We at Bystanders No More (many of us recovering bystanders) encourage you to act in accordance with your moral compass. We know there are many reasons you might be reluctant to speak openly in support of Palestinians, against Israel’s policies, or in opposition to your government’s actions.
On this page, you will find insightful information, research, reporting, and analysis by respected scholars, political scientists, activists, lawyers, academics, and journalists who are rarely featured on mainstream media. We hope this will help you understand what is happening to Palestinians today (and why) so that you can form your own opinion and choose what actions to take.
Videos
Naomi Klein: Jews Must Raise Their Voices for Palestine, Oppose the “False Idol of Zionism”
Renowned author Naomi Klein is one of the leading progressive Jewish thought leaders in North America. She was initially supportive of Israel’s right to self defence but has since become a vocal critic of Israel and US policy.
Naomi Klein (Democracy Now!)
The US Could Have Stopped Israel on Day One
Professor and author Norman Finkelstein, named the fifth most influential political scientist in the world for the years 2000-2020, is a son of Holocaust survivors advocating for Palestinian liberation.
Norman Finkelstein on Al Jazeera English (YouTube)
Nero’s Guests
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times, discusses genocide, censorship, and international law.
Chris Hedges (YouTube)
A world where ‘self-defence’ is used as justification for genocide
Professor and human rights attorney Noura Erakat explains the binding nature of international law and Western complicity in the ongoing tragedies in Gaza.
Noura Erakat on Al Jazeera English (YouTube)
Meet Lily Greenberg Call, First Jewish Biden Appointee to Publicly Resign over Gaza
The first Jewish Biden appointee to publicly resign over Gaza talks with Democracy Now! and shares about the disconnect between Jewish values, Jewish safety, and Biden’s words and actions in the ongoing war.
Lily Greenberg (Democracy Now!)
The Israel Lobby with John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt
Jewish American political analyst and professor at Kennedy School of Government and Stephen Walt (prof at U of Chicago) make the case for the existence of an Israeli Lobby.
Dr. John Mearsheimer and Dr. Stephen Walt with Dr. Michael Desch – NDISC (YouTube)
A Call for Healing
Author and trauma specialist Dr. Gabor Mate discusses Palestine and Israel from the perspective of a Holocaust survivor who has dedicated his life to studying (and working through) trauma and finding paths to repair.
Dr. Gabor Mate, Soren Gordhamer (Science and Nonduality)
Palestine is a moral litmus test for the world
Scholar-activist Angela Davis links Palestine to other liberatory struggles around the globe, highlighting the longstanding solidarity between Black Americans and Palestinians.
Al Jazeera
US Congressman Says Killing Civilians is A Necessary Price to Pay
Award-winning, British American journalist, best-selling author and founder of Zeteo. Previous writer with Intercept, New Statesman.
Mehdi Hasan with Democrat Congressman Dean Phillips (Middle East Monitor)
Israel’s “Systematic Strategy” to Destroy Palestinians
Dr. Mads Gilbert is a Norwegian physician who worked in Palestine (including at Al Shifa Hospital for 16+ years) and offers a medical professionalâs perspective on the destruction of healthcare infrastructure in Gaza.
Dr. Mads Gilbert on TRT World Digital (YouTube)
Q&A with Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory
UN Special Rapporteur determines the threshold indicating Israel is committing the crime of genocide against the people of Palestine has been met.
UN Human Rights Council (YouTube)
Palestinian American Dr. Walks Out of Biden Meeting, Hands Him Letter from 8-Year-Old Orphan in Gaza | Democracy Now!
Palestinian-American doctor Thaer Ahmad makes a strong moral argument to elected officials and those in positions of power.
Dr. Thaer Ahmad (Democracy Now!)
Endgame For Netanyahu? – Israeli Analyst Ori Goldberg Gives Devastating Assessment
Ori Goldberg is an Israeli analyst, interdisciplinary scholar, and senior researcher whose work focuses on the interaction between religious faith and political behavior.
