The divide that exists between Arab peoples and their governments has never been deeper than it is now in Palestine. Palestinian resistance is becoming entrenched. Common anti-normalization movements are spreading, as some governments hurry to announce the normalization of relations with the oppressive colonial state of Israel. Around the world, international solidarity movements and the boycott movement have gained momentum.

Acceptance of blackmail and political pressure by governments, as well as justifications for normalization in the name of "peace" and resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, are unethical. The assertion that they are inspired by the ambitions of a new Palestinian and Arab generation is false. Palestinian Land Day, which is commemorated every year at the end of March, is part of the collective memory that they are attempting to erase. Resistance to the settler-colonial occupation is now more diverse. Thanks to the efforts of new generations who are carrying on the struggle of their forefathers both within and outside Palestine, individually and in unity with Palestine solidarity activists around the world who believe in the cause, are bearing the torch of resistance.

Numerous global projects are focusing on the cultural element of resisting the occupation, as well as using the Palestinian narrative to preserve memory and oppose historical falsification. Middle East Monitor (MEMO) founded the Palestine Book Awards in 2011 to honor the accomplishments of authors, wherever and whoever they are, who have written about Palestine and its people to reach the widest possible audience. According to MEMO's director, Dr. Daud Abdullah, the awards were created to inspire publishers to write books about Palestine. The awards started as a simple concept and have evolved over the last ten years. I've had the privilege of being a member of that team since the 2012 awards, headed by activist and journalist Victoria Britten and my colleague Dr. Ibrahim Darwish.

The Palestine Book Awards eventually drew the attention of publishing houses, universities, and independent writers from all over the world, who began to send books about Palestine that fulfilled the criteria for consideration. Such books must be about Palestine, written in English, and published in the year preceding the awards.

The number of books submitted is an indication of progress. It's worth remembering that twenty were submitted in the first year, while fifty have been submitted in recent years, with topics ranging from politics to economics to human rights to fiction, poetry, memoirs, children's books, painting, photography, and cooking.

The authors are from various nationalities and countries, including a new generation of Palestinians who are united by their principled commitment to the Palestinian people's rights and their belief, as writers, academics, poets, and artists, in resisting the occupation by spreading knowledge about Palestine and its people and challenging Israel's grossly false propaganda. The awards have been a prestigious annual affair in British literary circles. Those who are interested in attending should listen to the short-listed writers and ask questions. The guest of honor for the 2020 awards was Dr. Rima Khalaf. In 2017, she resigned as Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) after declining to retract a study on Palestinian poverty under Israeli law. She is currently the founder and president of the Global Organisation Against Racial Discrimination and Segregation.

She gave examples of how publishers in the UK are afraid of being threatened by coordinated boycotts if they publish books that they feel could offend Zionists. Alan Hart (1942-2018), a journalist and author, was forced to self-publish the first edition of his book Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews in 2005. If a book contains something likely to tarnish Israel's reputation, it is difficult to translate it into English.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary, the Palestine Book Awards website has posted a program for the coming months. Interviews with winning writers, advocates, Palestinians, and those who support the project are included. This is on top of making a video that tells a story of the awards. Throughout the year, a book of honorary guests' speeches, as well as paintings and selected poems, will be published.

The books about Palestine and its people are used for spiritual, psychological, and memory preservation purposes. They are a part of the fight, which is to ensure that life is lived with dignity and equality. The opportunity to shift the paradigm placed by prevailing colonial and Zionist policies in the intellectual and cultural space is a larger lesson learned from the relative success of the Palestine Book Awards.

Change can be accomplished by continued advocacy to put an end to the systematic falsification of history, especially about the "war on terror." The most obvious case is the terrorist invasion and devastation of Iraq, which has been twisted to fit the Western narrative. To justify the war, lies were told, a process that echoes the past of colonialism in third-world countries in general, and in occupied Palestine in particular. As a result, projects like the Palestine Book Awards are important.