Brooklyn, NY – Several hundred gathered on Saturday, May 13 in Bay Ridge, commonly known as “Little Palestine,” to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Nakba.

The protest was called by Within Our Lifetime and was endorsed by several anti-imperialist organizations in New York. The afternoon began at 2 p.m. with face painting, music and vendors selling items to attendees. Despite the family-friendly atmosphere, the NYPD brought out a large number of officers trying to curtail the activities.

After a series of chants by Nerdeen Kiswani, Rude Mechanical Orchestra kept spirits militant and energized by playing revolutionary music. Kiswani continued with a speech about why pro-Palestine forces mark the day yearly, talking about the catastrophe, and emphasizing the past 75 years were marked by resistance.

The crowd continued with speeches and chants, and then later in the afternoon, a march ensued throughout Brooklyn.

#BrooklynNY #Palestine #AlNakba #MiddleEast

Los Angeles, CA – 20,000 strong, the Palestinian community and supporters throughout Southern California descended upon the West Los Angeles Wilshire Federal Building and marched to the Israeli Consulate. Protesters demanded an end to the occupation of all historical Palestine and the dismantling of apartheid by the Israeli colonial entity responsible for the terror and mass displacement of Palestinians since 1948, and for and end the violence endured by neighboring Arab countries.

For Palestinians, May 15 marks Al Nakba – Arabic for The Catastrophe. During the 1948 war, at least 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children were ruthlessly attacked, massacred and driven from their homes by Zionist terror groups, and have never been allowed to return, in violation of international law. 2021 marks 73 years of U.S.-backed Israeli land theft, occupation, and apartheid.

This year we are not talking about Al-Nakba as an historic event but one that is still ongoing. Within the past month, the Zionist entity has violently attacked Jerusalem, what Palestinians consider their capital, during the holy month of Ramadan, with a surge of violence by the Israeli Occupation during the last few days of Ramadan. Hundreds were left injured and holy sites were desecrated. Deaths were reported throughout the West Bank, while the Israeli Occupation leveraged brutal violence on Palestinians in historical Palestine. Gazan civilians were also bombed, with the death count mounting. This all comes after a year of economic strangulation and mounting harsh living conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demands at the Nakba 73 March included “Free Palestine,” “Unification of all segments of Palestinians,” and “Stop U.S. armament shipments to Israel.” Chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” and “Long Live the Intifada” – could be heard as marchers undertook the two-mile trek through the streets of West L.A. to voice their grievances at the Zionist consulate.

In attendance were various local groups and organizations. The pro-Palestinian contingent was a diverse crowd of various peoples, many of whom brought their own flags to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Among the contingent of marchers were many Palestinian flags, but also Armenian, Afghan, Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Mexican, Salvadoran, Pan-African, and Croatian flags waving in solidarity with Palestine. A counter-protest of pro-Zionists congregated a block away, but their numbers were substantially lower than that of the pro-Palestinian crowd.

The overall response of the march and rally was relatively positive, with many drivers honking their horns in support and many onlookers standing outside of their homes to cheer on the marchers.

Participating organizations included the US Palestinian Community Network, Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine, Free Democratic Palestine Movement, and Yalla Indivisible.

#LosAngelesCA #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #AlNakba #MiddleEast

Tampa, FL – On May 15, 500 members of the Palestinian community and supporters from Tampa Bay rallied to demand an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza. This year on May 15 marks the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba. Al Nakba is the day in 1948 in which at least 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes by Zionist terror groups and settlers.

Lara Abu Ghannam, an organizer of the event, stated “We’re out here today to commemorate the 73rd Al Nakba, the exodus of my people, which displaced them and made them to flee the violence of Israeli colonizers. My own family, my own mother had fled when she was a few months old to Jordan.”

Hundreds of protesters crowded on the corner of 56th and Fowler to demand an end to the Israeli occupation. Many more honked in support while driving by, their cars decorated with flags and signs in support.

Laith Abdel Hader, member of Students for Justice for Palestine at USF, states, “The momentum that we got today is unprecedented. I haven’t seen this much support for the Palestinian cause in my years of organizing and this shows how the Palestinian cause has become a mainstream issue. This brings us one step closer to liberation.”

The protesters demonstrated solidarity with the people of Palestine living under the brutal Israeli occupation. Members of the community of all backgrounds joined to show their support.

