Understanding Anti-Palestinian Racism

The need for shared understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism has never been more urgent

The history, struggle, and culture of Palestinian people are being discussed around the world like never before — also creating a spike in Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR).

As the global community watches in horror at images of wanton death and destruction emerging from Gaza and the West Bank, instances of violence, discrimination, and defamation of diaspora Palestinians are also spreading.

This resource intends to provide helpful and accessible English-language information for those looking to learn more about APR, its manifestations, and how to respond in order to combat it and other oppressions.

Anti-Palestinian racism is adjacent to Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, but specifically aims to silence, erase, dehumanize and defame Palestinians and their allies who publicly advocate for Palestinian human rights.

This form of racism intersects with colonialism, sexism, xenophobia, cultural appropriation, and more; it seeks to justify and normalize Palestinian dispossession and oppression, as well as to isolate diaspora Palestinians and discourage them from advocating for Palestinian liberation.

Defining Anti-Palestinian Racism

Note: while there is no ‘official’ consensus on an APR definition, there are many helpful resources and reports that helped us build this definition. You can find them listed at the top of the Resources page.

Manifestations of Anti-Palestinian Racism

Quick Links:

Victim/Terrorist binary

Believing Palestinians are either complicit in their own oppression and dispossession, or simply a pawn of other Palestinians who are.

Dehumanization of Palestinian men and boys; Hamas as both oppressive and representative; women and children seen as the only legitimate victims.

Ascription of Genocidal Intent

Assigning the intent to commit genocidal, violent acts onto Palestinians who self-advocate.

Misrepresenting the meanings of “From the river to the sea,” “Free Palestine,” etc; “Palestinians would… eliminate, exterminate,” Jewish people'; comparing Palestinians with Nazis

Erasure and denial

Ignoring or suppressing the existence, history, culture, etc. of Palestine/Palestinians.

“Palestine/Palestinians never existed”; calling Palestinians with Israeli citizenship ‘Israeli Arabs’; “A land without a people for a people without a land”

Denounce-to-count

Demanding Palestinians first denounce something before listening to them or respecting their experiences or perspectives.

Performing acceptability demanded of Palestinians on mainstream news and social media; “denounce Hamas, Hesbollah, rockets, Palestinian resistance, Shariah Law, gay rights, etc.”;

Conflation with Antisemitism

Ascribing inherent and universal antisemitic values to those advocating for Palestinians/Palestine.

Attacks on Palestinian solidarity protests by lobby groups; Canary Mission and other doxxing campaigns; creating avenues for white supremacists to co-opt Palestinian suffering.

Silencing and Controversy

Stigmatizing being Palestinian/speaking about Palestine by deeming it too controversial and uncomfortable to discuss.

Palestinian heritage seen as controversial or taboo; absence of Palestinian voices in mainstream media (non-Palestinian pro-Palestinians seen as ‘safer’ or more relateable); shutting down events as ‘security risks’; Palestinian self-silencing

Systemic Oppressions

Institutional repression of support for Palestine/Palestinians and the systems-level perpetuation of anti-Palestinian racism.

Comparing western support and aid given to Israel vs to Palestinians; anti-BDS laws; concerted campaigns targeting pro-Palestinian political actors; dehumanization of Palestinians and emphasis on Israeli lives in mainstream media

Cultural Appropriation

The manipulation and co-opting of Palestinian history and culture in order to perpetuate and benefit from their oppression.

The widespread appropriation and misrepresentation of the Keffiyeh; Israeli propaganda using Palestinian music, food and art to justify or even mock Palestinian suffering; Palestinian representations (or lack thereof) in Hollywood

Intersectional Connections

APR doesn’t exist in a vacuum and it is often used in tandem with other systemic oppressions to function.

Erasing Palestinian indigeneity to reinforce colonialism; Pinkwashing of gay rights; claiming a community’s unrealized rights are a reason to oppress that same community; ignoring the white supremacy of settlers and western media

Intersections with Islamophobia

Relying on the better-recognized concepts of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism to isolate and erase Palestinian identity.

Conflating Palestinians with the Arab or Muslim worlds; ignoring that Arabs and Muslims can be anti-Palestinian; using Islamophobia to describe anti-Palestinian racism erasing Christian and other Palestinian identities

FAQs

  • While there are many amazing resources out there to better understand the Palestinian experience and struggle, Anti-Palestinian Racism, especially as it manifests in the West has been largely ignored. We hope to create a helpful resource for learning more, help start a broader conversation on APR, introduce the concepts underpinning APR and suggest appropriate anti-racist responses when it comes up.

  • Our intended audience is everyone who has a genuine interest in being a better ally to Palestinians, Palestinians and their allies who are calling out APR already to have a holistic reference, antiracists and equity-minded professionals across every sector— especially those working in education, medicine, law, and government.

  • The initial goal of this resource is to create a widely accessible and helpful resource on anti-Palestinian Racism that helps better shape the understanding of what it is and how it manifests for the general public.

    Future goals include encouraging and supporting the creation of an ‘official’ anti-Palestinian racism definition that can be adopted by institutions, to share and explain the multitude of experiences of Palestinians when it comes to APR, and to create future educational content that can be targeted to specific audiences.

  • First of all, by better understanding how it manifests and harms Palestinians!

    Then by calling it out when you see it, as Palestinians are often carrying the burden of that task as well as working through generational traumas it can bring up.

    Finally, by bringing this knowledge and awareness of APR into your community or circle so that you can be part of the wider consciousness-raising movement.

Contact us

If you are interested in supporting this project by contributing written or video content, or other digital or social media support, please let us know.

If there are corrections/typos/broken links or if you’d like a resource added to our links, please let us know.

If you have a media request, partnership request, or speaking request, please note that our capacity is limited and we are focused on growing this resource first.