Ori Goldberg with Owen Jones (YouTube)
Michael Fakhri on LinkedIn: My remarks on Gaza a few weeks ago to the UN Human Rights Council.
Michael Fakhri is the UN expert (“Special Rapporteur”) on the Right to Food. He is generally a softly spoken academic but he gave this very serious warning about using starvation as a weapon of war in March 2024.
Michael Fakhri (LinkedIn)
Situation in Gaza ‘traumatising’ for humanitarian aid workers: UN coordinator
Martin Griffiths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He also noted the global trend of impunity for violence, urging stronger international efforts to address such crises.
Martin Griffiths on Al Jazeera English (YouTube)
“This Militaristic Approach Has Been a Failure”: Meet Hala Rharrit, First U.S. Diplomat to Quit over Gaza
The first U.S. diplomat to quit over Gaza speaks with Democracy Now! to confirm diplomats understand sending military equipment to countries committing human rights abuses is a violation of domestic law.
Hala Rharrit (Democracy Now!)
The Algebra of Genocide
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times, discusses genocide, censorship, and international law.
Chris Hedges
A History of Jewish Anti-Zionism: From The Communist Party to The New Left
Dr. Benjamin Balthaser is associate professor of multi-ethnic US literature at Indiana University. His book, Citizens of the Whole World: The American Jewish Left and Cultures of Anti-Zionism, is due to be out this fall (Verso).
Letters and Politics (YouTube)
Supporting Palestinian rights is antisemitic because Israel wants it to be
Abraham Gutman, an Israeli economist and writer, is an opinion staff writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Abraham Gutman (NBC News)
Articles
Yes, it is genocide
Dr. Amos Goldberg is a Jewish Holocaust specialist who lives in Israel and works as the Jonah M. Machover Chair in Holocaust Studies in the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He makes the case that “the fact that what is happening in Gaza does not resemble the [Nazi] Holocaust does not mean that it is not genocide.”
The Palestine Project
Why it’s so hard to talk about Gaza
Sophia A. McClennen, Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature at the Pennsylvania State University, discusses common threats faced by supporters of Palestinian human rights, including accusations of antisemitism, doxing, arrest, and compromised safety.
Salon
What is new antisemitism?
Antony Lerman is a British writer and specialist in the study of antisemitism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, multiculturalism, and the place of religion in society. From 2006 to early 2009, he was Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, a think tank on issues affecting Jewish communities in Europe.
Jewish Currents
This is how AIPAC really works
M.J. Rosenberg worked as a Senate and House aide, at the State Department, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), at Israel Policy Forum, and at Media Matters For America.
The Nation
A big money operation purged critics of Israel from the Democratic Party
Ryan Grim is The Intercept’s D.C. Bureau Chief and the host of the podcast Deconstructed. He authors the newsletter Politics With Ryan Grim and was previously the Washington bureau chief for HuffPost, where he led a team that was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and won once.
The Intercept
Why Israel’s failing strategy is making its enemy stronger, Robert Pape
Robert Pape is a Palestinian politician, activist and scholar.
Foreign Affairs
Diary: Three Genocides
British-Isreali architect and professor Eyal Weizman details the Palestine conflict through the lens of Germany’s policy of extermination of Nama and Ovaherero peoples in South-West Africa (now called Namibia).
London Review of Books
The Israel trip that showed Jamaal Bowman the realities of apartheid
Calder McHugh is an American writer and journalist who details the eye-opening experience that may have cost Jamaal Bowman his seat in the US Congress.
POLITICO
Maha Husseini: “You can take away my award, but you won’t take away my voice”
Maha Hussaini is an award-winning journalist and human rights activist based in Gaza. Maha started her journalism career by covering Israel’s military campaign on the Gaza Strip in July 2014. In 2020, she won the prestigious Martin Adler Prize for her work as a freelance journalist.