Erika Santana Melendez stated her reasoning for attending the protest, “I’m from Puerto Rico. We are absolutely connected with this issue of colonization, and if we allow the colonization of Palestinians, we allow the colonization of my people as well.”

The protesters demanded an end to the Israeli occupation. They urged the people of the United States continue showing up for protests, posting on social media, and demanding for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) of Israeli products or companies that send financial support to Israel.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #AlNakba

Grand Rapids, MI – 60 protesters gathered for a “Free Palestine, Stop U.S. Aid to Israel” protest in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 15, as the world observed Nakba Day amid continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

Organized by the Grand Rapids Anti-War Committee, the protest featured speakers from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Democratic Socialists of America, Bimose Ode, Justice for Black Lives, and local Palestinian activists.

Protesters chanted “Free, free, Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

“Joe Biden and the American government need to stop funding the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians immediately,” said organizer Olivia Lashley, “the entire world is waking up to the lies of the American and Israeli governments, and the people will no longer tolerate these atrocities.”

#GrandRapidsMI #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #AlNakba #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) commemorated the Nakba, “Catastrophe” in English, which marks the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians, and the massacre of thousands more, by Zionist militia groups in 1948, in the wake of the establishment of the settler colonial state of Israel. Palestinians and their supporters all around the world remember the Nakba every year on or around May 15.

On May 14, USPCN-New York member Suzanne Adely moderated a webinar with George Khoury, a Nakba survivor and longtime Detroit-based organizer, and Rasmea Odeh, the famous former Palestinian political prisoner who, after a politically-charged prosecution that was an attack on her organizing and the Palestine national movement as a whole, was deported from the U.S. in 2017.

After George Khoury told his powerful Nakba story, Rasmea Odeh provided a historical analysis and talked about Palestinian resistance to Israeli colonialism. Both emphasized the need to continue organizing for justice and liberation, especially in the U.S., which provides Israel over $5 billion of military and other aid per year. The U.S. under Trump has taken even more extreme steps to support the racist state, like moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, accepting Israel’s declaration of full sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is stolen Syrian land, and proposing the “Deal of the Century,” a sham peace plan that ignores all Palestinian rights.

“The Nakba taught me that whatever is taken by force, it must be taken back by force, and thus we need to organize and tell our people: Your history was denied, your future was denied. The only way to get liberation is to organize,” stated Khoury at the end of his speech.

Odeh added to Khoury’s statement: “We will accept nothing less than our right of return, and to create a democratic state on our land.”

The next day, USPCNs Chicago chapter organized a Palestinian Car Caravan, in which 75 cars and over 100 community members and allies participated.

The caravan started in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, home to one of the largest communities of Palestinians and Arabs in the U.S., and drove to the Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, where U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have offices.

Simultaneously, USPCN organized a Twitter storm, asking supporters to call their Representatives in the U.S. Congress and demand that they support the No Way to Treat a Child bill (HR 2407), which calls for Israel to stop the detention of children, and take action to end the blockade on Gaza now.

One Palestinian from Chicagoland, who is a descendant of refugees barred from returning to their homes that were stolen in 1948, declared, “The Right of Return to our homes is a must! We will never forget. We will keep on organizing and fighting until we are able to return home.”

#ChicagoIL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #SpecialCoverage #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #alNakba #Antiracism #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #USPalestinianCommunityNetworkUSPCN

Columbia Heights, MN – Just outside city limits from Northeast Minneapolis, Central Avenue was awash with Palestine flags during Friday rush hour as Palestinian-Americans and solidarity activists commemorated Al-Nakba. Nakba Day, held each year on May 15, remembers the 1948 ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of indigenous Palestinians from their national homeland by Zionist settlers. Around 60 cars and dozens of families drove in a long caravan through the heavily Arab-American neighborhood, with chants of “From the river to the sea…” echoing for blocks. The protest was one of many actions that happened internationally.

The event was organized by the Anti-War Committee (AWC) and American Muslims for Palestine-Minnesota (AMP-MN), and endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace-Twin Cities, Women Against Military Madness, and the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition. Demands included the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants; an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and a free Palestine.

Drivers and pedestrians along the busy commercial strip honked horns and flashed victory signs in solidarity with the car rally. Palestinian-Americans residing in the northern Twin Cities suburbs have held Nakba Day rallies in various forms for years.

