5 February 2012  | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Taking apart Israeli Occupation - Click here for more images

Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators confronted heavily armed Israeli soldiers this Friday, February 3rd,  at a new protest in the village of Qaryut, planting nearly one hundred trees and partially demolishing the roadblock that has obstructed access to the highway since the First Intifada.

Although organizers were prepared for military violence, the protest remained peaceful until the end, and demonstrators marched home triumphantly with a promise from the military to remove the roadblock with a bulldozer, which they did later the same day. While the villagers celebrated this as a victory, Qaryut’s people continue to struggle for control of their lands and recognition of their rights. As of the publishing date, it is uncertain what will be the nature of future protests.

Although Qaryut villagers annually plant trees on their lands, a recent history of settler violence and military intervention drew the Qaryut Youth and Village Councils, together with Stop the Wall Campaign, to organizing a confrontational but peaceful demonstration.
Beginning after Friday prayers, villagers of all ages met with Israeli, international, and other Palestinian supporters at the village center before parading several kilometers down the village’s once- main road towards Highway 60.

With children holding banners and Red Crescent volunteers and solidarity activists in the front, some 400 demonstrators marched down the valley road—above them Israel soldiers, military jeeps, and several counter-protestors thought to be from the hilltop illegal settlements nearby. As protesters climbed over the bulldozed roadblock of dirt and rocks, they were greeted on their land by several dozen heavily armed soldiers in riot gear and jeeps armed with cannons for firing multiple volleys of tear gas canisters. When the crowd did not stop, soldiers closed in on the front but did not fire—and organizers entered into dialogue with commanders, explaining that it was a non-violent protest and were demanding access to their land.

While soldiers were noticeably uncomfortable in close quarters, fingering pepperspray canisters and a few times shoving aggressively, their was no attack on either side. While some protesters faced off with soldiers, the youth began furiously picking away at the roadblock, while a mix of youth and adults dug holes and planted trees with printed images of Palestinian and international activists martyred in the struggle for Palestinian liberation.

Photos of George Habash, Vittorio Arrigoni, Rachel Corrie and other heroes adorn trees planted by volunteers

When all the trees were planted and much, but not all, of the barricade demolished, the Israeli commander promised to finish the job with a bulldozer that afternoon if the crowd would withdraw. Though demonstrators agreed, many expressed doubt that the commander would follow through—and organizers began preparations for the next demonstration, expecting they would have to open it themselves. Counter-protestors were also surprised with the outcome; one conservative blogger “YMedad” of Shilo wrote prematurely that Ma’an’s report was mistaken–insisting “when I left, the dirt roadblock was still in place.”

For many participants, one of the most remarkable aspects of the demonstration was an overwhelming sense of jubilant defiance. Before the demonstration, participants expressed concern about the potential for military violence, citing similarly peaceful protests in villages being brutally broken up. Yazan Azem, like many others, could scarcely contain his excitement to go work his community’s land, even though he fully expected a violent response.

“I have to go [to the protest]”, he said. “The land is our life. If I don’t go to take it, it’s like giving up my life.”

Another said, “We are defined by the land. When we come here we feel human. Zaytun [olive] is us. We are deeply rooted.”

During the demonstration, protesters’ passion was palpable in a way unique to people finding their voice. Kheer Abdul Kader, a middle-aged man who claimed to have been arrested ten times for crossing the Apartheid Wall, started by saying “talk means nothing” but, clearly excited to be present, continued, “I’m not saying there should not be the ’48 [Israel inside the 1948 boundaries]. But they should not be here. They do not have permission, like me…Why are the settlers coming here to my homeland, when I cannot be there? I just want to work on my land and do not want to go there.”

After the demonstration, the mood became celebratory—according to peace activist Arafat Mahmod, a double victory because they completed most of what they wanted to do and because “nobody got hurt.” Walking back towards the village, protestors sang songs and chanted “ash`ab yureed tahrir falasteen” (“the people demand the freeing of Palestine”), borrowed from the ongoing Egyptian revolution of Arab Spring fame.

