The following pieces by Dr. Refaat Alareer, the Palestinian poet, professor and beloved mentor who was murdered in an Israeli airstrike on 6 December 2023, have not been published previously. These pieces will also appear in If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose, an anthology of Alareer’s work compiled with an introduction by Yousef M. Aljamal and published by OR Books.
In addition to many other pieces, Alareer contributed to The Electronic Intifada two narratives about his experience during the ongoing genocide: “Israel bombed my home without warning,” published on 22 October 2023, and “Israel’s claims of ‘terrorist activity’ in a children’s hospital were lies,” published on 19 November 2023.
Alareer also appeared several times on The Electronic Intifada livestream, launched at the beginning of the genocide. During the first episode of the livestream, broadcast on 9 October, viewers and listeners could hear the bombs exploding in the background as Alareer described why Palestinians insist on fighting for justice and liberation in the face of Israel’s genocidal violence. Alareer’s last livestream appearance was on 1 December 2023, a few days before his death, but for only a few minutes because his electricity shut off and the connection was lost. ….more
