A Manifesto on Palestine: Rethinking Liberation from Below

We are excited to share a summary of a truly transformative new work, A Manifesto on Palestine: Rethinking Liberation from Below, by Ibraheem Rasras. This manifesto offers a profound and challenging re-evaluation of the Palestinian struggle, urging us to look beyond conventional political and diplomatic frameworks to envision a radically different path to freedom and self-determination.

The Core Diagnosis: Beyond Material Occupation
Rasras argues that the Palestinian crisis is not merely a material one of occupation, dispossession, and statelessness, but also a deep “epistemological crisis”. The very structures intended for liberation, the manifesto asserts, have been “subverted, diverted, or rendered ineffective by the very forces they seek to fight”. This is evident in the recurrence of atrocities, reminiscent of past massacres, seen in Gaza from 2023 onwards. A central critique is leveled against the adoption of hierarchical, statist, and technocratic forms of liberation, which have come to tragically resemble the configuration of the oppressor, shedding their ethical and revolutionary essence. The Oslo Accords are cited as a prime example, transforming the language of liberation into one of “formalized managerial governance” and “conditional sovereignty”. This has contributed to a profound “void in the political contextualization and ethical framework of the political ruling”.

The Problem of “Stylistic” Resistance and Internalized Colonialism
The manifesto identifies how Palestinian resistance has, over decades, shifted from revolutionary, bottom-up rhetoric to institutionalized and compromised modes, particularly after the Oslo Accords. It introduces the concept of “stylistic” liberation, where leaders impose their imagined schemes rather than adapting to the realities on the ground, leading to an “alienus” leadership that lacks genuine popular allegiance. This “stylistic” approach also manifests when liberation is pursued through “tools of trivialization” that are external to the collective’s specific needs, such as placing prolonged peace negotiations *before* achieving liberation. This externalization, mirroring the colonizing process itself, leads to a form of alienation, obstructing collective self-control and, in many cases, resulting in the unconscious participation of the colonized in their own subjugation. Distrust stemming from unfulfilled promises by factions like Hamas and Fatah has further deepened fragmentation and a sense of “strangeness” among Palestinians.

A New Strategy: The Ethics of Resistance and Anarchic Programs
To counter this multifaceted crisis, the manifesto proposes a radical alternative: a “bottom-up resistance” grounded in a unified mode of ethics, a collective understanding of the cause, and consistent practices. This “ethics of resistance” is not a rigid dogma but an “emancipatory code” and a regulatory framework for all aspects of Palestinian daily life, directly confronting neoliberal values like profit-maximization. It is intertwined with the urgent need for a “cultural revolution” that aims to restructure social circumstances and foster a “revolutionary consciousness”. This cultural shift, implemented in successive waves, includes intensive education on human rights and rooting new “networking-elements” within Palestinian social and cultural life. The goal is to establish a “solid reference-point” that can unify Palestinians, whose power has been fragmented by internal divisions and external pressures.

The manifesto champions “anarchic programs” as a strategic framework to dismantle subjugation. This involves collectively disengaging from oppressive laws and creating a vacuum for temporary self-management, thereby strengthening local grassroots power. It envisions an “anarchic rule” based on “organic units” and “free cooperation,” emphasizing self-management, direct worker control, and integrated agriculture and industry. This approach aims to organize Palestinians without the fear of division or surveillance that has plagued traditional political structures.

The Power of the Everyday
Crucially, the manifesto points to the already existing “affirmative, anarchic, and ethical politics” in fragments throughout Palestinian society. These are not found in the monopolies of NGOs or political parties, but in the “spontaneous and often-unrecognized social inventions of ordinary people”. Examples include mutual aid networks in Gaza during siege, informal community schooling, grassroots organizing, and the refusal to cooperate with surveillance. These acts of “everyday resistance”—like a student crossing a checkpoint or a mother going to work despite immense barriers—are seen as foundational for a new paradigm of collective ethics and political orientation.

Toward a Horizon of Liberation
A Manifesto on Palestine is a bold call for “breakage,” arguing that “no gradual reform will bring freedom”. It is an “epistemological” task to unveil and amplify these lifeways and forms of knowledge, leading to an ethical reconstruction for a collective life that rejects domination in all forms. The manifesto asserts that the future of Palestine will not come from foreign beneficence or failed peace talks, but will be “constructed by the long disenfranchised of the political arithmetic: the dispossessed, the alienated, the uncredentialed, the everyday”. It invites all to engage in “a problem to be enjoyed more than an answer to be spewed back,” asserting that “freedom must be written by individuals who are living alternatively”.

We encourage you to delve deeper into this profound manifesto and join the critical conversation about rethinking liberation from below.