The problems faced by Qaryut, however, are far from resolved.

Located between Ramallah and Nablus (Northern Palestine), Qaryut has long been cut off from the main arterial and its agricultural lifeblood by seven settlements, military harassment, and a earthen roadblock constructed in 2002. The settlements, the largest of which are Eli, Shilo, and Hayovel, occupy 78% of the pre-1976 village’s lands. Settlers and the Israeli government legitimize this using the Oslo Interim Agreement (which gives them military and administrative control) and the antiquated Ottoman ‘absentee property law’ (which allows the state to confiscate it under a variety of pretexts.) This land theft has had far-reaching effects for the village whose people rely on olive, almond, and other harvests for subsistence.

To make matters worse, the United Nations have documented that settlers have joined the harrassment, regularly destroying new generations of trees and sometimes attacking villagers, including children. A  young man from the village, Hasan Abdilatef, corroborated this as the norm:

“Most of the time the soldiers come and pull the [olive trees] up. But we keep coming. Maybe two or three [trees] are still up after three years.”

The blocked road, in turn, has until now severely delayed transportation of people, movement of goods, and other necessary services—typically adding on 30 minutes for the alternate route. For medical emergencies, villagers had to call two ambulances and hand off patients across the barricade. Waste disposal also has been an issue, as villagers report that access to the city dump has been barred to them—soldiers claiming there are settlers living in the area. Instead the dump has been moved to the one other accessible area, along their once-main road and the march-route—where it is burnt. Walking back to the village, another young resident of Qaryut, said that he considers this as a  kind of bio-warfare: forcing the village to improperly dispose of its own waste in toxic ways. “There is no one there,” he said; This is another way of making us leave.”

With one of their main demands met,  it is unknown what form future protests will take or whether other land and road restrictions will be loosened. Although the Israeli commander was unavailable for comment, one Israeli soldier (who did not give his name) denied that the roadblock had been maintained for political reasons, instead claiming it was there “for safety [because] it is a difficult turn [onto Highway 60].”

Forcible relocation of a population, attacks on civilians, and intentionally destroying a people’s means of sustenance are all illegal under international law.

Aaron is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

16 December 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Today, Israeli soldiers once again denied the Palestinians’ right to assemble and protest against the construction of the illegal separation wall.

Seeds to Apartheid sewn by Zionists - Click here for more images

About fifty villagers of Qalandia gathered after the Friday prayer and went to the construction site in a peaceful demonstration. They were not more than halfway before the Israeli occupation forces shot a large number of tear gas canisters towards the demonstrators, most of them minors, and then started to fire rubber bullets straight into the crowd.

“You know, they will continue this occupation”, one demonstrator said. “But at least we must be able to say that we did something.”

For two weeks, the villagers of Qalandia, north of Ramallah, have organized their struggle to stop the illegal construction of the wall. The Israeli government issued a map that shows the new tracing of the wall. According to this map the wall would confiscate more of the Palestinian land, 500 dunams in total. On the 7th of December, in the town of Qalandia, Palestinian and International solidarity activists, after several meetings with members of the Qalandia community, organizers, and Palestinian Authority members, organized their first action in order to stop the construction of the wall.

The International Court of Justice stated in 2004 in an important advisory opinion noted that construction of the separation barrier is illegal under the international conventions that Israel itself ratified.

Jenna Bereld and Meriem are volunteers with International Solidarity Movement (names have been changed).

14 December 2011 | It is Apartheid

HELP FIGHT INJUSTICE,  HELP THE WORLD UNDERSTAND ISRAELI APARTHEID.  WE ARE CALLING ON ACTIVISTS AND ARTISTS TO SUBMIT A POSTER TO THE “THIS IS APARHTEID POSTER CONTEST.

