Palestinian Libraries
Articles and Television Reports About the Edward Said Public Library
Mosab Abu Toha Since Oct. 7, 2023
Articles Related to Palestinian Libraries
Contribute to Palestinian Libraries
SRRT Resolutions and Statements Related to Palestine
IRTF Discussion Group, January 2020
“Libraries in Gaza: Between Despair and Hope,”
with Mosab Abu Toha
 Mosab Abu Toha at ALA Midwinter Meeting Photo by Mark Hudson |
At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia on January 25, 2020, IRTF sponsored a discussion group, “Libraries in Gaza: Between Despair and Hope,” with Mosab Abu Toha as speaker. Mosab Abu Toha spoke about the situation of libraries in Gaza –including limitations due to the occupation, the destruction of libraries by bombing, and efforts to rebuild. He also described his work in creating the Edward Said Public Library. Mosab is the founder and director of the famed Edward Said Public Library in Gaza. In 2019-2020 he was also a Visiting Poet in the Department of Comparative Literature at Harvard University; a Visiting Librarian at Harvard’s Houghton Library; a Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative Fellow in the Harvard Divinity School; and a columnist for Arrowsmith Press. He is also author of Things You Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza, City Lights Books, Apr. 12, 2022. Regarding the Edward Said Public Library, the linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky has written, “The project merits strong support from everyone concerned with justice and basic human rights.” Additionally, the library has been endorsed and promoted by the poet and essayist Katha Pollitt, as well as by the filmmaker, Michael Moore. |
- For a similar presentation by Mosab Abu Toha, with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, watch “Edward Said Public Library: The Story of a Book Found Under Ruins,” at University of Arizona, Feb. 10, 2020.
- For a collection of articles by Mosab Abu Toha, visit the “Mosab Abu Toha” page at Arrowsmith Press.
- For more information about the Edward Said Public Library, visit Mosab Abu Toha’s Facebook page: “Library & Bookshop for Gaza Facebook“
- To provide assistance to the Edward Said Public Library, visit :“Support the Edward Said Public Library in Palestine,” Middle East Children’s Alliance.
Mosab Abu Toha in the English Department at the Islamic University of Gaza, August 2014.
Photo by Adham Al-Ashqar.
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Articles and Television Reports About the Edward Said Public Library
April 2020
Titles suggested by Mosab Abu Toha for the SRRT website.
Articles
Alghoul, Diana. “Gaza's First English Library to Open Window to World,” The New Arab, Feb. 28, 2017.
Chen, Joanna. “When Daffodils Grow in Gaza,” Cultural Weekly, Aug. 16, 2017.
Dreiblatt, Ian. “Gaza Needs Books,” Melville House, Apr. 14, 2017.
Elia, Nada. “Gaza’s ‘Edward Said Public Library’ Needs Your Support to do Even More,” Mondoweiss, Jan. 28, 2019.
Mackenzie, Laura. “Gaza’s First English Library One Step Closer to Reality,” N World, May 18, 2017.
Gadzo, Mersiha. “Meet the Man Crowd-funding Gaza's First English Library,” Al Jazeera, Feb. 10, 2017.
Khader, Majed. “Palestinian Territory Occupied: Challenges and Obstacles in Palestinian Libraries,” Libraries in the Early 21st Century, volume 2; An International Perspective, edited by Ravindra N. Sharma, IFLA Headquarters, 2012, pp. 425-444.
Nabbout, Mariam. “Gaza is Getting Its First-ever English Library ... and It Needs Your Help,” Step Feed, Mar. 13, 2017.
Pollitt, Katha. “Most of Gaza’s Libraries Have Been Closed or Destroyed—and You Can Help a New One Get Off the Ground,” The Nation, Apr. 11, 2017.
Redazione, “GAZA. A Public Library One Thousand Books Sent from Abroad,” NENA - Near East News Agency, Aug. 8, 2017.
Zimet, Abby. “A Library For Gaza, Because Freedom Is Sometimes A State of Mind,” Common Dreams, Apr. 18, 2017.
Radio Interview
KCSB Radio Interview about the special issue of Progressive Librarian devoted to Palestinian Libraries, Feb.. 10, 2021. This is a recording of the radio interview with Mosab Abu Toha, the poet and founder of the Edward Said Library in Gaza, and with Ethan Pullman and Tom Twiss, two of the co-editors of the special issue of Progressive Librarian. The show aired on February 10, 2021 on KCSB Santa Barbara, 91.9 FM.
