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

by Nada Elia

An inspiring and intersectional re-imagining of the path to liberation in Palestine 'An inspiring call to action that deconstructs the many oppressive systems we currently find ourselves struggling against' - Adam Horowitz, Mondoweiss How is the struggle for Palestinian freedom bound up in other freedom struggles, and how are activists coming together globally to achieve justice and liberation for all? In this bold book, Palestinian activist Nada Elia unpacks Zionism, from its hyper militarism to incarceration, its environmental devastation, and gendered violence. She insists that Palestine's fate is linked through bonds of solidarity with other communities crossing racial and gender lines, weaving an intersectional feminist understanding of Israeli apartheid throughout her analysis. She also looks deeper into the interconnectedness of Palestine with Black, migrant, and queer movements, and with other indigenous struggles against settler colonialism, including that of Native Americans. Greater than the Sum of Our Parts is a powerful and hopeful account, highlighting the role of the Palestinian diaspora, youth, and women, and inspired by activists across the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Politics, History, Essays, Social Justice, Middle East

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2022

About the author

Nada Elia is a diaspora Palestinian, born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where she grew up and worked as a journalist during the (un)Civil War, before coming to the US for her PhD. Nada currently teaches Global and Gender Studies at Antioch University Seattle, where she coordinates the Global Studies area of concentration. Nada is a member of the Organizing Committee of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, and has spoken around the country about academic boycott as a means to achieve the currently non-existent academic freedom in the US, Israel, and Palestine.

A scholar-activist, Elia is past president of AMEWS, the Association of Middle East Women’s Studies, and currently serves on the steering collective of The Critical Ethnic Studies Association. She also serves, or has served, on a number of local grassroots activist organizations. She is a founding member of RAWAN (the Radical Arab Women’s Activist Network); a former representative to the United Nations of AWSA (the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association); a member of the Defense of Civil Rights in Academia; and a former member of the steering collective of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, where she co-chaired of the Anti-Militarism, and Anti-Occupation taskforce.

Nada’s publications on grassroots resistance, gender dynamics, and transnational solidarity have appeared in various progressive alternative media venues, from the Electronic Intifada to Left Turn and Make/Shift magazine, as well as some of the most prestigious academic journals (World Literature Today, Callaloo, Journal of the National Women’s Studies Association, and others). More recently, she is devoting her time and energy to promoting and explaining the academic and cultural boycott as strategies to end Israel’s violations of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people in ’48, ‘67, and the global diaspora.

Reviews

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great book for someone who's only starting to educate themself about palestine!

it only offers a brief history on creation of israHell, but it's still satisfactory and nuanced (and based on the writings of the original zionists), and shows how zionist narrative has been changing over the years.

what the book focuses on, though, are the specific how's of the oppression, with numerous examples. it talks about the gendered violence of the settler colonialism, about how palestinian fight is a feminist one, about the environmental aspect of colonialism (oh, the absurd of the iof being environmentally friendly because it caters to its vegan soldiers!), about pinkwashing. and most importantly: it talks about the connections between all the indigenous people and their struggle for decolonisation.

language-wise, it's very easily digestible, but on the flip side, it can be a tad repetitive across chapters. i'm also not a fan of how the author keeps using the words Black, gay, queer as nouns, in the plural form.

[Madeline Elsinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 4

“Because settler colonialism, state-sanctioned violence, and femicide are co-constitutive evils, the Palestinian struggle must also be understood as a feminist struggle, and an intersectional abolitionist struggle.”

Nada Elia, a Palestinian author and grassroots organizer, writes on the similarities and differences between the Israeli and South African apartheid systems. She mainly focuses on women’s issues/circumstances as it relates to settler colonialism and racism, (both of which have historically been intertwined with gender violence). She also draws parallels not only between South Africa and Israel, but also the US and Israel especially the political relationship they share, as well as their shared history of genocide against indigenous groups.

Palestine liberation is feminist not only because of the inherent sexual violence from colonizers and the limitations in their freedom. It’s also a feminist issue because of the forced sterilization and lack of maternity care Palestinians receive (which was something new this book taught me).

One resounding thought I had while reading this is coming to terms with this idea of “feminism” (aka non-intersectional, white feminism) looking like “freeing” women in the Middle East (and other parts of the ‘third world’) is just white saviorism in disguise.

Because of the specific focus of this book, it does read slightly more academic at times. The language is easy enough to understand but I wouldn’t recommend for beginners, either for intersectional feminist reading or Palestinian history, because some topics aren’t as in depth/beginner friendly compared to other books on intersectionality. This book has given me so much to reflect on and think about. I highly recommend if you call yourself a feminist to read this book, as it shows how the liberation of Palestine is a feminist issue, and is important for intersectional feminism!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura súper necesaria sobre como enmarcar y como hablar de la liberación palestina. He aprendido mucho y lo recomiendo también bastante.

Eso sí, mi única crítica es la concepción de la "globalidad" de la autora - que se reduce a Estados Unidos y a Palestina - y que acaba creando una concepción incompleta del futuro que quiere crear. En mi humilde opinión falta teoría política y conciencia de clase - de la misma manera que a mucha teoría política revolucionaria le falta un enfoque interseccional. Sin entender las peculiaridades de los oprimidos fuera de esta "globalidad" es imposible hablar de la liberación global que propone la autora.

[Kristen Vlahiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrote this drunk at a jazz bar so ignore my grammatical errors :)

An essential read. The last few lines of this book really stuck with me: “From Rafah to Standing Rock, Mni Wiconi, the land is ours to care for, as it cares for us. We are coming together, beyond boundaries, and together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.” Elia highlighted the solidarity between Black Americans, the queer community and Palestinians, who are all fighting oppressive systems. Elia’s parallels between the anti-colonial struggles of Turtle Island and Palestine were really insightful.

