"We reached out to several dozen Palestinian and Palestinian-American authors, as well as a number of other writers whose work and advocacy has focused on Palestine, to ask them to recommend their favorite works of Palestinian literature. " (from the site)

This list of readings, prepared by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL), "aims to inform readers interested in learning about Israel, its history, and Israeli perspectives on the Israel-Hamas conflict. It includes both academic and literary titles and does not claim to be exhaustive. It is a working document, and we appreciate feedback." (from the introduction).

Israeli historian Lee Mordechai (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) documents the course of events since October 2023, that in his evaluation, amounts to a genocide committed by the current Israeli government.

The project conducts and publishes research about the ongoing consequences of the United States wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and its military support for Israeli military operations; the costs of global U.S. military operations; and the domestic effects of U.S. military spending. Created in 2010 and housed at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Costs of War project builds on the work of over 60 scholars, experts, human rights advocates, and physicians from around the world.

Country of Words "is a digital-born project that retraces and remaps the global story of Palestinian literature in the twentieth century, starting from the Arab world and going through Europe, North America, and Latin America. Sitting at the intersection of literary history, periodical studies, and digital humanities, Country of Words creates a digitally networked and multilocational literary history—a literary atlas enhanced." (from the project website)

Dialogues Across Difference series includes recordings of conversations on Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Anti-Palestinian racism, the war in the Middle East among other ongoing campus initiatives or debates.

The Bustani Middle East Seminar covers lectures given by prominent scholars, journalists, consultants, experts on contemporary politics, society and culture, and economic and technological development in the Middle East, including the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Bustani Seminar is organized under the auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies to provide "an opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange views." (from: https://cis.mit.edu/events-seminars/emile-bustani-middle-east-seminar).

Prahlad Iyengar, a graduate student in the electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT and Michel DeGraff, professor of Linguistics, talk to Electronic Intifada's Nora Barrod-Friedman about their campus activism.

Wikipedia's detailed documentation of the ongoing hostage crisis following the massacre of October 7, 2023 committed by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups. 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip including children, women, and elderly people were taken hostage at that time. Almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships, and some hostages were Negev Bedouins.

This webinar, co-hosted by MIT Libraries, features Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma and critical care surgeon in California who volunteered in Khan Younis, Gaza with the World Health Organization, and Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha, with a specialty in internal medicine, a Palestinian Bedouin physician in Israel, who was a first responder treating incoming victims of Hamas’ attacks on October 7. Moderated by Dr. Eman Ansari, a pediatric pulmonologist and critical care medicine physician and a practicing pediatric emergency physician at Boston Children’s Hospital. Introduction by Prof. Erica C. James (DUSP/ Anthropology) of MIT.

This documentary tells the story of the war through the eyes of Palestinian journalists, human rights workers and ordinary residents of the Gaza Strip. (From the description on YouTube)

Please fill out the form at the link and course sessions will be sent to you. The three-session course entitled “Israel, Palestine, Gaza before and after October 7: Understanding historical context and contrasting narratives,” was held between Nov. 29 and Dec. 13. For more information about the 3-course series: https://news.mit.edu/2023/mit-minicourse-gives-context-middle-east-crisis-1221

From the syllabus: "The object of this course is to provide a basic understanding of modern Israeli politics, culture, and identity through lectures, discussions and projects. Among the topics to be explored are: Israel’s political system and society; Jewish-ethnic relations in Israel; the Arab minorities in the Jewish state; Israeli technology; Israeli occupation and settlement projects; the struggle for Israel’s identity."

This short list of resources was compiled by the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, which leans heavily on Brandeis-affiliated scholars, shortly after the attacks of October 7. "Please note: To study Israel means to engage with a wide range of opinions on important topics. Resources here represent a variety of academic and political opinions. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies or Brandeis University. We encourage users to approach each resource critically."

The Jewish Virtual Library is an online encyclopedia covering topics about Israel–United States relations, Jewish history, Israel, the Holocaust, antisemitism and Judaism. (Wikipedia)

See especially the recordings of Prof. Barry Posen on "Israel's Response to October 7: What Was the Range of Choice?" (April 2024) and Prof. Posen on "The Grand Strategy of the Biden Administration: A Critique" (April 2023).

MIT CIS' Youtube channel has rich and current content on the conflict and the context in the Middle East and North Africa: https://cis.mit.edu/regions/mena

Wikipedia's detailed description of the war and its evaluation of the media coverage involving the facts and misinformation.

MIT graduate student Talia Khan (SB '20) in Mechanical Engineering addresses the US Congress and talks about her experiences of antisemitism on MIT campus and the reasons for her activism.

On the Nose is Jewish Currents magazine's podcast. The editorial staff discuss current politics, the Gaza War, Antisemitism, US politics, culture, and many other questions that animate today’s Jewish left in the US.

Outsider/Insider is an MIT Sloan podcast. It was developed to provide tools for members of the MIT community—as well as other communities that resemble MIT in that they are workplaces or schools and they aspire for their diversity to be a source of strength. Another goal is what the co-hosts—the MIT sociologists and management professors Ray Reagans and Ezra Zuckerman Sivan-- like to call “delight in discovery.” (from the podcast description).

This course surveys the history and various realities and challenges of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduces the fundamental historical trajectories of the conflict. Analyzes the conflicting narratives and perceptions of both Palestinians and Israelis over key moments and issues in the conflict’s history. Considers current challenges and possible solutions to the conflict (from the course description). Spring 2025 Prof Alimagham is teaching: The Modern Middle East.

Conversations with a female brewer (Madees Khoury of Taybeh Brewery) , a human rights activist (Noura Erakat), a musician (Anees Mokhiber), an economist (Sam Bahour) and a physician (Tarek Loubani) of Palestinian descent during the pandemic.

The recordings of this seminar from Fall 2024 are being processed and will be published: "Language and linguistics are powerful weapons for the making and un-making of hierarchies of power — as illustrated in [DeGraff's] work for the past couple of decades, demystifying “Creole Exceptionalism” dogmas, in #MITMindHandHeart mode to help build a #BetterWorld for Creole speakers and their kin. This takes us to the second aspect of the seminar — from “Creole Exceptionalism” to various sorts of “Palestine Exceptions.” (from the syllabus).

Edward Said taught English and comparative literature at Columbia University until his death in 2003. He was the author most famously of Orientalism. In this long form article published in the London Review of Books, he analyzes the history of trends in the narration of the course of political events and personal experiences from the perspective of Palestinians.

"Librarians and Archivists with Palestine has compiled a listed of readings and resources, spanning news sources to suggested fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, and more. Select a genre to begin exploring." (from the site)

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex. This site includes lectures, webinars, and panels addressing the current war as well as books, articles, and other materials that provide deeper historical context." (from the site).

"It is time for a new voice to rise concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are two Palestinian-Israeli Citizens, who are unapologetic about our views, and our vision for a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians. Join us as we record as the war is going on in Israel and Gaza, as we delve deep into the roots of the war, and the way forward." (from the podcast)

"We asked 22 Chronicle Review contributors: In light of the campus protests and police crackdowns that have swept campuses across the country, what is the one book you’d recommend colleges adopt as required reading for all incoming freshmen?" (from the article) This article includes their suggestions with explanatory notes.