Art has always been an important part of liberation struggles.  It can inspire and convey concepts beyond words.  www.itisapartheid.org  and its primary partner, Lajee Center, are sponsoring a competition for artists and graphic designers who are invited to submit posters on the theme of “Israeli Apartheid.”  These posters should reflect the nature, realities, and/or consequences of apartheid policies in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Posters will be judged by a panel of distinguished activists and artists.  The winning entries will be featured in an online poster gallery and disseminated widely on the internet and various other venues.  Youth from refugee camps in Gaza and the West Bank will participate in the contest.

Prizes

•          Expert Jury Prize made up of distinguished artists and activists:   $400
•          Global Jury Prize from global internet voting:   $400
•          Palestinian Prize (winner must be Palestinian):   $300
•          6 Honorable Mention prizes:   $50 each

* As we raise more funds we will raise monetary amount of prizes.

Deadline for submission of all posters is June 1, 2012

Guidelines for submissions

Work must be original for this contest.  Submissions should not exceed 2MB.  If your work is selected, you will be asked to provide a high resolution (minimum 300 dpi), print-ready digital file to a maximum size of 38” x25”.   All posters should include the phrase Endisraeliapartheid.com in a prominent location.

Use of the Posters

All posters will remain the property of the maker, but Itisapartheid retains the right to use, disseminate and/or display them in any way it deems appropriate.

Application

Posters must be accompanied by a statement from the maker including her/his name, contact information and any companies, organizations and/or agencies with which s/he is associated. Competitors must also include a statement acknowledging acceptance of the terms of use.  Email: submissions to info@itisapartheid.org

Co-Sponsors: Badil, Code Pink, Palestine Solidarity Committee of South Africa, Friends of Sabeel North America, American Muslims for Palestine, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Committee, Artists Against Apartheid International Alliance, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), Students Against Israeli Apartheid (Canada), Queers Against Israeli Apartheid , Palestine freedom Project, Australians for Palestine.   Palestinian Network for Children’s Rights, Pontifical Mission, the Papal Agency for Middle East Relief and Development,  The Alternative Information Center, Birzeit University, Defense for Children International, Palestine Section, Alhaq Organization, Defending Human Rights In Palestine, NGO Development Center, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid  Faculty 4 Palestine, South African Artists Against Apartheid.

Today, in the town of Qalandia, north of Ramallah, Palestinian and international solidarity activists tried to stop the illegal construction of the separation wall. The Israeli government issued a map that shows the new tracing of the wall. According to this map the wall would take more Palestinian land.

After several meetings with members of the Qalandia’s community, organizers, and PA members, they decided to organize an action today in order to stop the construction of the wall.

About 25 palestinians and two ISM volunteers went to the construction site to try to stop the bulldozers. They stopped the work of the builders. Less than five minutes later, two border police cars arrived. The policemen asked the demonstrators to leave within five minutes. Two minutes later they started to violently push Palestinians away from the road. At least 5 palestinians who were trying to resist the violent policemen were heavily pepper sprayed. The border policemen also used many sounds bombs which they threw at the demonstrators.

One ISM volunteer, Wahed, who was sitting in front of the bulldozer was sprayed with a significant amount of pepper spray in the face. He was badly injured, his face and eyes were burning. An ambulance took him to the hospital. It was only two hours later that he started feeling better.

The protest lasted 45 minutes. The Palestinians were forced to leave by the border police.

The International Court of Justice stated in 2004 in an important advisory opinion, that ”the consequences of the construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territory”  and its construction is illegal under the international conventions that Israel ratified. Indeed, by building a wall, the Israeli government is violating some of the basic Human rights to which it signed to.

]]> http://palsolidarity.org/2011/12/locals-protests-as-israeli-barrier-rips-through-qalandia/feed/ 0 http://palsolidarity.org/2011/11/jerusalem-explosions-arrests-and-violence-as-israel-clears-way-for-settlement-activity/ http://palsolidarity.org/2011/11/jerusalem-explosions-arrests-and-violence-as-israel-clears-way-for-settlement-activity/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:00:28 +0000 jessica http://palsolidarity.org/?p=21527 by Alistair George
13 November 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Three Palestinians were arrested and others were detained, beaten and pepper sprayed by the Israeli military in Al-Walajeh yesterday, as villagers attempted to prevent the detonation of explosives used to widen the route for the separation wall on the village’s land.

