mistghost1398

[mistghost1398]

Tumblr shows dates over posts now? 😭

[mistghost1398]

We did it!!! We finally did it! Hasina stepped down! She was forced to step down. All my Bangladeshi people forced her to step down. I'm so proud of my ethnicity. The students were so brave. My brothers and sisters you ARE Bangladesh.

And now Hasina is on the run. She escaped Bangladesh. But she knows, we know that she will have to look over her shoulder forever. She knows the crimes she did, the lives she took, the pain she inflicted on my people is unforgivable. She will never be at peace. May she die a death worse than her father.

Finally all my international friends who were supporting us to the end. I on behalf of all my Bangladeshi people thank you wholeheartedly. We will be forever grateful for your help. Thank you for being with us when the world wasn't.

I'm so so proud to be a Bangladeshi. It feels like 1971. The smell of victory is sweetest. We made history once again.

আমি গর্বিত নিজেকে বাংলাদেশী হিসেবে পরিচয় দিয়ে।🇧🇩👑✨

[mistghost1398]

This is our land, and the sky is real not a metaphor, and high as our hopes. He says to me:

'Is June a memory?' and I say: 'It is a wound

bleeding acutely still, even though its victim says: "I have

forgotten the pain."'

–Mahmoud Darwish, "The Return Of June." A River Dies of Thirst.

[mistghost1398]

June had drawn out every leaf on the trees. The mothers of Pimlico gave suck to their young. Messages were passing from the Fleet to the Admiralty. Arlington Street and Piccadilly seemed to chafe the very air in the Park and lift its leaves hotly, brilliantly, on waves of that divine vitality which Clarissa loved. To dance, to ride, she had adored all that.

–Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway.

[mistghost1398]

Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly.

–Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets.

[mistghost1398]

It is June. I am tired of being brave.

–Anne Sexton, "The Truth The Dead Know."

[mistghost1398]

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.

–Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Island.

[mistghost1398]

June was dying among the roses, the hedges were darkening to a duller green; the blatancy of red brick sprawled along the highway was a reminder that the present builds inexorably over the empty fields of the past.

–Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night.

[mistghost1398]

And then, one fairy night, May became June.

–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned.

[mistghost1398]

It is June. I am used to being a certain kind of alone.

–Morgan Parker, "The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady & The Dead & The Truth."

[mistghost1398]

Palestine Masterlist 

Introduction to Palestine: 

Decolonize Palestine:

Palestine 101

Rainbow washing 

Frequently asked questions 

Myths 

IMEU (Institute for Middle East Understanding):

Quick Facts - The Palestinian Nakba 

The Nakba and Palestinian Refugees 

The Gaza Strip

The Palestinian catastrophe (Al-Nakba)

Al-Nakba (documentary)

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 (book)

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (book)

Nakba Day: What happened in Palestine in 1948? (Article)

The Nakba did not start or end in 1948 (Article)

Donations and charities: 

Al-Shabaka

Electronic Intifada 

Adalah Justice Project 

IMEU Fundraiser 

Medical Aid for Palestinians 

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund 

Addameer

Muslim Aid

Palestine Red Crescent

Gaza Mutual Aid Patreon

Books:

A New Critical Approach to the History of Palestine

The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge

Hidden Histories: Palestine and the Eastern Mediterranean

The Balfour Declaration: Empire, the Mandate and Resistance in Palestine

Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique

From Haven to Conquest: Readings in Zionism and the Palestine Problem until 1948

Captive Revolution - Palestinian Women’s Anti-Colonial Struggle within the Israeli Prison System

Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History

Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics

Before Their Diaspora: A Photographic History of The Palestinians 1876-1948

The Battle for Justice in Palestine Paperback

Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom

Palestine Rising: How I survived the 1948 Deir Yasin Massacre

The Transformation of Palestine: Essays on the Origin and Development of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

A Land Without a People: Israel, Transfer, and the Palestinians 1949-1996

The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood

A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples

Where Now for Palestine?: The Demise of the Two-State Solution

Terrorist Assemblages - Homonationalism in Queer Times

Militarization and Violence against Women in Conflict Zones in the Middle East

The one-state solution: A breakthrough for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock

The Persistence of the Palestinian Question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians

Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians

The False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine

Ten myths about Israel

Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question

Israel and its Palestinian Citizens - Ethnic Privileges in the Jewish State

Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy

Greater than the Sum of Our Parts: Feminism, Inter/Nationalism, and Palestine

Palestine Hijacked 

Palestinian Culture:

Mountain against the Sea: Essays on Palestinian Society and Culture

Palestinian Costume

Traditional Palestinian Costume: Origins and Evolution

Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora

Embroidering Identities: A Century of Palestinian Clothing (Oriental Institute Museum Publications)

