Palestine and Feminist Liberation

by Nada Elia

How can we explain that Israel, despite its genocidal attacks in Gaza and its violation of international law, remains immune to criticism? Why do many feminists in the Global North, so quick to denounce the impact of "Islamic fundamentalism" on Palestinian women, remain silent when it comes to decrying the gendered impact of Israeli apartheid in Palestine?

In Palestine and Feminist Liberation, Palestinian scholar-activist Nada Elia argues that Palestinian women, far from being powerless and submissive, have long played an important role in resisting their people’s dispossession, first by the British Mandate, then by Israel. Elia discusses the challenges diaspora Palestinian feminists face when organizing on Turtle Island, where the dominant discourse has long upheld the Zionist narrative, steeped in Orientalism and anti-Palestinian racism. She articulates a vision for liberation grounded in Indigenous feminism, with its focus on collective empowerment, rather than individual advancement

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Queer

80 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

Nada Elia is a diaspora Palestinian, born in Baghdad, Iraq, and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where she grew up and worked as a journalist during the (un)Civil War, before coming to the US for her PhD. Nada currently teaches Global and Gender Studies at Antioch University Seattle, where she coordinates the Global Studies area of concentration. Nada is a member of the Organizing Committee of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, and has spoken around the country about academic boycott as a means to achieve the currently non-existent academic freedom in the US, Israel, and Palestine.

A scholar-activist, Elia is past president of AMEWS, the Association of Middle East Women’s Studies, and currently serves on the steering collective of The Critical Ethnic Studies Association. She also serves, or has served, on a number of local grassroots activist organizations. She is a founding member of RAWAN (the Radical Arab Women’s Activist Network); a former representative to the United Nations of AWSA (the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association); a member of the Defense of Civil Rights in Academia; and a former member of the steering collective of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, where she co-chaired of the Anti-Militarism, and Anti-Occupation taskforce.

Nada’s publications on grassroots resistance, gender dynamics, and transnational solidarity have appeared in various progressive alternative media venues, from the Electronic Intifada to Left Turn and Make/Shift magazine, as well as some of the most prestigious academic journals (World Literature Today, Callaloo, Journal of the National Women’s Studies Association, and others). More recently, she is devoting her time and energy to promoting and explaining the academic and cultural boycott as strategies to end Israel’s violations of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people in ’48, ‘67, and the global diaspora.

Reviews

[anne larouche · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Petite lecture très rapide comme tous les micros remue ménage : un sujet condensé, pressant, à diffuser le plus possible. Si quelqu’un souffre de croire à la propagande coloniale d’israël, ce livre remet les pendules en place autant au niveau de la nécessité de la lutte décoloniale que pour dire « oui, il y a des féministes ici » (message à tous les occidentaux qui pensent qu’islam et féminisme, c’est impossible). J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé l’entrevue avec l’autrice à la fin du livre. Seul petit bémol, certains textes pourraient être plus « explicatifs » au sens où on dit les termes (état colonial, racisme, etc.) sans pour autant nécessairement expliquer le contexte à quelqu’un qui ne connaîtrait pas tellement — chose qui selon moi, est aussi l’objectif avec cette collection. Par exemple, que le sionisme est un projet datant des empires coloniaux, que le territoire a été « donné » à israel par la grande bretagne alors que la réalité géopolitique était encore aux colonies directes, donc que le fonctionnement est tout droit issu de ce système. Après, j’ai tout aimé! Ça et avoir encore plus de références de féministes arabes et musulmanes à lire :)

[Soraya Safari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tout petit livre très pertinent sur la lutte palestinienne féministe surtout depuis la Nakba. Lien entre sionisme et racisme envers le peuple palestinien et comment le combat des femmes palestiniennes a longtemps été (et reste encore à certains endroits) tut même par les cercles intersectionnels. Coup de coeur pour la conclusion sur l’intersection des luttes et la solidarité : « En reconnaissant que le système que nous combattons est mondial, nous comprenons que la solidarité entre les communautés dépossédées et criminalisées, loin d’être égoïste, nous est mutuellement bénéfique. » (p.79). Beaucoup de références féministes interessantes. J’aurais aimé que le livre dure plus longtemps!

[Debora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con il tempo mi sono resa conto di come la questione palestinese sia diventata una sorta di termometro morale dell'occidente liberale. Non solo perché lotta di liberazione palestinese riunisca qualsiasi forma di rivendicazione dei diritti umani, come ampiamente dimostrato da Nada Elia nel sua ''La Palestina è una questione femminista'', ma anche perché il genocidio e la pulizia etnica palestinese vengono costantemente supportati da chi si fa promotore di tali diritti in patria.
In qualche modo i diritti delle donne, delle persone queer, delle popolazioni indigene, perdono di importanza quando i diretti interessati sono proprio i palestinesi.

