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FAQs Debunking Misinformation About Palestine

CODEPINK believes peace comes with justice. Our work for peace envisions a world free from all forms of violence, oppression, injustice and war.

We know that the constant information barrage can be hard to sift through—and we know this is a contentious issue to discuss with friends and family. We’ve taken the last few days to compile useful resources and answer frequently asked questions that we have been getting from you all. 

Q: Do Palestinians in Gaza have a right to defend themselves?

Yes. Read below for context.


Q: Will resistance from Gaza cause more violence?

Palestinians have suffered Israeli violence for the past 75 years, whether or not Hamas has launched attacks. The violence must be understood in the context of resistance to a 75-year Israeli occupation, in which a Jewish state was violently established on stolen Palestinian land in 1947-1948. This is the time the Palestinians mourn as The Nakba or catastrophe—an ethnic cleansing that saw Zionist militias massacre and burn to the ground over 500 villages. Their villages in flames, their families threatened, nearly a million Palestinians fled for their lives–only to learn that Israel would forever bar their right of return while granting Israeli citizenship or “birthright” to virtually any Jew anywhere in the world.  

The State of Israel was founded on the crimes of dispossession, displacement and erasure–sold to the US public on the post-WWII lie that Israel was “a land without a people for a people without a land.” In truth, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, over 700-thousand Palestinians, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived for many decades in peace amid rows and rows of olive trees. For nearly a century, Israel has routinely violated Palestinian human rights with ever-expanding settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, apartheid roads and walls, indefinite detention of Palestinians, many of them children, and imprisonment by air, land, and sea in Gaza. Whether or not Hamas launches attacks on Israel, the violence against Palestinians has been relentless and deliberate, prompting an occupied and subjugated people to rebel. The occupation in itself is the highest form of violence imaginable.


Q: How has Israel imposed collective punishment on Gaza?

Since the siege on Gaza began the second week in October, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, indiscriminately laying siege to the Gaza Strip and terrorizing 2.3 million people who have nowhere to escape the bombing. With Israeli control over ingress and egress, Gazans are denied access to clean water, food, medicine and fuel in a densely populated 25-mile long area the United Nations had already deemed uninhabitable.  Israel tells millions of people to leave their homes in northern Gaza to seek refuge in southern Gaza, only to bomb the refugees as they walk for hours, their starving children in tow. This is further proof that the Nakba is ongoing as Palestinians are, once again, driven en masse from their homes for which Israel may, in violation of international law, deny them the right to return. Every day more lives are lost or irrevocably altered through injury, trauma, and loss. 


Q: Why don’t other Arab countries just accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza? 

Historically, Palestinians expelled from their homeland by Israel have been denied the right to return. Mainly, Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan fear that Palestinians seeking refuge in their respective countries will be denied their right to return to Gaza after Israel’s bombardment ceases. Furthermore, another mass exodus of Palestinians would give way for Israel to justify the nullification of Palestinians’ demand for statehood. This would also facilitate Israel’s goal of the total theft of Palestinian land.

Additionally, Israel has closed all of Gaza’s borders, barring anyone from entering or exiting without Israel’s permission, and thousands of dollars. 


Q: This is being reported as Israel’s 9/11, why?

The resistance in Palestine is being reported this way in order to achieve the same goals as the rhetoric used during 9/11—-to justify indiscriminate and brutal attacks on Palestinians everywhere. This is the same rhetoric used to justify the War on Terror, which, according to the Brown University Cost of War Project, left over 4.5 million people dead, and millions more displaced. Therefore, we know how dangerous the consequences of this rhetoric are. We see this happening with the current horrific siege on Gaza that has already murdered thousands of Palestinians, wounded thousands more, and displaced over a million. Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to turn Gaza “into rubble” and the 2 million people living there—over 50% of whom are children, have been left without water, food, medicine or electricity.


Q: How do I avoid misinformation on Palestine? 