Previously, large explosions on 3 November2011 in the village had sent large rocks several metres into the air, damaging nearby houses and trees and endangering life.  The explosions have damaged the foundations of nearby properties.  Yesterday, protesters attempted to peacefully prevent a similar explosion from taking place.

Explosions, violence, and arrests in Al Walajeh - Click here for more images

At around 8am yesterday morning, villagers from Al-Walajeh, near Jerusalem, were working on an UN project to enlarge the village’s graveyard at the Western side end of the village.  They discovered that the Israeli military and contractors were laying charges to explode rock and widen the path for the construction of the separation barrier on the village’s land.  The barrier will completely encircle Al-Walajeh if completed. Access will be gained via a tunnel and checkpoint, manned by the Israeli military and open for a limited time each day.

A man from Al-Walajeh, who gave his name as ‘Abu Sultan’, explained that  he “was the first to arrive at the scene– 10 days ago the officer of the DCO [District Coordination Offices] told us that they were not allowed to make any more explosions, and that if they tried we should stay on the land and prevent it – so the DCO should stand with us.”

Abu Sultan tried to take the dynamite from the ground but was pepper sprayed and detained for over 3 hours before being released. Another villager, Mustafa Odeh, was beaten and arrested by soldiers.

Another man, who did not want to give his name, was also pepper sprayed when he attempted to peacefully prevent the soldiers laying the charges.

“The soldiers told us to leave and they pushed us as if we were sheep.  Without warning, they grabbed pepper spray and sprayed my eyes and mouth. I was taken to hospital where they washed my eyes and gave me oxygen.  The soldiers prevented the ambulance reaching me, two men had to carry me…It still burns [five hours later] on my face and around my mouth, and  it is difficult to breath. I am very upset and angry.  I’m an old man and the soldiers are young boys, it is very disrespectful behaviour.”

After the men discovered the military laying charges, villagers gathered to demand that they cease their agenda. By 11:00 AM a crowd of around 30 Palestinians and several international observers and journalists had gathered at the site of the charges.  At 11:20 AM approximately 20 Israeli soldiers and contractor security guards began to roughly push and barge the crowd up the hill, away from the site.

Protesters voiced their disapproval but offered no physical resistance; however, the Israeli military became increasingly violent.  After attempting to grab and arrest some Palestinian protesters, several people tumbled down a steep verge; one Palestinian, his face streaked orange with pepper spray, was arrested, while another fled the scene.  The military deployed pepper spray and began to strike the peaceful demonstrators.

Sheerin Alaraj, a popular resistance activist from Al-Walajeh was pepper sprayed and blood ran from a cut on her face.  A 38 year old woman, ‘Nadia’, was pepper sprayed in the face and was also taken to the hospital after losing consciousness.

The Palestinian academic Mazin Qumsiyeh was also on scene filming the protest.  He was arrested and dragged to a nearby military vehicle by the Israeli border police.  A witness, who did not want to be named, stated that “Mazin was filming with his video camera and the soldiers wanted us to retreat.  They could have asked us to retreat but they just singled him out. It was intentional.  I was next to him, doing the same thing, and they didn’t want to arrest me.”

An Al-Walajeh resident, who gave her name as “Fadwa,” said that the Israeli soldiers “have to be more human and understand our feelings, they can’t just cause explosions.  They said that the explosion today would be small, but you can’t trust them.”

After soldiers had cleared the area, they fired two tear gas canisters across the valley where only some women and small children were visible.  At around 12:30 PM they detonated a single charge, sending a cloud of rock and debris high into the air.  Bulldozers then began work to clear the shattered rock for the path of the wall.

Residents of Al-Walajeh said that although the explosion today was relatively small, it was still carried out within a few metres of the village’s graveyard and several olive trees.  Previous explosions have damaged foundations of nearby houses.