Television Reports in English
“Besieged Gaza to Get First English-language Library,” AFP News Agency (France), Feb 26, 2017.
“Israel-Palestine Tensions: Gaza to Get First English-language library,” TRT World (Turkey), Sept. 8, 2017.
Al-Safadi, Halla. “Palestinian Establishes English Language Library at Gaza Home,” Press TV (Iran), Mar. 8, 2017.
Television Reports in Arabic
“Gaza: The Opening of the First Library Specialized in Western Literature in the Southern Governorates,” Palestine TV (Ramallah, Palestine), Sept. 5, 2017.
“A University Student in the Gaza Strip, Accompanied by a Group of His Volunteer Colleagues, Inaugurated the First Free Public Library for English Books and Literature,” Al Jazeera (Qatar), Mar. 22, 2017.
“A Young Man from the Gaza Strip Creates a Library in English” Roya News (Jordan) in Arabic, Mar. 22, 2017.
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Mosab Abu Toha Since Oct. 7, 2023
Articles, essays, poems, by Mosab Abu Toha and interviews with him Since Oct. 7, 2023
“On the Cusp of Invasion, a Poet in Gaza Reflects on Trauma,” New York Times, Oct. 14, 2023
“A View from My Window in Gaza,” The New Yorker, Oct. 20, 2023.
“Bearing Witness In Gaza: Two Poems from a Palestinian Writer,” with introduction by Jules Gibb, The Progressive Magazine, Oct. 21, 2023.
“Obit” [A poem], The New Yorker, Nov. 6, 2023.
“The Agony of Waiting for a Ceasefire That Never Comes,” The New Yorker, Nov. 6, 2023.
“Younger than War” [A poem], The Atlantic, Nov. 9, 2023.
“Gazan Family Letters, 2092,” The Nation, Nov. 16. 2023.
“What is Home?” [A poem], in “Where Is Mosab Abu Toha? A Poem from Gaza in 22 Languages,” Literary Hub, Nov. 21, 2023.
”Terrorized’’: Gaza Poet Mosab Abu Toha on Being Stripped, Jailed & Beaten by Israeli Forces,” Democracy Now!, Dec. 7, 2023.
“Poem: My Son Throws a Blanket Over My Daughter,” The Progressive Magazine, Nov. 30, 2023.
“A Harrowing Detention in Gaza,” with David Remnick, The New Yorker, Dec. 15, 2023.
“Mosab Abu Toha: Shrapnel Looking For Laughter,” by Mathew Gindin, includes poem by Mosab Abu Toha, Medium, Dec. 13, 2023.
“Palestinian Poet Mosab Abu Toha on All He’s Lost in Gaza and Hopes for His Homeland,” PBS News Hour, Dec. 22, 2023.
“Letter from Gaza: A Palestinian Poet’s Perilous Journey Out of Gaza,” The New Yorker, Dec. 25, 2023.
“Naked, handcuffed and blindfolded: Palestinian poet details time in Israeli custody,” CNN, Dec. 28, 2023.
“‘You Carry Your Home with You’: A Gazan Poet’s Journey Out of Gaza,” Video by Mona El Naggar, Nell Collier, and Santiago Garcia Muñoz, New York Times, Dec. 31, 2023.
“Palestine Is a Story Away: A Tribute to Refaat Alareer,” Los Angeles Review of Books, Jan. 2, 2024.
“Palestinian Poet Mosab Abu Toha Decries Israel’s ‘Inhumane’ Assault as Gaza Death Toll Tops 25,000,“ Democracy Now!, Jan. 22, 2024.
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SSRT Programs 2015-2018
Discussion Group, June 24, 2018
"Assisting Palestinian Libraries"
 Seraj Library Project |
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This discussion group was devoted to various efforts to help Palestinian libraries. Speakers for "Assisting Palestinian Libraries" were:
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John Cassel, Co-chair & Treasurer of the Seraj Library Project, speaking about Seraj;
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Melissa Morrone from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP), speaking about LAP and Matloub;
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Tom Twiss from SRRT and Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP), speaking about the Edward Said Public Library and the Progressive Publishers with Palestine project.
See the report in the SRRT Newsletter for a description of the program and PowerPoint presentation.
