Skokie, IL – On October 22, the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression mobilized nearly 500 to counter-protest a racist Zionist rally that was held in “solidarity” with Israel.

The demonstration was met with unprovoked violence and bigotry from the supporters of Israel. Several racist and anti-Palestinian Zionist organizations including the Jewish United Fund, Jewish National Fund, Anti-Defamation League, and several others called the pro-war, pro-genocide rally.

As the counter-protest wrapped up, protesters gathered their belongings and moved to their cars, as they did, they were attacked by several supporters of the pro-Israel rally.

One man fired military-grade pepper spray into the eyes of a crowd of 15 young Arabs, even hitting a cop in the process. Another supporter of Israel attempted to run protesters over with his car; he then pulled a gun and fired into the air in an attempt to run from his would-be victims. Both men were taken into the custody of the Skokie Police Department.

According to a statement by USPCN, “We called for the demonstration today at the ‘Solidarity With Israel’ rally to send a clear message that our people are facing war crimes, starvation, and unrelenting bombing by Israel that must be ended immediately; and we reject the notion that zionists should be able to gather and celebrate U.S.-backed, Israeli genocide in our community while our people are being massacred back home.”

The supporters of Israel showed themselves to be bigoted, violent and scared. The supporters of Palestine were courageous in the face of the violence and attempts at intimidation by the Zionists.

#SkokieIL #ChicagoIL #Palestine #Zionism #USPCN #CAARPR

Kirkland, WA – On October 8, in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, over 300 people rallied in support of the Palestinian liberation movement and against the ongoing Israeli occupation.

The Palestinian resistance has launched a major operation to reclaim their land by any means necessary, and protesters across Seattle gathered in Kirkland to stand with Palestine. The rally was called by Tamkeen Muslim Youth and Council on American-Islamic Relations WA, and many other organizations came out to support. Among those attending were families, children, and other youth from the Palestinian and Arab communities. They waved Palestinian flags and held signs reading “End the siege of Gaza” and “Self determination for Palestine.”

As the event began, around 100 Zionist provocateurs arrived. They held a banner from Congregation Ezra Bezaroth, carried Israeli and U.S. flags, and shouted and spat at the crowd.

Just before the event was scheduled to start, Zionist thugs charged into the crowd and launched an attack, kicking, grabbing and hitting demonstrators with speakers and flagpoles. Other protesters stepped in to de-escalate the situation, and police soon arrived and sprayed pepper gas into the crowd before stationing themselves between the two groups. Later, city buses were called in and parked on either side of the street where pro-Palestine demonstrators faced off against their Zionist attackers.

Despite these unprovoked attacks, demonstrators continued undeterred in their support of the Palestinian resistance. For over three hours, the protest continued and culminated in a march through downtown Kirkland. Spirited chants of “Free, free Palestine!”, “We don’t want two states, we want 1948!” and “In our millions, in our billions, we are all Palestinians!” rang out for the entirely of the protest.

“This is a really big step for Palestinian resistance because we are showing the world how the people of 1948 have been invaded,” said Rabal Haroun, an organizer with Support the Palestinian Voice. “This means even more than last year’s protests and the year before, because we are actually seeing walls being crossed.”

Dre Say, a Filipino union organizer who attended the rally, spoke to the crucial role of solidarity in the fight for liberation of all oppressed peoples. “Palestinian people who are fighting for their own liberation are always in solidarity with struggles across the world for liberation, especially for the struggle for national democracy in the Philippines. I want to respect their leadership, their solidarity and show my own solidarity here today.”

Organizers plan to continue showing their solidarity as events in Palestine rapidly unfold. Another rally, called by Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return, is scheduled for Thursday, October 12 at 12 p.m.

#KirklandWA #Palestine #SeattleWA #NationalLiberation #AntiWar #Israel #Zionism

Tampa, FL – On October 8, 300 pro-Palestine protesters lined the intersection of Fowler Avenue and 56th Street in the Tampa area in solidarity with the ongoing fight in Palestine against the Israeli occupation. The crowd was energetic, denouncing the terroristic Israeli government and the massive monetary support from the United States, chanting “Hey Joe Biden can’t you see? Gaza will be free!”

About a dozen Zionist counter-protesters came out. While tensions were sharp, they were eventually escorted to the other side of the street by dozens of cops who were summoned to protect them.

Aida Mackic, who helped organize the event, said “It’s vital to hold demonstrations here in the United States because we can bring attention to the injustices endured by the Palestinian people, and we also remind the world we cannot stand idle in the face of oppression.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took to Twitter to condemn the protest saying that the state of Florida stood resolutely with Israel. In reality, the demonstration proved that Floridians are willing to go to bat to support the people of Palestine in their righteous struggle.