“When you’re Palestinian, you’re fighting for Palestine from the minute you’re born,” said Mariam El-Khatib of AMP-MN in a speech as cars gathered for the rally. “Al Nakba happened 72 years ago but we live the Nakba every single day as Palestinians in the West Bank, as Palestinians in Gaza, as Palestinians in the diaspora like myself and many of the Palestinians here today.”

“There’s 72 years of Nakba but there’s also 72 years of resilience,” El-Khatib continued. “We’re going to continue to fight and we’re going to continue to resist until Palestine is free.”

Christine Hauschildt of the AWC spoke about the situation in Palestine in relation to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, explaining, “We are living in a time where most people are experiencing restrictions and isolation in order to protect our communities against the spread of COVID-19. Many of us have never felt restrictions to our movement and what we have access to, which is something the Palestinian people have suffered through for 72 years without the comforting knowledge of some kind of return to normal or living a life of safety and freedom.”

“For Palestinians, COVID-19 poses a greater threat to their health and safety than before,” she said. “Palestinians had an extremely under-resourced health system with many people unable to access adequate health care. Now that the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza have seen their first cases of COVID-19, their health systems are challenged with an even greater burden.”

About a dozen reactionaries calling themselves 3% United Patriots of Minnesota attempted to provoke the demonstrators with a counter-protest, calling Palestinian people “cockroaches,” “terrorists” and “jihadis.” The group also had recently participated in so-called ‘Liberate Minnesota’ protests against a scientific approach to the state’s pandemic response. At the Nakba Day rally, they waved Israeli flags and loudly applauded President Trump while condemning as “cowardly” the wearing of pandemic face masks. They attempted their own car caravan but after circling the parking lot with only seven cars they retreated instead to holding flags at the corner away from the parking lot.

“It’s no surprise that the same people who reject basic public health measures to control a pandemic are also bigoted supporters of a racist apartheid state like Israel,” Kent Mori of the AWC told Fight Back!. “Oppressors everywhere see the pandemic as an opportunity to go on the offensive. We see this in Palestine where Israel is poised to expand its territorial claims in the West Bank, and we see this in Minnesota where these racists thought they could drive us off the streets. On Nakba Day we showed them they’re wrong.”

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarCommittee #alNakba #AmericanMuslimsForPalestineMinnesotaAMPMN

New York, NY – Over 100 people gathered in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn on May 15 to commemorate 71 years since the Nakba, or “catastrophe.” The Nakba marks the 1948 anniversary of Israel’s expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians from their land.

The rally was organized by Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine (WOL) with speakers from other Palestinian and solidarity organizations.

The speakers emphasized that despite 71 years of occupation, the fight remains strong and that Palestine will one day be free.

Jessica Schwartz from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression echoed the call for continuous struggle for Palestine.

“Something we all here can learn from the Palestinian liberation struggle is that no enemy is too large for us. From the brave fighters of the Great Return March to Khalida Jarrar, Rasmea Odeh and Ahed Tamimi, we honor all of those who have confronted the apartheid regime of Israel, and we promise to continue fighting,” Schwartz said.

After the rally, the crowd gathered for an Iftar fundraiser, in honor of Ramadan.

#NewYorkNY #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #AlNakba #MiddleEast

Columbia Heights, MN – About 40 Palestinian-Americans, Palestine solidarity activists and immigrant rights activists rallied in Columbia Heights on May 16, to draw attention to the U.S. negative role in Palestine. Central Avenue in Columbia Heights is a main street for the Arab and Muslim community in the suburbs north of Minneapolis. The protest got a significant response from people returning home after work and shopping for food for their upcoming iftars.

The protest was the week of the 71st anniversary of Al Nakba, which is marked in Palestine and throughout the Palestinian diaspora every year.

Reem Salem, from American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota, explained the significance of Al Nakba to the crowd, “The foundation of Israel on May 14, 1948 meant hundreds of thousands of them fled or were expelled from their homes. More than 750,000 Palestinians were pushed from their homes and into refugee camps in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza strip, and neighboring countries, creating a refugee crisis that is still not resolved and its legacy remains one of the most intractable issues in ongoing peace negotiations. Palestinians’ Nakba didn’t end well in 1948, and it continues to affect more than 12 million Palestinians around the world that remain without a state, rights, or voice to defend themselves. A core Palestinian demand in peace negotiations is some kind of justice for these refugees, most commonly in the form of the ‘right to return’ to the homes of their families fled in 1948. So we demand our right to return.”

