THE TIME TO ACT IS RIGHT NOW – ACTION STEPS AT END OF DOCUMENT
This document draws on my two decades of familiarity with the subject.
This is not intended to be fully comprehensive but rather a reasonable primer. References here are not necessarily the ‘final word,’ so please use your own due diligence. This is designed to make you ask questions that are required for Palestinian liberation.
**will continue to edit and add! 11/12/23
Zionism in their own words:
The Extreme Ambitions of West Bank Settlers
History / General Education:
Documentary on Present Situation in Gaza from 2019 (this is a must watch)
Gaza Fights For Freedom detailing Israeli-engineered food and water scarcity, lack of electricity, minimal employment, prevention of basic medical care access, constant attacks from israel and attempt at peaceful protests such as Great March of Return which led to >6,000(!!) Palestinians being shot and chemical warfare by Israeli forces
The Shadow of the West — a film by Edward Said on history of colonialism, ‘orientalism’ and foundation of Israel by violence
Podcast on General Context of Present War with Mohammad Alsaafin (aired 10/10)
These two sources have lots of internal links that walk through basic history, common myths, misunderstandings, and essential facts
- Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding Palestine 101
Political philosophy of Zionism:
- A primer on Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and Colonialism
- Academic article on Zionism, Anti-semitism and Colonialism
- A Palestinian Statement to the UN about Balfour Declaration
Nakba 1948
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
- 20 min video on How Palestine Became Colonized
1967 War
-Naksa – Israeli expansion into West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights, East Jerusalem
Sabra Massacre (yes, what that hummus is named after)
- Israeli-backed 1982 Massacre of thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese people
- Sabra and Shatila Still Live
Formation of Hamas
- Israel helped create Hamas to splinter Palestinian resistance movements
- Why did Netanyahu want to strengthen Hamas?
Who has violated more ceasefires – Israel or Hamas?
- Israel’s history of breaking ceasefires
- From 2014: The Deafening Silence Around the Hamas Proposal for a 10 year Truce
Solution Conversations
-River to the Sea – One State Solution (very good video)
-Academic Article about One State Solution
(I support the one state solution – one secular, democratic state, Palestine)
Documentary on Israel’s Public Relation War in the US
The Occupation of the American Mind
“It doesn’t matter if justice is on your side. You have to depict your position as just.”
-Benjamin Netanyahu
- Map of Countries that Recognize Palestine
- Where the Palestinian Political Project Goes From Here
Facts about Treatment of Palestinians (NOT comprehensive)
- Israel currently has imprisoned over 1000 Palestinians without charge, including children
- Gaza Strip: Beginner's Guide to an enclave under Blockade
- Israel counting calories allowed into Gaza under blockade
- 96% of water supply poisoned in Gaza
- Comparison of deaths between Palestinians and Israelis
- Israel routinely imprisons Palestinian children
- Former IDF soldiers confess to routine mistreatment of Palestinian Children
- Academic Article on Systemic sexual torture by IDF of Palestinian men
- Academic Article on Psychological Impacts of Israeli Apartheid on Women and Girls
- Academic Article on Comparative survival of cancer patients requiring Israeli permits to exit the Gaza Strip for health care: A retrospective cohort study from 2008 to 2017
- Tel Aviv University study shows 83% of Israelis support “open fire” policies on Palestinians
- Murder of beloved Palestinian Journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli Sniper in 2022
- Video of Israelis brutally attacking Funeral Procession as Palestinians carry Shireen’s coffin (some of the most disturbing footage i’ve ever seen)
- Israel has bombed hospitals for years - here is one example from 2014 and another, but search for more if interested
- Great March of Return 2018: Israelis snipers shoot >6,000(!!) unarmed peaceful demonstrators at Gaza wall
- Documentary about the Great March of Return
- Israelis gather on couches and eat popcorn to watch as bombs drop in Gaza 2014
- 6 minute Clip of everyday Israelis expressing Genocidal sentiment towards Palestinian and Arab People
US Military Aid to Israel
- Basic Numbers on financial support (billions of dollars per year to support a population of ~9 million people)
- Continued financing of Israel’s Iron Dome
- Without US Aid, Israel Wouldn’t Be Killing Palestinians En Masse
- US Police Departments Train with Israel
- US State Dept. Bureau of Political-Military Affairs RESIGNS from Biden Administration in protest against US arms transfer to Israel (pub. 10/19)
A few Palestinians to Listen to:
Mohammed El Kurd
Lina Abu Akleh (niece of murdered journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh)
- speaking about Israeli cover up of her aunt’s murder (Israel later admitted to murder)
Accounts to Follow (Instagram)
-Journalists on the Ground
@byplestia
@wizard_bisan1
@motaz_azaiza (this account is occasionally suspended. Back up: @motagaza)
-Analysis
@sbeih.jpg
@gazangirl
@mohammedelkurd
-Content Hubs
@nationalsjp
@theimeu
@savesheikhjarrahnow
@mondoweiss
Israeli Collaboration in Genocides and Massacres around the world:
-Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan and Turkey (ongoing) please also care about this – its the continuation of the Armenian Genocide and its escalating.
