What’s happening in Palestine?
Seeing what’s happening in Palestine right now is absolutely devastating. If you’re not familiar with the situation, this post is meant to be a quick run down of information and a compilation of further resources to get you started.
To start, take a look at a couple of quick illustrations. This post is a brief summary of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. This post is a concise little run down on how you can be an ally to Palestinians and actions you can take right now to help.
For a brief summary on the situation in Sheikh Jarrah:
-You may be seeing posts saying “Save Sheikh Jarrah” - Sheikh Jarrah is a neighbourhood in Occupied East Jerusalem
-We call it Occupied East Jerusalem because by international law, East Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinian Territories. But of course Israel does not care about that, and have been illegally occupying it for decades
-To put it briefly, Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah are being forcefully evicted from their homes that they have lived in for decades by Israeli settlers, backed by the Israeli government, courts and military
-The settler organizations behind these evictions (some of which are based in the USA) are intent on erasing all Palestinian presence from Sheikh Jarrah, and this is not the first time Palestinians are being forcefully evicted from this neighbourhood and their homes despite their historical ties to and presence in Sheikh Jarrah
-The Palestinian families are trying to appeal the evictions through the Israeli supreme court but the Israeli courts always immediately support Israeli settlers, Palestinians have no rights or humanity in their eyes
-Six Sheikh Jarrah families are being evicted this month. Because of this, Palestinians had been (peacefully!!) protesting. And as we know, under the Israeli occupation, Palestinians have no rights. So in response to their protests, settlers have been violent towards them…. which of course lead to further violence from Israeli police towards the Palestinians. Israeli police will always protect violent Israeli settlers over peaceful Palestinians defending themselves
-Historically, every time Palestinians protest Israel’s gross violations of their human rights (and international law), Israel attempts to suppress them with violence. That’s what’s happening now.
-In response to the Sheikh Jarrah protests, Israeli forces have attacked Palestinian protestors and attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque. Most recently the violence has escalated even further as Israel launched air strikes in Gaza. Again.
-Israeli forces have been using skunk spray, stun grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and tear gas on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Let this sink in. It’s abhorrent to attack worshippers in a place of worship in any circumstance, but this is Al-Aqsa Mosque - Islam’s 3rd holiest site. It’s extremely sacred to Muslims. And in the last 10 nights of Ramadan, the most important 10 nights of the year for Muslims.
-In response to Palestinians protesting this violence (Israel’s war crimes!) Israel hiked up the violence - AGAIN. With air strikes in Gaza on civilian populations.
-Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured, hundreds have been hospitalized, and dozens more have been killed in the air strikes - including 9 children. The number is likely higher. You’ll start seeing articles saying “hundreds injured in Palestine - Israel clash” in an attempt to paint this as a two sided conflict - it’s not. Do not be manipulated into thinking it is. The facts are clear. Israeli violence has injured hundreds of Palestinians and killed dozens more.
-During the violence at Al-Aqsa and East Jerusalem, Israeli forces not only attacked Palestinians in the market place and while they were breaking their fasts (including women and children), they not only attacked worshippers in a sacred place of worship in Ramadan, they not only desecrated a holy site with enormous religious and historical significance… they also targeted journalists and paramedics, attacked clinics treating the wounded, and refused to allow ambulances through. Worshippers had to carry the injured on their prayer mats. Reprehensible war crimes against Palestinians is just routine for Israel.
-Al-Aqsa is a soft spot for Muslim Palestinians (and Muslims around the world) because as I said, it’s one of Islam’s holiest and most sacred sites. In fact, before it changed to Mecca, the qiblah (the directions Muslims pray in) was Al-Aqsa. Because of this, Israel uses it to control Palestinians.
-Historically, every time Palestinians protest Israel’s violence and opression, Israel threatens them with Al-Aqsa. Threatening it with violence, threatening to refuse them access. Keep in mind again that Al-Aqsa is located in the Muslim quarter of East Jerusalem, which by international law belongs to Palestine - but Israel is illegally occupying Palestine and has control.
-Palestinians are a people with strong spirit - they continue to protest for their rights in the face of this despicable violence. But they need help.
-This is not new. This has been the reality for Palestinians since 1948 when the settler colonial state of Israel was established and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from THEIR OWN LAND. Israel’s goal is not a two state solution - clearly, since they continue to expand their annexation of Palestinian land beyond what they have already stolen and in violation of international law. The are intent on ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in their own home, their own land.