Wyatt Miller, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, tied in the demand of the right of return to Trump’s recent claim to propose a peace plan, “The details are still unclear of Trump’s plan, but we already know what it will mean. Weakened sovereignty for Palestine. More stolen land. The same pattern where previous ‘peace plans’ like the Oslo Accords are never implemented, and ultimately replaced by even worse ‘peace plans.’ Nothing for the millions of Palestinians in the diaspora who live in exile. And it will all be backed by a threat of U.S. sanctions and military force. Does that even make it a ‘peace plan’? No. This plan is just the terms of surrender that Trump will try to force onto the Palestinian people. So let’s call it what it really is: a pretext, for further occupation, more land theft, more refugees with no right of return, and no end in sight.”

All the speakers and protesters had a fiery spirit in hopes that Israeli apartheid will fall. Sara Olson, a board member of Women Against Military Madness, ended her speech, “But, like apartheid in South Africa, I believe Israeli apartheid too will fall. There are growing signs that the people of the United States are slowly coming out of their long stupor of support for an apartheid regime in Israel, just as they did for the one in South Africa. Despite attempts by both major American political parties to suppress opposition, American campaigners are refusing to bow to the truth of Israel’s increasingly far right government to further permanently steal and occupy Palestinian land, to kill Palestinians at will, and to foment regional wars in the Middle East. Israel’s leaders will continue to experience some success with their machinations in the near future, but they will one day fall and not only the Palestinians, but the rest of the world, will be better off for it.”

The protest was co-sponsored by the Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine – MN, Students for Justice in Palestine – U of MN, and Women Against Military Madness. The next action for the Minnesota Palestine solidarity movement will be at the state legislature in room G23 at 10 a.m. on May 30, to advocate for the state of Minnesota to divest from Israeli bonds.

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #US #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarCommittee #alNakba #DonaldTrump

New York, NY – Over 70 Palestinians and solidarity activists protested the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 3 in New York. The parade commemorated the 70th anniversary of Al Nakba or “the catastrophe,” when the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians led to the founding of Israel.

Pro-Palestine protesters chanted and held coffins up in the air. There were large signs with photos of the over 100 killed a few weeks ago during the Great March of Return. Protesters jeered Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio for participating. Chants included “Little kids, there’s still time, go home and Google ‘Palestine’” and “How do you spell murderer? I-D-F!”

After the rally, the protesters marched to Columbus Circle with the coffins held high and a large Palestinian flag waving in the wind, handing out flyers to educate people about Palestine.

The action was organized by the NY4Palestine coalition. To stay updated on their upcoming actions and events, follow them here https://facebook.com/NY4Palestine/.

#NewYorkNY #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #Antiracism #AlNakba #Antifascism

New York, NY – At least 900 people gathered in Times Square, May 19, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. The rally was called for by NY4Palestine, a coalition of organizations that stand for the liberation of historic Palestine.

This was the second rally held in New York by NY4Palestine members. The first was held earlier this week on the 14th in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Nerdeen Kiswani, an organizer with Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine, emceed the event from the back of a pickup truck on Broadway and 42nd Street. Her powerful voice rang through, “As one of the organizers of this rally, we have four specific demands [for] when people ask us why we’re out in the streets screaming for Palestine and what we hope to accomplish. Our first demand is the right of return and demanding an end to the 70 years of the ongoing Nakba, and the unconditional right of return to their homeland for Palestinians. Our second demand is proclaiming that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. We condemn moving the embassy moving to Al-Quds and we condemn wherever the U.S. Embassy would be, because all Palestine is Palestinian land – from the river to the sea! We support the right of all Palestinians resisting the illegal siege by Israel during the great return march. And our final demand, from the belly of the beast, from one of the most powerful countries on Earth, if not the most, that continues to fund Israel and makes it possible to continue murder Palestinians, the United States of America. We demand an end to all U.S. military aid to Israel.”

The rally continued with several speeches, including one by Jake Holtzman, from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression NY. Holtzman spoke on the connection of political repression and those organizing for liberation of Palestine.

A rabbi from Neturei Karta gave a powerful speech regarding the solidarity between Jews and the people of Palestine. He said, “How can you call Israel Judaism? Our law forbids murder and stealing, and therefore forbids occupation! Our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel are currently protesting the occupation and murder of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, and they are getting tortured for doing so! This is not Judaism and we shall continue until all Palestine is free!”