“The liberation of women should not come after the liberation of a nation”. No free homeland without free women. A product of male violence has always been violence targeted toward woman and children. This book highlighted the importance of feminism in liberation movements. Palestinian woman have been at the forefront of the struggle for liberation but always bear the scars of male violence. The anti colonial struggle is only a liberation struggle if it includes the end of gender oppression.

Her call for the abolition of the settler colonial system was very insightful. A reform of the system will not address the systemic oppression and will only reinforce prejudice. The system must be completely abolished. I really appreciated how refreshingly intersectional this book was. The acknowledgment that certain groups face more prejudice within oppression systems is extremely important for the abolishment movement.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nada Elia’s powerful and compelling analysis of Zionism as an ideology and a practice is a vital analysis of the predicament of Palestine rich in internationalist intersectionality, with a strong feminist flavour. It is one of the sharpest explorations of the question I have seen in recent years. Elia grounds the analysis very much in the now, framed and shaped by historical circumstances, producing compelling insights, building important links between anti-colonial struggles, and alert to the dynamics and relations of gender in both occupation and colonisation.

The distinction is important: early in the discussion Elia notes that more and more commentators and critics are recognising Israel as an apartheid state, but few of them ask what purpose that apartheid serves, what systems and structures it sustains and shores up. Posing the issue in these terms then provides the base for a four stage argument – looking at settler colonialism, building internationalist links between Palestine, Turtle Island (where she writes from, as a Palestinian in exile) and other settler colonial settings. From here she shifts to the apartheid question, highlighting the fit between Israel and the internationally accepted definition of apartheid, while noting important areas of difference with the most well-known model of the system – South Africa. This discussion is crucial in that it demonstrates that although the South African apartheid regime took on a distinct form, that specific form does not translate while its basic characteristics do, with a fundamental parallel in settler colonialism.

These two internationalist frames provide the context for Elia to develop and elaborate her analysis of the situation in Palestine – both that part labelled Israel and those parts Israel militarily occupies and seizes by settlement. The first part of the discussion emphasises that the anti-colonial struggle is only a liberation struggle if it also brings an end to gender oppressions. In this discussion she mounts a compelling critique of, for instance, Israeli pinkwashing – reminding us that shot fired by a gay occupier is as deadly as one fired by a homophobe, to both gay and straight Palestinians. She also highlights the vital role of women in surviving and resisting the occupation, and the particular brutalities that occupation inflicts on them. Elia’s is a compelling vision of what might be. The substantive discussion then finishes up where it started out – internationalist anti-colonialism, emphasising that decolonisation means return of the land but that that is not all, and that there are important questions of cultural reclamation as well,

Elia wears her theoretical sophistication lightly. She works with a clear, tight model of settler colonialism. There are dangers with this approach, in that it often restricts discussions to Israel and a few former British settlement colonies. Elia’s internationalism and intersectionality however mean that she manages to avoid this trap. Her broad view of the movement in and for Palestine also means that she highlights the vital role of the struggle of and for women’s and comprehensive gender liberation, and the significance of young people and the diaspora, all within a wider abolitionist frame. Amid all this Elia deftly manages the many interwoven strands of her analysis and outline of a trajectory towards what we once called a secular, democratic state in all of Palestine.

The combination of sharp insight, depth of involvement in the current forms of the struggle, theoretical sophistication, and accessibility is rare, making this all the more valuable not only to our engagements with the struggle for Palestinian liberation, but also for the wider intersectional internationalist movement.

Essential reading.

[Jenni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to be the odd one out here. Before anyone comes at me for being a pro-Israel troll: check out my many reviews on other books on this topic. Anyway.

This is an academic book that advocates fringe, far-left ideas. The author’s writing was average; the book advanced loose theses that were only superficially supported, and it was DROWNING in social justice buzzwords.

The author believes that all systems of oppression interlock and further each other, which I already understood and agreed with in principle. She seems to believe that the very idea of a nation state itself is oppressive. She thinks Palestinians have a moral right to resist against Israel’s ability existence as a Jewish state. She isn’t clear about exactly what type of resistance is acceptable. My biggest issue is that she doesn’t address the practical consequences of what she advocates. Her vision would NEVER become a reality — Israel and the US will NEVER allow Israel to lose its Jewish majority in its pre-1967 boundaries — and even just the mere existence of this type of extremist discourse makes Israelis absolutely hysterical and unable to deal rationally with reality. In other words, I think this type of discourse backfires: regardless of whether she’s right or wrong about any of her claims (and I think it’s a mixed bag), the mere existence of her discourse makes it harder to achieve gains for Palestinians. It’s not even her fault; I largely place the moral onus on Israeli discourse for lacking empathy, clearsightesness, and curiosity for information that’s even anywhere near close to being less biased. But even if it’s deeply unfair, it’s still our reality. For a fantastic book on this subject from a liberal Zionist, read Einat Wilf’s “War of Return” (the best, most realistic and humane “pro-Israel” book that I think all pro-Palestine folks should read to educate themselves about the strongest arguments against them).

I appreciated her analysis of how and why the Palestinian cause has adjusted from a “post-colonial” struggle (i.e., aspiring for a nation state) to a more “decolonial” struggle (i.e., based in settler colonialism theory and seeking equal rights as opposed to a state). Besides that, there were a good amount of interesting data points about pink washing, green washing, violence against women, etc. Some of her analyses were novel and thoughtful, while others were clearly a stretch.

