The new Palestinian Feminist Collective report, A Predatory State, is a jarring but necessary read. It documents the disturbing proliferation of sexual violence and abuse Palestinians have faced since 1948.
"Palestinian detainees [have been] subjected to brutal physical and psychological torture, including beatings, electrocution, suspension, sexualized violence, extremely tight handcuffing, and forced stress positions. The report includes dozens of disturbing accounts of sexual humiliation, sexual torture, and rape, even as the authors note that “[s]ome forms of ill-treatment were under-reported, particularly those involving sexual violence,” due to the survivors’ reluctance to disclose sexual abuse because of shame and fear of retaliation" (pg. 64).
This is not only a very serious human rights issue, but also a feminist one. Yet many of the mainstream so-called “feminist women's organizations” are silent on Palestine. Violence against Palestinians, sexual or otherwise, is often sidelined and ignored by white, liberal, imperial feminists. The trauma caused by sexual violence is felt beyond the victim; it tears at the fabric of society.
Additionally, the Israeli bombardment of and assaults on Gaza have also impacted Palestinian women's ability to give birth. Women's organizations should be sounding the alarm about these issues and mobilizing to hold Israel accountable for its crimes.
Today, we at CODEPINK are launching a campaign called Feminists: Stand with Palestine! We will be calling on a number of feminist organizations to include Palestine in the important work they do upholding women's rights, particularly around reproductive and maternal health.
☝️ First up: The Center for Reproductive Rights! Encourage The Center for Reproductive Rights to speak up about the sexual and gendered violence in Palestine!
If you know of any feminist/women's organizations that should be a part of Feminists: Stand with Palestine!, hit the reply button and let us know your thoughts and suggestions!
News & analysis
House in Qusra, Nablus, under siege by the IOF and Israeli settlers. Photo: Ali Sawafta/Reuters
👉🏼 The West Bank village of Qusra has been under siege by Israeli settlers and the IOF for over 10 days. They have been encroaching on the homes of the three Palestinian families that reside there for months — and now have finally circled the village. They have cut off water and electricity, blocked the roads, and prevented anyone from entering or exiting. Israeli settlers are the IOF's vehicles to do their dirty work for them: terrorize Palestinians out of their homes and land in an effort to ethnically cleanse the West Bank.
👉🏼 On Saturday, August 15th, Southside Together held a town hall with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, asking him if he'd commit to stopping the $9 billion quantum data center being built alongside Lake Michigan. He ultimately did not commit to stopping the construction of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. South Side Chicagoans are already experiencing respiratory and chronic illness from the first phase of development. The construction of the park is displacing community members, as rent prices rise and tech companies attempt to buy up land. The mayor's continued support for a quantum data center being built by the Department of War, weapons manufacturers, and Israeli companies, like Quantum Machines, has left many of his previous supporters feeling disillusioned.
👉🏼 Despite the so-called "ceasefire," Israel continues to bomb Southern Lebanon relentlessly. On Saturday, an Israeli strike killed 11 people and wounded 19 more. Among those killed were a mother and her four children.
👉🏼 President Donald Trump is not concerned about the conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, despite reports of food rationing, unsanitary conditions, and a lack of supplies. Sailors and personnel on the ship have attempted to jump overboard. Yet this administration once again has made it clear that it has no regard for human life — from Iranian civilians to U.S. soldiers.
Personal note from Jenin
“Solidarity between women can be a powerful force of change, and can influence future development in ways favourable not only to women but also to men.”
― Nawal El Saadawi, The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World
Reading through PFC's report and then researching some of the most influential women's organizations — who have either said nothing about Palestine, despite their decades of existence, or issued a few measly statements here and there — was a painful process. Israel is committing one of the world's greatest acts against feminism right now; dehumanizing Palestinians, men and women both, to such an extreme degree that they are seen as disposable cattle to Israeli soldiers and settlers.
I leave Nawal El Saadawi's quote here as a reminder that liberal, white feminism does not seek true liberation for all those the patriarchy oppresses. Just because a woman is a brown Muslim, or because a Palestinian man is at the brunt of abuse, does not mean the mainstream feminists should ignore their pain.
Feminism is intersectional and whole, and it is beautiful that way -- we need to remind these organizations that their hypocrisy in the face of injustice stains the movement so horribly. I wish for nothing more than for all of us to stand together as women subjected to struggle and scorn against the colonial powers of this world.
Until liberation,
Further reading
Featured Article
The Quantum Con: How Chicago’s Southside Became a Sacrificial Altar to the War Machine
By: Eli S. Walsh and Giovi, CODEPINK Chicago
"If organizing on the Southside alone has already scared these big tech military syndicates into such frantic repression, imagine what genuine citywide resistance to quantum computing development could accomplish in turn."
Read the article here!
Campaign actions
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