Birthright Unplugged

2011-Present, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Indigenous, Self Institution, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces

Birthright Unplugged is an organization that aimed to give people a perspective on what the Palestinian people endured throughout their occupation. During this program, participants meet with Palestinian activists and other members of the community while visiting different sites. This organization is partially a response to Birthright Israel, that offers young Jewish people a free trip to Israel. Birthright Unplugged’s symbol is a form of cultural jamming by using the same symbol as Israel’s program with the colors of the Palestinian flag. Travel has become a way to disrupt a powerful institution’s injustices by creating awareness and inviting people to learn the full story. Oftentimes, these sponsored trips only offer specific narratives from a Zionist, occupier perspective. Below are just a few pictures from the very first trip. To explore more, this is the link to their website!

“When oppressed, silenced, and marginalized communities tell us their story, they are asking for something in return, asking us to take a stand as they have. To speak out as they have. To take risks, as they have. To truly listen is to know that we must truly act.”
— June Jordan

Committees for Solidarity with the Palestinian Revolution (1969)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

“Committees for Solidarity with the Palestinian Revolution” was a 1969 pamphlet published by the Democratic Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The pamphlet included interviews with leaders, aims for the DFLP, and two militant operations in the works.

The Palestinian Revolution: The Right to Self-Determination and the Independent State (1977)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

“The Palestinian Revolution: The Right to Self-Determination and the Independent State” was a 1977 publication by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The publication was a collection of infromation and messages regarding the fight for Palestinians’ right to self-determination in the context of the occupation.

“Political and Armed Struggle” Al Fatah (1974)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

“Political and Armed Struggle” was a pamphlet published in 1974 by Al-Fatah. This pahmplet explains the organization, aims, and tactics ofthe party. It illustrates the tie between armed and political struggles against oppression. Al Fatah is the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Fatah party is a social democratic party following a Palestinian nationalism ideology. The party advocates for a secular, two-state solution.

Palestinian Children: The Generation of Liberation (1970)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

“Palestinian Children: The Generation of Liberation” is a sociological study by Bassem Sirhan, published by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) research center in 1970. The study focused on the liberation tactics used by Palestinian children against the occupation.

“Two Military Operations in the Heart of the Beast” Democratic Palestine (1984)

1946-1989, Colonized, Consciousness Raising, Date, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption

“Democratic Palestine” was a publication started in 1979 with the intention of cultivating solidarity among all global struggles against imperialism in the context of Palestine. This issue, “Two Military Operations in the Heart of the Beast”, was split into six sections; Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Arab World, World, and Culture.

The National Liberation Movement Al-Fateh (1960s/70s)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Defining the Enemy, Subjectives of Refusal

This document is an outline to familiarize the public with the demands and organization of Fateh, a political party within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) advocating against the occupation of Palestine. This document has a table of contents, which divides the pamphlet by introduction, followed by the history of the occupation, then the evacuation of Palestinians from the land, leading to the emergence of Al-Fateh as a party. It then goes out to distinguish the aims of the party, their positions, and what lies in their future.

Revoultion Until Victory (1970s)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Subjectives of Refusal

“Revolution Unitl Victory” was most likely published in the 1970s, and is a pamphlet which outlines the demands of Palestinians. It includes their intents and achievements, and defines terms such as Zionism and decolonization in the context and Palestine and Israeli. Fateh, whichmore formerly goes by the Palestinian National LIberation Movement, is the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Fateh party is a social democratic party following a Palestinian nationalism ideology. The party advocates for a secular, two-state solution.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Leader Ghassan Kanafani Interview (1970)

1946-1989, Colonized, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Subjectives of Refusal, Urban Spaces

In 1970, Ghassan Kanafani, a leader for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was interviewed in Beirut. At the time, the PFLP was fighting against forces in Jordan to determine whether Jordan would be ruled by the PFLP or the Hashemite Monarchy. In this interview, Kanafani rejects a westernized perception of the events, where the PLFP is engaged in a civil war, and instead incorporates fascism, and the history of exploitation of his people in his understanding of the motives behind the fighting. Defining the PLFP’s efforts not as a conflict but as a liberation movement for justice, Kanafani fundamentally alters the way that the interviewer is forced to think about his questions, and the way the world must consider his answers.