Program, June 26, 2016
“Palestinian Libraries under Occupation”
with Randa Kamal and Diana Sayej-Naser
Cosponsored by Libraries and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) and SRRT, June 26, 2016
| During ALA’s 2016 Annual Conference in Orlando, the Social Responsibilities Round Table sponsored a program featuring two prominent Palestinian librarians: Randa Kamal, Director of libraries at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem and President of the Palestinian Library Association, and Diana Sayej-Naser, Director of the Main Library at Birzeit University in Birzeit, Palestine and General Coordinator of the Palestinian Library and Information Consortium (PALICO), who spoke about the special problems and issues encountered by Palestinian libraries and librarians, about what they are doing to address those problems, and about what the international library community can do to help. |  Randa Kamal (L) and Diana Sayej-Naser. Photo by George M. Eberhart, American Libraries |
Resources for the program
“SRRT: Palestinian Libraries: Resources: ” Audio recording with PowerPoint slides of presentations by Palestinian librarians Randa Kamal and Diana Sayej Naser at the ALA annual conference in 2016.
Articles on the program
Eberhart, George M. “Academic Libraries in Palestine: Challenges and Frustrations of Information Access in the Palestinian Territories,” American Libraries, June 27, 2016. Article about Randa Kamal and Diana Sayej Naser with Youtube recording of their interview at the ALA annual conference in 2016.
Tom Twiss. “Bringing Palestinian Librarians to the 2016 ALA Annual Conference,” Intersections Blog, ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, & Outreach Services, 2016.
Program, June 27, 2015
"Librarians and Archivists with Palestine: Delegation Report Back"
Cosponsored by Libraries and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) and SRRT
| Report by participants in the delegation sponsored by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) which visited Palestinian libraries in April 2015. (See Librarians and Archivists with Palestine 2015 Delegation, “2015 Delegation Report and Solidarity Statement,” May 2015.) |  |
Film showing, June 27, 2015
The Great Book Robbery: Chronicles of a Cultural Destruction
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The Great Book Robbery, a film by Israeli-Dutch filmmaker Benny Brunner, tells of the systematic expropriation of 70,000 Palestinian books by Israeli forces in 1948, and of the subsequent incorporation of many of those books in the collections of Israel's National Library. Hannah Mermelstein, who has done extensive research on this topic, introduced the film and moderated discussion. |
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Previous SRRT Programs
1994
“The Current Situation in the Occupied Territories and in Palestinian Libraries.” The program was chaired by Stephen Stillwell. Speakers were Professor Cheryl A. Rubenberg at Florida International University and Dr. Majed Khader of the Marshall University Library. Organized by the SRRT Task Force on Israeli Censorship.
1993
“Israeli Censorship There and Here.” Speakers were Jeffrey Blankfort, editor of Middle East Labor Bulletin, and Jay Murphy, editor of the literary magazine Red Bass. Presented by the SRRT Task Force on Israeli Censorship.
1992
“Intellectual Freedom Violations Arising Out of the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict.” Speakers were Israeli newspaper editor Ms. Michal Schwartz, Director of the Galilee Institute for Social Research Dr. Ghazi Falah, and Khader Hamide who has been fighting deportation. Presented by the SRRT International Human Rights Task Force.
1991
“Israeli Censorship, Library Closings and the Occupation.” Speakers were Palestinian-American librarian Noha Ismail from Minnesota; Nubar Hovsepian, adjunct professor at Hunter College, Israeli librarian and peace activist; Josepha Pick, law librarian at Tel Aviv University, and Israeli publisher Dror Greenfield. Presented by the SRRT International Human Rights Task Force.
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Articles Related to Palestinian Libraries
Titles suggested by Tom Twiss
Abu Toha, Mosab. “Libraries in Gaza: Between Despair and Hope,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Aderet, Ofer. 2015. “People of the (Stolen) Book: Did Israel’s National Library Engage in Systematic Theft?” Jewish World-Haaretz.
Amit, Gish. “Ownerless Objects: The Story of the Books Pales-tinians Left Behind in 1948.” Jerusalem Quarterly 33, Winter 2008: pp. 7–20.
Amit, Gish. “Salvage or Plunder? Israel’s “Collection” of Private Palestinian Libraries in West Jerusalem,” Journal of Palestine Studies, 40 (4), Jul. 2011, pp. 6–23.