A resident, who lives near to the proposed route of the wall, said that the explosion on 3 November 2011 endangered life in the village as the blast sent large rocks a distance of several hundred metres.  Some rocks were around30 cm long, weighing several kilograms;

“Stones fell right beside my uncle’s house.  When they make explosions it’s like an earthquake, the house shakes.”

Four explosions had taken part in this area of Al-Walajeh in recent weeks, and there have been explosions to clear debris for the wall in other parts of the village.

A woman from Al-Walaja, who did not wish to be named, said that the explosion on 3 November threw large rocks several metres into the sky.

“Stones fell onto my house; the children were in the house and were very scared.  Plants and olive trees were damaged on my land.”

The DCO (the Israeli body responsible for coordinating administrative activities in the occupied territories, including construction) was unwilling to provide a reaction to yesterday’s incident.

Following the Six Day War in 1967, much of Al-Walaja’s land was given to the nearby Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Gilo, which are considered illegal under international law.  A 2011 report by the UNRWA (United Nations Relief Works Agency) revealed that private investors announced plans in 2004 to build an additional settlement called Givat Yael, consisting of 14,000 housing units.  This settlement would expropriate around 60% of the territory of the West Bank part of Al Walajeh.

Israel claims that the separation wall is necessary to prevent attacks on its territory.  However, in its detailed analysis of the Israeli legal justification of the wall, the International Court of Justice  found that the conditions necessary to justify the movement restrictions imposed by the Barrier were not met.  Work began on the wall in Al-Walajeh in April 2010 and has progressed at a furious pace, with significant sections of concrete, several metres high, now in place.  Residents estimate that, at the current rate of construction, the wall will be completed in 2012. Rather than following the Green Line demarcating the West Bank, the proposed route of the wall in Al-Walajeh cuts deep into the village’s land.  According to the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), between 4-5000 dunums (1 dunum =1000 square metres) of Al-Walajeh’s land lies outside the route of the wall.

If the wall is completed, and the village is entirely encircled in concrete walls and metal fences, the restricted access to the village will drastically curtail normal life in Al-Walajeh as over 2000 inhabitants will be prevented from travelling freely to work or to access essential health and education services.

Alistair George is a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).

9 November 2011 | The Electronic Intifada

Since the beginning stages of Israel’s implementation and continued construction of its illegal wall in the occupied West Bank nearly ten years ago — and compounded with the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling in 2004 that the wall is in violation of several international laws — activists on the ground in Palestine and in numerous countries around the world have engaged in sustained and creative protest.

The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign/Stop the Wall (STW) has organized a global week of action against Israel’s wall and its policies of apartheid and settler-colonialism in Palestine, which begins today and runs through 16 November.

Activist groups, boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) committees, student coalitions and grassroots organizations from 18 countries on five continents have signed on to officially participate in the global week of action.

In Palestine, STW has organized three separate demonstrations in addition to the regular, weekly Friday actions against the wall in different villages.

From their website:

13 November: Demonstration in the southern West Bank village of Tarqumiya — The demonstration takes place to commemorate the massacre of the people of al Sammou, south of Hebron. Exactly 45 years ago, on November 13 1966 Israeli forces raided this village, destroyed 125 houses, the village clinic and school as well as 15 houses in a neighboring village. 18 people were killed and 54 wounded.

15 November: Demonstration in Qalandiya — Qalandiya has become the flashpoint of confrontation, a symbol of the Palestinian determination not to accept the isolation of Jerusalem and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian capital.

20 November: Demonstration in northern West Bank city of Tulkarem — Tulkarem, its refugee camps and surrounding villages are heavily impacted by the Wall and its checkpoints. People from the northern parts of the northern part of the West Bank will gather to demonstrate their determination to continue resistance against the Apartheid Wall and the Israeli project of enclosing them in enclaves and Bantustans.