#TampaFL #Palestine #Gaza #DeSantis #Zionism

Tucson, AZ – On Saturday, October 7, with just a three-hour notice, nearly 30 Tucson activists gathered at a busy street corner to demonstrate their solidarity with the advancing Palestinian resistance forces.

While the illegal occupation by U.S.-backed Israel has always been met by Palestinian opposition, recent events constitute many historic achievements on the part of the Palestinian liberation movement. The coordinated operation called the “Al-Aqsa Flood” – including a record number of rockets fired, significant military damage inflicted, effective cyberattacks, and actual settlements reclaimed from the genocidal Zionists – marks a major shift in the power dynamic between oppressed and oppressor.

Tucson Anti War Committee organizers called for the action which brought out activists including members of Students for Justice in Palestine. The students led chants such as: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crimes!”

President Biden has already promised $8 billion more in U.S. aid to Israel and Israel has bombed Gaza in retaliation to Palestinian operations. Tucson solidarity activists will be organizing more actions in the coming days to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.

#TucsonAZ #Palestine #AntiWar #Zionism #AlAqsa

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following October 3 statement from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

Normalization with the racist, settler-colonialist, zionist entity of Israel often begins with a U.S. directive aimed at Arab regimes, as evidenced by the first attempt with the Camp David Accords in 1978, which led to a “peace” agreement between Egypt and Israel. In essence, normalization coerces Arab regimes in the region to accept their subjugated status as compliant agents, which serves the zionist agenda and its U.S. imperialist patron. In light of the fast pace of change in today’s world order, the U.S. finds it necessary to push for normalization in order to maintain its global, imperialist dominance over Arab nations and thwart their progress toward independent, modern democracies.

Therefore, the current Saudi Arabian (and previous efforts like the Abraham Accords and others) push towards normalization with the zionist enemy fundamentally signifies a recognition of the settler-colonialist state’s legitimacy and an attempt to erase our people's historical and national rights in all of Palestine. Any discussion about the so-called “two-state solution” is nothing but an attempt to stall and buy time to create new realities on the ground that will be impossible to reverse. This is when submission, surrender, and betrayal become the inherent traits of Saudi Arabia or any other Arab regime that normalizes relations with Israel. The Saudis and the other normalizers have always supported the repression of the Palestine national liberation movement, and believe that peace deals with Israel will eventually quell Palestinian resistance and bring quiet and “stability” to the region.

Within the normalization context, the zionist entity aims to establish economic, security, and political dominance over neighboring Arab nations, while extending its influence to North African nations as well. All these countries are envisioned as expansive markets for global – predominantly U.S. – capital, perpetuating their dependency and disintegration under the auspices of sell-out regimes, especially that of the most reactionary and traitorous of them all, the criminal kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Although our Arab masses reject normalization, and have been resisting it in the Gulf and other Arab nations like Egypt and Jordan for decades, these deals – brokered by a U.S. government that pays lip service to “democracy,” but promotes all the dictators (who are also, unsurprisingly, the normalizers) in the region – also allow Israel to focus its military firepower on the Palestinian people, as the militaries of the submissive and surrendering Arab states are neutralized.

#Palestine #USPCN #SaudiArabia #Zionism #Israel

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Nov. 12 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls in an urgent action for the friends of Palestine, movements for justice and liberation and the Palestinian and Arab communities everywhere in the world to stand with Gaza under attack at this critical moment. We issue this call in honor and mourning for our two heroic comrades, Mohammed al-Tatari and Mohammed Odeh, martyred today by Zionist occupation forces who attacked them as they fought for the freedom of their land, Palestine, and all of its people.

This murder at the hands of the colonial forces comes after an attack yesterday, in which Zionist forces sought to invade the Gaza Strip in an undercover operation to kidnap or assassinate leaders of the Palestinian resistance. They killed 7 Palestinians who died fighting to defend their land – but the Palestinian resistance did not let them get away with their crime. The resistance has held fast, fighting heroically against one of the most heavily armed powers in the world and striking powerful blows against the assassins and murderers.

Tonight, the bombs are once again striking Gaza. Zionist forces are shelling and bombing television stations and universities, and they are threatening to begin once more attacking hospitals. This comes as the latest vicious military assault directed against Palestinians in Gaza, after the wars of 2009, 2012 and 2014 and countless bombing raids and assassinations, amid 11 years of a brutal and relentless siege.