FWIW, the author seems to think that the entirety of the land in the USA should be returned to the Native American tribes. And that the police should be abolished, not reformed. Etc, etc. I understand and deeply sympathize with her data points and outrage, but in all these situations, I am far more inclined to view incremental reform as more effective than abolishment. In comparison, the author views reform as simply improving and thus further enabling an inherently racist system. You get the idea. She’s not wrong, but it’s also true that we’re never going to have NO police system in the USA, and that the discourse around complete abolition only strengthens the opposition’s opportunistic fear-mongering.

Rating: 2.5, rounded down to 2 because this type of discourse — especially when lacking any accompanying discussion of the practical implications of such discourse — will inevitably be hijacked by bad-faith actors and just end up hurting literally everyone. Besides maybe, like, Hamas and the psycho settlers. To be clear: I think a good portion of this analysis is brilliant and morally correct. It’s just that it’s incomplete without a discussion of how its theory interacts with the real world, and that that absence often makes its conclusions ridiculous. It often is some of the most principled and high-level analysis out there and ironically all it ends up doing is feeding extremism.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Learnt and solidified a lot of connections between Palestinians and a number of other oppressed people and women.

The ecological information about the destruction of Palestinian land and the wildfires caused by non-native plants being planted to hide the remains of Palestinian towns was sadly very relevant with wildfires raging acrossed occupied Palestine as I was reading this.

This is a very easy to read introductionary book to how Palestine relates to other groups.

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is no reversing the global intifada. Today, we are not “in solidarity” with Black, Indigenous, and queer groups, because one cannot be in solidarity with oneself: our communities are made up of Blacks, queer, Indigenous, immigrants, refugees, and Palestinians.”

“Like abolitionists everywhere, we are busily thinking, organizing, dreaming, beyond the dystopic present. In the meantime, let us sustain ourselves with olives from trees as ancient as Palestine itself, and corn lovingly picked by hands the color of soil, not harvested through giant mechanical arms. Let us wash down this nutritious fare with fresh clean water, as we appreciate that, from Rafah to Standing Rock, Mni Wiconi, and the land is ours to care for, as it cares for us. We are coming together, beyond boundaries, and together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.”

4.5 stars - a great and accessible read - some of it started feeling a bit surface level and repetitive though and there were a lot of concepts that i wish had been dived into more rather than just re-hashing basic points (e.g., feminist/gendered lens, redwashing, homonationalism) - hence the rounding down to 4 rather than up to 5 - though i think this is less a critique of the book and more just reflects the amount i’ve learned over the past few weeks which makes me happy!

some key points:
- palestinian rights are women rights and indigenous rights and poc rights and human rights - importance of remembering settler colonialism as being raced and gendered (i sometimes forget palestinians are poc/arabs/indigenous and islamaphobia/racism plays a crucial role in their oppression) - and was very interesting and important to be reminded how all these movements across the world are linked
- reform is not enough and makes true liberation more difficult by making problems/the system more invisible, insidious, permissible, palatable etc
- importance of listening to palestinian voices: “In an era where we rightly want to hear primarily from queer, and/or Black, and/or Indigenous peoples about their lived experiences, the plight of the Palestinian people remains one of the few instances where observations by outsiders are considered more valid than inside knowledge and scholarship… The voices of the elite, the “world leaders,” the NGOs, have dominated the discourse about the oppressed for too long. Even when these are well-intentioned, they contribute to the erasure of the organic experience of the dispossessed: it is as if our knowledge is only valid when framed in the colonizer’s language. This is racist gatekeeping. It is time to listen to the communities most impacted by the oppressive systems, because these are the communities that, overcoming misrepresentation, criminalization, and censorship, will lead the way to liberation.”
- “It is a sad warped world indeed where anyone looking at a dispossessed child standing up to the invading occupier’s assault tank [by throwing rocks at the tank] views the child rather than the soldier driving the tank as a terrorist.”

chapter 1
- skimmed this chapter - not really anything new - which is kind of nice - shows how much i've learned!!
- “Because our own history conditions our political thinking, Americans, all other things being equal, will always give their sympathy to the pioneer.” - a good reminder that of course colonial countries will side with israel because they did the exact same thing - so obvious once pointed out!
- the primary quotes were so well selected and so shocking - so clear how colonisers knew exactly what they were doing and didn’t care it was wrong e.g., Jabotinsky’s ‘Iron Wall’ essay

chapter 2
- was interesting learning how it isn’t enough to frame what is happening as apartheid (it is settler colonialism) or simply to end apartheid - ending apartheid won’t result in true liberation for palestinians, rather it only ends the legal/state-sanction discrimination but leaves the colonial and oppressive systems intact - provides palestinians entry into israel rather than removing the israeli state - and as we know, we can’t make israel justice as its every existence is based on palestinian oppression
- rights-based approach is also insufficient: "in an apartheid framework, the oppression of all palestinians is not illegal"
- Redwashing was a new concept for me and one that i find so disgusting - the idea of “claiming indigeneity for Jewish Israelis, presenting them as the Arab world’s “Indians.” - how absolutely disgusting to find new ways to deny palestinians their culture and identity by denying their very indigenity and instead claiming it as your own and using this to justify the genocide you are committing???
- interesting learning more about south africa’s apartheid - especially highlighted the importance of not accepting mediocre solutions or compromises - we must accept full justice or the issues simply continue but because they are deemed legal or slightly more palatable, its even harder to change e.g., how south africa is the most unequal society and this is largely along racial lines and land
- ‘whataboutism’: “It is sad indeed that Israel should compare itself to some of the world’s greatest offenders in order to look “better.” As a self-proclaimed democracy, a beacon of modernity and civilization, shouldn’t Israel be comparing itself to the best, rather than to notorious authoritarian regimes and monarchies?” !!! if you have to show how others are worse than you, you probably aren't doing all that great lol

