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Tell Congress: No More "Aid" to Israel! |
Dear friend,
Today, May 15th, marks 75 years of ongoing ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel. On this day each year, Palestinians and their allies around the world mark the Nakba, or Catastrophe, which was a series of mass atrocities by Zionist forces, including over 70 massacres, that resulted in the murder of over 15,000 Palestinians, and the violent expulsion of over 750,000 more to establish the state of Israel in 1948. Despite ongoing violence, the US government continues to give Israel billions of our tax dollars every year.
Tell your Representatives you do not want your money funding violence against Palestinians!
The Nakba isn’t an event that ended in 1948, rather, it continues every day as Palestinians are expelled from their homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be replaced by illegal Jewish-only settlements. Every year, US taxpayers send $3.8 billion to arm Palestine’s occupiers and aid in the continued Nakba.
By ripping Palestinians from their homes in 1948, Zionist forces became responsible for creating and sustaining one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Many of these families were displaced to Gaza and the West Bank, living as refugees in their own country. Others were exiled from their homeland entirely and are denied their right to return to this day. Many Palestinians still have the keys to their homes that were demolished by Zionist settlers or, in places like Haifa and other cities, stand to this day with settlers living in them.
As you observe Nakba Day this year and read the stories of Palestinians, set the intention to truly connect to what you’re reading. Understand that this is not some abstract history, but a reality that exists today. Palestinians still experience the repercussions of the Nakba, it’s not a memory to us.
To take action for Palestine, tell your members of Congress to stop arming Israel!
The ongoing Nakba has taken thousands of lives since 1948, including the life of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was killed by Israel one year ago this month. The ongoing Nakba is checkpoints that restrict the movement of Palestinians on their homeland. It’s Israel's continued bombing of Gaza, banning of Palestinian flags, and murdering of journalists, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons and friends. And the US government forces its citizens to foot the bill for it.
The Nakba is alive, and it’s not just Palestinians that have a stake in it, this is a global issue. Palestinians have been displaced all over the world, which means you may know someone directly affected by the Nakba. For those of us that live in the US, the Nakba is something we participate in through our tax dollars. Our government is the biggest funder of the illegal Israeli apartheid state. We must hold them accountable for backing ethnic cleansing and occupation for decades.
Move towards peace and liberation in your everyday actions. Embody the struggle, and intend for your actions to reflect the type of world you want to live in. Support BDS and pledge to resist the occupation every opportunity you have. Tell the U.S. Congress: No More Aid to Israel! We owe it to Palestine, and we owe it to ourselves.
Until liberation,
Nour and the entire CODEPINK team
P.S. I urge you to plug in to local organizing that may be happening in your city. Some organizations to check are American Muslims for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Palestinian Youth Movement.