There is plenty of misinformation/unverified news circulating around the Israeli siege of Palestine. For example, the President of the United States Joe Biden, in a televised news conference, spread misinformation when he wrongly “confirmed” the beheading of children by Hamas. Promptly afterwards, the White House issued a statement denying that those acts of violence against children had been verified at all. Sources like CNN also issued retractions of similar claims stating that Israel itself was not confirming this had happened. News outlets often leave up unverified claims and post retractions underneath- so always look for retractions before sharing. Do not share or react to unverified reports from anonymous “high-level” sources. 

Here are steps you can take to avoid misinformation: 

  • Don’t share something without fact-checking- even if it's a “reputable” outlet like CNN. Are multiple sources reporting on it? 
  • Look for the sources the outlets are citing. Are the sources reliable? Israeli military and government officials are not reliable; neither are officials with the White House, State Department or Pentagon  
  • Think about and ask questions about the agenda of the report or reporters. Many news outlets tailor their stories to specific audiences. Ask yourself, “Who is the audience for this program? Who benefits from this story? What emotions is it supposed to evoke?  On whose behalf?
  • View stories intended to evoke emotion carefully and be more thoughtful in asking all the questions above.

Q: How can you be feminist and progressive and support Palestine? 

Occupation isn’t feminist. Settler colonialism isn’t feminist. Colonialism is a patriarchal system that oppresses women and men all over the world. Israel routinely pink-washes its apartheid by virtue signaling Israel’s treatment of women while using Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian tropes to describe the status of Palestinian women. However, the Israeli occupation is the biggest purveyor of violence against the Palestinian women it oppresses under occupation.


 Q: If Palestinians have a right to defend themselves, why doesn’t Israel?

International law is clear and unequivocal that an occupying power, or a power denying a people the right to self-determination does not have the right to use armed force to perpetuate its occupation. By definition, Israel cannot act “defensively” as an oppressor — oppression is an offensive act. Israel cannot “defend” itself against an oppressed people; Israel’s use of violence only enforces an oppressive occupation. Conversely, Palestinians resisting their oppression act defensively, as they have been victims of offensive attacks by Israel since its illegitimate inception in 1948. 

Remember, Israel is occupying Palestinian territories in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and of UN Security Council resolution 242 (1967) and other resolutions. The UN, the US and the world have failed to enforce international law or UNSC resolutions, or to take any effective action to end Israel's illegal occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. So the Palestinians have every right to keep resisting. On the other hand, Israel has no such right to repeatedly attack Gaza or any of the Palestinian territories, which it has occupied and tried to control by the illegal use of force, and ultimately to annex.


Q: What’s happening in the West Bank, and the rest of Palestine?

The West Bank, Jerusalem, and all other Palestinian land stolen by Israel in 1948 are occupied by Israel and are subject to the Israeli government’s control. Palestinians living 48*, the West Bank, and Jerusalem all have different IDs, license plates, roads they’re allowed to travel on, and rules imposed on them. They are also forced to cross through the hundreds of checkpoints throughout Palestine — manned by armed Israeli soldiers — almost every time they leave their homes. At these checkpoints, Palestinians are subject to long lines, searches, beatings, and sexual harassment. Oftentimes checkpoints are closed without notice  and Palestinians are turned away. It is not abnormal for women to give birth at the checkpoints due to deliberate delays caused by the occupation military. This restriction of movement on Palestinians in their homeland is one of the most significant ways Israel imposes itself on the daily lives of Palestinians. 

Palestinians outside of Gaza face violence by Israeli settlers, backed by the Israeli military, on a near daily basis. Settlers beat Palestinians, riot through Palestinian villages, steal and harm cattle and crops, and steal Palestinian land. The constant expansion of Israeli settlements has minimized Palestinian land to less than 60% of what originally existed. 

Due to high Israeli military presence in Palestine, Palestinians are constantly at risk of indiscriminate violence and arrests(kidnapping). Palestinian boys and men are especially at risk of unwarranted arrests, and are routinely arrested by the Israeli military once they reach their teenage years. 