This attack is an attempt to suppress the achievements of the Great March of Return, in which thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have demanded their fundamental right to return and to break the siege. Against this popular movement, the Zionist forces have unleashed their snipers, taking the lives of over 200 Palestinian demonstrators. Despite all of these assaults, the Palestinian people of Gaza remain committed to the resistance, refuse to relinquish their defenders and are steadfast in the struggle for return and liberation.

Palestinians in Gaza are not alone! And they must not be left alone. This attack is not only carried out by the Israeli occupation alone, but by the imperialist powers like the United States, France and Britain that arm and support the settler colonial racist state to the hilt. The reactionary Arab regimes that plot how to dismantle Palestinian rights and existence while raining destruction and death on Yemen are also complicit in this onslaught.

Now is the time to act. Take to the streets and the squares, organize, demonstrate, protest and mobilize to stand with the Palestinian people in Gaza under attack, yet who continue to resist despite all odds. Build the boycott of Israel and confront imperialism everywhere it exists. Stand with the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian cause – the struggle for return and the fight for liberation, from the river to the sea!

#Palestine #AntiwarMovement #Gaza #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Zionism

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 5 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

June 5 marks 50 years since the defeat of 1967, which had among its most prominent results, the completion of the occupation of the rest of Palestine, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai. This occasion deepened the concept of defeat and its implication in Arab thought and practice and has sparked numerous efforts and political settlement projects under the pretext of resolving the Arab-Zionist conflict.

The defeat of June 5 came to confirm the nature and essence of the Zionist project and its aspirations for expansion, hegemony and occupation of a central area of the Arab region. This occupation included the Zionist project and its colonial and imperialist partners and allies, with shared goals, interests and ambitions in the Arab world, including the plundering of its resources, ensuring its fragmentation and continued underdevelopment. It also highlighted the weakness of the overall Arab situation, intensifying the contradictions of that situation. Despite all of these factors, it also opened the door to the intensification and escalation of the Palestinian resistance movement and popular defiance in the face of colonial aggression.

This intensification and escalation of Palestinian people’s resistance and the Arab response have shown, along with the Zionist project and its objectives of expansion, that the comprehensive and historical conflict with the Zionist enemy as a struggle for existence is not only between the Palestinian people and this enemy alone, but in essence is a conflict between the Arab nation as a whole and the Zionist project which aims at the dependence, subordination and fragmentation of this nation and the Arab homeland and the continued plundering of its resources and wealth, ensuring the security and stability of the Israeli occupation and its continued technological superiority and progress.

To the Palestinian and Arab masses…

Despite 50 years after the defeat, we continue to suffer its effects very clearly. In terms of the Zionist project, we see the continued occupation of Palestine and other Arab lands, despite numerous international resolutions that do not recognize the occupation and calling for withdrawal. In practice, colonization on the ground has increased continually since that time. The leaders of the Zionist project have continued the terror and ethnic cleansing that began before 1948 against the Palestinian people and its armies and aircraft have continued their attacks on the Arab countries. Their support for reactionary and extremist forces seeks to add new burdens and costs to the Arab situation, which suffers from division, weakness and fragmentation of the national and social fabric. This comes in accordance with the open and secret wars that are hurting all with the continued erosion and exhaustion of the Arab body with violence and pressure in political, economic and military forms to impose almost complete complacency before the imperialist project. In light of the ongoing U.S.-Zionist attacks, colonialism and occupation, we in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine emphasize:

First, rejection of the political and military outcomes of the defeat of June and all of the desperate attempts to lead the Arab-Zionist struggle to the gateway of so-called “peaceful settlement solutions” that depend on recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist entity and its existence, from Camp David through the Oslo Accords and Wadi Araba. We reject all attempts to normalize between Arab states and the Zionist enemy, part of an apparent attempt to erase the essential nature of the struggle. This is a confrontation between, on one side, the imperialist powers, the Zionist project and its tool “Israeli occupation,” and on the other, the entire Arab nation. This struggle is for the liberation of the entire land of Palestine and the return of its people who were displaced to the corners of the earth through systematic uprooting and ethnic cleansing, and for the liberation of the Arab people and control over their destiny, wealth and resources, on the road to the dismantling of the Zionist state, a state of occupation, aggression and permanent warfare against the Palestinian and Arab people.

Second, rejection of the so-called Arab-American-Islamic Summit in Riyadh and its results, which aim to distort the main contradiction in the region with the Zionist project and the Israeli state and shift the conflict to one with Iran through the formation of a so-called “Sunni”-Israeli-American alliance. This is an attempt to tailor Arab politics to the requirements of the imperialist and Zionist project and confirm the dominance of the Zionist state in the region. It also aims to target Arab and Palestinian resistance forces, which were described in this summit, in the words of US President Donald Trump as “terrorism.”