The rally ended with a march to the Israeli Consulate, where Kiswani gave a rousing cry to action to all to continue organizing.

#NewYorkNY #Palestine #AlNakba #Nakba70 #WithinOurLifetimeUnitedForPalestine #MiddleEast

Jacksonville, FL – On May 14, 25 community members rallied in front of the Duval County Courthouse to condemn the massacre of 60-plus Palestinians who took part in Great Return March protests, as well as the opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.

Activists held signs and banners while speakers delivered messages of solidarity. A little bit of rain could not dampen the spirited event. Chants at the rally included: “There is only one solution! Intifada, revolution!” “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry! Palestine will never die!” and “From Palestine to Puerto Rico, occupation has got to go!”

Sara Haj-Yahia, a co-founder of Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), made the following remarks on the rally, “It is more crucial now than ever that supporters of Palestinian national liberation act, considering that 2018 is the 70th year of the Zionist colonial occupation of Palestine,” she added, “the U.S., Israel, and its allies are all beginning to move away from their liberal facades and into more blatant policies, causing conditions to deteriorate at expedited rates.”

Activists are also planning a film screening to further educate others about the struggle for Palestinian liberation. On Friday May 18, at 6:30 p.m., JPSN will be showing the film Junction 48 at the Center for Health Disparities building of Edward Waters College, located at 1401 Grunthal Street in Jacksonville.

#JacksonvilleFL #Palestine #AlNakba #GreatMarchOfReturn #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

Minneapolis, MN – Over 100 people protested outside Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Washington Avenue in Minneapolis on May 15. The protest was originally called to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1948 Al Nakba massacre, “The Catastrophe” in Arabic, but it was overshadowed by the Israeli massacre in Gaza the day before, where at least 58 Palestinian protesters were killed by the Israeli military.

Last month, Palestinians in Gaza began “The Great Return March,” a plan to engage in six weeks of protest. The march began on Land Day, March 30, and continued to the anniversary of Al Nakba. An estimated 30,000 Palestinian men, women and children participated on the first day of demonstrations. Palestinians are camping out in tents along the northern and eastern edges of the Gaza Strip to highlight their right to return to their homes. Israeli soldiers opened fire on the unarmed protesters on Land Day and there have been casualties mounting over the six weeks. However, the May 14 attack was the deadliest since 2014, with 58 people killed and 2271 wounded.

Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) board member Sara Jane Olson was the first to address the crowd. “Today, on the anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel and, for the Palestinians, the observance of the Nakba or ‘the catastrophe,’ the world sees the colonizing and punitive aspects of the Zionist government of Israel as it was 70 years ago when it massacred itself into existence with the forcible takeover of land, and as it is today, mowing down peaceful protesters with live ammunition, demonstrating policies of political murder, continuing land theft and strangulating occupation.”

Lina Abdenabi, a Twin Cities Palestinian activist, gave a moving speech to the crowd, “Us Palestinians, we don’t have a billion-dollar lobby industry to advocate for us. And I don’t believe we need that to convince people we are on the side of truth and justice. But Zionists invest billions of dollars in trying to convince the world that Israel is a normal state, a democracy. The funny thing is, it’s not working. All this money they are spending on propaganda and yet support for Palestine is stronger and increasing every day. See, our oppressors don’t actually have a lot of allies. Israel has to have the U.S. bully and blackmail other governments into supporting it. Literally the U.S. threatens to cut off aid to countries that critique Israel. Palestinians do not have to bully other nations to support us! We have natural allies in other nations that have been colonized and we need to focus on them rather than trying to convince our enemy of our humanity. Our demands are simple. We want to return to our land – all of it – not parts of it! And we want to decide our own fate! We demand the US stop funding Israeli terror against Palestinians!”

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the U of MN won an important victory this spring. They had a successful Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) resolution pass the student body and it is now before the Board of Regents. Leila Bensaad Johnson, a member of SJP at the University of Minnesota also addressed the crowd, “We will continue to educate and promote the Palestinian narrative on campus in the U and across the U.S., but not only are people unwilling to consider the U.S.’ unwavering support to Israel, we’ve turned a blind eye and continue to support it with our taxes and complacent reporting.” The crowd got excited when she called out mainstream media coverage of the massacre in Gaza, “A massacre is not a ‘clash,’ BBC and CNN. We support the protesters in Gaza who are bringing attention to the Palestinian plight while being punished for it.”

