Arrangementet

This event is part of the series "Counter-narratives: a reading and discussion circle on anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist thinking."
At this session of our counter-narratives circle we will discuss two works by two authors covering the environmental dimension of the imperialist war on Palestine: environmental warfare, ecocide and fossil imperialism.

(1) The book Environmental Warfare in Gaza: Colonial Violence and New Landscapes of Resistance by Shourideh C. Molavi focuses on another stage of Israeli warfare, namely environmental and chemical warfare that has destroyed swathes of lush arable land, greenhouses and vegetation, further debilitating Palestinian livelihoods, and enabling better Israeli military targeting of Palestinian communities. An extract from the foreword by Eyal Weizman:
From the point of view of colonial history, climate transformation is not the accidental and indirect consequence of conflict; the environment is not the collateral damage of history, but a tool in its arsenal of transformations, a form of government over land, peoples and the relation between them – one of the means by which colonial racism is enacted, land is grabbed, siege lines fortified and violence perpetuated.
Please also take a look at the Forensic Architecture report Israel's Ecocide in Gaza: 2023-2024 that focuses on the ongoing destruction.

(2) The article The Destruction of Palestine Is the Destruction of the Earth by Andreas Malm is a long-term analysis of Palestine's subjugation to fossil empire, in which he demonstrates that the forces responsible for the destruction of Gaza are the same as those responsible for the climate catastrophe.

Everyone attending needs to read the book and article beforehand, but it's OK if you don't manage to finish in time. The discussion will be open and informal – without presentations or guidance, as we're all equally in the process of learning.

This is an external event, but all Diemers are welcome! Space is limited, so please email me at spxx@kpnmail.nl if you plan to attend and would like to order the book (a discount can be arranged).

The counter-narratives group will meet roughly once a month. For a full description of the group and its events, please see:
https://radar.squat.net/en/amsterdam/counter-narratives-reading-and-discussion-circle