Israeli historian Ilan Pappé (1954), author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine and other prominent works, has played a crucial role in challenging the dominant Western narrative that presents Israel as a liberal democracy born in innocence. His work exposed the foundational violence and displacement at the heart of the Israeli state project.

Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti (1993) documents from her home in the occupied West Bank how the process of dispossession and erasure continues today — through military occupation, segregation, and control over every aspect of Palestinian life.

Yet in the Netherlands, as in much of the West, politicians and major media outlets largely cling to a sanitized image of Israel that bears little resemblance to reality. Poll after poll, however, shows that a growing majority of Dutch citizens wish to break with this long-held but false ideas about Israel and support meaningful action for Palestinian liberation. Why, then, does a just policy toward Palestine remain so elusive?

At this event, Pappé and Barghouti connected past and present — exploring the persistence of colonial frames, the power of narrative, and the possibilities for change. The programme was moderated by Erella Grassiani, Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, and Eduard Cousin, journalist and editor at The Rights Forum.

Recorded in Amsterdam, on December 13, 2025. Organized by The Rights Forum.

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