Hi, friends. We’re forgoing our regular recommendation format. What follows, instead, is a list of actions for supporting the continued resistance of Palestinians against the colonial body of Israel. This list is not original nor comprehensive, but it is what I have learned from Palestinians currently living under occupation, from organizers in the US, from family. Palestinians have been experiencing genocide for 73 years. In the past two weeks, the global conversation has shifted towards that recognition. Do not stand for Zionist rhetoric that seeks to dehumanize Palestinians or delegitimize our resistance. Do not stand for distractions that de-center the fight for a liberated Palestine.

We recommend

1. Continue to share footage and the stories from Palestinians on the ground. N.A. Mansour has compiled an incredibly useful list on Twitter. I have been following Mohammed el-Kurd the closest.

2. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity. Are you a student? Join or start a divestment campaign for your university. Organize your workplace to adopt BDS. Artists, do not perform in Israel. Do not buy Sabra hummus or from the other companies listed; there are others that invest in Israel (L’Oreal or Ben & Jerry’s, for example), but the campaign has a focus. There are ALWAYS alternatives.

3. Many governments globally are invested in arms aid to Israel; e-mail & call your representatives to stop investing your taxes in this violence; if you’re American, you can use this tool to see how much aid your district sends each year. The answer may surprise you. Tell your reps to support AOC’s resolution to block the current gigantic arms bill proposed; use this template to tell your reps to support bill H.R. 2590, stating that the US will not fund the Israeli government’s imprisonment and torture of Palestinian children. (all Palestinians, though, regardless of gender & age, deserve to live.)

4. Donations will not free Palestine but we can provide relief to the living. Aya Ghanameh is raising money for a couple in Gaza hoping to build a home. Help support another family in Gaza here. The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is an American organization whose office in Gaza was recently destroyed. Palestinian Youth Movement is an international, grassroots movement made up of Palestinians across the diaspora fighting for a free Palestine.

5. Decolonize Palestine is an excellent resource created by Palestinians to help people learn more about our history. It debunks myths and provides extensive, accessible explanations on what the colonial power would beg you to think is “complicated”.

I am Palestinian. I am American born. I am lucky to be here. When I told my father what was happening in Sheikh Jarrah, he said, “that could have been us.” We wonder when our ancestral home will be razed in the name of “archeology,” of “history.” Noura Erakat tweeted this:

And so here I am: overcome by grief and guilt. But still, I cannot help but feel hope. I know the ones I love are resisting the colonial body that seeks to destroy them. International solidarity is imperative to that resistance. I hope you will join me.

❤️

– Summer