undercurrents (issue #3)
Rapping for peace in Palestine, an heirloom seed library, a tree planting campaign, and more.
This has been a very difficult week—as I try to process and sit with all the grief and not become numb to the incomprehensible atrocities inflicted upon the civilians of Palestine and Israel. If there is one thing that I have learned from the invitations of transformative justice, it would be that violence never begins and ends with one person (or one group) at one point in time. Rather than reacting to what is most visible in any given moment—especially knowing the role of the media industrial complex (and state propaganda) in “manufacturing consent”—it is more crucial than ever to remain critical, taking the time to contextualize broader power dynamics and the underlying conditions that set the stage for such events.
As the Israeli military continues to advance their siege of Gaza, I wanted to center this gentle issue of undercurrents on the shifts and composting already happening in solidarity with the de-occupation, liberation, and healing of Palestinian lands and their communities. At the end of the roundup, I also suggest some of my go-to sources of independent media and journalists who are doing bold, investigative reporting on Israel/Palestine developments (including evidence-based analyses related to the debate surrounding the recent explosion at a hospital).
In these troubled times, an ability to step back to reflect on how our own viewpoints have been shaped, plus maintaining empathy for how other people have been influenced to reach their perspectives, is vital. So I would like to stress that there is not a more important time to learn about how corporate- and state-influenced media operates to shape narratives and public perceptions.
Without this awareness, which helps us to de-personalize people’s lenses, it becomes very easy to jump to reactivity and judgment when witnessing or participating in public discourse—especially during a time when broadcast media and “social” media have become primary avenues of “socializing” and information gathering. (I wrote about these systemic challenges in my articles Defrosting Knowledgeand Divesting from Social Media.)
For now, please know that I continue to write and share with love for all peoples and their more-than-human communities, with an acknowledgment that people are not the same as their governments, and with deep humility, warmth, and compassion.
[Link correction 10/19/2023: Dr. Gabor Maté's 12-minute talk]
1. The Pen & The Sword by MC Abdul
For this issue’s “something creative,” I wanted to introduce you to MC Abdul, a youth rapper from Palestine who spreads peace, love, and unity through his music.
2. The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library
The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library is a project founded by Vivien Sansour, who “uses image, sketch, film, soil, seeds, and plants to enliven old cultural tales in contemporary presentations and to advocate for the protection of biodiversity as a cultural and political act.”
“Part of the Fertile Crescent, Palestine has been considered one of the world’s centers of diversity, particularly for wheat and barley…
Like most farmers around the world, Palestinian farmers are facing the dangers of agribusiness, corporate seed, land dominance along with political violence. But many of these farmers are the heroes who have been safeguarding these precious seeds and the knowledge these seeds carry.
Palestinian heirloom seed varieties are under threat; many have gone extinct… Aside from their cultural significance, these seeds carry options for our future survival as we face climate change and the erosion of agrobiodiversity worldwide. As such, it is urgent that we save and propagate them.”
Learn more here; and learn more about their related Traveling Kitchen here.
3. Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN)
“For over 70 years, the Israeli forces have been uprooting, burning, and stealing millions of olive and other fruit-bearing trees from Palestinian lands. These efforts are part of a systematic movement to displace Palestinians and facilitate the expropriation of occupied land for the expansion of illegal settlements. The Million Tree Campaign (MTC), launched in 2001, replants trees in Palestinian lands under the slogan ‘They Uproot a Tree … We Replant Ten.’
The significance of the program lies in counteracting Israel’s deliberate confiscation of agricultural lands, which has contributed to high rates of food insecurity and unemployment in Palestine. In addition, MTC helps to develop farmers’ technical abilities to manage and sustain their lands in light of low agricultural and environmental support from Arab and international institutions.”
Learn more about APN's Million Tree Campaign here.
Listen to / read my interview with APN's President, Rami Barhoush, here.
4. Jewish Voice for Peace
“We have millennia of Jewish history where our traditions and our communities were not bound up with support for an apartheid government. We have liturgy, poetry, rabbinic debate, jokes, theater, dance, film, and song. Organizing rich in ritual, culture, and art connects us to those histories, and strengthens us in fighting for a future where our people – and all people – live with freedom, dignity, joy, and belonging…
If you’ve been looking to turn your rage and grief into meaningful, strategic action: Join us. You belong here.”
An organization fighting for the liberation of all peoples, Jewish Voice for Peace has been leading and organizing collective action in solidarity with Palestinians living under military occupation. Learn more here.
5. Gentle reminders
“We have to keep going. We have to keep believing in ourselves—that we can affect change.
We can never give up hope, because the minute we give up hope, that's it. There is no chance that we will go anywhere...” –Rami Barhoush via Green Dreamer episode 356.
Additional resources…
Times like these emphasize the vital role of alternative media, as their contrast in coverage, perspectives, analyses, and framing of issues, when compared to mainstream media, becomes starkly clear. It can be very confusing and overwhelming to navigate the media sphere right now, with so many opposing takes, scapegoating, deflection, and outright propaganda, feigned evidence, and lies—a known tactic of political powers to justify and rally support behind their militaristic decisions.
Especially when it comes to foreign policy, in which the establishment “left” and “right” in the U.S. are united in supporting the export of violence, I would really call on us to prioritize listening to civilian journalists and independent news outlets—not relying on the hearsay or “official statements” by state representatives or corporate media as evidence.
In light of these acknowledgments, here are some independent voices and outlets I have been learning from:
If you would like a heart-centered introduction to Palestine/Israel history and relations, watch this 12-minute video featuring Dr. Gabor Maté, a world-renowned psychologist who is a Holocaust survivor and a former Zionist.
This is one of the most brilliant interviews Iʻve seen lately on these current events, hosted by Piers Morgan and featuring Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef.
Grown out of a progressive Jewish community, Mondoweiss is an independent media outlet covering Israel/Palestine developments and their related U.S. foreign policy.
Here is an important discussion led by Black Power Media featuring Adam Horowitz, the executive editor of Mondoweiss.
Here is an in-depth coverage of what has been unraveling in Palestine by independent journalists Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal of The Grayzone.
Here is my interview with Max Blumenthal on the media industrial complex. This discussion recorded two years ago remains really relevant today. In fact, I strongly recommend this listen.
There is a lot of debate going on around the recent explosion at a Gaza hospital. As an independent writer, I simply wanted to get to the bottom of this with an open thirst for truth. Here is an investigative discussion with an analysis of the weaponry used based on the recorded sounds of impact, plus evidence of the chronological narrative change surrounding the atrocity. Here is another independent investigation and media timeline analysis by Al Jazeera. Many, including myself, then became curious about daytime photos showing a lack of a “crater” at the site as proof of impact. I found this video which talks about how the suspected JDAMs are smart technology kits that can control the guided bombs to blast mid-air (meaning they do not need to leave a “crater”). Finally, here is a video by medical staff showing a recent Israeli airstrike hitting right by another hospital—with the same distinct whistling sound prior to impact.
Mint Press is an independent watchdog journalism organization providing issue-based reporting, in-depth investigations, and thoughtful analyses of pressing current events.
Breaking Points is an independent news reporting outlet.
A Land with a People is a book on Palestinians and Jewish peoples uniting to confront Zionism.
Here is an additional, extensive list of resources and action steps compiled by Patricia Kaishian, who we recently interviewed on Armenian mycology.
I will be sharing a critical essay about the media landscape in my next subscriber-only post. Thank you for slowing down and sharing your presence with me. Sending love.