Third, confrontation of the results of this summit with the broadest official and popular Arab alliance, uniting all Arab progressive forces struggling for liberation and freedom from imperialism and Zionism in the region. This struggle requires activating the role of the Arab Progressive Front based on clear strategies and tactics and comprehensive planning.

Fourth, ending all Palestinian and Arab reliance on the path of so-called negotiations, which have proven through experience to be painful, damaging and a complete failure in achieving any Arab or Palestinian objectives. Any reliance on a positive role played by Trump confirms the continued cultivation of illusions and losing bets. This administration comes in continuation and intensification of the ongoing strategic policy of US administrations, designed to ensure the security, stability, progress and technical and military superiority of the Zionist occupation. Therefore, it will only strive to impose a political solution in conformity with a U.S./Israeli vision.

Our choice is that of the Palestinian people, resistance and struggle for national liberation and ending all forms of absurd negotiations with the Zionist enemy. This includes full commitment to the resolutions of the Palestinian Central Council and PLO Executive Committee, including the end of negotiations and security coordination with the occupation, on the road to a complete break with the Oslo agreement, its political and economic consequences and its disastrous impact on the Palestinian liberation struggle and our rights.

Fifth, prioritizing the Palestinian reconciliation file and undertaking hard work to end the division. This begins by ending all actions taken against the Gaza Strip and collective resolution of the issue of the administration committee and implementing reconciliation agreements. This also includes the rebuilding and restoration of Palestinian national institutions, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization, on the basis of national and democratic foundations. It is not acceptable to deal with these institutions as a site of exclusivity, domination and monopoly, and instead it is critical to open the field widely for all forces, institutions and social strata to participate in the management of Palestinian national affairs.

Sixth, our salutes and appreciation to the brave prisoners and their struggle in the battle for freedom and dignity that they fought for 41 days of empty stomachs, confronting the occupation and its inhumane policies. We affirm our full and continued support for the prisoners’ struggle until freedom, liberation and the return of our people to their homes, lands and homeland.

Glory to the Palestinian People, the Arab nation and the brave resistance!

Glory to the martyrs and freedom for the prisoners!

Victory is inevitable

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

June 5, 2017

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Zionism #Israel

Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-War Committee-Chicago stated, “Netanyahu called for a war with Iran. That is the clear meaning of his speech. He wants to scuttle the nuclear agreement being negotiated. He said ‘Sanctions aren’t enough.’ He falsely accused Iran of exporting violence. Everyone knows that is Israel’s role in the Middle East.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a leader of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee said, “The groundswell of pressure from people across the country to say #skipthespeech showed that more and more Americans are starting to question the tight relationship between the U.S. and Israel. Netanyahu came to sell his hatred of Iran but it backfired.”

The U.S. is the main supporter of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #Zionism #Netanyahu #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – 8000 people marched here, Aug. 10, for Gaza. This march featured solidarity speeches from activists from many Latin American nations, including Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador, because of the stand their countries have taken in support of Gaza since Israel’s murderous assault began in July.

Marchers cheered for the Palestinian delegation in the peace talks in Cairo. Emcee Muhammad Sankari urged support for the protesters arrested at the Boeing Company last month, who go to court on Tuesday, Aug. 12, to face charges of trespassing. He also announced a protest on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Chicago’s Air and Water Show against sponsor Boeing, maker of Israel’s F15 fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation

St. Paul, MN – About 40 people gathered here for Women Against Military Madness’ weekly Friday Palestine vigil, Aug. 8, at the intersection of Summit and Snelling Avenues. Protesters chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

The protest coincided with the end of the ceasefire in Palestine. Israel resumed bombing Gaza Aug. 8, killing civilians, including a 10-year-old child. Israeli occupation forces also killed a Palestinian protester during a clash near Ramallah.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #Zionism #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #IsraeliOccupation

“Disarming the resistance is out of the question, and all factions hold tight to their weapons as long as there is occupation anywhere on the land of Palestine,” said Comrade Dr. Maher al-Taher, a member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

“There are various media reports that Israel will not accept the reconstruction of Gaza except after the removal of the weapons of the resistance, and it is demanding to supervise everything that enters the Strip. We have affirmed very clearly that the idea of disarming the resistance is a pipe dream and an illusion that is unacceptable to all. It is unacceptable to even discuss this issue in principle or see it as a debatable question. It is our inalienable right to resist this occupation,” said Taher.