chapter 3
- “Being a feminist and a Zionist is a contradiction in terms because the Zionist feminist is complicit in propagating supremacy and domination over a people on the one hand, while on the other hand calling for an end to patriarchy…Feminism cannot be selective. Its framework comes from true and absolute liberation not just of women, but of all peoples. This is why Zionism and feminism cannot merge. A feminist who is not also anti- colonial, anti-racist and in opposition to the various forms of injustice is selectively and oppressively serving the interests of a single segment of the global community.”
- an interesting exploration into the ways that the israeli/palestine situation uniquely affects women - however i expected this to be a much larger part of the book based on the title and it wasn’t! - domestic violence perpetuated by the militarisation of society, feminisation of poverty, huge numbers of foreign/illegal workers are women, sex trafficking, rape, difficulty getting through checkpoints while pregnancy, blackmail and ‘honor killings’ (noting issues with this term - femicide much better term), lack of maternal and neonatal care, no midwives allowed for home deliveries etc. (especially found it interesting how “zionism views palestinian women as a demographic threat” because they give birth to future palestinians” and thus police reproduction as a result e.g., preventing home births because if born in hospital can better monitor population)
- interesting reading about how “colonialism is always gendered” but how this differs across countries - for example, how in other countries this has often ironically involved women being seen as victims in need of rescuers from the colonisers and/or bodies in need of controlling so as to “eliminate the native”, the common themes of the dehumanisation, rape, and seeking to control reproduction, and also the specific dehumanisation of palestinian women: “zionism, however, has never exoticized us, never purported to “save,” “modernize,” or “liberate” us. It has always wanted us dead.”
- was shocked to see how israel exploits “patriarchal and homophobic
structures, especially conservative perceptions of “honor,” to recruit Palestinian collaborators and fragment Palestinian society” by blackmailing women and queer people (e.g, threatening to tell parents or outing them) unless they cooperate with israel (and then of course, if/when they cooperate, they are more stigmatised by society)
- important to recognise how colonialism can exacerbate patriarchy and violence because, by framing ‘progressiveness’ (e.g., feminism and queer rights) as part of the israeli identity/western, the colonised reject these and may view such practice at odds with their traditional cultures which are already under attack (and men feel their masculinity threatened as can’t protect their families) - of course, this doesn’t excuse homophobia/gendered violence etc - but is very important to understand this context!
- but also important to recognise palestinian women are more likely to be killed by non-palestinian men than palestinian men!
- important discussions of pinkwashing - how this obscures the poor treatment of not only Palestinian queers, but also Israeli queers, “recruits, often unwillingly, gays and lesbians of other countries into a collusion with Israeli violence towards palestine”, ignores how colonialism impacts any poor treatment of queers by palestine, ignores that liberation is not a single-issue struggle, works to erase Palestinian identities by encouraging their assimilation (interesting reading shafie’s experiences about this where she was embraced for being queer but not for being Palestinian) and therefore isolating palestinians from their culture and identity and desire for liberation

chapter 4
- interesting gaining more insight into american genocide of indigenous peoples e.g., attacks on buffalo populations
- links between food sovereignty, colonialism, gendered violence, feminism - when women can't engage in traditional food practices (due to risk of violence) they become more vulnerable. equally, because of violence, they are more at risk when they do practice these food production so stop doing so; loss of traditional diets; starvation policies; water apartheid, loss of culture and land, loss of status and livelihood
- greenwashing by Israel - widespread use of herbicides, pollution of palestinian waters, planting forests but not actually sustainability as non-native monocultures and causes more warming (not to mention all the emissions from war!!), all the veganism stuff (this was so ick!!! you can be as vegan as you want (ignoring its only 5% of the population lol) but you’re still not only killing animals and the environment, but countless palestinians!! (“a bomb dropped on a Palestinian home by an Israeli with a “leather-free” hemp belt will inflict as much harm on children huddled in that home as one dropped by a soldier who just polished off a bloody steak dinner. Indeed, it is hard to conceive of vegan soldiers who reconcile their care not to harm animals with their willingness to kill humans”)
- how white environmentalists critique indigenous practices without recognising they are actually sustainable and that actually, “our very survival as a species depends upon returning the land to its rightful stewards, and those stewards’ decolonial practices”

chapter 5
- god the way the israel-US alliance benefits both parties (how “the USA adopts techniques and technologies of repression first tested by Israel” and financially benefits from giving money to Israel because Israel has to buy US weapons) makes me so mad - this quote from Biden (1986)?? especially in light of the past year??? sickening: “It’s about time we stop apologizing for our support for Israel. There’s no apology to be made. It is the best three-billion-dollar investment we make. If there weren’t an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.”
- the anticolonial boomerang effect and the ways so many groups are expressing solidarity, recognising their shared oppression and struggles, working to resist, this new new global intifada was such a nice way to end the book - a bit of positivity in such awful times and a reminder change can happen and good things are being done
- “Settler colonialism must continue to engage in colonial violence, in displacement, land theft, cultural erasure, and killings, precisely because the colonized refuse to be conquered.”
- how difficult it is for the west to comprehend what justice and decolonisation looks like (“decolonisation is not an abstract process” - specific things to be done e.g., requires land returned to indigenous peoples) - resonated because it definitely took me a while to comprehend but now feels so obvious: “Even the majority of those settlers who do acknowledge that harm has been done to the colonized find it virtually impossible to conceive of total land restitution—the end of the USA, or Israel. They view their buildings, institutions, social and cultural ways, their “facts on the ground,” as here to stay, even if these have obliterated earlier buildings, institutions, social and cultural ways. But for the dispossessed Indigenous peoples globally, history is not linear, it is not necessarily “progress,” and it is reversible.”
- helped strengthen my understanding of homonationalism (i’m very familiar with homonormativity but not so much homonationalism though i do have puar’s book to read at some point) as being associated with race and israel’s national identity as being queer-friendly so as to justify (racial) oppression of palestine (specifically against Muslims??)
- pinkwashing/homonormativity etc as “inclusion that can only ever come at the cost of the exclusion of others” - a reminder that assimilation is never true inclusion - for those who assimilate or anyone else excluded as a result

