Brooklyn, NY – Forty activists and community members gathered in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on November 17 in response to the Palestinian protesters killed and wounded in Gaza this past week. The Palestinian protesters were part of the Great Return March, and were met by Israeli Occupation Forces at the border.

To start off the event, the names of seven murdered by Israel were read aloud, followed by a moment of silence. The crowd then chanted and heard from different speakers.

Despite the fact that numerous Palestinians were murdered, continuous protesting has resulted in some setbacks for Israel. Nerdeen Kiswani from Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine emphasized how Israel has been forced to make concessions because of the resistance, including a ceasefire on Palestinian terms.

“They were so humiliated that the Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman actually resigned,” said Kiswani.

Other organizations, such as Project Solidarity and Committee to Stop FBI Repression, made the connection between what’s happening in Palestine to U.S. wars abroad, the migrant caravan, and the NYPD. They also emphasized the need for continued organization for Palestine and other movements.

The call was put out by NY4Palestine, a coalition of Palestine and solidarity organizations.

#BrooklynNY #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #NY4Palestine #GreatReturnMarch #CommitteeToStopFBIRepressionNYC

More 200 unarmed Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded since the onset of the Great Return March demonstrations.

The Trump administration has constantly backed the Israeli occupation’s systematic murder of Palestinian demonstrators.

#GazaPalestine #Gaza #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #GreatReturnMarch

USPCN celebrates, with all Palestinians throughout the diaspora and in the homeland, this morning’s release of beloved youth resistance icon Ahed Tamimi, and her mother Nariman, from Israel’s occupation jails. We send our warmest greetings to the Tamimi family, some of whom we met on our recent delegation to Palestine, and salute all of our political prisoners and their families for their sacrifices and steadfastness.

Israeli occupation forces arrested and detained Ahed over 18 months ago for “suspected assault of an IDF soldier,” during a night raid of her home. Nariman was arrested later after trying to visit Ahed to be with her during the Israeli interrogation. Moments before the confrontation that prompted the arrest, soldiers had both fired tear gas at Ahed’s home and shot her cousin Mohammad in the face with a rubber bullet. The Tamimis’ village of Nabi Saleh is under constant Israeli assault, and is one of the centers of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank. The entire family has organized popular protests there for years.

Ahed Tamimi is a strong symbol of Palestinian anti-colonial resistance for unapologetically defending her land, people, and dignity. Despite harsh repression against her entire family, she never compromised on the right to resist. And no matter how much the racist Israeli occupier state attempts to criminalize Palestinian resistance, its continued jailing and killing of Palestinians, especially outspoken youth like Ahed, has only galvanized international support for the liberation of Palestine.

According to the Defense of Children International-Palestine Section (DCIP), 70% of Palestinians Ahed’s age (12-17 years old) are arrested for throwing stones, and are then subjected to various forms of abuse, coercion into signing false confessions, and denial of basic prisoner rights. The occupation jail system indiscriminately applies military court and prison practices to approximately 5,900 Palestinian political prisoners overall, 5% of whom are children like Ahed. Nevertheless, those imprisoned are tireless fighters, organizers, movement builders, and youth who inspire those on the outside, as well as Palestinians everywhere, to continue resisting and demanding freedom and dignity.

This is a critical moment in Palestine, marked by the repression against the #GreatReturnMarch (in which 150 Palestinians have been massacred by Israel, and over 14,000 injured) and the new military attacks on Gaza, the continued political assault on occupied Jerusalem, and the escalation of violence by illegal settlers (with the support and protection of Israel’s military) against Palestinians across the West Bank.

Today’s release of Ahed and Nariman comes in the wake of this increased Israeli terrorism against our people, and so as we welcome them home with pride and happiness, we also call upon Palestinians and supporters here in the U.S. to continue to educate and organize, and to demand that our elected officials condemn Israel’s crimes.

And contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives, and call on them to demand freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli and Palestinian Authority jails!

Until Liberation & Return,

USPCN July 29, 2018

#Palestine #USPCN #AhedTamimi #MiddleEast

Saint Paul, MN – On June 8, over 50 people protested at a busy street corner in Saint Paul, supporting the mass demonstrations in Gaza which have exposed the viciousness of occupation and siege under Israel.

Called by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), Middle East Committee, and the Anti-War Committee, the protest was quickly endorsed by other community organizations including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR MN), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP-MN), and the MN BDS community. This protest, and others like it across the world, were in response to the call by Palestinians (specifically the National Committee for the Return and Breaking-the-Siege Marches) for international solidarity actions supporting the heroic Palestinian people’s struggle against Israeli occupation.