Global solidarity events

A sampling of international events — culled from the official list on the STW website — include:

- Belgium, 10 November: In Brussels, Intal [a Belgian global solidarity group] will organize a conference and debate in support of the Palestinian call for a comprehensive and mandatory military embargo on Israel by highlighting the fact that Belgium sells weapons to Israel. This conference will have as a goal to inform our members and their friends about the weapons business between Belgium and Israel

- Netherlands: Activities are planned in Utrecht and Amsterdam … Signatures will be collected for a so-called citizens initiative asking for a debate in parliament on the ICJ ruling. From the needed 40,000 signatures the last 3,000 will be collected that week plus the following weeks of the year

- Spain/Basque country, 10 November: A conference in Bilbao about Israel’s wall

- England, 12 November: Wall around the Monument in Newcastle City Centre. A human wall where each person represents a fact about the apartheid wall. Distribution of fact sheets on the wall, Israeli apartheid, human rights abuses, and BDS nearby. BDS pledge cards will be distributed to the public.

- Argentina, 16 November: The FEARAB youth group in Buenos Aires have launched a call for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel in Argentina, and the signatures of the persons who support the initiative will be announced publicly as the week of global action closes

- Canada, 10 November: An evening with writer and photo journalist Jon Elmer, coordinated by Students Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto

- United States: Huge awareness-raising campaign tool kits for various action ideas by US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

- South Korea, 12 November: A performance to educate the public on the wall and its effects on Palestinians

Radio Intifada

Several organizations throughout Latin America, including Argentina and Mexico, are participating in the week of action. Radio Intifada, a Spanish-language radio project of STW, has also produced three 30-minute segments that are available for free download and syndication on local independent radio stations interested in broadcasting news and analysis on Israeli policies and the grassroots actions to challenge them.

31 October 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

The selective Israeli permission system prevents many families from Nil’in from reaching their land behind the wall to pick  their own olives as the olive harvest season nears its end. The families who received permissions have until the 10^th November to pick their trees Most of the Palestinians from Nil’in who received permission are women and young children studying, forcing them to choose between school obligations and the important harvest of olive trees.

Harvest beyond the barrier - Click here for more imagines

In the morning the families who have land behind the Apartheid Wall in Nil’in gathered in front of the gate to be allowed access to their land and pick their olives. The gate was supposed to open at 7 AM but the families had to wait more than an hour before the gate was opened and two soldiers called the Palestinians one by one to enter. Palestinians who did not get permission gathered together with Palestinians with permission. If they by chance were able to enter without permission, they could protest the system of land grab by illegal Israeli occupation and the selective system of permission and collective punishment.

Yet the soldiers prevented everybody without a permission to enter. Yet they acknowledged the ownership of the land, admitting to the land grab, as they stated to those who waited that, “Only Palestinians with permission a can enter her land.”

The soldiers ordered the families to be back at the gate at 4 pm but the soldiers again showed up an hour later and left the exhausted families to wait for an hour.

The Palestinians who went to their land behind the wall found their trees in bad conditions because they were not able to cultivate the trees throughout the year.

One of the Palestinians who was not allowed entrance to his land said, “Before the wall [was built] we would work on our land everyday, and now we are not even allowed to harvest. My children have a skin condition that only can be eased by using the expensive olive oil. Now I have to by the oil instead of harvesting it from my own trees.”

Israel began building the inhumane separation barrier in May 2008, first with a fence marking the construction route of the fence, when in 2009 the fence was replaced by a concrete wall. During the resistance of the wall’s construction, five Palestinians, all children, were murdered by the Occupation Forces.

Ahmad Yussif Amira a 9 year old child was killed in the end of July 2008 and at his funeral Yussif Amira, 16 years old, was killed with a rubber coated steel bullet shot at close range. Muhamad and Arafat Khawaja were killed the same day as the bombing of Gaza in the end of 2008, and Aqil Amira was killed with a 22mm bullet in June 2009 when he tried to carry away a wounded child. The numbers of injuries are uncountable since the demonstrations began in 2008 and in periods the demonstrators faced life bullets during every demonstration because the Occupation Forces had decided to break the bones of all young men resisting the wall. LINK

In 2010 two young boys with learning disabilities signed confessions when facing time in prison. Three members of the local popular committee were imprisoned for around a year for among other things, organizing foreign presence at demonstrations, leading the young boys to through stones and participating in what Israel claims to be illegal demonstrations.

