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Who are we?
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the long-entrenched and systematic oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian population, using non-violent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded in August 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by working immediately alongside Palestinians in olive groves, on school runs, at demonstrations, within villages being attacked, by houses being demolished or where Palestinians are subject to consistent harassment or attacks from soldiers and settlers as well as numerous other situations.
All ISM volunteers must agree to work within the four founding principles :
Palestinian-led
Nonviolence
Consensus
Anti-oppression
What do we do?
ISM’s main objectives in offering support to the Palestinian resistance to the apartheid and their demand for freedom are twofold:
1. DIRECT ACTION: participating in Palestinian-led demonstrations, creatively disrupting activity by the Israeli occupation forces, accompanying children to school and farmers to their fields, residing with or near families whose homes are threatened with eviction, demolition or harassment by settlers and answering Palestinian calls to action.
2. DOCUMENTATION: documenting and reporting to local and international media about the daily life under apartheid and countless human rights and international law violations by the Israeli military and settlers. Activists take photos, write reports and journals, which are shared on our website and social media. The need for documentation is not just to show that there are illegal and unjust actions going on, but also to provide a real means of evidence for accountability to the police and courts, case by case. ISMers are also committed to sharing their experiences when they return to their home countries, through interviews and talks.
Why now?
Since Israel began its current onslaught on Gaza in October 2023, occupation forces have been taking advantage of the state of emergency to escalate their violence and displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Soldiers and settlers have systematically bulldozed homes, carried out night raids, attacked and killed Palestinians across the region.
There is almost no international media coverage on the ground in the West Bank because of the situation in Gaza, and many human rights organisations have had to leave the area. ISM activists on the ground continue their vital work in solidarity with Palestinians, reporting their eyewitness accounts of the daily atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers, amplifying the voices of Palestinians and answering local Palestinian-led calls to action.
As a resident of Masafer Yatta told an ISM volunteer, “What is happening is unlike anything before; nobody can predict what tomorrow may bring. There seem to be no openings for hope or a clear vision of tomorrow at this time… The people endure immense suffering, despite limited media coverage of these distressing events. It begs the question: How much longer must Palestinians endure before the world takes notice and acts?”
We are committed now, as ever, to standing in solidarity with Palestinians throughout occupied Palestine and listening to their requests, whether this is being a protective presence, bearing witness to the crimes of the occupation and recording breaches of human rights, or participating in direct action.
What will the money be used for?
Renting an apartment for use by ISM volunteers
Contributing towards travel, phone and other expenses for Palestinian ISM organisers
Creating a solidarity pot to enable international ISMers to remain in Palestine for longer periods of time and have a constant presence in the West Bank