[Kaleigh Basso]

A must read!!! Short, easily understood, & made me sick to my f*cking stomach. I really appreciated the unflinching look at Isr*el from different angles like hypermilitarism and intentional environmental devastation and the way that impacts Palestinian culture under occupation. Nada Elia packed a ton of information into these ~180 pages and did so masterfully.

[readingwithjaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we were in Scotland at a political bookshop, Angelica found this book and wanted to get it. I can see now that it should be much more popular than it is and have much more reviews than it does! This book taught me a lot and reinforced some things that I already knew. I learned about the interconnectedness of the Palestinian struggle for freedom with other indigenous peoples throughout the world, such as in the United States (which the book refers to as Turtle Island). Furthermore, the book draws connections between colonization in Israel/zionism with Apartheid in South Africa and the US colonizers. Finally, the book claims that Palestine is a feminist issue and discusses queer peoples’ struggles and how Israel uses “pink-washing” to claim that it is gay-friendly when in fact it is only gay-friendly towards Israelis. All in all, I feel like this book has helped me put together the pieces of what I already knew and draw new conclusions about Palestine and colonization. Thank you Angelica for picking out this book and I strongly recommend it to everyone! 🇵🇸

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was well written, easy to understand and assumes no pior knowledge of Palestine and Israel. Especially the first chapter Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Resistance and chapter two Deja Vu: Beyond Apartheid were fantastic. Very essential reading for all. A great strength of this book is the parallels to Turtle Island (USA) settler colonialism and also Apartheid South Africa and the meaning of a genocide that this book makes, thereby situating it as a truly global issue.

[Carlo(tta) · Rating 5 out of 5]

«As old concepts of identity are eroding, we are forming new coalitions. Where once we identified primarily as Palestinian, Black, Navajo, Kanaka Maoli, men, women, straight, or lesbian, we now also view ourselves as decolonial, feminist, Indigenous, non-binary, queer. Our communities are like seismic plates shifting and forming new blocs—a mosaic made up of the many shards of our identities, glued together by the sweat and blood of our protesting, rebelling, dreaming, scheming, and organizing together, across the arbitrary borders that fail to contain us.
It is beautiful, and fluid.
This is what liberation looks like».

Nada Elia, in questo breve saggio-pamphlet, introduce veramente tante tematiche di cui varrebbe la pena discutere. Non credo che io lo farò in modo appropriato, ma mi piacerebbe parlarvene per darvi un’idea di che cosa questo libro contiene e di cosa tenta di comunicare.
Il primo passo che bisogna capire è che la lotta che i palestinesi stanno conducendo non è una questione privata né isolata. È una lotta che coinvolge tutti noi, sotto più aspetti sociali, contemporaneamente. È l’epitomo della lotta intersezionale.

Tra gli alleati più importanti di questa lotta spiccano gli indigeni del Nordamerica (qui sempre denominato Turtle Island, il uso nome originale, liberato dall’appropriazione coloniale statunitense) nella loro espropriazione territoriale e nella loro condizione di apartheid, e gli afroamericani nel loro essere controllati da Stato e polizia, ma non solo.
Se c’è una cosa che Elia sottolinea in continuazione è che la lotta palestinese è la lotta degli oppressi della Storia e nella Geografia, ma è anche la lotta di chiunque si voglia definire femminista. Un punto fermo che esplica in questo modo, rifacendosi anche alla voce di bell hooks: «Quoting bell hooks’ analysis of feminism as a complete liberatory movement, Barghouti then explains: “Feminism cannot be selective. Its framework comes from true and absolute liberation not just of women, but of all peoples. This is why Zionism and feminism cannot merge. A feminist who is not also anti-colonial, anti-racist and in opposition to the various forms of injustice is selectively and oppressively serving the interests of a single segment of the global community”. Thankfully, today, progressive women of color and Indigenous women, along with anti-imperialist, anti-racist white women, are firmly anti-Zionist, understanding that no ideology that hinges on supremacy and discrimination is reconcilable with feminism. Simply, “feminism” that aligns with regimes that engage in racial and ethnic oppression is gendered supremacy».

Il femminismo, dunque, dovrebbe essere in prima linea nella difesa dei diritti dei palestinesi. Dico “dovrebbe” perché spesso non lo è, e anzi, esiste anche un acronimo per definire questo generale disinteresse: “FEP”, ossia “Feminist Except for Palestine”, derivato dall’acronimo “PEP”, “Progressive Except for Palestine”. Il femminismo bianco, in particolare, si ritrova a marginalizzare o a disinteressarsi delle donne palestinesi, così come si è disinteressato nei decenni delle donne native americane o afroamericane, adottando spesso un approccio coloniale.
Del resto, le donne palestinesi o in generale musulmane, di questi tempi, si sono ritrovate degne di stima ogni qualvolta lottavano contro il velo (guarda caso un capo che in Europa non piace molto, da cui sentiamo di doverle liberare), ma per le migliaia di donne che muoiono sotto le bombe, che si prendono infezioni perché non possono più usufruire di assorbenti e detergenti intimi, che sono costrette a partorire in mezzo ai detriti, non c’è chissà quanta empatia. In quei casi si parla spesso di numeri, di generiche “vittime”, e la loro voce rimane inascoltata.