The protest was co-sponsored by the Middle East Committee of Women Against Military Madness and the MN Anti-War Committee. It was endorsed by the MN Peace Action Coalition, Students for Democracy UMN, and MN BDS Community.

#MinneapolisMN #Palestine #AlNakba #GreatReturnMarch #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

Dallas, TX – On May 12, about 80 people with the Dallas Palestine Coalition and allies gathered at Dealey Plaza in Downtown Dallas to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, when Zionists forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes, paving the way for the creation of the apartheid state of Israel.

The Dallas Palestine Coalition held the rally and march to demand the right of return for all Palestinians, to reaffirm that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, demand an end to 11-year blockade of Gaza, and to call for freedom for all political prisoners.

Speaking to the rally at the plaza, Olinka Green, a notable African-American activist in Dallas, stated, “One thing that I want to address before I get started is that if you look at the people who were brought from Africa and you line them up right next to people of Palestine our oppression is the same. We were torn from our land; we were denied our rights as human beings. Your struggle is my struggle, I understand that, and I respect that. I would not be able to stand here and say these things if I did not respect the cause, the blood and the struggle that we share.”

After the speeches, participants marched through downtown Dallas with Palestinian flags and signs such as “End Israeli apartheid!” and “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine!” Chants included “Intifada! Intifada! Long live the Intifada!” “Displacing lives since ‘48! Nothing here to celebrate!” “Free, free Palestine!” and “Justice is our demand! No peace on stolen land!”

#DallasTX #Palestine #AlNakba #DallasPalestineCoalition #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

New York, NY – Over 200 people gathered in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a press conference, rally and march, May 14, in response to moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the historical capital of Palestine. It also marked 70 years since the Nakba, or the catastrophe, where Palestinians were driven from their homes. The protest stood in solidarity with the Great Return March, and took place right after the massacre of Palestinian protesters in Gaza.

The event started with a press conference. The organizations represented included those in the NY4Palestine coalition, as well as other organizations that support Palestine. Nerdeen Kiswani from Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine introduced the press conference, stating, “Today is a historic day in Bay Ridge, because the Palestinian community here that has existed for decades is standing up and declaring themselves as a part of the Great Return March.” Bay Ridge is a particularly symbolic location, as it has a large Palestinian population, and is nicknamed “Little Palestine.”

After the press conference, the crowd rallied and then marched around the neighborhood. Protesters led chants and waved Palestinian flags, receiving attention from residents in the area.

The action was organized by NY4Palestine and was a lead-up event to Nakba Day 2018: Great Return March protest set for Friday May 18 at 3 p.m. in Times Square. For more details about that action, visit the Facebook event page here.

#NewYorkNY #Palestine #AlNakba #WithinOurLifetime #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

The Great March of Return is a series of weekly militant marches to the Gaza Strip barrier that has been going on for the past six weeks. This action aims to see Palestinians take back the land that was violently seized by Zionists decades ago. Already in the past six weeks, 53 people have been killed and 8500 injured. The latest massacre coincides with a larger march commemorating Al Nakba and the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Al-Nakba refers to the period in 1948 when many hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced off their land by Israel, just before the official creation of the apartheid state of Israel.

The right of return is the principle that Palestinians and their descendants have an inalienable right to return to the homeland they were forced to flee. The right of return is recognized by international law as the right of all refugees. It is a central element of the Palestinian resistance to Zionist occupation and the struggle for liberation.

FRSO also condemns the vile decision by Donald Trump to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This calculated move against Palestinian self-determination has been met with harsh criticism around the world. It is no coincidence that the official opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on the eve of Al-Nakba has seen increased violence by the Zionists less than 40 miles from the opening ceremony.

FRSO calls for all those who love peace and justice to protest the Zionist aggression and U.S. support for the apartheid state of Israel. The people of the world stand in full solidarity with Palestine and against Israeli terror and bloodshed. We see the liberation of Palestine.

From the river to the sea – Palestine will be free! Long live Palestine!

#UnitedStates #Palestine #Jerusalem #AlNakba #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – On Friday evening, May 11, 500 Palestinians and their supporters marched on the Israeli consulate in Chicago. For the consulate staff, no chant could have unnerved them more than, “Netanyahu, you will learn. By the millions we’ll return!”

