I know that like me, you’ve been shocked by events of the past few days and are deeply fearful about what’s yet to come. Israel is preparing to escalate its already intense assault on Palestinians, threatening a ferocity that we have not seen before.
In times like these, the Palestinian people need us, the solidarity movement, to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Join us as we take to the streets of London tomorrow.
Despite what British political leaders and press may be presenting, the events of the past few days did not come out of nowhere. Palestinians have endured decades of colonial violence and control, mass expulsion, military occupation and apartheid. Generations of Palestinian children have been born into occupation and/or exile.
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They have been subjected to constant Israeli military assaults, whether it’s the daily invasions, arrest raids and killings in the occupied West Bank, the mass bombardments of the Gaza Strip, or the indiscriminate violence against Palestinians in the ’48 territory.
Against this backdrop of extreme systematic oppression and deprivation, of course Palestinians will resist, as they always have, in a variety of ways. Over decades they have done this through protests, petitions, and marches; they’ve appealed to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and other international bodies; they’ve coordinated and called for BDS campaigns along with their international supporters like us. And yes, over the decades, they’ve sometimes resorted to armed resistance, which is their right, within the framework of international law, as a people under occupation.
International law prohibits attacks on civilians. But those who only condemn such attacks when carried out by Palestinians whilst remaining silent over Israel’s violent imposition of military occupation, which includes the routine killing of civilians, have no moral standing to make such condemnations.
The reality is that no matter how Palestinians resist, they are demonised and vilified, and Israel will continue to try to isolate them as a way to weaken their resolve. That’s why we must stand with Palestinians as the attacks increase.
We are working in overdrive to respond to this rapidly evolving situation. We’ll be ramping up our Stop Arming Israel campaign, to bring attention to British complicity in Israel’s armed attacks and to build our campaigns to end it. We’ll be holding events at the Labour Party conference to make sure support for Palestinian justice is on the agenda. And we’ll be mobilising for demonstrations and protests over the next few weeks.
The pressure on Palestinians right now is immense—and they need to know they can count on us, the solidarity movement, to be visible, firm in our commitment, and principled in our unwavering support for their freedom.
Please join us at the demonstration on Monday outside the Israeli embassy at 6PM and if you’re able to contribute to the cost of the demonstrations, please chip in here.
We need you on board now as we gear up for what will surely be a horrendous period for our Palestinian comrades.
In Solidarity,
Ryvka
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