boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) strategies. The focus is on promoting collective action to halt the genocide and work towards Palestinian liberation.
Navigating Propaganda and Distractions
The episode highlights the tactics used in shaping public opinion about the genocide of the Palestinian people. It warns against falling into the trap of framing the situation as a humanitarian crisis or engaging in exceptionalizing specific political figures. The podcast urges listeners not to get distracted by false dichotomies, emotional appeals, and narratives that perpetuate settler colonialism. Instead, it encourages a critical analysis of language and propaganda, as well as a focus on direct action and dismantling the systems that perpetuate the violence. The episode emphasizes the need to refuse complicity, engage in BDS strategies, challenge slippery language, and actively work towards Palestinian liberation.
This episode was originally released for Death Panel patrons on October 16th 2023. We are re-releasing it today, alongside a new transcript (with links to referenced material), because of news of an inadequate four-day "humanitarian pause" that fails to meet demands to stop the genocide and to free Palestine, and because many of Rasha's observations from a few weeks ago have now come to pass. We'll be back with a new episode Monday in the patron feed.
Full transcript: https://www.deathpanel.net/transcripts/refusing-genocide-palestine
Original episode description: Beatrice speaks with Rasha Abdulhadi about how to stand in solidarity with Palestinians in this moment, the importance of refusing the idea that the genocide of Palestinians is inevitable, and how the language we use to resist the colonial project can sometimes fail to meet the scale of our demands.
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