*Land stolen in 1948 to establish the state of Israel is referred to by Palestinians as 48 territory, or 48. 


Q: What is the solution to ending the violence in Palestine?

In order for this violence to end, the occupation must end. Israel is the oppressor and has created the circumstances for an oppressed people to be designated as such. As long as Palestinians are violently denied their right to their homes, their land, and their self-determination, the violence will continue and will be disproportionately used against Palestinians. Militant resistance has not been the only tactic of the Palestinian resistance movement — Palestinians have always used a variety of approaches to fight for their own liberation. Militant resistance arises from conditions where all measures of nonviolent resistance have been squashed by the occupying government. It is the responsibility of us living in the United States to promote the end of occupation and thus an end to all the violence.


Q: How is Palestine different from Ukraine?

Ukraine is a US/NATO proxy in a war to subdue and control Russia as a superpower rival to the United States, whereas Palestine is occupied and under genocidal siege by Israel, a Zionist settler-colonial project funded and armed by the United States. The United States wants to control the people and the resources of both Russia and the Middle East while it pivots to Asia to confront China, an emerging economic powerhouse.

In short, the US wants to dominate the world and remain the sole superpower.

Background

Ukraine, part of Russia for 200 years, has been divided between nationalist Ukrainians in the East and ethnic Russians in the West ever since World War II when the West sided with Nazi Germany and the East sided with the Soviet Union, leaving Ukraine vulnerable as a potential US/NATO proxy in a war against Russia.

The war in Ukraine dates back to 2014 when the US supported a right-wing coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ukraine. The coup triggered a civil war in eastern Ukraine where ethnic Russians rejected the drive for Ukrainian homogeneity under the banner of nationalism, sought separation from Ukraine and fought with the Ukrainian military and fascist militias. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 after repeatedly warning the US not to expand NATO, a nuclear-armed alliance, to Russia’s border. The US ignored the warnings and for decades refused to negotiate with Russia to curb NATO expansion.

The occupation of Palestine dates back to 1948, if not decades earlier, when Zionist terrorist militias destroyed over 500 Palestinian villages, murdered thousands of Palestinians, and expelled over 750,000 more, denying them the right to return to their homeland, in what is known as The Nakba or The Catastrophe. Today, the Nakba continues. Israel has already killed or wounded well over 100,000 Palestinians with US weapons including 50,000 tons of bombs, missiles and attack jets. Despite the International Court of Justice ruling Israel is plausibly committing genocide, the US continues  to send billions of dollars in arms for Israel to destroy Palestinian neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, universities, refugee camps, and escape routes, while imposing mass starvation on 2.3 million people.


Q: What can I do from abroad?

It is important to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and the liberation of Palestine from Israel’s occupation. Demonstrate in the streets, occupy lawmakers’ offices and petition your government to quit funding the illegal occupation of Palestine through security and military aid packages that sustain and enforce settler-colonial oppression . Since your tax dollars are funding the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, you have the right to redress your government to end its support of Israel’s gross human rights violations. Each year the United States spends nearly $4 billion in taxpayer dollars to fund the Israeli occupation. All current military aid to Israel is part of the 10-year, $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Israel signed with the US in 2016. The United States has given Israel more than $260 billion in combined military and economic aid since World War I. That’s the most granted to any country during that time frame


Q: What are some actions I can take?

✍️ Join us in Telling the Women of the Senate: ARMS EMBARGO NOW!

In a union? Organize your local to join the growing list of labor unions calling for a ceasefire! 

Join our Mothers Against Genocide community page

Expose Elbit Systems - flyer your neighborhood! 

Read Stories of Palestinian Martyrs

Join an Action near you!


Q: What are some videos I can share with my friends and family? 