L'ideologia sionista è a tutti gli effetti un progetto coloniale europeo finanziato dagli Stati Uniti, semplicemente per mantenere il proprio controllo sul Medio Oriente; nascondendosi dietro alla lotta contro l'antisemitismo (sic) e alla narrazione che Israele si è costruita per se stessa come paese democratico, liberale, gay friendly o vegano, con l'esercito più morale al mondo nell'unica democrazia del Medio Oriente.
Il processo di re-branding tramite pinkwashing o greenwashing si è rivelato necessario proprio perché con il passare del tempo l'ideologia coloniale è passata di moda tra i liberali più progressisti, ma questo non ha mai impedito ai paesi occidentali di continuare a sostenere e finanziare Israele proprio con le armi che usa per uccidere bambini o giornalisti, per distruggere case o ospedali.

La liberazione della Palestina passa inevitabilmente per la liberazione del suo popolo, delle donne palestinesi, delle persone queer, delle sue piante di ulivo o delle sue capre, dal libero accesso alle risorse naturali quali il mare o il fiume Giordano.
Non è possibile essere ''femministe eccetto per la Palestina'', la Palestina raccoglie tutte le forme di lotta per la liberazione.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 ✨

[Catherine Paquet · Rating 5 out of 5]

À lire à lire à lire pour aiguiser sa répartie face à celleux qui adhèrent aux au pinkwashing d'Israël où à l'amalgame instrumentalisé entre antisémitisme et antisionisme par cet ~état~ colonisateur, violent et génocidaire.

[Martina Degl'Innocenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buon testo divulgativo, chiaro e scorrevole, sulla questione palestinese, con attenzione alla questione femminile e delle minoranze marginalizzate.
Il titolo è, a mio avviso, un po' fuorviante: sembra che l'argomento sia circoscritto alla questione femminista, mentre invece il saggio spiega piuttosto bene la questione generale e può essere approcciato anche da chi non è molto informato sulla situazione.

Sicuramente la trattazione argomenta bene la necessità di affrontare la questione palestinese con approccio intersezionale e globale, ma soprattutto in connessione con le lotte e le diverse forme di resistenza delle popolazioni indigene e marginalizzate del resto del mondo e in particolare del continente americano.
Ho trovato interessante l'approfondimento del tema dell'apartheid, anche a confronto con la storia del Sudafrica, e la definizione del colonialismo d'insediamento con le sue peculiarità.

Il libro dà speranza, delineando la nascita di rivendicazioni e lotte intersezionali tra popoli oppressi e discriminati.
Il fatto che sia stato scritto prima del fantomatico 7 ottobre 2023 si percepisce. Il lato positivo è che questo aiuta a smontare la narrazione corrente sui media occidentali che tutto sia iniziato con l'attacco di Hamas: la situazione, gravissima, era perfettamente in moto da molto prima. Il lato negativo è che sicuramente manca un mattone importante, che per forza di cose cambia la prospettiva.

[Marie Albert]

Bonne introduction au féminisme palestinien et décolonial. Nada Elia est une militante américaine d'origine palestinienne qui lutte contre le sionisme et le génocide des Palestinien.nes depuis des décennies.

Merci aux personnes qui l'ont traduite et éditée en français. Ce petit livre regroupe plusieurs de ses essais. Il se conclut avec une merveilleuse interview de Nada Elia réalisée au printemps 2024.

J'ai néanmoins trouvé qu'il y a beaucoup de répétitions dans le texte. Il est très théorique, pas assez précis à mon goût. J'aurais aimé en apprendre davantage sur la Palestine. À moi de creuser la question avec d'autres ouvrages.

[Leanna Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

In two essays and an interview, Nada Elia explains that Palestinian liberation is decolonial and that it must include all people. She discusses the way that western feminism and the Global North has disregarded the Palestinian people, the way that Zionist propaganda has become mainstream to the point of being some people's default, and the way that many people push away the feminist Palestinian movement based on judgements of Islamic Fundamentalism rather than taking into account the affect of Israeli occupation.

Regardless of your current knowledge about Palestine, the book is accessible and understandable. It opens up discourse on the impact of Palestinian women in their movement, along with the way it has changed and grown throughout the diaspora. Elia has a clear focus on collective movement and empowerment, where none are free if all are not free.