The Palestinian Table (Authentic Palestinian Recipes)

Falastin: A Cookbook

Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother’s Kitchen

Palestinian Social Customs and Traditions

Palestinian Culture before the Nakba

Tatreez & Tea (Website)

The Traditional Clothing of Palestine

The Palestinian thobe: A creative expression of national identity

Embroidering Identities:A Century of Palestinian Clothing

Palestine Traditional Costumes

Palestine Family 

Palestinian Costume

Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, v5: Volume 5: Central and Southwest Asia

Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure

Documentaries, Films, and Video Essays:

Jenin, Jenin

Born in Gaza

GAZA 

Wedding in Galilee 

Omar

5 Broken Cameras

OBAIDA

Indigeneity, Indigenous Liberation, and Settler Colonialism (not entirely about Palestine, but an important watch for indigenous struggles worldwide - including Palestine)

Edward Said - Reflections on Exile and Other Essays

Palestine Remix: 

AL NAKBA

Gaza Lives On

Gaza we are coming

Lost cities of Palestine 

Stories from the Intifada 

Last Shepherds of the Valley

Voices from Gaza

Muhammad Smiry

Najla Shawa

Nour Naim

Wael Al dahdouh

Motaz Azaiza

Ghassan Abu Sitta

Refaat Alareer (murdered by Israel - 12/7/2023. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un)

Plestia Alaqad

Bisan Owda

Ebrahem Ateef

Mohammed Zaanoun

Doaa Mohammad

Hind Khoudary

Palestinian Voices, Organizations, and News 

Boycott Divest and Sanction (BDS)

Defense for Children in Palestine

Palestine Legal 

Palestine Action

Palestine Action US

United Nations relief and works for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA)

National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)

Times of Gaza

Middle East Eye

Middle East Monitor

Mohammed El-Kurd

Muna El-Kurd 

Electronic Intifada 

Dr. Yara Hawari 

Mariam Barghouti

Omar Ghraieb

Steven Salaita

Noura Erakat

The Palestinian Museum N.G.

Palestine Museum US

Artists for Palestine UK 

Eye on Palestine 

[mistghost1398]

oops! it seems i tripped and dropped several million free books, papers, and other resources

https://annas-archive.org

https://sci-hub.se

https://z-lib.is

https://libgen.is

https://libgen.rs

https://www.pdfdrive.com

https://library.memoryoftheworld.org

https://monoskop.org/Monoskop

https://libcom.org

https://libretexts.org

http://classics.mit.edu

https://librivox.org

https://standardebooks.org

https://www.gutenberg.org

https://core.ac.uk

[mistghost1398]

Hi. I’m Israeli, I saw a few of your posts and I would like to share my perspective with you.

You talk a lot about Zionism as an ideology, but I think it’s important to distinguish between the ideology itself and what is being done today.

Zionism is an ideology that states that Jews have a right for self determination in their own state. A lot of it is rooted in religion, but a large part of it was a response to Jewish persecution in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Being a minority you are essentially helpless when people decide to pillage you or treat you like a second class citizen (and yes, that also happened to Jews in North Africa and the Middle East) when you have your own state, you can at least defend yourself.

Just like any other group of people can strive for self determination (including Palestinians) so can Jews. It’s not just a matter of being secluded from others, or being elitist, it’s a matter of insuring your own security as much as you can as a people.

Zionism is not an evil ideology. You can maybe argue that the way it was achieving its goal is evil, but by that logic you can also argue that Palestinians are evil since they had also committed heinous acts against Jews in this land way before the invention of Zionism and even before they defined themselves as Palestinians.

Zionism is also very tied to Judaism. The longing for returning to “the homeland” is referenced throughout countless Jewish texts in the diaspora, again, way before the invention of Zionism.

There are some sects of Judaism that are against it, but saying “hey, Judaism and Zionism are completely detached!” Is I’d say… incorrect. Like to a point where the overwhelming majority of practicing Jews have some sort of Zionist views.

So about the situation today. in an ideal world, I believe that Palestinians have a right for self determination as much as we do. Saying Zionism is just like this evil, western colonial power, whose sole purpose is to harm and torture Palestinians is very very incorrect.

