By Benay Blend
Mainstream history often overlooks the darker truths behind the founding of nations like the United States and Israel.
Benay Blend delves into the tailored narratives of history, highlighting omissions and distortions present in accounts of major events like the American Revolution and the creation of Israel. The stories of enslaved people, displaced natives, and overlooked immigrants are often left out to paint a more favorable picture of these nation-building moments.
Blend also discusses the perpetuation of these sanitized versions of history by liberal Zionists, pointing out the contradictions in their stance and the failure to address the root issues of settler colonialism and genocide.
The article touches on recent commentary by Thomas L. Friedman and Ilan Pappé, shedding light on the complexities of the current situation in Israel and Gaza. Ultimately, Blend calls for a reevaluation of historical discourses and the need for marginalized voices, like Palestinians, to reclaim their own narratives in the fight for liberation.
– Benay Blend earned her doctorate in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. Her scholarly works include Douglas Vakoch and Sam Mickey, Eds. (2017), “’Neither Homeland Nor Exile are Words’: ‘Situated Knowledge’ in the Works of Palestinian and Native American Writers”. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.