4.5 stars

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple et efficace.

La justice est indivisible.

Notre liberté sera incomplète tant que toutes les communautés criminalisées ne seront pas libres.

[Tiredsapphic · Rating 5 out of 5]

texte essentiel, bien écrit qui reprend des points historique de la colonisation dont sont victimes les Palestinien.nes depuis des décennies et les luttes qui existent depuis aussi longtemps. Une ligne très claire sur l'antisionisme (et sa distinction de l'antisémitisme) et le féminisme (pour l'autrice intrinsèquement révolutionnaire, antiraciste et de lutte, sinon il s'agit d'un faux féminisme). plusieurs références de documentaires que je ne connaissais pas

[Elo · Rating 4 out of 5]

à faire lire aux gens qui se prennent des "va vivre à Gaza tu verras si ils se battent pour toi!" et ne savent que répondre

[Amani Mahroug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lecture super importante et claire, comme d’hab les femmes palestiniennes/arabes sont effacées des luttes décoloniales féministes occidentales mais ce livre permet de les remettre au centre et de les honorer 🇵🇸

[Samuel Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

C’était touchant, c’était probant et c’était important

4.5

[Alexane Pelissou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficile d’écrire une review sur un livre qui traite d’un sujet aussi important que nécessaire. J’ai appris plein de choses et j’ai aimé que rien ne soit dans la demi-mesure. La façon de raconter est subjective, ce qui rend les textes d’autant plus puissants.

[Ôdrwey Pepin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toutes les personnes qui se disent féministes et/ou progressistes et/ou de gauche devraient lire cette petite plaquette. Une importante leçon de solidarité, et aussi un rappel fort pertinent que toutes les luttes sont liées, que "la justice est indivisible".

Cela dit ce n'est pas DU TOUT une intro à la situation en Palestine, et je vous recommande de commencer par lire un ouvrage qui l'explique davantage pour bien comprendre de quoi il est question ici. Pour une approche plus narrative, j'ai bien aimé They called me a lioness d'Ahed Tamimi 🍉

Aussi : l'objet livre est super fragile, j'ai rarement vu ça 😅 Considérez le format numérique !

[Caroline Gauvin-Dubé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une lecture courte, mais bien instructive et éclairante!

[Malvina Buffet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre nécessaire

[Ninou]

à lire absolument

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the early and free copy; this in an honest review.

Palestine and Feminist Liberation is a bite sized nonfiction book that I definitely think is worth grabbing if you have the chance.

While short, it does talk about, and bring up several important points. Specifically talking about how western- not even just white- Feminism is often automatically zionist, but the ways that through recent years larger Feminist organizations have gotten more intersectional, not just for the people who live in those countries, but including those affected by zionism. It talks about how Palestinian feminists been prosecuted through the years by their supposed colleagues, and Palestinian's own efforts of Feminism in both Palestine itself and the world as a whole. This whole book talks to, generally, disprove that Palestinian women are not victim of the men in their communities as often depicted, but instead the victims of an ongoing occupation- as are the rest of their communities, men included.

I personally gleaned a lot off of this, both reflectionally and with information that I didn't know before. How much stuff was I unaware of, or accidentally perpetuate? How is this default-zionism reflective in my own life- in my own household? It also made me think on a lot of western feminist organizations and singular feminists, how intersectional are they? Or at least how intersectional are they finally becoming? Their reactions, and their own policies. It baffled me when I was reading the part about western feminists "suggesting" that a Palestinian not bring up the occupation of Palestine during a speech because it was "political," or how so many younger children and teens just assume that Palestine is the aggressor compared to Israel. Maybe I have just been living in an echo chamber but with how widespread the internet is getting, and despite a lot of social media sites trying to fix their algorithm to hide the stuff, most people had at least understood the disproportionate way that Israel and Palestine are getting attacked in this 'war.'

This didn't get a five star, considering that I found when it was talking about Feminism the book kind of strays to jobs and stories that are considered more feminine, even so far as, in the last chapter, perpetuating the idea that women, even Feminists, should be non-violent. And while I have no problems if one person individually is non-violent, as that is an idea based on personal policies, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth when being linked to Feminism. It almost felt like it was perpetuating the idea that violence or anger is not a feminine feeling- even outside of the context of the patriarchy. It also kind of felt like a slap to the face of the women, the Feminists, who have lost their lives, have become martyrs by trying anything to make a point. To be seen, to be heard.

Even considering that, I still say to pick it up if given the chance. I'm glad this was given the chance to be published in English.

