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