Gripping graphics shed light on Palestinians' struggle for freedom

Amid the constant bombings, death and destruction in Gaza, it's been difficult to comprehend exactly what is happening in Palestine. A glut of information and in some cases, deliberate distortion of the facts, have prompted many people to feel overwhelmed to the point of tuning out the suffering.

But Aline Batarseh wants you to tune back in.

Batarseh is the executive director of Visualizing Palestine (VP), an international nonprofit group founded in 2012 to help contextualise what's been happening in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and urge people to take action.

VP has produced a variety of visuals since the war on Gaza began in October, highlighting the shocking number of people killed, the weapons used and the destruction wrought.

Speaking to TRT World, Batarseh acknowledged that there is no shortage of information about Palestine.

"However a lot of the information is not accessible to people. The average person is not going to read a 200-page report. Mainstream media has played a role in presenting a dominant narrative that is not representative of the Palestinian experience. Our role is to provide an alternative form of media."

For the past decade, VP has been used by different legislators, students, academics and others seeking to learn more about Palestine.

But Batarseh said interest has increased exponentially since the war on Gaza began in October 2023.

"What's happened since October is unprecedented" in terms of the calamity facing people in Gaza, said Batarseh, a Palestinian-American. On VP's website, downloads of various visuals have more than doubled. Engagement on social media has also skyrocketed.

And the group has received more than 130 translation requests in the past few months, she added. "We produce in English because our audience is the West. We know that if public opinion doesn't change in the US, it's highly unlikely it'll change in other countries because they are following the superpower."

The small team at VP is helped by volunteers, whose numbers have swelled in recent months.

Batarseh said, "We're not a news agency, not reporting hour by hour. As soon as some of our visuals are released, they are outdated. It's more about putting the data in context, showing, humanising. Our production has increased because we've been wanting to be responsive to the need. Especially at a time like this. People are seeking us out."

In addition to informing people, VP aims to document the Palestinian plight for posterity.

For example, an early campaign called "Remember their names" honours the 6,000+ people killed in October 2023, listing their names, ages and genders. The idea came after US President Joe Biden and other officials expressed scepticism at death toll numbers, Batarseh said.

"At the end of the day, we want these visuals to serve as archival records once we do get to liberation," she added.

In terms of what liberation looks like, she said a ceasefire wouldn't be enough.

"We cannot go back to a status quo when Gaza is under siege where people are living under military occupation. Honestly, no one is safe with this situation continuing as it is. Palestinians will not go away. No matter what Israel does with its ethnic cleansing project, Palestinians still have the will and determination to live on their land and return."

She added, "We're 14 million Palestinians today. Half of us are inside Palestine and half of us are outside Palestine. Our determination is getting stronger, and our collective memories and collective experience speak louder."

As VP's profile grows, it has encountered some pushback, mostly in the form of threatening emails, Batarseh said. But the team pushes on because "what Palestinians are enduring in Gaza is much more severe than what any of us are facing. Even if you're not targeted, there's self-censoring happening. People are definitely afraid to speak up.

"(And) of course Israel will dispute every single thing. That's part of why we're so meticulous in what we're doing. We're really shedding light on the reality at the end of the day."

On an encouraging note, Batarseh said pro-Palestinian sentiment has really risen in recent years.

"There absolutely 100 percent is a change. Even uttering the word Palestinian was not an experience (in the past). I remember people would say 'Pakistani' because they did not hear the word Palestine.

"We've seen a change on many levels. This is the thing with narrative change, social change, social justice. These things take time. We might not see the full change we want to see in our lifetime, but I don't think injustice will continue."

With the war dragging on and US elections looming this fall, Bataseh encouraged people to stay engaged.

"People in Gaza are counting on us, they haven't given up. Even with all the destruction that's happening, I see children having the will to live, playing even in the worst of circumstances.

"We need to let them know there is a cost in the US, the cost is obviously no votes for people who are complicit in genocide including Biden. We may not see change tomorrow, but it will come."