Reading Seminar on the Book Gaza: The Cornerstone, by Johnny Mansour (February 2025)

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, Mada al-Carmel, in collaboration with the Khashabi Theatre, held a reading seminar on the book Gaza: The Cornerstone, written by historian Dr. Johnny Mansour. The seminar featured author Dr. Johnny Mansour himself, as well as theater director Bashar Murkus and researcher Jad Qadan, and was held at the Khashabi Theatre, Haifa.

Bashar Murkus opened the seminar by reading aloud a selection of passages from the book’s concluding pages, highlighting its core messages.

Jad Qadan then gave an in-depth analytical reading of the book, breaking down its structure and main themes. He highlighted three phenomena that struck him while reading, firstly the deep passion that Palestinian intellectuals have for documenting events and developing their own narrative. Second he emphasized their unique writing style, through which they skillfully combine historical methodology with a personal perspective, and blend neutrality with expressions of their own opinions, thereby personifying the historian’s active presence within the text. Thirdly, he observed that the book’s discourse is addressed to the Palestinian self, the Arab conscience, and those who stand in solidarity with the cause, particularly evident in the author’s refusal to be drawn into futile debates with colonizers who commit crimes of genocide.

Author Dr. Johnny Mansour emphasized the importance of approaching the Palestinian cause from the perspective of the present, rather than reducing it to a historical event. He underlined Gaza’s steadfastness in the face of genocide, which has unfolded with blatant international complicity. He also emphasized that the Zionist colonial project is in a constant state of flux and continuously adapting to changing circumstances.

To watch the Seminar Record, Please click here