Thanks for reading, have a nice day 🙏🏽

This is gonna take me a whole essay to respond to so I’m gonna do y’all a favor and put a cut below feel free to read more if you want

If Zionism were purely about “Jewish self-determination”, that would be one thing. However, the reality is that the ideology of Zionism is inseparable from anti-Arab racism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The argument you are making only works if you are operating under the assumption that Palestine was an empty piece of land before it was settled by Israelis, which is a notion that many Zionists have tried to push, hence the Zionist slogan: “A land without a people for a people without a land.” However, this is not true. There were always people living in Palestine, and there is no way that an exclusively Jewish state could have existed there without systematically murdering them and expelling them from their land. If you go back and read the texts of the original Zionist leaders, they make it explicitly clear that this was their objective from the very beginning. Ilan Pappe’s book “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” documents this extensively. I’ll include a few excerpts here. This is Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion’s second in command Moshe Sharett explaining how he wanted to pay off villagers to leave in order to “reduce the number of Arabs” in Palestine:

This is the description of “Plan Dalet”, which was explicitly designed to drive out Palestinians and murder whoever remained:

This is David Ben-Gurion explicitly saying that even 40% “non-Jews” (aka Arabs) in Palestine was unacceptable:

This is an example of how Plan Dalet was carried out in the village of Deir Yassin (tw: murder, sexual assault, this is extremely graphic)

While to some, Zionism might seem like a nice idea, in practice, it requires murder and systematic cruelty towards the Palestinian population that is continuing to this day. This is why people are opposed to it. It has nothing to do with religion or antisemitism; it is because people can very plainly see that the occupation and genocide it has caused is morally wrong. To quote Dr. Gabor Mate on why he is no longer a Zionist: “Yes, we created this beautiful dream, but we created a nightmare for somebody else.”

I don’t know what percentage of the Jewish population are Zionists, but I think the fact that there is such a strong Jewish anti-Zionist community is proof enough that Zionism should not be linked to Judaism. In fact, you could even argue that saying so is antisemitic because it implies that every single Jewish person is complicit in Israel’s war crimes, which is not true. Furthermore, I strongly believe that many Jewish Zionists subscribe to the ideology because they have been told lies and propaganda about the creation of Israel. It is very evident that Israel is going out of its way to cover up its crimes against Palestinians (i.e. outlawing mentioning the Nakba, planting trees over destroyed Palestinian villages to make it look like nothing was ever there, etc.) I think more Jewish people would have second thoughts about Zionism if they knew the truth behind the ideology.

As for the notion that the military occupation and apartheid of Palestinians is somehow “necessary” for Jewish safety, I would say that this is not only untrue but also makes no sense. Violence is inherently necessary to run a military state and keep a population under an occupation, and violence is always going to beget more violence, which is the exact opposite of the “safe utopia” that Israel strives to depict itself as. Think about it: if you were in a Palestinian’s shoes, would you not do exactly what they are doing? If you were born under a military occupation where you were routinely at risk of being bombed and having your home stolen by settlers, would you not resist by any means necessary, even if it meant resorting to violence? At the end of the day, the only difference between you and a Palestinian is luck in where you were born - that’s it. Safety is not achieved by oppressing others. Safety is achieved with peace and respect for others. I am not against Israelis living in Palestine. But there is no reason why Palestinians need to be ethnically cleansed for that to happen. People of different religions coexisted in Palestine before Israel; there is no reason why that can’t happen again. The more Israelis that realize ending the occupation is in their best interest, the faster the violence will end. It really is that simple.

[mistghost1398]

So You Want To Learn More About Palestine

Yes, the news is scary. Yes, there is a lot going on. Yes it can be very overwhelming. But we live in the information age and knowing what the heck is going on always helps when dealing with misinformation. "I don't know enough about what's going on to say anything about Palestine" is a fair response to have - but not a reason to stop there. So! Here's a short list of reading resources to get you started 💜

Edward W. Said was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic and political activist who has written countless books on the subject. Any of his works would be a good place to start, but I recommend The Question of Palestine (1992) along with his memoir, Out of Place (1999)

2. Rashid Khalidi is another Palestinian-American academic and historian with MANY books on Palestine and its struggles. For him I recommend Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (1998) and The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (2020)

3. On a more personal note - and as a recommendation for someone who may not be super big on dense non-fiction, I recommend Joe Sacco's graphic novel Palestine (2001) where he writes about his experiences in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in December 1991 and January 1992. I read this for my Rhetoric of Human Rights class and really enjoyed it, and it's easy to help you get your foot in the door.

4. Ilan Pappé is an expatriate Israeli historian and political scientist who has also written a few books on the subject. I recommend The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006) and A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples (2003)

5. This last one is less Palestine-centric and more about the global struggle against violence and oppression. Angela Davis' Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (2016)

Do you want to dive deeper? Find more resources? Deconstruct a few myths you may or may not have heard through social media and otherwise? May I kindly direct you to decolonizepalestine - which is where I found a good number of these book recommendations myself!

"But Gaby, I don't wanna buy all these books!" Dude I'm not asking you to. I will, however ask you to:

Get a library card and check your local library

Take a look at academic databases like JSTOR if you're in college

Check archive.org for some of the older books

Try

I don't want there to be any mistake: Palestinians are victims of settler-colonialism. What they're facing right now is a genocide, with a long-standing history behind it enabled by some of the most powerful countries in the world. Learn about it. Speak about it.