Bergan, Erling. “Libraries in the West Bank and Gaza: Obstacles and Possibilities,” 66th IFLA Council and General Conference, Jerusalem, Israel, 13-18 August, 2000.
Elturk, Ghada “Palestinian Libraries: Little Pieces of Heaven in Hell,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #21, Winter 2002.
Fasheh, Mary. “The International Board on Books for Young People in Palestine,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Hamad, Abla. “Testimony of al Ataa Librarian: Is it My Fault That I Am a Palestinian? Days of Horror” IBBY Palestine, Oct. 2014.
Hamad, Anan. “History of Palestinian Libraries and Archives Under Israeli Occupation,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Hamilton, Stuart and Frode Bakken, “Preliminary Report and Recommendations from an IFLA/FAIFE-Mission to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories 13th – 21st April 2007,” International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), 2007.
IBBY Palestine, “Passionate Drawings 2015: Drawings by the Children of PBBY Libraries in Gaza,” 2015.
Kagan, Al. “ALA, IFLA, and Israel/Palestine,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #44, Spring 2016.
Kanaan, Lara, “Private Libraries in Nablus Have a Bright Past and an Uncertain Future,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Khader, Majed J. “Challenges and Obstacles in Palestinian Libraries,” Marshall University, Marshall Digital Scholar, 2012.
Kuntz, Blair. “Stolen Memories: Israeli State Repression and Appropriation of Palestinian Cultural Resources , CAPAL 16 Conference Proceedings, Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians, 2016.
Librarians and Archivists to Palestine 2013 Delegation, “2013 Delegation Solidarity Statement,” Aug. 2013.
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, “2023 Statement on Gaza.”
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, “Israeli Damage to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza, October 2023–January 2024: A Preliminary Report from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine.”
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, Report Back Handout, Jul. 4, 2013.
“Libraries & Archives Under Occupation: Special Issue on Palestine,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Mattson, Rachel and Tom Twiss, “Libraries Under Occupation: A Conversation with Palestinian Librarians Randa Kamal and Diana Sayej Naser,” Progressive Librarian, Issue#45, Winter 2016/2017.
Mermelstein, Hannah. “Overdue Books: Returning Palestine's "Abandoned Property" of 1948,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #45, Winter 2016/2017.
Naamnih, Haneen. “Prohibiting Contact with Enemy Aliens: The Case of the Palestinians in Israel,” Adalah’s Newsletter, Volume 66, Nov. 2009.
Natarajan, Vani and Hannah Mermelstein, “Knowledge, Access, and Resistance: A Conversation on Librarians and Archivists to Palestine,” Informed Agitation: Library and Information Skills in Social Justice Movements and Beyond (Library Juice Press, 2014).
Palestine Emergency Committee, “Destruction of Palestinian Public Institutions,” April 14, 2002. Includes information on damage to libraries and other cultural resources.
Palestine Human Rights Information Center, “Suppression of Information Under Israeli Rule: A Bibliography,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #2, Winter 1990/1991, p. 52.
Progressive Librarian, “Interview with Mosab Abu Toha, Founder of the Edward Said Public Library,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #48, Spring 2021.
Progressive Librarian, “Libraries & Archives Under Occupation: Special Issue on Palestine.” Issue #48, Spring 2021.
KCSB Radio Interview about the special issue of Progressive Librarian devoted to Palestinian Libraries, Feb.. 10, 2021. This is a recording of the radio interview with Mosab Abu Toha, the poet and founder of the Edward Said Library in Gaza, and with Ethan Pullman and Tom Twiss, two of the co-editors of the special issue of Progressive Librarian. The show aired on February 10, 2021 on KCSB Santa Barbara, 91.9 FM
Roberts, Deanna K. 2020. “Libraries and Access to Information in Palestine: Impacts of Military Occupation”. Atla Summary of Proceedings 74 (December):pp. 32-57.
Twiss, Tom. “Damage to Palestinian Libraries & Archives during the Spring of 2002,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #21, Winter 2002.
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Contribute to Palestinian Libraries
Matloub [Wanted: Library Books for Palestine], Sponsored by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) and the Tamer Institute for Community Education. “Matloub (Wanted) seeks to raise awareness about issues facing libraries in Palestine and the political context in which they operate, while at the same time offering material support for the libraries' collections.”