When the protesters rallied earlier that afternoon, they were greeted by Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. Speaking on behalf of the sponsor of the protest, the Coalition for Justice in Palestine, he said, “May 15 marks 70 years since Al Nakba, the Catastrophe, when the settler, colonial state of Israel was formed, and when almost 800,000 Palestinians were forced into exile.” He also said, “Tonight we are calling for our Right of Return, but we are also here to condemn the Israeli attacks on the Great Return March in Gaza. Already 53 Palestinians have been killed and over 8500 injured. The Israelis have fired live bullets and teargas into massive crowds of unarmed protesters.”

The right of refugees to return has been denied by the racist state of Israel and its main backer, U.S. imperialism, since 1948. During Al Nakba, Zionist armies also took the lives of 13,000 Palestinians. The anniversary is being met with a level of sustained mass resistance not seen since the Second Intifada, or uprising, which ended in 2005. Since March 30, the anniversary called Land Day in Palestine, tens of thousands of people from Gaza have taken part in the Great Return March.

When Jazmine Salas of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stood before the crowd, she called out, “From Chicago to Palestine, occupation is a crime!”

In describing this, she talked about the Chicago Police Department, “We know that CPD is an occupier of our communities – they harass and racially profile Black and brown youth, commit violence and shoot innocent folks with impunity, just like the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces].

“The Palestinian liberation struggle is linked with the Black liberation struggle and the struggle for the liberation of all oppressed nations. That’s why we stand with the Palestinian community – that’s why we stood with Rasmea Odeh during her trial. We are committed to fighting shoulder to shoulder until Palestine is free.”

The earlier rally also included remarks by Dick Reilly, longtime leader of the movement in solidarity with Palestine in the U.S., and former director of the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the late 1970s to the 1990s. Reilly reminded people, “40 years ago, we used to raise a chant about the long-term struggle to free Palestine: ‘Generation after generation, until total liberation!’” The rally roared back its approval of this memory, the reality of which could be seen in the faces looking at Reilly, some from the generation of the 70s, but mostly youth, including many from Students for Justice in Palestine.

The staff in the Israeli consulate have good reason to be concerned about the protest, because on May 15, hundreds of thousands are expected to protest in all of occupied Palestine, and in hundreds of cities across the world. They are also rallying to oppose the Trump administration moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on that same day, a move which is opposed by virtually every other country in the United Nations, showing clearly the isolation faced by the apartheid state of Israel, and the growing support for the just cause of the Palestinians.

#ChicagoIL #Palestine #AlNakba #Nakba70 #MiddleEast

Minneapolis, MN – Protesters stood outside the offices of Senator Amy Klobuchar, April 10, to call attention to the Palestinians being killed by the Israeli military. This emergency bannering comes as Palestinians are being killed during the Great March of Return, which began on Land Day, March 30, and will continue for six weeks until Al Nakba on May 15.

A statement from protest organizer, the Anti-War Committee, said, “It has been 70 years since the Deir Yassin massacre. In 1948, the Palestinian village was attacked by Israeli commandos and 100 women, men and children were slaughtered. Every year Palestinians demand the right to return to their homeland, but this year it coincides with a growing resistance movement in Gaza. We want folks in the Twin Cities to join us and stand in solidarity with Palestine to demand an end to U.S. support for Israel's war crimes.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, speaking for the MN Anti-War Committee, addressed the crowd of 25 people, “Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre. Today Palestinians are still protesting for the right to return to their homeland while they are shot at by snipers with live ammunition, are shot at with rubber bullets, and are tear gassed. We are here to draw attention to the recent Israeli military attacks on the Great March of Return in Gaza and to call for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.”

Aby-Keirstead continued, “Not only is the Israeli occupation of Palestine immoral, we are subsidizing it! According to the Congressional Budget Office the U.S. has provided Israel $134.7 billion in assistance and missile defense funding. Almost all U.S. aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance.”

Senator Klobuchar was unwilling to meet with the Anti-War Committee on April 10 and the committee plans to continue to pressure their senators to end U.S. aid to Israel and to demand freedom for Palestine.

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Palestinian Americans and solidarity activists gathered in front of the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale waving Palestinian flags and wearing black, with kaffiyehs wrapped around their necks. Activists brought a large wooden coffin for a funeral service to remember the victims of Israeli occupation and terror. The coffin had a large Palestinian flag and a picture of the Al Aqsa mosque draped over it.