He noted that the Palestinian delegation is united in its insistence to lift the siege imposed on Gaza and allow free movement of goods and people. “This demand is part of the political battle, which must be addressed as competently and with as much steadfastness and clarity as the resistance has done in the military battlefield.”

#Palestine #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation #DrMaherAlTaher #MiddleEast

Durham, NC – More than 200 people rallied and marched in downtown here, July 23, to protest the Israeli occupation's assault on Gaza and the people of Palestine.

A statement from the protest organizers noted, “This most recent Israeli assault on Gaza continues to escalate and the death and casualty numbers continue to rise in a Palestinian territory that has been under a state of siege, including a blockade on building materials and other basic supplies, since 2006.” The statement continued, “We believe that Israel is committing mass murder against all people living in Gaza, using killing as a tactic of ensuring the power of the Israeli settler state and the occupation of Palestine.”

The rally kicked off with rousing speeches from activists and moving testimony from Palestinians whose families have been affected by the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. The rally was held in the busy Five Points intersection in Durham, so hundreds of passersby heard the speeches and saw the demonstration. A petition to demand justice for Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh was circulated; many people took “Support Rasmea” pamphlets home with them and activists expressed their solidarity and support for the campaign.

After the rally, a vibrant, loud march kicked off through the streets of downtown, with protesters chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “Gaza, Gaza don't you cry, Palestine will never die!”

The march went to the downtown public library, where speeches were made demanding that Durham county cut ties with G4S, a British private security company which plays a key role in Israel's occupation of Palestine. Durham County has a $1 million contract with G4S. A campaign is currently underway calling on Durham County to join the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement by not renewing the contract with G4S.

From there, the march proceeded to the downtown jail. As prisoners tapped on their windows in support, organizers spoke about the repression visited on Palestinians and the struggles to end repression of oppressed nationalities here at home.

The Durham protest is the latest in a wave of actions here in solidarity with Palestine in recent days. Three protests have been held in Carrboro, Durham and Raleigh over the last five days and on July 25 two vigils will be held in Durham.

#DurhamNC #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #attacksOnGaza #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – Hundreds of protesters stood across the street from the Israeli consulate here, July 22, shouting, “Hey, Israel, waddya say? How many kids did you kill today?” They aimed their voices at a smaller crowd that waived Israeli flags and who gathered directly in front of the consulate in a show of support for the murderous assault on Gaza over the past two weeks.

While the pro-Israel rally was only a few hundred people, compared to the 700 that came out to support the people of Gaza, that didn’t stop the Zionists from acting aggressively. According to Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestine Community Network and the citywide Coalition for Justice in Palestine, “The most rabid of them came across the street when their event ended to confront us.”

The Chicago Police Department sent their mounted police and others to face off, not with the approaching crowd from the Israeli side, but against the Palestinians and their allies. Abudayyeh said, “If our side had done that, gone across the street to disrupt the Israeli demo, the cops would’ve been all over us.”

Women leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine-Chicago led most of the rally’s chants.

After the Zionist event dispersed, the youthful protesters took off on a march across the Loop to the Chicago Tribune building. They held a die-in there to dramatize that Palestinians in Gaza are still dying under the guns, bombs and missiles of the Israeli attack.

For the Palestinian community in Chicago and the solidarity movement, Chicago won’t be quiet until the U.S.-backed siege of Gaza is over.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #HatemAbudayyeh #attacksOnGaza #USImperialism #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

On this year, Land Day marks intensified struggle on Palestinian land in its entirely. The Zionist enemy is not maneuvering toward it nor nibbling gradually at our land. The occupation has taken its occupation of Palestine to the point where it demands Palestinian and Arab recognition of the “Jewishness of the state” as the legitimate embodiment of the Zionist movement and its falsified history. It has stolen the religious term “Land of Israel” and transformed it to a geopolitical claim on the land of Palestine as the “Jewish homeland,” and is acting constantly to enact more laws and regulations to seize yet more land and displace our people, to expand settlements on every area in the land of Palestine, including Jerusalem which is specifically targeted.

The sacrifice and struggle of our people in the ’48 occupied areas on March 30, 1976, was not only a defense against the confiscation of thousands of acres of the lands of Arraba, Sakhnin and Deir Hanna, but also an expression of the collective consciousness of our people, the threat of the Zionist project against all Palestinian land, and to defend the Palestinian people and their right to live on their land.

These same meanings are embodied wherever our people mark this anniversary, adhering to the rights of the Palestinian people on the entire land of historic Palestine, the land of our ancestors, the heirs of all civilizations that passed through them, a reality that will not be changed despite all the failing attempts of the occupation state to force its recognition or to change our awareness of the land by building settlements, changing signs on the roads and renaming Palestinian towns and villages with Hebrew names.