In tutto ciò, Elia si focalizza anche sui vari tipi di “washing”: il Pinkwashing, chiaramente, ma anche il Greenwashing e il Redwashing.
Il Pinkwashing include il femminismo liberale adottato da Israele per avere appeal sull’Europa e gli Stati Uniti, ma comprende anche il fattore “queer” e la sua deriva omonazionalista. Per quanto il governo di Israele si dichiari queer friendly, i casi di omofobia sono numerosi già sugli israeliani stessi, mentre per i palestinesi non viene proprio contemplato alcun tipo di tutela; vengono delineate, quindi, le persone queer degne di considerazione e quelle che non lo sono (se invece volete conoscere le realtà palestinesi queer, ecco alcuni nomi: alQaws, Aswat, Palestinian Queers for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions).

Il Greenwashing invece emerge nelle modalità in cui Israele si propone nella lotta contro il cambiamento climatico: il suo piano di piantare pini in mezzo al deserto, ad esempio, ha portato alla diffusione di foreste dal gusto europeo che distruggono la flora e la fauna originali, surriscaldano il terreno, prendono fuoco, e necessitano irrigazione artificiale e interventi continui sul territorio; tutto ciò al grido di “Gli alberi sono il polmone della terra!”. In più, c’è la paradossale precauzione di vestire i propri soldati con pelle vegana e di fornire loro cibi eco-friendly per poi spedirli a uccidere persone che dichiaratamente considerano inferiori agli animali.

Il Redwashing, invece, riguarda la lotta dei popoli indigeni di Turtle Island e il fatto che Israele dichiari una somiglianza con la loro storia di sofferenze e riconquista del territorio. Israele in questa narrazione si pone come il popolo spodestato dalla propria terra, come lo furono i nativi americani; tracciando questa somiglianza, Israele cerca il sostegno dei nativi americani, costruendo una narrazione decoloniale ad hoc. I popoli nativi però riconoscono il colonialismo quando lo vedono: condizioni di apartheid, segregazione, distruzione sistemica del territorio. La loro solidarietà va con la Palestina. Anzi, come dice Elia stessa, “solidarietà” non basta come termine per definire ciò che unisce gli indigeni di Turtle Island e i palestinesi: «both Palestinians in Palestine, and the various criminalized communities in Turtle Island, understand that just as the oppressor is united, from Israel to the USA, so the resistance to oppression must form a common front: joint struggle, not mere solidarity. This is one of the many manifestations of the global intifada, or the anticolonial boomerang effect».

Nel resto di questo breve libro Elia si sofferma sui fenomeni che accomunano la lotta palestinese e altre realtà coloniali sparse per il mondo: una su tutte, l’apartheid sudafricano. In questi mesi la solidarietà emersa tra Sudafrica e Palestina ha fatto notizia sui giornali; qui Elia evidenzia le somiglianze e le differenze tra i due stati di apartheid.
Mentre un’altra somiglianza che l’autrice mette in risalto è quella tra la brutalità delle della polizia e delle forze armate israeliane in Palestina e quella negli Stati Uniti, subita dagli afroamericani. La “police brutality”, nella sua sistematicità, ricorda molto il sistema israeliano. In più, emergono connessioni inaspettate attraverso le pratiche utilizzate dalla polizia statunitense per reprimere i criminali: una, ad esempio, è il Krav Maga, una tecnica di autodifesa di origine israeliana particolarmente violenta che viene insegnata alla polizia di Los Angeles. In questa e in molte altre connessioni, gli attivisti palestinesi e afroamericani vedono una somiglianza e un’opportunità di unirsi in una lotta comune, sottolineando l’identità globale di questa lotta. Un’Intifada “inter/nazionale”, per riprendere il titolo del libro.

Insomma, è difficile riassumere i contenuti di questo saggio, così pieno di dettagli e spunti di riflessione. Elia mette molta carne al fuoco, ma ogni capitolo è ben strutturato e centrato. Tuttavia, non consiglierei questo libro a chi è completamente a digiuno delle tematiche trattate: viene dato per scontato che chi legge conosca già gli eventi storici salienti dell’occupazione israeliana, che parole come “Intifada” e “Nakba” siano già familiari. Nel caso voleste approcciarvi alla Storia della Palestina e di Israele e magari togliere di mezzo qualche stereotipo, consiglierei “10 miti su Israele” di Ilan Pappé, molto più “basico” e più approfondito a livello storico.
Dopo aver letto qualcosina in più, vi consiglierei poi di tornare a Elia, per seguire i suoi discorsi che ben s’inquadrano nel dibattito femminista e decoloniale contemporaneo.

