Palestinian Land, Heritage, and Identity
SHILPI CHHOTRAY IN CONVERSATION with Rania Batrice
Arab Women’s Union of Ramallah. Group at work in the Ramallah work rooms of the A.W.U.R. in 1934. Photographer Unknown. Library of Congress.
As the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Rania Batrice has blazed a life path as a voice for the silenced including the topics of gun violence, climate change, immigration, and women’s rights. Rania’s work in social justice includes collaborating with organizations including Our Revolution, the Arab American Institute, March for Our Lives, StudentsMarch.org, Sunrise Movement, and the Freedom Project.
I was honored to have some time with Rania where she reflected on the ongoing genocide in Gaza and its deeply entrenched connections to Environmental Justice, Palestinian identity, and cultural heritage.
Shilpi Chhotray: First and foremost, how are you doing right now?
Rania Batrice: It’s such a simple question but feels so impossible right now. I’ve spent the majority of my life working in some of the most complicated spaces. I’ve seen the very best in humanity. And I’ve also seen the worst. But I don’t know how to exist in this world. I don’t know how to process this level of depravity and inhumanity. Right now my existence, my ability to keep going is completely wrapped up in doing everything I can to help end the suffering. The short answer is I’m not okay. And I know I’m not alone.
Shilpi Chhotray: It’s difficult to imagine how we are still here, the level of cruelty is unfathomable. For Palestinians living in the diaspora, there’s this additional emotional labor that goes into proving Western leaders that your people deserve to live like everyone else. Where in historic Palestine is your family from?
Rania Batrice: My family is large and spread out. But part of my family originated in Kafr Bir’im. [Kafr Bir’im was a village that was ethnically cleansed by Zionist troops during the 1948 Nakba, or ‘catastrophe,’ to create the state of Israel. More than 700,000 Palestinians were violently removed from their land.]
A young girl dressed in traditional Palestinian clothing picking olives. Photographer Unknown. The British Mandate Jerusalemites.
Shilpi Chhotray: You’ve been an important voice against Israel’s horrific genocide in Gaza and violent settler occupation in the West Bank. How does your background in human rights and climate justice influence how you show up for your community?
Rania Batrice: I often get asked why I do the work I do — climate justice, gun violence prevention, fighting against domestic violence and human trafficking, reparations, health disparity and inequity, everything. And the answer is, because I’m Palestinian. All of my work, everything I care so deeply about intersects directly with justice and equity. What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank—and is being funded, facilitated and excused by the US government — is sickening and depraved and racist as hell. There’s no scenario in which I wouldn’t be involved in doing everything in my power to help stop this genocide and this suffering.
Shilpi Chhotray: Absolutely, I tell people this all the time, if you think this isn’t your lane, think again. Our government is actively complicit in funding and weaponizing the genocide with our tax dollars. It’s imperative we use our voice and positions of privilege accordingly. When it comes to climate justice, can you tell us about the important interconnection with Indigenous rights, land rights, and the fight against climate colonialism?
“This occupation, this genocide is massacring our people and our land. It’s continued climate injustice playing out in front of our eyes and being excused by far too many governments around the world.”
Rania Batrice: Palestinians have cared for our land, our olive trees, and our animals — it’s our home, similar to most Indigenous communities around the world. Colonization has brought destruction and the decimation of land and water and life. The colonizers burn down our olive trees. They destroy our land. They strip our natural resources and our land. They murder the stewards of the land. This occupation, this genocide is massacring our people and our land. It’s continued climate injustice playing out in front of our eyes and being excused by far too many governments around the world.
Shilpi Chhotray: Exactly — the destructive links between oppression and environmental injustice experienced by Palestinians are a product of Israel’s ongoing military occupation and settler colonialism. Can you tell us what the meaning of ‘land’ is to indigenous Palestinians?
Rania Batrice: I think what a lot of people do not understand is that this is not just Palestinian land. It’s our history, our memories, and the creation of our families. The generations long before me loved and cared for this land, and developed our culture. When I go back and put my hands in what’s left of my grandfather’s soil, it’s spiritual. It’s part of us. It is not just land — it is our home.
Shilpi Chhotray: You’ve painted an incredibly powerful picture that’s deeply ingrained in Indigenous resistance. The olive tree comes to mind as an universal symbol for Palestinian rootedness. I read that the demolition of Palestinian trees dates back to the declaration of the state of Israel itself. What does the olive tree symbolize to you?