Also, Israel denies the Armenian Genocide
-1976 Military Coup in Argentina
-and more
Media Propaganda and Misinformation in Present War
- Advice on general media literacy
- Misinformation at all-time high online over past few days
- MSNBC suspends Muslim Reporters (pub. 10/13)
- Israel is trying to deny they bombed hospital on 10/17 but they already tweeted about it (lots of misinformation, misdirections swirling)
- This is the Israel spokesperson who initially stated Israel responsible for bombing hospital
- Who was behind the Gaza hospital blast – visual investigation (pub. 10/18)
- Israel has bombed hospitals before — here is one report from 2014 and another, but search for more if interested
- European Media company limiting news about Palestinian civilian casualties; directed to cover news with “pro-Israel” sentiment (10/19)
- Instagram censored image of Gaza hospital bombing, claiming it was too ‘sexual’ (pub. 10/19)
- Meta has apologised after inserting the word “terrorist” into the profile bios of some Palestinian Instagram users, in what the company says was a bug in auto-translation (pub. 10/19)
-Israel lowers total 10/7 Israeli death count estimation from 1,400 to 1,200 (~850 total civilians) (11/10)
-WHO verifies at least 250 Israeli attacks on health care facilities despite Israeli denial
(pub. 11/11)
-Billionaires are teaming up for pro-Israel, anti-Hamas media drive: Report (pub. 11/12)
Media Retractions in last few days after reporting unsupported claims
- Los Angeles Times admits published accounts of rape are unsubstantiated
- Israeli Military Can’t Confirm babies were beheaded after media ran with this
- White house walks back Biden’s claim he saw photos of children beheaded by Hamas
- Media walking back accusations of Iran’s involvement
-Israel lowers total death count estimation from 1,400 to 1,200 (~850 total civilians) (11/10)
Don’t be tricked into supporting Genocide or invasions!!!!
Documentary on Israel’s Public Relation War in the US
The Occupation of the American Mind
“Greenwashing” and Israel Climate Destruction
- Palestine is an environmental justice issue
- Israel Pours Concrete In Palestinian water supply
- 96% of water supply poisoned in Gaza
- Israel burns thousands of olive trees
- Criminalization of Palestinian Herb-Picking Culture
- Climate Change and War (general)
“Rainbow” / “Pinkwashing” : How Israel leverages gender and LGBTQ rights to silence progressives
- How Pinkwashing Distorts Both LGBTQ and Anti-Occupation Activism
Human and Civil Rights Orgs
Major human rights organizations refer to Israel as an apartheid state, one that routinely commits war crimes and civil rights violations
Civil Rights Support
Israeli Cybersurveillance
- Inside Israel’s concerning cybersurveillance and cyberweaponry
Israel’s Treatment of non-European Jewish people
- Forced Sterilization of Ethiopian Jewish Women
- Israeli Government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.
Black American & Palestinian Solidarity from Civil Rights Movement and onward:
While no one is pure, Black radicals are an important compass for moral positions. I often look to Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Angela Davis, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Nelson Mandela, and many others for their political wisdom. The prominent Black radicals I am aware of are/were in fierce solidarity with Palestinians.
- Brief outline of Black support of Palestine dating back to the civil rights movement.
- Academic article on Black-Palestine solidarity
- Video of Angela Davis speaking of Palestinian Liberation and Black Solidarity
Jewish People Speaking Out Against Israel
Israel manufactures consent for its violences by incessantly conflating critique of the state of Israel with anti-semitism. Americans are bludgeoned with this messaging, leaving good people who do not wish to be anti-semitic confused and unsure about speaking up. Thankfully, many Jewish people have entirely rejected the state of Israel and its many violences, and have clarified it is NOT ANTI-SEMITIC to reject zionism and the state of Israel. And it is certainly not anti-semitic to decry the violences done to Palestinians or any marginalized group around the world.
Be warned – you may be accused of anti-semitism if you defend Palestine. You should prepare a response in advance.
