1. For decades, Palestinians have been largely excluded from the mainstream US media conversation about Israel-Palestine. That exclusion continues today, and represents one more form of Palestinian dispossession.
2. Over the years, in conjunction with Palestinian friends and allies, I’ve tried to address this erasure by repeatedly asking bookers and editors to include more Palestinian voices.
3. I’ve also spoken about this problem repeatedly, especially to Jewish audiences. In virtually every talk I implore listeners to read, listen to + interact w/ Palestinians. I wrote an essay about the Jewish community’s failure to do so + its consequences nybooks.com/articles/2013/…
4. Still, the problem persists, and in some ways has been magnified by the attention I’ve gotten for making an argument about binationalism that many Palestinians (and others) have made before me.
5. So here’s how I will approach this problem going forward.
6. There is a legitimate role for intra-Jewish conversations in Jewish spaces, like the one I’m doing today w/ Jeremy Ben-Ami + Jill Jacobs hosted by New York Jewish Agenda. But I will keep using those conversations to urge Jews to open their minds + doors to Palestinian voices.
7. When it comes to non-Jewish institutions, media or otherwise, I will make it a general rule not to do panels of three or more without a Palestinian. If it’s a discussion btw me + one other person, I will consult w/ Palestinian friends + allies on whether or how to go forward
8. In public and private, I will continue to use my position to try to remedy the exclusion of Palestinian voices, which I believe distorts US policy toward Israel-Palestine, and fosters ignorance and dehumanization.
