Eِِِxcluding Palestinian voices and firing journalists who want to speak out about Israeli apartheid makes the mainstream media complicit in Israel’s “system of silencing.” 

Misrepresentations of the Arab world, especially Palestine, in school textbooks is a widespread problem that has contributed to anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia and fear of “the other.” Aline Batarseh is working to change that in Virginia.

Aline Batarseh writes, “Despite Israel’s efforts to “unify” the city, Jerusalem remains divided. No one understands this reality better than the people who live in this contested city. Despite the fact that Israelis and Palestinians live in close proximity to one another, there is little communication between them. I personally have never socially interacted with an Israeli in my life. We live separate—and unequal—lives.”