Mary Beaudoin of WAMM said, “The Israeli government views its periodic mass killings of Palestinians, ‘mowing the grass.’” Beaudoin further stated that the people of Gaza faced two choices, “to die slowly one at a time, trapped and imprisoned under siege in a small strip of land where the infrastructure has been destroyed, or to protest, letting the world know of their suffering.”

The #GreatReturnMarch rallies in Gaza that began March 30. The June 8 violence by Israel resulted in the killing of four more unarmed Palestinians and over 600 wounded. Since the Great Return March began, 125 unarmed Palestinians have been killed and over 13,000 wounded. Israel’s rampage has resulted in a worldwide outpouring of support for the Palestinian people. This could be seen in the overwhelming support of passersby – both on foot and in traffic – at the protest on Snelling and Summit Avenues. One bike rider making several passes, leading the “Viva, viva, Palestina!” chant.

The U.S. governments gives over $10 million a day in foreign aid to Israel. This foreign aid is 20% of Israel’s military budget and is one of the primary supports that allows Israel to continue the murderous occupation of the Palestinian people and their homeland.

The U.S. government’s support for the occupation is generating resistance. As the Anti-War Committee’s Meredith Aby-Keirstead stated, “Public opinion, within the U.S. and internationally, is growing against U.S. support for Israel. Despite the U.S. efforts to provide diplomatic cover for Israel's recent massacres of Palestinians protesting for the right of return in Gaza, people are speaking out against the Israeli military. And the Palestinians aren't backing down. Our job is keep up this pressure so that we can end the $10 million a day the U.S. government pays Israel, and which funds these massacres.”

At the end of the protest, Aby-Keirstead announced upcoming actions to continue the demand for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. She invited the crowd to an Action Planning meeting on June 11, at the CAIR office in Bethany Lutheran Church, to plan for a Free Palestine Interstate 35W bridge protest action on June 12, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

#SaintPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #AntiWarCommittee #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #WAMM #CAIR

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

New York, NY – Around 30 protesters gathered in Washington Square Park, April 20 to stand in solidarity with Palestinians protesting on the border of Gaza.

This is the fourth week in a row that protesters have gathered to support their allies abroad during the Great Return March. The protest was called for by the group Within Our Lifetime. Palestinians have said that they will march for six weeks leading up to Nakba Day.

There were rounds of speeches and chants, along the lines of “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”

In the middle of the rally, a contingent of activists from a different protest joined in solidarity. The other protest was for the deportation of human rights activist, Jerome Aba. Aba was detained by the U.S. government for 24 hours before he was deported. During this time, he had to suffer inhumane treatment and torture.

The two groups began chanting together and the speeches drew connections to both causes.

Jessica Schwartz, an organizer with the Committee to Stop FBI NYC, said, “It is extremely fitting that the women’s committee put out a call for action, because women are often times at the forefront of struggle and face added violence under imperialism.

“Along with those brave fighters being targeted and killed in Palestine, Palestinians in the U.S. face repression for merely speaking out against their people’s oppression. Rasmea Odeh was deported to Jordan after a years long battle with the U.S. after being found guilty of trumped up charges. This was not merely an immigration case, it was a meticulous attack on her as an activist.”

The protest ended with a group picture and chants that spoke towards the further liberation of Palestine.

#NewYorkNY #AntiwarMovement #Gaza #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #NYC #GreatReturnMarch #WashingtonSquarePark #MarchOfGreatReturn #MiddleEast

New York, NY – Around 50 people gathered in Union Square April 13 to stand in solidarity with the third week of Palestinians protesting on the border of Gaza.

The protest in Gaza is called “The Great Return March” and it’s a six-week action leading up to the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. The Nakba is the 1948 Palestinian exodus, which literally means the “disaster” or “catastrophe”. More than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were expelled out of their homes during the 1948 war for the Zionist occupation of Palestine.

The people of Palestine have fought militantly for their land and freedom. The Great Return March is a testament to their powerful history.

The rally, called by Within Our Lifetime and Palestinian Youth Movement, was spirited and active as people chanted and gave speeches. Protesters in New York will continue protesting and standing in solidarity with Palestine until May 18, where there will be a march to commemorate Nakba Day.

#NewYorkNY #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #Antifascism #GreatReturnMarch