Attendees read out first-hand accounts from those Palestinians ethnically cleansed by Israeli colonists. Activists then heard testimonies from their children and grandchildren, who have since been denied entry to their homeland.

Cassia Laham, an organizer with POWIR, told the crowd, “Nakba is the ongoing plight of the Palestinian people. Nakba is the catastrophic U.S. foreign policy that continues to bolster up Israeli power in the Middles East. Nakba is the fact that Americans with no attachment to Palestine get to visit and live in that land for free while Palestinians are kept out. Nakba is millions of U.S. dollars and tons of weapons being sent to Israel to use against Palestinians each year. Over the past seven decades, Palestinians have faced a continuing Nakba, constant catastrophe, occupation and violence. They have faced their own suffering, and time and time again risen up after it all. The people of Palestine are a brave and fighting people, who deserve our solidarity! Long live Palestine!”

Anas Amireh, lead organizer with Al-Awda South Florida, told the crowd, “Not only were Palestinians forced off their land and out of their homes in 1948, but again after the war in June of 1967 [the Naksa].” He explained, “The Naksa is often commemorated as the biggest Palestinian tragedy since ’48, although it is celebrated in Israel as a national holiday. During the Naksa in 1967, around 400,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes and became refugees. June 5 is marked as the day that the Israeli military began their occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. That military occupation continues to this day.”

Amireh told the crowd, “Today, we are all gathered here because we are awake. We are the people who understand that Nakba and Naksa and occupation continue every day, even when there isn’t a big war or Israeli massacre in Gaza or thousands of people dying. We know that we have to keep fighting to end this ongoing Nakba. And today we are sad, but one day in the future, we will all gather in this spot again and celebrate a free Palestine!”

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Minneapolis, MN – About 40 people joined the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee, May 15, for its annual remembrance of Al-Nakba, or “the catastrophe” that occurred in 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes.

Austin Jensen, of the Anti-War Committee (AWC) told the crowd that gathered in Loring Park, “Since 1948 the U.S. has given over $121 billion in aid to Israel. So what are the plans for 2018? Well, Obama has been offering the largest single pledge of military assistance ever offered in U.S. history. This aid package would see U.S. aid jump to $40 billion in another installment that would last ten years. So what does Israel choose to do with all this aid? It is used to maintain and fuel Israel's occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their own land.”

Burhan Isaaq stated, “It is an injustice to witness the murder of children and families. As we march on another stolen land, where the poor and oppressed are occupied in private for-profit prisons, where Black people are killed unarmed by state agents and in a country that aids and supplies a terrorist state like Israel with tax dollars- they also manufacture plots to arrest and build conspiracy charges against its Muslim immigrant population.” Isaaq also urged participants to support the three Somali youth who are now facing trial.

Other speakers included Sarah Martin from Women Against Military Madness, who addressed each of the major parties' candidates' stances on U.S. aid to Israel; Craig Wood from Veterans for Peace; Sophia Hansen-Day from the Anti-War Committee, who talked about Rasmea Odeh’s case and urged people to go to her Detroit hearing in June, and Sabry Wazwaz from the AWC who urged people to stay involved in the movement.

The rally was followed by a community march through the Loring Park neighborhood.

Al-Nakba is an annual commemoration of the displacement of Palestinians and the subsequent denial of the right to return to their homes. Palestinians have been under Israeli occupation for 68 years. The protest is one of many throughout the world from Ni’lin and Ramallah in Palestine to New York City.

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Al-Nakba is an annual commemoration of the displacement of Palestinians and the subsequent denial of the right to return to their homes. Palestinians have been under Israeli occupation for 68 years. The protest is one of many throughout the world from Ni’lin and Ramallah in Palestine to New York City.

Elizabeth Showalter, a spokesperson for the Anti-War Committee, explains, “Al-Nakba reminds us that Palestinians have been stripped of their rights for decades. 68 years of displacement and oppression is too long. It is time for the U.S. government to recognize that Israel is an apartheid state and end aid to Israel.”

The Anti-War Committee will be joined by Women Against Military Madness, American Muslims for Palestine, Al-Aqsa Institue of Minnesota, Middle East Peace Now, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, Native Lives Matter, Students for Justice in Palestine-UMN, Students for a Democratic Society-UMN, Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, and the Welfare Rights Committee.

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