Colonialism may seek to determine educational trajectories; however, knowledge and awareness are far more complex than systematic, institutional manipulation. Palestinians have the right to determine their own trajectory and are under no obligation to prioritise any fragment of what Israel calls its own history to the detriment of Palestinian resistance. The right to repudiate any imposition or recognition of Israel’s narrations are part of the anti-colonial struggle which necessitates only awareness, not acceptance.

If Palestinian textbooks depict the entire territory as Palestine, it is an assertion that should not be tampered with. Such obsession of behalf of Israel depict a fragile existence bolstered only by military superiority and international complicity, rather that the structural foundations that define a nation. Israel’s presence as a colonial entity is not tantamount to legitimacy hence the labelling of territory as Israel is a consequence of colonialism and a manipulation of the fact that Palestine is prevalent. If anything can be added, it would be worthwhile exploring the linguistic and political possibilities that would allow for an expression to be universally and consistently used, to aid Palestinians in their reclamation of territory through language and memory. Such expression should embark upon isolating the concept of Israel’s existence from the swathes of land it has usurped, thus defining the struggle and reality of Palestinian liberation from an internationalist perspective.

– Read more: Rethinking Language and Memory as Part of the Palestinian Struggle – Ramona Wadi, MEMO