On Palestine

In 2016, I had the great honor and privilege of being part of a university course dedicated to analyzing the history of Palestine through the lens of settler colonialism. Below follows a list of texts we were assigned to read for the course, sorted roughly by time period, as they were provided by the course facilitator. Combined, these texts form one of many excellent starting points for learning more about the history of Palestine, the experiences of Palestinians, and the infrastructures of settler colonialism. Wherever possible, I've linked to downloadable PDFs of the referenced texts. If you'd like assistance finding others, please e-mail me at [Work AT RiveraErica DOT com].

Read for Refaat

Between January 15 and 21, 2024, I participated in Read for Refaat, a day of action that kicked off a week of solidarity events focused on reading Refaat Alareer's work out loud and in public. You can listen to my recordings of selections from the texts on this page at the link above.

Read in Solidarity

On April 27 and 28, 2024, I also recorded myself reading from another list of texts relating to Palestine, including excerpts from the essay collection From the River to the Sea: Essays for a Free Palestine, as well as many of the texts that are available for free on Verso Books's “In Solidarity with the Students” page. You can download those texts on Verso's website or at the link above, and you can listen to those recordings at the link above as well.



Understanding Settler Colonialism


Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native

by Patrick Wolfe  Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native by Patrick Wolfe (152 KB)


Introduction – The Settler Colonial Situation

excerpted from Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview by Lorenzo Veracini  PDF download below

Download PDF of the introduction to Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview by Lorenzo Veracini (303 KB)


1882 – 1947


Chapter 7 – Purchase by Other Means: Dispossessing the Natives in Palestine

excerpted from Traces of History: Elementary Structures of Race by Patrick Wolfe  Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of Traces of History by Patrick Wolfe (4 MB)


Introduction and Chapter 1 – Zionist Transfer Ideas and Proposals, 1882-1938

excerpted from Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of “Transfer” in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948 by Nur Masalha  Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of Part 1 of Introduction and Chapter 1 – Nur Masalha – Expulsion of the Palestinians – The Concept of Transfer in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948 (3 MB)

Download PDF of Part 2 of Introduction and Chapter 1 – Nur Masalha – Expulsion of the Palestinians – The Concept of Transfer in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948 (3 MB)


1948 – 1966


Chapters 4-8 from The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

by Ilan Pappe  Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe (3 MB)


Zionist Colonialism in Palestine

by Fayez Sayegh  Alternative PDF downloads below

Download PDF of Zionist Colonialism in Palestine by Fayez Sayegh Part 1 of 3 (4 MB)

Download PDF of Zionist Colonialism in Palestine by Fayez Sayegh Part 2 of 3 (5 MB)

Download PDF of Zionist Colonialism in Palestine by Fayez Sayegh Part 3 of 3 (3 MB)


1993 – 2000


“The Morning After”

by Edward Said  PDF download below

Download PDF of The Morning After by Edward Said | London Review of Books (70 KB)


The Political Economy of Israeli Occupation: What is Colonial about It?

by Leila Farsakh  Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of The Political Economy of Israeli Occupation by Leila Farsakh (305 KB)


2000 – 2006


Hollow Land: Israel's Architecture of Occupation

by Eyal Weizman  Available via the Internet Archive


Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation

by Saree Makdisi  Available via the Internet Archive


2007 – present


“The Gaza Bombshell”

by David Rose  PDF downloads below

Download PDF of Part 1 of The Gaza Bombshell | Vanity Fair | April 2008 | David Rose (4 MB)

Download PDF of Part 2 of The Gaza Bombshell | Vanity Fair | April 2008 | David Rose (4 MB)


Chapter 5 – Class and State in the West Bank: Neoliberalism Under Occupation

Excerpted from Lineages of Revolt: Issues of contemporary capitalism in the Middle East by Adam Hanieh  Available via the Internet Archive Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of Chapter 5 of Lineages of Revolt by Adam Hanieh (586 KB)


Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict

Also known as the Goldstone Report (2009)  Available via the Internet Archive Alternative PDF download below

Download PDF of Report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (3 MB)


This is How We Fought in Gaza: Soldiers' testimonies and photographs from Operation “Protective Edge”

Produced by Breaking the Silence