The Palestinian Section of IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young People)--PBBY, “PBBY's different activities address the children's right to books and education. Thus PBBY supports literacy and children culture, and encourages reading and the promotion of quality of books in Palestine.” For more information about this organization, see the IBBY Palestine website.
Seraj Library Project: “Our vision: Access to a community library for every Palestinian child and family. Our Mission. In partnership with Seraj Palestine, Seraj US exists to establish and enrich community libraries for Palestinian children and their families.”
“Support the Edward Said Public Library in Palestine,” Middle East Children’s Alliance. “Your tax-deductible donation to MECA will ensure the Edward Said Public Libraries continue to grow their collections of books and offer literary activities for Palestinians in Gaza.”
Edward Said Libraries Donation. Following the destruction of the Edward Said Libraries in 2023-24, Brookline Booksmith began collecting funds to purchase and ship books to the libraries upon reconstruction.
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SRRT Resolutions and Statements Related to Palestine
(in reverse chronological order)
| Year | SRRT Resolutions and Statements | Outcome |
| 2023 | Resolution Calling for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza. Resolution endorsed by SRRT. | Defeated in Council |
| 2021 | Resolution on Damage and Destruction of Schools and Cultural Institutions in Gaza and Damage to Israeli Schools. | Rejected by the International Relations Committee. Not submitted to Council. |
| 2020 | Response to the Report of the Resolution Review Task Force. Statement by SRRT Action Council, pp. 1-9. | This SRRT statement was not submitted as a resolution to Council. |
| 2020 | Resolution Opposing the Free Speech and Intellectual Freedom Restrictions in the Combating BDS Act, Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, and Related Legislation and proposed amendment, pp. 14-16. Resolution was the revised version of the 2019 Resolution in Defense of the Free Speech Rights of Palestinian Rights Activists. The revised resolution was endorsed by SRRT Action Council. | Without endorsement by any of the committees represented on task force, the resolution died. The original version—see below—was then defeated in ALA Council.* |
| 2019 | Resolution in Defense of the Free Speech Rights of Palestinian Rights Activists | Approved by the ALA Membership meeting, then referred to task force by ALA Council 2019. Without endorsement by any of the committees represented on task force, the resolution died. The original version was then defeated in ALA Council.”* |
| 2015 | Resolution on the Destruction of Libraries and Schools in Gaza | Defeated in ALA Council. |
| 2015 | Resolution on ALA Divestment from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions | Withdrawn by SRRT for technical reasons. |
| 2009 | Resolution on the Connection Between the Recent Gaza Conflict and Libraries | Adopted by ALA Council. |
| 2009 | Understanding Gaza - One Conference, One Book - ALA Reads | Defeated in ALA Council. |
| 2002 | Statement of Condolences by Rory Litwin, SRRT Coordinator, SRRT Newsletter, Issue #140, Sept. 2002, p. 14. (p. 15). | This SRRT statement was not sent to Council. |
| 2002 | Resolution on the Destruction of Palestinian Libraries, Archives, and Other Cultural Resources | A significantly revised version of this resolution was adopted by ALA Council. |
| 1993 | Resolution on Israeli Censorship | This was a SRRT resolution not sent to ALA Council.** |
| 1992 | On Israeli Censorship | Passed by ALA Membership Meeting, then by ALA Council. Subsequently, it was rescinded by ALA Council.** |
| 1990 | Resolution on Israeli Censorship | A significantly weaker version was presented by IRC to Council. After further weakening, including deletion of reference to the Occupied Territories, ALA Council adopted a general resolution on censorship and library closures in the Middle East.** |
*For the history of the 2019-2020 resolutions defending the free speech rights of the movement for Palestinian rights, see Tara Brady’s “Councilor's Report from ALA Annual Conference 2019,” SRRT Newsletter, Issue #208, Oct. 2019; SRRT Action Council, “Response to the Report of the Resolution Review Task Force,” Jan. 17, 2020; and the IRTF report, “Successes and Disappointment at ALA Midwinter,” April 2020.
**For discussion of the complex history of the 1990-1993 SRRT resolutions on Israeli censorship, see Al Kagan’s article, “ALA, IFLA, and Israel/Palestine,” Progressive Librarian, Issue #44, Spring 2016, pp. 72-75.
Webpage last revised 4/10/2024