The Greater Context of the Genocide in Gaza

Gaza Fights for Freedom (Documentary)

The Historical Roots of Christian Zionism, its Theological Basis and Political Agenda

Watch Born in Gaza (Netflix required)

Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK interview 

Democracy Now Interview with Mohammed El-Kurd  

Democracy Now interview with Refaat Alareer


Q: Where can I donate to support Palestinians?

CODEPINK is collecting donations for solidarity organizations working on the ground: www.codepink.org/palestineaid

Support Wadea's Janazah costs and provide essential medical care & housing assistance for his injured mother, while also creating a lasting legacy in his memory.

Q: Which Twitter handles, Instagram/Telegram channels should I follow?

Twitter:

Mohammed El-Kurd  Writer from occupied Jerusalem. Palestine Correspondent at The Nation

TIMES OF GAZA Latest updates from occupied Palestine

Free Nora’s Home (@NorasEviction) / X Israeli occupation & settlers forcibly seized Nora’s home of +70 years on 11 July 2023

Al-Haq الحق (@alhaq_org) / X Protecting and Promoting Human Rights & the Rule of Law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 

Middle East Eye Your eye on the ground. Independent Middle East and North Africa news.

Palestine Info Center Palestinian Information Center: Voice Of #Palestine.

Electronic Intifada Palestine’s weapon of mass instruction.

Hind Khoudary Palestinian journalist based in Gaza

 

Instagram:

IMEU (@theimeu) • Instagram photos and videos

National SJP (@nationalsjp) • Instagram photos and videos

Quds News Network (@qudsnen) • Instagram photos and videos

Eye On Palestine (@eye.on.palestine) • Instagram photos and videos 

stine (@eye.on.palestine) • Instagram photos and videos

TIMES OF GAZA (@timesofgaza) • Instagram photos and videos

Palestine Pixel (@palestine.pixel) • Instagram photos and videos

Telegram:

The channels below offer the most up-to-date information on the ground. 

Resistance News Network

PNN English

Sign up to join our Telegram Channel for breaking news, community updates, chats and more. 


Q: What news articles/podcasts do you recommend?

An Isolated U.S. Backs Israeli Atrocities in Gaza

Canadian perspective: Palestine, Israel and Canada | Sandy & Nora Talk Politics

Palestinians have a legal right to armed struggle | Conflict | Al Jazeera  

Finkelstein on Gaza's Right to Resist Military Occupation (3/4) 

Where the Palestinian Political Project Goes from Here | The New Yorker

Israeli defence minister orders ‘complete siege’ on Gaza

A growing number of reports indicate Israeli forces responsible for Israeli civilian and military deaths following October 7 attack

Ali Abunimah, Nour Jaghama & Atheer Yacoub React to Israeli GENOCIDE 


Resources: 

ISRAEL MASSACRES

https://palestinianfeministcollective.org/resources/

We Will Not Be Erased: Ongoing Nakba

English translation... - Palestinian Feminist Collective | Facebook

“The U.S. and Israel Make the Connections for Us”: Anti-Imperialism and Black-Palestinian Solidarity

Palestine as a Queer Struggle: Learn About Pinkwashing and More

Popular Resistance in Palestine

How Does Israel’s Occupation of Palestine Work?

What is Palestine’s Government?


Other useful articles/news:

Analysis: Why is so much anti-Palestinian disinformation coming from India?
Amid the Israel-Gaza war, Indian right-wing accounts are among leading amplifiers of anti-Palestinian fake news.

The BBC Has Explained Why It Doesn't Use The Word 'Terrorist'
David Jordan, the broadcaster's head of editorial policy, underlined concerns about perceptions of "bias" and retaining the "trust" of its audience.

Blowback: How Israel Went From Helping Create Hamas to Bombing It
Hamas wants to destroy Israel, right? But as Mehdi Hasan shows in a new video on blowback, Israeli officials admit they helped start the group.

“Why Don’t Muslims Condemn Terrorism?” Western Violence and Scapegoating in an Age of Islamophobia