-The US government is funding all this - $3.8 BILLION in aid goes to the Israeli occupation every year. (Americans - fight your leaders on this)
-Now knowing all this, STOP calling this situation the Israel-Palestine Conflict. This is NOT a “conflict”, because both sides do not have power in this situation. And this is not a religious issue, so stop using that as a cop out to not care. There are Christian Palestinians that are also opressed by Israel. It’s not about religion, that is part of the propaganda that gets pushed on you so you don’t see what’s actually going on.
-This is the illegal occupation of Palestine by the settler colonial state Israel
-This is apartheid, ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, systemic racism. This is routine war crimes by Israel against Palestine, without consequences. This is repeated violations of international law and human rights - Human Rights Watch has concluded that Israel is guilty of apartheid and human rights abuses. But of course international leaders (who otherwise cite HRW to condemn other countries) are silent.
-So what can we do? First and foremost, get educated. Stay informed and stay aware. Spread the news Palestinians are sharing. Because the mainstream media will not, they are a propaganda machine for Israel.
-It’s routine for Israel to 1. abuse Palestinian human rights, then 2. respond to their protests with extreme violence, and then 3. attempt to paint it as a two sided conflict in which Israelis are in equal danger when there is the slightest response from Palestine. They and the media continuously try to paint Palestinians as terrorists. At this point, you should understand that is not the case. (Keep in mind that Palestine is an occupied territory that does not have an army. Israel is a nuclear power with one of the largest, most heavily funded, and technologically advanced armies in the world, backed by every major western nation, and receives billions of dollars in aid from America)
-You’ll notice that mainstream media only starts reporting on these incidents when they can call it a “clash” or a “conflict”. They constantly try to paint Palestinians as the terrorists in a situation where they are clearly the opressed. STOP letting them manipulate you into thinking this is two sided or about religion. This is an illegal occupation, this is apartheid, this is ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Israel. Israel is terrorizing Palestinians with the (clearly stated! they’re not trying to keep it a secret! Israeli politicians are very open about it!) intention to wipe out Palestine entirely. The first thing you can do is stop letting western media blind you and see this for what it is.
-BOYCOTT. DIVEST. SANCTION. Please learn about the BDS movement. Targeted boycotts are effective. The larger this gets, the more effective it will be. Again, this post is a good intro summary on how to help. Below, I’ll link another resource with more information.
-Here are some accounts you can follow to stay updated:
@/theimeu on instagram (same handle on twitter and tiktok) is a reliable source posting updates on the current situation as well as concise and informative videos on the Israeli occupation
@/itsmesubhi on instagram has posted some really excellent videos (here and here) summarizing the situation that I urge you to watch and share. His page also has information and resources (such as petitions to sign) in his highlights
Follow @/mohammedelkurd and @/muna.kurd15 on instagram. They are Palestinian journalists in Sheikh Jurrah and theirs is one of the 6 families being evicted from their homes this month. They are posting live updates from the ground and are the most reliable source for what is going on, and what is or isn’t actually helpful right now. Their highlights and profiles are a wealth of information. Here’s a linktree of important links from Mohammed’s profile.
There are places you can donate to if you would like, it’s always needed. This twitter thread has a brief list. But I urge you to do your research to ensure your money is actually going to Palestinians. Listen to actual Palestinians on what they need right now and donate to places they ask you to - Muna and Mohammed (linked above) are a good starting point.
Right now this is first and foremost a political movement, so your voice is most important. Educate yourself and others, share information. Palestinians have said that the international outcry and spreading what is happening to them is helpful. Please listen to them.
Lastly, wherever you are, I urge you to make noise about this. See if there are local organizations organizing protests and go. Get involved in the BDS movement. Write/email/call your MPs or whatever government representative you have in your country as well as your country’s leader and let them know this matters to you, demand that they unequivocally condemn Israel’s violence against Palestinians and Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights and international law. Templates for emails can be found here if you are in the UK, and Canada. It only takes a second, so please do it. Please email your politicians wherever you are in the world, their contact information is public. This linktree has a collection of templates and petitions if you’re in the US, UK and Canada. It also has templates and information for you regardless of where in the world you are.
Visit https://decolonizepalestine.com/ to learn more about Palestine, the history of the occupation, how to help, the BDS movement etc.
This is not comprehensive. This is just a starting point, a little compilation of information and resources to guide you if you would like to learn about what’s going on and are overwhelmed with the scattered posts everywhere. But it’s a starting point. You cannot learn about a crisis that has spanned decades from one tumblr post. Please click the links I’ve included, look at the graphics, watch the videos, read the posts, sign the petitions, email your politicians. And use all of it as a starting point from which you can then access further resources to educate yourself and others, and help Palestine. They need us.
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