The right of return of Palestinian refugees to their land is the core of the struggle to liberate Palestine; the insistence on this right is linked very closely to the current struggle on the ground, which requires us to center this goal in our national program and struggle and entirely reject any initiatives, negotiations or deals that undermine or detract from this fundamental right.

We also see the very serious matter that has been generated in these ongoing negotiations around the “exchange of land,” which includes recognizing the rights of “Israel” in the majority of the land of Palestine. This land is all Palestinian land and any approval of the “exchange” of one part for another means providing cover and legitimacy to the violent confiscation of our land in 1948 and the ongoing displacement of our people of the ’48 areas, and is unacceptable.

On this day, he land calls for the people to protect themselves and the land. To reject division, uphold resistance and achieve national unity, to act to bring the negotiations to an end, to confront the ongoing and comprehensive vicious attacks on our land and our people, to achieve a national program of struggle that reflects the objectives of our people, affirms their rights firmly, and adopts all means of struggle to achieve those rights.

On this day, our salutes and greetings to the masses of our people in the ’48 areas, and our salutes to the six martyrs killed on March 30, 1976 as they confronted the enemy forces that repressed demonstrations and marches that swept through cities, towns and villages of the Palestinian people in the ’48 areas in defense of the land of the Galilee. We stand together with all of our people in defense of all of our occupied land, throughout the geographical and historical land of Palestine.

Glory to the martyrs of Land Day. Glory to the martyrs of freedom. Freedom for the prisoners, and victory for our people.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation #LandDay #MiddleEast

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Dec. 30 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) PFLP: Annexation bill targeting Jordan Valley requires escalating international confrontation

The new Zionist Knesset bill annexing the Jordan Valley indicates once more that the occupation state will never allow any form of Palestinian state with full sovereignty, said Comrade Khalida Jarrar, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

It is critical to promote the international campaign to boycott the occupation state at all levels, said Jarrar, stressing the need to halt security coordination, fully activate the resistance in all its forms, end the persecution of resistance forces, and build on international solidarity at popular and official levels, in order to confront the ongoing attack on Palestinian existece.

The occupation continually imposes new facts on the ground, including the massive construction of settlements, said Jarrar, noting that the Palestinian Jordan Valley is a closed zone to Palestinians. Palestinian farmers from the Jordan Valley cannot enter their own land without a special permit from the occupation state, said Jarrar.

In an interview with Voice of the People (Sawt al-Shaab) radio station, Jarrar said that there is clearly no option in the struggle for self-determination and freedom for Palestinians but struggle and sacrifices; the futile negotiations with the Zionist entity carried out by the Palestinian Authority leadership and the PLO will lead nowhere but to greater losses for Palestinians.

Jarrar called for an immediate end to the negotiations and to develop a collective and comprehensive plan of struggle and confrontation, including political struggle at the level of international institutions – in particular, the International Criminal Court. She urged the international prosecution of the officials of the Zionist state for the crimes they commit against the Palestinian people, saying that this is an international political option that is a clear alternative to the futile and dangerous negotiations.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation #JordanValley #MiddleEast

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine welcomes the agreement on the Iranian nuclear file, and views it as a step in support of security and stability in the region, countering the advocates of occupation, war and aggression.

The essence of the conflict of the region is the Palestinian cause and the Arab-Zionist conflict, despite the efforts of the occupation and its supporters to replace these fundamental conflicts with the so-called “Iranian nuclear file” and the “Sunni-Shiite conflict.” There have been many attempts to blur this reality and to block the struggle for the Palestinian rights to return, self-determination, independence, and our capital in Jerusalem.

The Front notes that this agreement confirms that resilience and rejection of imperialism and Zionism is the only way to protect legitimate rights and interests and to open the door before the solidarity and mutual progress of the people of the region, their freedom, development, justice and human dignity.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Iran #Zionism #NuclearDisarmament #USImperialism #MiddleEast

On the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine demanded to leave the path of Oslo and negotiations. On the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords on the White House lawn in Washington, DC on September 13, 1993, which fell this year on Friday, the PFLP demanded that the Palestinian negotiating team immediately withdraw from the confidential, suspicious bilateral negotiations and instead return to the United Nations and its institutions and the implementation of relevant resolutions.

Furthermore, the Front demanded that the authority recognize and defer to the national consensus position and refuse pressure and external interventions that undermine the Palestinian position not to return to negotiations. Instead, all Palestinian political forces must prioritize confronting the occupier, building national unity, ending the division, as the method to change the balance of power in favor of the occupation, and achieve the rights of our people to freedom, independence and return.