Chiudo con un’ultima citazione, molto ispirata, che sottolineava quanto questa lotta coinvolga diverse entità, ma che esse in realtà sono un tutt’uno: «just as our enemy is united, so must our resistance be. And it is. There is no reversing the global intifada. Today, we are not “in solidarity” with Black, Indigenous, and queer groups, because one cannot be in solidarity with oneself: our communities are made up of Blacks, queer, Indigenous, immigrants, refugees, and Palestinians. […] The deep, irrepressible yearning for freedom and self-determination is what we have in common with the Indigenous people of Turtle Island, whose lands were stolen and traditions criminalized. We share it with Black Americans, who did not choose to come to this continent they have now been calling home for centuries. And we recognize it in queers who reject the expectations society imposes on their lives, that limit their exuberant creativity in return for inclusion. We have been through the same harrowing experiences of state violence, patriarchy, dispossession, incarceration; we have met in the belly of the beast and we are surfacing from its horrors together».

«We are coming together, beyond boundaries, and together, we are greater than the sum of our parts».

[Lisa Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 quotes encapsulating book:

“The Palestinian experience is the experience of the dispossessed and disenfranchised everywhere.”

“The voices of the elite, the “world leaders,” the NGOs, have dominated the discourse about the oppressed for too long. Even when these are well-intentioned, they contribute to the erasure of the organic experience of the dispossessed: it is as if our knowledge is only valid when framed in the colonizer’s language. This is racist gatekeeping. It is time to listen to the communities most impacted by the oppressive systems, because these are the communities that, overcoming misrepresentation, criminalization, and censorship, will lead the way to liberation.”

“We are the prisoners who dug their way to freedom with a rusted spoon, to inspire all prisoners everywhere: the underground, our soil, will free us. The foragers who sustain us with freshly gathered herbs, the peasants who know that reversing climate change is feminist, intersectional, decolonial, and the only way we can stay alive.”

“Looking specifically at post-apartheid South Africa, and post-Civil Rights Act USA, Noura Erakat writes that: the achievement of human rights amounted to the removal of obstacles for blacks without implementing re-distributive policies and rehabilitative measures such as reparations aimed at creating a more just society. Moreover, the wealth and privilege of whites, built upon, and facilitated by, slave and indentured labor, remained intact, as doing otherwise would have violated the human rights of the white populations under existing applications of the law. Thus, the triumph of human rights does not necessarily lead to justice.”

[Murran · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really think this is such and educational and heartfelt book. in my opinion, Nada Elia provides a great overview of the Palestinian struggle, but also connects that issue to so many other ongoing struggles throughout our societies and world in such a concise and eye-opening way. while a lot of the information is heavy, the book remains hopeful in it’s desire for a world rebuilt for the benefit of everyone. Nada Elia, as a Palestinian activist herself, summarizes all of the actions many activists and allies are taking to this day, and describes the many connected and oppressed groups working together to call for a unified effort in working towards solutions

[Amishi Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nada Elia's book is one of the most well-researched, up to date and compelling reads to understand the ties between settler colonialism in the US and Palestine (and South Africa, to a certain degree). Individual chapters delve into settler colonialism, apartheid, food systems, femenism and LGBTQ inclusion, military and ideological ties and finally, intersectional decolonial alliances. Whether read as a whole, a chapter or an excerpt, everyone is surely to learn a lot from this work. #ceasefirenow #fromtherivertothesea

[Yasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things to talk about is Palestine and yet it can be one of the hardest things for me to talk about. So much of what’s in my brain is in this book. Thanks to this author for the conversation

[Victoria Barics · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a really informative read - elia took a lot of complex ideas and broke them down in a way that was easy to understand. def will want to reread this in the future to get a better grasp on all of the facts that were presented bc it was pretty info heavy

[saif · Rating 4 out of 5]

clear and concise arguments

[Mariah Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is a sad warped world indeed where anyone looking at a dispossessed child standing up to the invading occupier’s assault tank views the child rather than the soldier driving the tank as a terrorist.”

[Laila Taji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant writing connecting global struggles together with a focus on Palestine. Well-researched and academic but very readable with a fabulous sprinkling of humor. Highly recommend.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering its scope, Nada Elia has done an impressive job of keeping this text focused, concise, and persuasive. In linking global struggles, chiefly the historical settler colonialism of South Africa and North America, we can de-exceptionalise Israel and tackle the numerous Zionist myths still perpetuated.

Importantly, Elia makes the case that anti-colonial liberation (with Palestinians standing besides other indigenous movements across the globe) is central to a future free from gender-based violence, femicide, and the intertwining brutalities of misogyny, homophobia, transphobia. We can see that there is no freedom in the way Israel's PR machine cynically targets American liberals with its reputational laundering - redwashing, greenwashing, pinkwashing. For those unfamiliar with these terms, this entails, for example in the case of pinkwashing, hollow proclamations about how Israel is a bastion for gays in the Middle East, even while operating inhumane structures of sexual violence, humiliation, blackmail, and torture against gay Palestinians. Such proclamations are intended only to further racist myths about the backwardness and barbarity of specifically Palestinian but more broadly Arab and Muslim culture (in this example painted as deeply homophobic) in order to justify their mass expulsion or murder. You can see Decolonise Palestine for further details if interested, or the work of Palestinian groups like alQaws.

Besides simply emphasising the dangers of the above, which many international LGBTQ+ groups have uncritically regurgitated, Elia makes the deeper point about how colonialism enables, necessitates, and necessarily is 'a form of sexual violence, and cannot possibly empower those whose very lives, livelihoods, and lands it violates'. Furthermore, the links are clear between this sexual violence - leveraged against Palestinian men, women, and children by Israel to dehumanise and destroy - with the sexual violence faced by Native American peoples across North and South America and by Black peoples across African settler-colonialism.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, there was nothing like this book on the reading list of my Politics and the Middle East course. Twenty odd years ago. I am going to need time to digest the contents.

