on palestine
I spent the summer of 2017 in Palestine, living and teaching in Ramallah, traveling around the West Bank & Jerusalem, visiting my family in Akka. It was transformative for many reasons, one being seeing with my own eyes Israel's brutal oppression as an occupying power. This reality is also confirmed by the reports of prominent international human rights organizations.
Now, after the latest massacre in Gaza that left 248 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, and over 1,900 wounded, I've spent a lot of time in silence, wondering what to write here. What is there for me to say that hasn't already been said by activists who can say it far better than I - and whose words still fall on deaf ears? What is there for me to say when grief clogs my throat, as it does the throat of every Palestinian around the world? I am privileged enough to carry this grief around my safe, comfortable American house, while overseas my people are left with destruction that will take years to rebuild and children who are traumatized and considering su*cide at ever-raising rates.
I'm going to link a lot of accessible resources to this post. What I'd ask is, please take the time to check at least one of them out. It's okay to not know everything, to have questions, to have doubts. It's not okay to bury your head in the sand and choose to not learn when learning is an option (especially when, as US taxpayers, we are complicit - see more below).
Before I link resources, here's my humble offering. It's a poem for every one of us who is embedded in the struggle against injustice worldwide, and a reminder that all of us - and all of life - are interconnected.
nature is full of freedom fighters (a story of the people)
when we say
our existence is resistance
it’s not just a protest sign
you bomb us
you beat us
you jail us
which is to say, brother,
you bomb you
you beat you
you jail you
you shut (y)our eyes with phosphorus
and label us the unseeing
you kill (y)our children in the streets
and call us the unliving
you cut down (y)our trees
and burn (y)our land
and take (y)our homes
and try to claim a country
by distorting a religion
we've heard this story before
you spread us out
around the earth
which we fertilize
with our tears
now there is no land
that does not know our struggle
and the trees root for our resistance
the wind carries our songs of freedom
the ocean roars in rage
and the stars are always watching
to tell God what you’ve done
the plants heal us
the rivers hold us
and there is nowhere you can go
that will not demand a reckoning
don’t you hear the question of the birds?
do you see what you’ve done?
look at what you’ve done.
our people are loud and ceaseless
and in the unseeing we know
our people are strong and angry
and in the unliving we are miracles
our existence is resistance
and nature is full of freedom fighters
Resources
On the history of Palestine & creation of Israel through today: https://decolonizepalestine.com/introduction-to-palestine/
Myths about the Palestinian struggle: https://decolonizepalestine.com/myths/
Common questions about Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/faq/
For the readers, a fantastic reading list: https://decolonizepalestine.com/reading-list/
About BDS (the Palestinian boycott, divest, and sanction movement): https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds
Resources on the US - Israel relationship:
Noam Chomsky's Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQ_0MubbcM
The US gives the Israeli military $3.8 billion a year - that same amount could fund healthcare for 1.6 million children in the US: https://uscpr.org/militaryfunding
This relationship & its resulting oppression is largely fueled by Christian evangelicals: https://truthout.org/articles/progressives-cant-ignore-role-of-christian-zionism-in-colonization-of-palestine/ + + https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/14/half-of-evangelicals-support-israel-because-they-believe-it-is-important-for-fulfilling-end-times-prophecy/
Why some Christians do (and all Christians should) support the Palestinian struggle: https://sojo.net/articles/us-christians-can-t-ignore-israel-s-ongoing-occupation-palestine + https://www.kairospalestine.ps
Jewish organizations in solidarity with Palestine:
IfNotNow. Here is a link to their stance on hot button issues: https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org/on-the-issues
Jewish Voice for Peace. Here is a link to their article on Zionism: https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/zionism/ and here is a general resource guide: https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/conversations/#introduction
Black American and Palestinian solidarity:
Articles: https://prospect.org/world/black-lives-matter-palestinian-resistance-and-the-ties-that-bind/ + https://uscpr.org/blackpalestiniansolidarity/ + https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/05/black-lives-matter-israel-palestine.html
Youtube video in conversation with Black and Palestinian activists (hosted by Dream Defenders): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqn2_os_LJY
BLM statement on Palestine: https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/status/1394289672101064704
Indigenous American and Palestinian Solidarity:
Tewa Women United's statement on Palestine: https://tewawomenunited.org/2021/05/statement-on-gaza-and-palestine
Palestinian solidarity at Standing Rock: https://palestinianyouthmovement.com/from-standing-rock-to-palestine
NAISA Declaration of Support for Academic Boycott of Israeli Institutions: https://www.naisa.org/about/documents-archive/previous-council-statements/#palestine
Palestinian organizations to check out (our story is often told from every perspective except ours):
For news, The IMEU: https://imeu.org
For rad activism and organizing, check out Palestinian Youth Movement: https://palestinianyouthmovement.com
For a legal perspective, check out Palestine Legal: https://palestinelegal.org and CCR: https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/issues/palestinian-solidarity
Other advocacy/legal organizations: https://www.adalahjusticeproject.org + https://www.addameer.org
On antisemitism
Palestinian activists condemn antisemitism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5MWIXlB7dk
Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are not the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsEzZdR69vg (Noam Chomsky); https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/03/anti-zionism-antisemitism-hate-speech-israel-palestine (Sumaya Awad)
Instagrams to follow:
Let's Talk Palestine (good place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed)
Search the hashtag #savesheikhjarrah for an abundance of further information
Films you can watch to learn more:
https://www.savoirflair.com/culture/547678/documentaries-and-films-about-palestine
Action Items
Educate yourself + your community with the resources above
Amplify the Palestinian struggle by sharing resources you find meaningful to your social media
Global Calendar of Resistance (find a protest near you): https://samidoun.net/2021/05/global-calendar-of-resistance-join-these-events-to-defend-palestine/
Updated calls to action: https://samidoun.net/category/take-action/
Send a pre-drafted letter to Congress: https://act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/a/stop-weapons?sourceid=1001495 + https://secure.everyaction.com/1bUDFJrq_kWz5sjKEeyoPQ2
Send a pre-drafted letter to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense: https://secure.everyaction.com/wUAYmd6RzEacXxN3WQuYQQ2
xx
Yasmeen