Samir al Jindy: Fight the war in Israel with books not guns

Samir al-Jindy, of the Arab Publishers Union has urged Arab nations to donate books to the libraries of Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza strip to support Arab culture in Israel. He argued that books would support the Arab community in Israel in their struggle against the nationalistic, right-wing, policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Zionist Likud party government. Jindy argued, “Historical texts will teach Arabs their historic rights. Culture is the bridge that will resolve the ethno-religious conflict in Palestine. Publishers should defend their Palestinian and Islamic culture through books” “Palestinians in Jerusalem are most vulnerable to the Israeli state’s constant harassment. The Israel government curbs the influence of Arab culture. Learning about Arab culture and understanding ideas of resistance will help Palestinians defend themselves.” He also urged publishers internationally and specifically in the Arab world to publish literature and encyclopedias from Palestine, and introduce Palestinian culture to the world through book festivals such as Cairo’s International Book Fair so it can be celebrated and understood globally as a rich, non-threatening culture that would be a tragic loss if it died out as a result of continued suppression from Israeli. He stated, “There are a large number of historic manuscripts that talk about Palestine and its history. Such documents emphasise the rights of Palestinians.”  He demanded the Publishers Union not to involve itself in the Palestinian conflict, arguing that a coordinated movement to aggressively promote Arab culture to fuel conflict in Israel. “This blossoming of Palestinian culture, through books and manuscripts must come spontaneously from independent publishing houses.”