I really appreciated the deconstruction of Zionism from its impacts on people, the environment and its proponents attempts to gain support by pink-washing and green-washing and the harmful effects this has on Palestinians. Her analysis of the interconnectedness of the Palestinian cause with the struggles of other minorities like Black and Indigenous people added much depth to my own knowledge.

I would have liked to know more about the various groups set up to promote, for example, Queer Palestinians. Many of these seem based in the diaspora. How influential are they within Palestine itself?

There is a lot of idealism on display. She writes: 'for justice to prevail, there can be only one state, from the river to the sea, free of patriarchy and heteronormativity'. This sounds great, but this is a book of ideas but no real plan to carry them out. She has minimised the role of religion, which is perhaps the main weakness of her analysis. Ultimately, if the Jewish people had no historic right to Palestine/Israel, it would be a considerably easier conflict to resolve and she is too dismissive of their claims. But she is right to highlight the brutality and oppression which form a central role in Israel's dealings with the Palestinians.

I highly recommend reading this book. It is informative, thought provoking, powerful and hopeful. Free Palestine! But one state or two?

[Sarah Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does one thing very well, and one thing very badly.

1) The Good: Intersectionality
Elia did a fantastic job describing the interactions between oppressors and oppressees -- not just between feminism and Palestine, but looping in Black Lives Matter and police brutality, Turtle Island Indigenes, and more. I not only learned more about the plight of the Palestinian people, but I learned more about global issues and activism. That kind of perspective is often lacking in literature focusing on a particular struggle, and it was refreshing to see it illuminated so intentionally and clearly.

2) The Bad: Nuance
Much of the problem with leftist politics (and I say this as a leftist) stems from the fact that those decrying being painted in broad strokes paint with a similarly large brush themselves. I understand that there can be no nuance when it comes to the issue of human rights, but Elia is quick to define the political motives and platforms of Jewish people. I know plenty of Jewish people that are currently fighting for the decolonization of Palestine, and Elia seems to simply not have time to consider them.

In conclusion, read this book... but take it with the grainiest of salts.

[Nicholle Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts offers a heartfelt examination of identity, community, and the strength found in collective action. Drawing from her own journey as a Palestinian-American, Elia skillfully navigates the intricacies of living with multiple identities while highlighting the power of unity. A key theme in her work is the significance of grassroots activism and the solidarity that exists among marginalized groups. Elia emphasizes that personal struggles are often intertwined, and that collective efforts can elevate voices that are too often overlooked. She illustrates this concept with various examples of social justice movements that showcase the effectiveness of working together.
Elia also shares personal stories that inform her perspective on identity, reflecting on the hurdles and victories experienced by those in the diaspora. Her writing is both introspective and inspiring, encouraging readers to think about their contributions to broader movements.
Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts serves as a rallying cry, inviting readers to acknowledge their common humanity and the powerful change that can arise from unity. Elia's reflections remind us that while individual stories are important, it is the collective experience that truly fosters social transformation.

[Lisa Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feminist and inter/nationalist framing of the situation of Palestine was a good read. It is people-focused, rather than geopolitical, and though it explores the many and varied ways in which Palestinians experience marginalisation, it looks to solidarity over above denoting differences. I found it rigorously researched with plenty of foot notes which provide even more reading material. Elia’s reframing of Palestine in terms of settler-colonialism, her analysis of Zionism as ideology, and her critiques of the apartheid framing of the situation are some of the strongest sections. She also robustly explores what it means to struggle for liberation - from what, for what, for whom? She conveys a strong sense of the notions of displacement and diaspora in the Palestinian context throughout the themes explored.

[Brittany]

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This should be required reading!

Thank you to Pluto Press for getting this on my radar. I appreciated how Nada Elia connected and compared other situations to the occupation in Palestine. It is an important reminder that all of our struggles are connected, and we are not free 'til we are *all* free.

Free Palestine & call your reps to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Genocide, Racism, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Police brutality

[Nadine N · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn more about settler colonialism, apartheid, pinkwashing, and how our global struggles are interconnected through an intersectional feminist lens, read this book! Elia writes in the epilogue, “Throughout this book, I have tried to emphasize the interconnectedness of our struggles for freedom and self-determination. I have been intentional about de-exceptionalizing both Palestine and Israel.” Published in 2022, Elia provides readers with an accessible framing to understand the horrors we are currently seeing in Gaza as part of a larger story - both as the larger story of the 75 year occupation of Palestine and the larger story of global oppression and resistance.

[hestia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first book i've finished reading on the topic of palestina and what's happening to palestinians. i thought this book is quite succinct but still rich as it included lots of developments and insights from recent years.
by drawing parallels to the struggles of the indigenous people of turtle island, the apartheid state of south africa, and others, it helped me as a reader not only to understand not only the gravity of the situations now but also about what happened/is happening/has happened all over the world

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massively important book about the commonalities of the struggle of native Americans and Palestinians against the Western imperialist systems that oppress them.

Especially interesting are the sections that examine the physical environment and food cultures in colonialism and the attempts of the establishment to use gay rights as a justification for the oppression of other communities.

I think it is impressive that a book with such a hard topic manages to have such hopeful notes as it highlights the solidarity that exists between communities.

[tia 🌱 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“queer liberation is fundamentally tied to the dreams of palestinian liberation: self-determination, dignity and the end of all systems of oppression”

an essential read and an excellent analysis of the colonial struggle in line with the pressures of patriarchy. i love the focus on food sovereignty’s importance in decolonialism and how she highlighted women’s centrality in this!!! so much info here about the true horrors of israel and some statistics that truly devastated me. extremely eager to read more non-fiction from palestinian authors if anyone has any recs!!!