PalThink for Strategic Studies has held a literary gathering at the Abdel Mohsin Al-Qattan Center in Gaza to discuss a collection of anti-war poems with the Palestinian poet Nasser Rabah, as part of the second phase of the “PalThink Academy for Democracy and Human Rights” project, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by ifa’s Funding Programme zivik.

The session was opened by PalThink’s director, Omar Shaban, who welcomed the attendees and the guest of the event. He emphasized the role and policy of PalThink in spreading awareness and culture among youth and thanked the Abdel Mohsin Al-Qattan Center for hosting the event, noting the center’s long history in building an enlightened Palestinian generation.

Poet Nasser Rabah spoke about the importance of poetry in shaping individuals, public taste, and civil peace. He also discussed the significance of culture and awareness in resisting occupation.

He shared his experience of traveling to France when he was invited, along with a hundred other poets from around the world, to present their poems. He mentioned the organizers’ interest in one of his verses: “When we sow bullets, what will the land yield?”

Rabah said the line was printed on the cover of the booklet containing all his colleagues’ poems and was displayed on one of the signs hung in the streets of Paris, emphasizing that this promotes the Palestinian narrative to the world.

He emphasized the importance of traveling in raising awareness and maturity, adding that if one cannot travel due to the blockade, they can travel through reading novels, which can bring about a significant change in behavior, awareness, culture, and acceptance of others.

During the session, members of the Academy recited various poems. Abdul Rahman Ismail recited a poem by the Canadian poet Robert Priest, titled “Bush’s War,” and then another poem he wrote titled “Assimilation,” which discussed existential and personal issues.

His colleague, Sandus Sabra, recited Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “I Shall Not Return.” And, for his turn, poet Nasser Rabah also recited some of his own poems.

The meeting concluded with a discussion between the audience and the guest about the poems that were recited, as well as discussions about peace, war, methods of resisting occupation, and the techniques of modern and classical poetry writing, along with how to maximize the benefits of reading novels.