- Norman Finkelstein responds to students crying over critiques of Israel (very powerful)
- Podcast conversation with Norman Finkelstein from October 25
- Video of Gabor Mate (Descendent of Holocaust Survivors) speaking about witnessing Israeli violence
- 9 Holocaust Survivors Compare Zionism to Nazism
Dr. Noam Chomsky (arguably the leading Jewish scholar of and advocate for Palestine)
-Video: Possible Futures – a Discussion with Noam Chomsky very informative overall summary of historic and present dynamics in Palestine
-Video of U.N. Speech, Noam Chomsky Critiquing US for Supporting Israel, Blocking Palestinian State
-Excerpt from Chronicles of Dissent (1992) on Israel, the Holocaust, and Anti-Semitism
-My Brother Was Slaughtered on October 7. I Know He Would Be Calling for a Cease-Fire.(pub. 11/10)
“Birthright” and Israeli Propaganda
- Jewish Currents: the Ethical Response to Birthright
If critiquing Israel is “anti-semitic” then why does the largely anti-semitic far right in the US and Europe support Israel?
- How Republicans fell in love with Israel
- Inside Israel’s Unholy Alliance With Right-Wing Evangelicals
Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) Movement
-Basics on push to divest from Israeli state
-This peaceful strategy has been criminalized in many US States
War Crimes Being Committed by Israel Right Now
-WHO verifies at least 250 Israeli attacks on health care facilities despite Israeli denial
(pub. 11/11)
- Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Civilian Convoy Kills 70—Mostly Women and Children (pub.10/13)
- Illegal Forced transfer of more than 1.1 million People (pub. 10/13)
- Use of White Phosphorus artillery (pub. 10/13)
- Israel must lift illegal inhumane blockade on Gaza as power plant runs out of fuel (pub. 10/12)
- Israel Targeting Medical Facilities and Emergency Workers (pub. 10/12)
- Genocide, ethnic cleansing, and another Nakba in Palestine (pub. 10/13)
- A Jewish Plea: Stand Up to Israel’s Act of Genocide (pub. 10/13)
- The U.S. Is Giving Israel Permission for War Crimes (pub.10/13)
- Israel’s President says entire [Palestinian] nation is Responsible
- Israel bombs search and rescue teams (pub. 10/14)
- Israel Bombs Hospital in Gaza – 500 possibly Dead (figures disputed, possibly because many were reduced to body fragments; lots of swirling claims, Israel restricts independent investigations in Gaza; no longer widely questioned that Israel carried out this attack, as they have since bombed numerous hospitals dozens of times;
updated 11/11)
- Israel has bombed hospitals for years - here is one report from 2014 and another, but search for more if interested
- Who was behind the Gaza hospital blast – visual investigation (pub. 10/18)
- World Health Org. has reported 59 attacks on healthcare in Gaza and 137 across the Occupied Territory since 7 Oct. (pub. 10/19)
- Israel Bombs UN School (pub. 10/17)
- Israel Bombs Ancient Church (pub. 10/20)
- Compilation of Genocidal rhetoric from Israelis in past week (10/17)
- Death toll Surpasses 11,000 in Gaza; at least 25,000 injured (as of 11/11)
- 70% of casualties are children, elderly
Hate Crimes and Civil Liberties Violations in US since 10/6/23
- 6 year old Palestinian-American boy stabbed 26 times in hate crime (Illinois)
- FBI Targets Palestinians, Muslims
Israeli Violations Against Palestinians in West Bank (not Gaza) and colonized areas since 10/6
- 250 Palestinians Killed, 1000+ arrested (numbers rising everyday; updated 11/11)
- Settlers in West Bank on rampage
- Murders, arrests, employment retaliation based on social media posts or “follows”
Shall I condemn myself a little for you?
GAZA EMERGENCY: Take Action Now!
Action Items:
- Donate for Humanitarian Relief for Gaza
- Join Protests in you Area
- Global general Strike for Palestine Friday October 20th
(more info on IG @palestinespeaks)
- Tell the NYT Editorial Board: Call for ceasefire, now
- Post in solidarity; speak to friends, neighbors, family!
-US Campaign For Palestinian Rights
Copy/paste to your group chats:
use the following links to email and call your Member of Congress and demand an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian assistance for Gaza:
- Tell Congress: Stop fueling the Gaza genocide. | Adalah Justice Project
Link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-stop-the-genocidal-bombing-of-gaza?source=mc_email
- Tell Congress: Open humanitarian access to Gaza now! | AFSC
Link: https://afsc.org/action/tell-congress-open-humanitarian-access-gaza-now
- Call Congress: Stop the Gaza Genocide | USCPR
Link: https://uscpr.org/GazaCall
- CALL ON CONGRESS TO DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN GAZA | AJP Action
Link: https://palestine.salsalabs.org/gazaceasefire/index.html
Your voice can make a difference. Thank you for taking action.
Post this on Twitter & Instagram:
Over 2 million Palestinian people trapped in Gaza are living through genocide in real time, as Israel horrifically bombs and starves them. #GazaUnderAttack
TAKE ACTION NOW: Call Congress and tell them to #StopArmingIsrael.
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