Middle East Eye
Tolerance is a Wasteland, Saree Makdisi – A review
Saree Makdisi is an American literary critic and professor specializing in eighteenth and nineteenth century British literature. He is of Palestinian and Lebanese descent. He also writes on contemporary Arab politics and culture.
Jewish Voice for Labour
Seeing Gaza Clearly by Daniel Levy
Daniel Levy is the President of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP) and served as a senior Israeli peace negotiator. His take on why Jewish students are playing such a major role in the student protests is illuminating and hopeful.
[This Substack is private and will require a free subscription to view.]
The Ideas Letter
Stop this slaughter
Arundathi Roy is an Indian author and political activist best known for her novel, God of Small Things. She is also the winner of the Pen Pinter Prize for 2024.
Hammer & Hope
In Gaza and Ukraine, morality is the enemy of peace
Stephen Walt is Professor of International Relations at KSG and Political Analyst.
Foreign Policy
The Gaza Genocide in Western Media: Culprits of Complicity
Palestinian policy expert Hawari details Western media complicity in the conflict.
Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network
Ireland should impose sanctions on Israel to stop Palestinian deaths – activists
Palestinian human rights leader Jabarin says that Ireland should impose sanctions on Israel to stop Palestinian deaths.
The Independent
‘We Have to Take Sides’ – Rev Munther Isaacs Says Gaza Genocide Has Divided the World
Palestinian Christian pastor Rev Isaac Munther makes a moral case for taking sides.
The Palestine Chronicle
Gaza and the Breakdown of International Law
Legal scholar Oona Hathaway writes in Foreign Affairs, “The conflict in Gaza is an extreme example of the breakdown of the law of war, but it is not an isolated one.”
Foreign Affairs
‘Where is International Law?’ – Mustafa Barghouti Slams Western Governments’ Hypocrisy
Palestinian politician and activist Mustafa Barghouti calls international law into question. “We are not talking about Palestine here, we are talking about the global order of the world.”
The Palestine Chronicle
Khaled Elgindy on his book: Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump
Khaled Elgindy is a political analyst and former Palestinian negotiator. In this audio recording, he discusses America’s failed peacemaking efforts between Israel and Palestine with host Brene Brown.
Brene Brown
Placing Gaza in the Broader U.S. Foreign Policy Context: an interview with Josh Paul
Josh Paul worked directly in arms transfers for the U.S. State Department. He resigned in October 2023 in protest of providing weapons for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
World Geostrategic Insights
The US Needs to Say “No” to Israel and “Yes” to Palestine
James Zogby is a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee and founder of the Arab American Institute. Here he makes the case for changing US policy.
Dr. James J. Zogby
A Palestinian view of Hamas’ attack on Israel, one of the worst in Israel’s history
NPR interviews Palestinian politician, activist, and scholar, Hanan Ashrawi.
NPR
‘No doubt’ Netanyahu preventing hostage deal, charges ex-spokesman of Families Forum
A former spokesman for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum makes the case that the Netanyahu administration has not prioritised the release of the hostages. Various reasons why are explored.
The Times of Israel
Websites
Jewish Voice for Labour: What is – and what is not – antisemitic misconduct
Jewish Voices for Labour is “a community for Jewish labour party members, ex-members and never been members”.
Jewish Voice for Labour
The Palestine Exception
Founded in 2012, Palestine Legal is an independent organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the US who speak out for Palestinian freedom. Palestine Legal is the only legal organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to supporting the movement for Palestinian rights.
Palestine Legal
Al-Shabaka: Omar Shaban
Omar Shaban is a Palestinian commentator, writer, activist. He is the Founder and Director of the Gaza-based PalThink for Strategic Studies an independent think tank with no political affiliation. He is an analyst of the political-economy of the Middle East and is a regular writer and commentator for the Arab and international media. Founder of Palestinian groups for Amnesty International.
Omar Shaban