Rania Batrice: I think not just Palestinians but also many Arabs know how important our olive trees are to us. It is a vital resource and engrained in our history and culture. It’s a source of pride and a source of income. So of course this is one more thing colonizers try to either destroy or co-opt. It’s the cornerstone of colonization and white supremacy to strip indigenous people of their history, whether by demolishing our universities and records and land, or claiming these things as their own. Food itself is central to our families – gathering together around so many beautiful dishes made with love. It’s who we are, and one more thing colonization attempts to destroy.
A father and his children sit on an abundant harvest of watermelons Photographer Unknown. The British Mandate Jerusalemites.
Shilpi Chhotray: This also relates to what you said earlier about how love and care for the land developed the culture. The Lakota phrase “Mní wičhóni” (“Water is life”) has been top of mind since 96% of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption. A study conducted by the UN late last year estimated that Gazans are living on only three liters of water a day. For appreciation, the average American uses more than 1,130 liters of water a day. Can you tell us about the historic Water Apartheid across occupied Palestine?
Rania Batrice: What is so sad is that the land of Palestine has water, it is not a situation of lack of resources but an intentional controlling of those resources. Put another way, apartheid. To deny humans water, which they need to survive, is to enact their demise.
As the Lakota say, “water IS life,” and this occupation is attempting to eradicate life. It not only impacts water, but also their food as farmers have struggled to water their crops for so many years. This is not new — the Israeli government has been carrying out this ecocide for decades. The occupation controls the water and infrastructure to build systems to bring in water which requires Israeli Permits that they purposely do not give to Palestinians. After 1967, the Israeli military declared control of all water systems in Gaza and the West Bank. Since then, the water issue has only become worse. Regularly the IOF (Israel Occupation Forces) will shoot Palestinians water tanks. Destroying the already so limited amounts of water they have — and this was happening long before this most recent invasion.
Shilpi Chhotray: Thank you for breaking this down so clearly — the state sponsored systematic violence of people and environment cannot be seen in silos. When it comes to water, some climate justice advocates are turning their attention to The Gaza Marine, a gas field with major development potential for natural gas located 20 miles off the Gaza coast. Due to Israel’s 16-year blockade, Israel controls Palestine’s energy consumption. What is your reaction to resource extraction for Western interests being the real reason for the genocide in Gaza?
Rania Batrice: There is no question the resources in Arab nations are highly sought after by the Western world. We’ve seen many wars over oil and other resources, so I understand the urge to make this about natural gas. But the reality is, the dehumanization of Palestinian people began even before 1948. The B.S. narrative about “a land without a people for a people without a land” was only the beginning of the falsehoods far too many in the West adopted as an attempt to excuse themselves for their sins and harms. I would not say this is the “real reason for the genocide in Gaza.”
Since the Nakba in 1948, it’s been clear that ethnic cleansing and an eradication of my people has been the goal. And with billions of dollars of unchecked funding and arms transfers, the Israeli government has been allowed to carry this out since first occupying our land and continuing today. While the genocide we’re witnessing is on a massive scale, the abuse, occupation, apartheid, dehumanization, and massacres are not new — not in Gaza and not in the West Bank or the rest of the country. This is a sad reality in many countries. The difference now is everyone has a smartphone and can see what’s happening in real time.
Shilpi Chhotray: I’m glad you mentioned this. There’s no escaping what’s happening, we’re literally seeing the genocide unfold on our tiny devices. I am personally in touch with Gazans daily through the power of social media. Even still, the propaganda war peddled by dangerous Western imperialist rhetoric continues to be used to justify the violence and murder of Palestinians. What is your personal experience with the information warfare campaign that is a tactical mission to dehumanize Palestinians?
“The dehumanization of Palestinian people is no different than that of Indigenous people or Black people or brown people of all backgrounds.”
Rania Batrice: Dehumanization is also commonplace within white supremacy. The demonization of people, especially people of color, is a tactic as old as time. The dehumanization of Palestinian people is no different than that of Indigenous people or Black people or brown people of all backgrounds.
Palestinian mother cradling her child, in the late 1920s. She wears traditional Palestinian garments. Photo by Khalil Raad The British Mandate Jerusalemites.
The truly infuriating part is when people in leadership and power take that propaganda and amplify, use it as a justification for starving babies to death, and then claim some kind of moral high ground. I know when the history books are written, the blood on these enablers' hands will be clear. Their complicity in demolishing our planet and our people will be obvious. But how many people will be murdered and forever traumatized in the meantime?
Shilpi Chhotray: This is incredibly important. I don’t understand how they don’t seem to have the capacity to imagine that people’s lived experiences look differently from the stereotypes imposed on Muslims and Arabs.