Though facing this massive repression of death, injuries, and imprisonment, demonstrations are still taking place every Friday after midday prayer to resist the presence of the Apartheid Wall.

16 October 2011 | Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Jamal Juma

Palestine is an international symbol of struggle against occupation, racism, and colonialism. On October 15, 2011 the world gathers in what some have called a global intifada, to stand up against imperialism.

The first time an international activist came up to me and sincerely thanked me for a speech in which I had promised that we as Palestinians would never give up our struggle until we have reached liberation and justice, I was surprised. Now I have learned to understand the importance of our struggle for the rest of the world and the responsibility that necessarily follows. As long as Palestine resists, there is hope for more than our own people.

In 2010, The South African Trade Union Congress wrote, “The (Palestinian) struggle has become a global symbol of resistance against apartheid, occupation and colonialism in our age.”

This statement describes exactly my experience in over a decade of innumerable encounters and collaborations with international activists from all over the globe. The Palestinian struggle not only has a global dimension, it has inspired people globally.

Whether it’s British activists ready to go to prison for their solidarity actions with Palestine, a deeply felt speech by an activist of the farmers’ movement in Mozambique recalling the Palestinian resistance, or the fact that a Palestinian will never go without a standing ovation in front of a Cuban audience, theirs are true expressions of global solidarity with Palestine. Other deep gestures of togetherness and common struggle were the tribal ceremony in which I received from one of the elders of the First Nations in Canada a ring to protect me from my enemies, or the residents in Norway’s most northern city forming two competing solidarity groups, or the signs reading “Occupy Wall Street, Not Palestine” and “Tear Down This Wall Street” appearing on the banners of the protesters in the popular movements of the United States who are standing up right now in their streets, demanding justice.

We have all seen the slogan, “We are all Palestinians.” The Palestinian cause and our resistance to Israeli occupation and apartheid are an intrinsic part of the imagination of many people and the global struggle against colonialism, racism, and war. People all over the world stand in solidarity because they know our struggle is also their struggle. This connection is the true global solidarity.

Our symbols of struggle, like the keffiyeh, have become symbols of struggle all across the globe. The word Intifada is understood in almost all languages of the world. The Mexican activists in Oaxaca in 2006 called their uprising an Intifada and many Kashmiris use the term as well.

Our common, borderless struggle is the reason why Stop the Wall calls each year for the International Week against the Apartheid Wall. From 9 to 16 November in Palestine and around the globe–from Australia to Canada, and from Norway to Argentina–people will mobilize for worldwide actions to participate in this global action week. This year, once again, we will be able to feel this spirit of solidarity and joint struggle for our liberation as part of the global struggle for justice, peace and humanity as part of the emerging global Intifada.

There are moral, political, and historical reasons that the Palestinian struggle is an international symbol. Each one of these reasons is in and of itself a victory for the movement to free Palestine and can be credited to Palestinian grassroots activists.

After centuries of suffering caused by colonialism’s system of racial discrimination, slavery, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and slow genocide, the world’s people now feel a moral obligation to protect human rights. The effects and conditions of imperialism have been rejected as the mechanisms of tyranny and destruction of our species. Today, in modern times, those under occupation in Palestine face human rights violations of the kind experienced by colonial subjects, which gives the Palestinian solidarity movement a moral imperative.

The strength of our people and our steadfastness against Israeli occupation is an inspiration. Israel’s unique combination of colonialism, apartheid, occupation, and drive to permanently displace our people creates a multilayered system of mechanisms of repression. Many around the world admire the fact that the Palestinians haven’t surrendered.