[Dilek Sayedahmed, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un ouvrage incontournable pour s'instruire sur la lutte des féministes en Palestine, trop souvent invisibilisées à cause d'un état oppresseur. Un ouvrage qui nous instruit également sur les mécanismes oppressifs d'Israel sur la Palestine. Ouvrage très important au sujet du decolonialisme.

*

Pourquoi de nombreuses féministes du Nord global, si promptes à dénoncer l'impact du "fondamentalisme islamique" sur les femmes palestiniennes, restent-elles silencieuses quand il s'agit de décrier l'occupation et le génocide que perpétue l'État israélien en Palestine?

La professeure et activiste palestinienne Nada Elia met en lumière ces liens complices, rappelle la place des femmes et des personnes LGBTQ+ dans la lutte de libération de la Palestine et en appelle au démantèlement des structures coloniales qui écrasent l'ensemble de la population à Gaza et en Cisjordanie. Oui, la Palestine est plus que jamais un enjeu féministe.

[Amber]

This book discusses Palestinian women and queer folk and how their specific issues have been pushed out of Western feminist discussions. It also discusses how Israel has weaponized feminism to appear progressive by accepting women and queer folk, to distract from their egregious human rights violations. Essentially, they support and want to elevate women and queer folk... unless they're Palestinian.

I liked that it highlighted overlooked examples of Palestinian women's contributions to Palestine's resistance. These stories are important, and contradict the popular zionist narrative that Palestine has "backwards" values.

Overall, this book is an excellent introduction to Palestinian feminism. The way it is written is accessible, not using too much jargon, so it is an excellent read for those who might be intimidated by nonfiction literature.

Thank you Netgalley and Literary Press Group of Canada for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

[Alessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primo libro di stampo femminista che leggo e che ho discusso assieme al club del libro di cui faccio parte. È stato molto interessante leggere la storia che sta alla base della guerra attuale tra Israele e la Palestina, non ero al corrente di molte dinamiche strazianti e disumane nei confronti dei palestinesi. Sono stata estremamente colpita da come l’autrice abbiamo toccato e affrontato numerosi temi, esponendoli assieme a teorie e metodi utilizzati, per poi concludere la lettura con la speranza che, l’alleanza tra coloro che sono vittime di ingiustizie possa vincere per la libertà e l’autodeterminazione collettiva.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was really short but really captivating. I really enjoyed how clear it was and how in depth it went into the links between Palestine and feminism. I also really liked the interview part. My only drawback is that some of the parts didn't feel linked, like some things were repeated in the different chapters as if we hadn't read the previous ones, like it wasn't really meant to be read as a full book? I don't know if I'm explaining it right. Anyway, that was still really interesting and I will be diving into more of Nada Elia's books to learn even more.

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palestine and Feminist Liberation is very well written, thoughtful, and powerful in the way it connects feminism with anti colonial struggle. I deeply related to this book as a woman of color, especially in how it addresses lived experience, identity, and the ways mainstream feminism often overlooks or silences marginalized voices. Nada Elia’s writing is both intellectually sharp and emotionally grounded, making the arguments feel personal as well as political, and it left me reflecting on my own understanding of liberation and solidarity.

[Luna and Co · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palestine and Feminist Liberation is an important book that should be read by... Everyone? It is short, easily understandable. It helped me understand more about Palestine and how feminism relates to it. I feel like Zionist propaganda is also clearer in my mind now. I learned about problematic behaviours from white feminists who are talked about a lot in gender studies.

Thank you, Netgalley and Literary Press Group of Canada, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palestine and Feminist Liberation argues that anti-colonialism is a feminist issue and addresses pinkwashing, zionism within western feminist organizations, and the contributions of Palestinian women to the resistance. This book consists of an introduction, two essays, and an interview. Short and clearly written which is perfect because reading theory can be dense, but this was concise and accessible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

[MissCaterina · Rating 5 out of 5]

È tempo di ascolto. Ne consiglio altamente la lettura. Va ben al di lá della Palestina... è un testo decoloniale, antirazzista e molto altro. È un libro che ci serve, e ce ne servono davvero tanti di più. Sono proprio felice di averlo letto.
È il secondo libro della collezione féministe editore Alegre che mi ha asfalto (l'altro è quello di Angela Davis.
Consiglio? a occhi chiusi. Necessario.

[Mad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très intéressant et qui force de la réflection.

[Sarah Turcotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Vincent Houde · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’aurais mis 5 étoiles, mais yo impression horrible toutes les pages se détachaient du livre