The Front warned about the insistence of the United States and the occupation state to proceed with the confidential so-called “negotiations” and bilateral solutions away from international legitimacy, while they continue the Judaization of Jerusalem, attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, uncontrolled settlement, state terrorism and settler terror and violence.

The occupation state supports negotiations as a mechanism to cover its acts undermining Palestinian rights, including independence, return and self-determination, recognized in international law, and the Palestinian right to Jerusalem. The negotiations serve the occupation state, and the U.S. strategy to continue to dominate the region, its people, and their wealth, while undermining the culture of resistance and national steadfastness, and containing democratic processes, struggles and transformation in Arab countries.

The Front demanded that Palestinian officials, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to uphold their responsibilities and call for the UN Security Council to condemn and stop the war crimes in Palestine, settlement and ethnic cleansing, and challenge the credibility of the U.S. administration regarding the illegal settlements. Further, the Front called for Israeli officials to be pursued and held accountable in international courts, and to reflect this orientation at the General Assembly of the United Nations in September, cutting the path of the Israeli government’s manipulation, deception and disinformation on the issue of Palestine. The US and Israel seek to replace the Palestinian struggle as the core conflict in the region with the so-called Sunni-Shia conflict and the “Iranian nuclear file,” said the Front.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Zionism #Israel #Oslo #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned U.S. and Western threats and aggression against Syria, denouncing these countries’ threats to wage an illegal war and exacerbate the explosive situation in the region. The U.S. is threatening severe harm to the Syrian people and the Arab people, through a lengthy conflict that threatens its future, the sovereignty and unity and its territory, that will benefit no one but warmongers and predators of neocolonialism, domination and occupation in perpetuating the enslavement of the region, its peoples and its wealth.

The Front rejected the Zionist and imperialist aggression and external intervention in all forms and warned against the crocodile tears of the forces of war and aggression against the Syrian and Arab people, who are doing all they can to prevent a political solution that can save the people and the nation and stop the bloodshed in Syria. The same forces provide their utmost support to the occupation of Palestine and the torture of its people for over a century. The Front warned of the role of the Arab League or some Arab or Muslim states being used by the advocates of war and aggression in an attempt to provide cover for this dirty war.

The people of the region and their children will be the ones who pay for it, again and again.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Zionism #Syria #USImperialism #MiddleEast

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine again demanded an end to the renewed so-called “negotiations” on August 12, noting that the latest announcement of yet more occupation settlement construction once again reveals the deceptive nature of the so-called “peace process” as a means to mislead Palestinian, Arab and international public opinion. The Front said that the negotiations and “bilateral solutions” only contribute to building false illusions and deceiving the Palestinian people, while harming the national struggle, the unity of the Palestinian people and their political institutions, and the international solidarity movement with Palestine.

The Palestinian cause is a universal issue of justice. The destructive and dangerous negotiations only undermine our cause. Instead it is time to return to our people and their institutions and restore national unity. These negotiations are scheduled to take place under the shadow of the construction of settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, the terrorism of the settlers, the tightening of the siege on Gaza, ongoing war crimes and violations against the Palestinian land and people, as well as the manipulation of the issue of the prisoners. The negotiations serve only to support the decisions and intentions of the occupation to engage in war crimes while labeling it a “peace process.” By participating in the negotiations, Palestinian parties help to achieve the goal of the occupation.

Furthermore, the Front said that while the U.S. and European countries pay lip service to opposing settlement construction, nothing is done to hold the occupation accountable and punish it for its crimes, and it is clear that in reality the only thing that matters to these countries is that we continue to play the game of negotiations and “peace process” in service to its goals in the region and at the expense of the Palestinian people, their sacrifices and struggle.

Comrade Emad Abu Rahma, a member of the PFLP’s Central Committee said that the decision to return to negotiations was an individual one by Abu Mazen and his associates with no regard for the decisions of the Palestinian people and Palestinian institutions that rejected any return to negotiations without a total end to settlement construction, UN resolutions as a reference and the release of prisoners and detainees. Abu Rahma said that the Israeli announcement of building yet more settlement housing units reveals the entirely deceptive intent of these negotiations, which are providing political cover for settlement schemes in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.

He emphasized that this current stage is the result of the path of Oslo that must be rejected. He pointed out that the decision to return to these negotiations in light of the continued settlement construction undermines any attempt to build an international position or UN action against the settlements on the basis that the settlements are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention, in particular to hold Israel accountable in the International Criminal Court, while Palestinian officials are negotiating with the occupying. Abu Rahma said a clear position must be made to withdraw from the negotiations and instead build a program of resistance to confront the aggression.