Palestinians have a strong identity and a large diaspora. Those that have been deported, relocated, exiled, or who have migrated from Palestine have sought abode in the rest of the world’s countries as refugees or immigrants. The over six million refugees, despite facing pervasive discrimination, have been able to live and identify themselves proudly as Palestinians. They have not only preserved their culture and identity but also challenged conditions of poverty and isolation, so as to keep the Palestinian struggle in the hearts and minds of the world.

Historically, the Palestinian popular resistance against occupation has not isolated itself but become part of international political alliances, especially those existing before the Cold War ended. Palestinian revolutionaries identified themselves with other struggles around the world, such as the struggle against apartheid in South Africa by sending resources and other support to the resistance movement. Good relationships with progressive countries were built intentionally, while the wider network of solidarity was cultivated consciously.

And finally, Palestine in its confrontation with Israel represents the global progressive movement’s confrontation with imperialism and colonialism far beyond the Middle East. As Palestinians stand up to Israeli crimes, peace, freedom, and justice are strengthened for all.

Today, the moral and political support that Palestine has received historically from the international community is reflected back to us in the inspired actions of the alter-globalization movement. It has served as an inspiration for nearby and global spheres, from Tunis to New York City, as masses of citizens recognize the destruction of imperial globalization.

At the beginning of this year, the people in the Arab world rose up, took to the streets and squares, and made crucial steps on the long road towards a just and free Middle East. The Palestinian Intifada has become Arab; the walls of fear from dictatorship have been torn down. People in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and beyond have inspired the world with their courage. They have shown that people, determined and united, can make a difference. They themselves have been inspired by the Palestinian Intifadas, the actions of popular struggle and endurance of Palestinian resistance, and the dignity displayed by innumerable Palestinian activists in front of repression, arrests, torture and humiliation. Now, uniting in a day of action on 15 October, the mobilization of people all over the world occupying streets and square has been expression of what has recently been coined the first global Intifada.

However, the global impact of the Palestinian struggle is not only an outcome of our struggle, it is the result of the very character of our oppression. The over six million Palestinian refugees who have been expelled by Israel from their homes and lands and who have been scattered all over the world for more than sixty years are now ambassadors for our cause. Furthermore, the Palestinian struggle is a global issue by creation. It was the international community gathered in the United Nations that decided the fate of our lands–completely ignoring our right to self-determination–and which has, over the decades, documented Israeli violations of our human rights and international law, condemning them regularly but never acting to stop them.

Knowing that we are linked not only by the complicity of the governments and corporations that support and profit from Israeli apartheid, but also by a common struggle with people around the world is important. It is necessary we remind ourselves over and over about this.

The October 15, 2011 day of protest has galvanized people around the globe and in Palestine. Together, as a unified front against racism and imperialism, a spirit of solidarity for liberation of all people, Palestine stands against imperialism on October 15 and every day.

Jamal Juma is the coordinator of the Stop the Wall Campaign.

At 1 pm the demonstration in Ni’lin started. 4 ISM volunteers helped to protest against the illegal, Israeli Apartheid Aall. After reaching the wall, the Israel army attacked us by using tears gas and rubber bullets. Some local protesters were hurt by the rubber bullets. After the demonstration, the new international volunteers were invited by a Palestinian man to his home.

It was amazing for us because we were foreigners, and we met him for the first time at the demonstration, and he was already inviting us over.

He said, “Don’t worry, feel at home.”

After we chatted with him, he showed us some videos of how the Israeli army took his village’s land. It was so shocking because it was very violent at times. For example, one time the Israeli army shot a Palestinian protester with a rubber bullet from a distance of 1 meter. After watching some videos, he told us Palestinians just want peace and want to go back to their land, part of which is in the settlement area now behind the illegal wall.

The illegal wall by Israel was built about 2 years ago. Before that, they had lots of olive trees and farms, but the Israeli army pushed them out to build settlements there.

They need international help, but they especially they want us to see the illegal wall and advocate all over the world for peace.

This demonstration was the first one for us but we felt the Palestinian people’s humanity, hospitality, and their need for just peace.