As a platform dedicated exclusively to Media for Environmental Justice, we know how important it is to create spaces for historically excluded narratives to tell their stories. In the context of Palestinians who continue to be censored and excluded from telling their own stories, what is your message to our community?
Rania Batrice: First I have to say thank you for so intentionally creating this space. The silencing of Palestinian people has been an intentional and decades-long effort. I’ve personally lost opportunities and clients and more, simply for daring to be openly Palestinian. And I haven’t experienced the worst of it.
“I would ask anyone out there who is truly interested in liberation and a just peace to ask themselves these questions and act accordingly. Stop talking about us. And start talking TO us.”
And while I absolutely appreciate and welcome the intersectional allyship that is our movement for liberation, I do not appreciate the number of non-Palestinian voices being platformed to talk about the lived experience of being Palestinian. How many Palestinian voices are regularly platformed in the mainstream media? How many Palestinian people are invited to openly and honestly talk about what it’s like to be them, without repercussions? What kind of stories are told about us that serve to further dehumanize rather than elevate the beauty of our people and our culture? I would ask anyone out there who is truly interested in liberation and a just peace to ask themselves these questions and act accordingly. Stop talking about us. And start talking TO us.
Shilpi Chhotray: Centering the Palestinian narrative needs to be the norm, not the exception. It’s also why there’s an urgent call for books, courses, and lectures which encourage a decolonized approach to understanding the Palestinian identity. What books or films do you recommend we check out?
Rania Batrice: There are so many to choose from. Some films I recommend are “5 Broken Cameras” By Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi, “Disturbing The Peace” By Stephen Apkon, “1948: Creation & Catastrophe” By Andy Trimlett & Ahlam Muhtaseb, “The Present” by Farah Nabulsi, “Farha” by Darin Sallam, and “Gaza Fights For Freedom” by Abby Martin. There are many great filmmakers who have shown the occupation in a meaningful way. And for books, I recommend one that really touches on what we talked about today is “Power And Water In The Middle East” by Mark Zeitoun, “Occupied Voices” by Wendy Pearlman, and “Troubled Waters” by Mary Annaïse Heglar.
Shilpi Chhotray: This is a fantastic list, thank you so much. It's imperative we continue educating ourselves and continue to act. How can our community be an ally to an end to the genocide in Gaza and Palestinian liberation?
Rania Batrice: Right now it is very important to have conversations with anyone, speak about what is going on, and make sure people's focus is on what is happening. Make noise, use voice, call your reps, protest if you can, or offer support to those who are. I think what is most important is to keep your eyes on what is happening, do not allow the very intentional distractions take you off course or overwhelm you from what is needed right now. We’re trying to stop a genocide. Please don’t “turn the page.” Please don’t stop using your voice or whatever is in your power to raise awareness and make those in power understand that this is an issue that you care deeply about. And if you can, please donate to a reputable organization providing services and care on the ground.
Shilpi Chhotray: I know many of us who care deeply about justice and liberation for all people are at an absolute loss on how to cope. How are you finding solace in this excruciating time of profound grief and sadness?
Rania Batrice: The truth is I’m not. There are moments of reprieve, when I can look at something and find it beautiful. But it’s always immediately followed by such deep sadness and pain and guilt. I realize that I cannot control these emotions. And frankly I don’t think I should. For me, I’m allowing myself to feel every bit of it and trying it to drive my pursuit of justice and equity for all people, including my people.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for purposes of length and clarity. It was conducted April 24, 2024.
Rania Batrice is a true advocate for progressive change. She has cultivated her own unique role as an advocate, public relations specialist, consultant and public speaker and facilitator. Rania has worked as a Democratic organizer and strategist for over twenty years, lending her expertise across political, non-profit, legislative strategy and crisis management.
Her firm, Batrice and Associates, has worked for social justice and collective liberation through a variety of avenues, collaborating with organizations including IMEU, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Our Revolution, the Arab American Institute, March for Our Lives, StudentsMarch.org, Voto Latino, March For Science, Sunrise Movement, the Freedom Project and more.
Shilpi Chhotray is the Co-Founder and President of Counterstream Media and the creator and host of the People over Plastic podcast. With over a decade of experience in environmental policy, strategic communications, and grassroots organizing, she regularly engages with the media on topics related to plastic pollution, climate justice, and the importance of intersectional storytelling. Her commentary has been featured in Rolling Stone, NPR, Al Jazeera, and BBC, and she frequently collaborates with environmental justice organizations worldwide to amplify resistance movements.