It's still Free Palestine.

[mistghost1398]

I was reading an article from CNN about journalists in Gaza (link) and this particular paragraph stuck out to me...

I was initially a journalism major in college so I understand the background of why an organization like CNN would require this style of reporting (i.e. "both sides" representism). However, these inserts of Isreali "viewpoints" that have been shown to be barefaced lies in an article about Gazan journalists risking their lives is just piss-poor optics.

If anyone wonders why people have lost faith in traditional media sources, this is a perfect example. In an article centering Palestinian voices, the organization still requires that Israeli talking points be linked as well and often, in the same paragraph. It reads like: 'here's a quote about a personal lived experience of genocide but nah uh, here's isreali propaganda claiming they are lying and bc they are an ally, they should be believed'. It's American/Western exceptionalism at its finest because "why should we believe a Palestinian, they aren't paragons of truth and justice like we are?"

I don't know if I quite explained myself like I wanted but this particular article just made me so angry that CNN and other Western media were once considered 'trustworthy' sources of information and now are parroting isreali lies. AND telling their readers that Palestinian voices on the ground telling first-hand information are not "good enough" sources of information.

[mistghost1398]

Rory Gilmore: The Original Downtown Girl

When people think of Gilmore Girls they typically think of the show's staples. Coffee and junk food, the autumnal aesthetics, an extensive repertoire of pop culture references and quotes that define the livelihoods of fans everywhere - these are the things that make Gilmore Girls Gilmore Girls.

Fashion is slowly traipsing behind its sisters in the elements that create this outstanding show. Suffice to say, the lookbooks of the Gilmore Girls are stunning and character defining in many ways. From the elegant and 'old money' looks of Emily Gilmore to the wild and eclectic collection of clothes accumulated by Lorelai. Throughout the show, the bookish high achiever and kind-hearted Rory has a style that differs from the generations of Gilmores before her, and it is arguable that she defined an entire aesthetic of clothing in our modern world: the Downtown Girl.

The two staples of Rory Gilmore's style are long sleeved henley tops and low rise flare jeans. She usually pairs the two together with a pair of converse, creating a comfortable and casual look. Rory also is often depicted wearing long sleeved, tight fitting turtlenecks, thick oversized jumpers, cardigans and tank tops, alongside a mini skirt. Over the top of her plain yet pretty outfits, she often wears a zip up hoodie, trench coat or (most commonly) a corduroy, fur lined jacket. Overall, Rory's style is the epitome of the Downtown Girl aesthetic - cosy and simplistic whilst still retaining a fashionable allure.

Her colour palette usually comprises reds, browns, blues and white - a dark and autumnal scheme that compliments her dark brown hair and make her blue eyes appear more prominent. However, these aren't the only colours Rory wears throughout the show, with pink, green and yellow all also making the occasional appearance in her lookbook.

Although most of her outfits contain solid, colour block pieces, Rory also can be seen frequently sporting floral or stripy tops alongside the occasional argyle jumper or plaid skirt. She doesn't usually mix and match these patterns, sticking to one per outfit which prevents her outfits from appearing jarring or too disjointed.

In terms of nightwear, throughout the show, Rory is shown to wear patterned button down pyjamas in a whole assortment of colours from beige to magenta. The unusual patterns that appear on Rory's pyjamas vary. They typically are of some kind of food (ranging from ice cream to donuts to pie) but a few are instead of other patterns, such as comic strips or snowflakes. Her eclectic pyjama collection displays Rory's personality perfectly, and further emphasises her similarities to her mother Lorelai and the often childish nature of their relationship.

Rory Gilmore will forever remain the original Downtown Girl, her outfits helping to formulate the style of a whole generation of Gilmore Girls addicts everywhere. Despite the fact that Rory (arguably) had a downfall in terms of her personality following season 3, it's safe to say that her outfits never fail to impress and will be admired for years to come.

[mistghost1398]

I keep seeing people making fun of using growled, hissed, roared, snarled etc in writing and it’s like.

have you never heard someone speak with the gravel in their voice when they get angry? Because that’s what a growl is.

Have you never heard someone sharply whisper something through the thin space of their teeth? Or when your mother sharply told you to stop it in public as a kid when you were acting up/being too loud? Because that’s what a hiss is.

Have you never heard a man get so blackout angry that their voice BOOMS through the house? Because that’s what a roar is.

Have you never seen someone bare their teeth while talking to accentuate their frustration or anger while speaking with a vicious tone? Because that’s what snarling is.

It’s not meant to be a literal animal noise. For the love of god, not every description is literal. I get some people are genuinely confused, but also some of these people are genuinely unimaginative as fuck.