#Palestine #PopularFrontForTheLiberationOfPalestine #Zionism #Israel #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

The following statement was initiated by Palestinian activists in North America:

SIGN ON: Email NoToNegotiations@gmail.com or use the form: http://bit.ly/NoToNegotiations

We, the undersigned Palestinians and Palestinian organizations in shatat and exile, write today to express our firm opposition to the resumption of bilateral Israeli/Palestinian negotiations under U.S. auspices in Washington DC, today, July 29.

For twenty years, the negotiations have not served Palestinian interests. Through countless sessions of futile negotiations, Israeli settlement construction has escalated, thousands of Palestinian political prisoners are held behind bars and Palestinian rights – including Palestinian refugees’ right to return – are no closer to implementation. While the Netanyahu government is planning the massive dispossession of Palestinians in the Naqab via the Prawer Plan, the negotiations serve only to provide a thin veneer of legitimacy to the aggressive policies of Israeli occupation and apartheid.

Our rights – the rights of the Palestinian people – and our land – the entire land of Palestine – are not for sale or bartering at the negotiations table. That this process is presided over by the United States government, which provides $3 billion annually in military aid to Israel, and specifically by Martin Indyk, former research director at infamous Israel lobby organization the America Israel Public Affairs Committe, only adds insult to injury and makes clear that these negotiations will bring nothing of value or benefit to the Palestinian people.

Today, we say: PA President Mahmoud Abbas does not represent us! Our rights cannot and will not be bargained away at a negotiating table in Washington, DC.

Instead, we affirm that the Palestinian people are one people and our cause is one cause. Our people have struggled for 65 years in order to achieve the liberation of the land and people of Palestine and the implementation of the right of Palestinian refugees to return their homes.

As Palestinians in shatat/diaspora, we are not being represented here, and we demand to reclaim our voice and role. We do not accept these negotiations, and our rights, our people and our land are not for sale!

SIGN ON: Email NoToNegotiations@gmail.com or use the form: http://bit.ly/NoToNegotiations

Initiating Signatories

Al-Awda NY – Palestine Right to Return Coalition Canada Palestine Association Canadian Students’ Coalition for Palestine Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Students for Justice in Palestine at Florida Atlantic University Students for Justice in Palestine at Brooklyn College Students for Justice in Palestine at Hunter College Students for Justice in Palestine at College of Staten Island Students for Justice in Palestine at John Jay College Toronto Students for Justice in Palestine US Palestinian Community Network Voice of Palestine

Abdullah Khalifeh, Vancouver, BC, Canada Amani Barakat, Moorpark, California Amer Taha, Houston, Texas Amin Husain, New York City Aya Dama, London Dr. C. Nureddin Awad, Cuba Cynthia George Taha, Bellingham Dina Omar, New Haven, CT Fadi Shbita, Montreal, Canada Falastine As-Saleh, Palestine Faten Toubasi, Toronto, Canada Feras Al-Hefnawi, USA Fuad Abboud, Calgary, Canada Ghada Talhami, Evanston, Illinois, US Ghasan Taha, Bellingham Ghassan Al-Sahli Gihad Ali, Chicago, IL Haitham Salawdeh, Wauwatisa, WI Hanaa Yosef, Lebanon Hanna Kawas, chairperson, Canada Palestine Association and co-host, Voice of Palestine Hatem Abudayyeh, Chicago, IL Hazem Ghanam, Coquitlam, BC, Canada Ida Audeh, Colorado Imad Shalbak, Bayshore, NY, USA Issam Al-Yamani, Toronto, Canada Jadallah Safa, Brazil Khaled Barakat, Vancouver, Canada Lamis J. Deek, J.D., NY/ Huwarra Nablus Palestine Marsilio Salem May Abboud, Bethesda, MD, USA Mazin Al Nahawi Monadel Herzallah, California Nahla Abdo, Canada Rabab Abdulhadi, California Rajai Ghattas, Vernon, BC, Canada Rami Alsaqqa, Vancouver, Canada Randa Kamal, San Francisco, California Rena Zuabi, Palestine Sabrina Azraq, Toronto, Canada Salma Abu Ayyash, Cambridge, MA Sana Ibrahim, USA Suleiman Hodali, Los Angeles, CA Talal A. Kanaan Yara Erian, London, Ontario Yasmeen Daher, Montreal, Canada Ziyad Zaitoun, Seattle

#UnitedStates #Palestine #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast