resources on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

opp is continually reaching out to our circle of advisors - a group of philosophers, academics, thinkers, and scholar-activists we work with from all over the world - in order to certify and share nuanced and educational resources on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

we recognise that it is difficult to find critical histories. we understand it is hard to trust in a fragmented world. we ask you to engage with these resources we share with your own critical eye.

opp stands in solidarity for a cease fire now.

we encourage you to speak out and engage with the complex histories involved. we are providing resources from our circle of advisors and beyond in this online library.

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furthermore, we encourage you to reflect quietly and discuss communally if you are not already. to challenge your own preconceptions. we ask you to work towards a beloved community of integrity, to recognise entanglement, and to cultivate deep compassion. we ask you to look to all traditions of the world and peoples, especially those less heard and to find those silenced, for wisdom not just solace. let this webpage be a start or a continuation.

but what is a good critical eye?

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there is so much information constantly directed at us and available to us; it is almost overwhelming. how do we filter through them? how do we determine their credibility? how do promise ourselves a comprehensive appreciation for all the complexities at play?

an incredible writer and cultural critic; a top educational thinker of our modern period. he is fearlessly committed to justice, offers incredible wisdom, deep insight, is shines a light in the crisis of our times. thank you for this beautiful response, it is a pleasure to have you as an advisor.

“For me, good journalism builds an argument by inviting the reader into the discussion rather than beat him or her over the head with what is often an exercise in willful shaming. I also respond to journalism that refuses the notion of balance or objective, which are phony attributes that allow one to retreat from any sense of social responsibility. Of course, the combination of rigor and accessibility is a must. Hence, journalism which is committed, advances just causes, is employed in the name of the oppressed, and retreats from generalizations in favor of rigorous arguments and evidence.  I like a display of passion in one’s writing along with writing that verges on being poetic. Tough demands but worth the effort.”

opp stands in solidarity for a cease fire now.

 resources

Responses to Forbidden Colours (c.1988)

a book of prose & poetry responses to a queer artwork about Palestine by Felix Gonzalez-Torres; this book is a collection of 44 contributors.

by an independent publishing house

all the proceeds go to medical aid for Palestine

 recommended readings

Palestine Speaks: Narratives of Life Under Occupation

“What is life really like in Gaza and the West Bank?”

a collection of true stories & eyewitness accounts, sharing about how their lives in the West Bank & Gaza have been shaped by this conflict.

a truly human perspective on the situation unfolding.

edited by Mateo Hoke and Cate Malek

Ten Myths About Israel

a prominent historian & Israeli political dissident living in exile - a student of the conflict who writes most empathetically about Palestine.

he questions the status quo enforced by media, military & government - exploring the early inhabitation of Palestine & whether Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland…

by Ilan Pappe

broadening perspectives

film: born in Gaza

filmed shortly after the 2014 Gaza war, this documentary examines how violence has transformed the lives of 10 Palestinian children.

list: resources for anthropologists

an ongoing open-access resource list, initially compiled by professors at the university of Oxford.

on the danger of silence

“Social movements are creating powerful new languages for confronting tyranny. We must resist the plague of silence” written by the philosopher Henry A. Giroux

collection: “Read Palestine”

a mini book exhibition of literary texts translated into multiple languages - Palestinian poetry, short stories, memoirs and novels. thank you to Lydia Wright and Mohamed-Salah Omri from the University of Oxford for putting this together.

interview with a historian

an eye-opening interview on dominant orthodoxies with historian Seth Anziska, who wrote the following essay and the groundbreaking book Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo (2018)

interview with a philosopher

Philosopher Judith Butler calls for an immediate ceasefire, the Palestinians’ right of return and the dismantling of colonial structures. she has also recently sent an open letter to Joe Biden.

An Open Letter from Oxford Academics

an open letter on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, written and signed by a group of academics who are scholars of political science, political philosophy, ethics, history, geography, law and the Middle East - including Alice Crary, a member of opp’s circle of advisors.

“We implore you, as academics who spend our lives thinking about events such as these, to see what, in the fullness of history, will be obvious to all: that Israel is today engaged in a morally disastrous exercise, and that those nations who give Israel cover to do so have innocent Palestinian blood on their hands. In the name of human dignity and moral decency, you must call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”

contribute resources & share expertise

if you would like to share information with us, write a piece or get involved, please email us for consideration.

else, if you have resources of any kind (movies, podcasts, videos, books, poems, articles, and so on) that you think are worth sharing, please drop us the title or link!

all pieces will be referred to trusted experts for review.

thank you to all contributors, most especially, to our circle of advisors.

thank you to our readers choosing to educate themselves on this ongoing, humanitarian crisis; this is the first step to any meaningful action.

page created by ellen potter. special thanks to alice winham.