Solidarity with Palestine Action as two activists jailed in Britain: Take action to #ShutElbitDown

11 March 2021

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network stands in solidarity with our comrades in Palestine Action in Britain, who are advancing a campaign to shut down Elbit Systems, the Israeli arms manufacturer profiting from the global sale of weapons of war tested on the occupied and colonized Palestinian people. The direct actions organized by Palestine Action have drawn widespread attention to Elbit’s involvement in war crimes; the company has attested that these actions have cost them thousands of dollars in factory shutdown and cleanup costs.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer and provides the Israeli military with over 80% of its drone fleet, including the Hermes 450 and 900, used extensively in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in 2014, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed.

Palestine Action is organizing direct action as a form of popular resistance to the war crimes of Elbit Systems and facing harsh repression from the British state for interfering with the bloody business of manufacturing arms “tested upon children and refugees in occupied Palestine,” as Palestine Action notes. Two detained activists have been refused bail after arrests. This follows raids on the homes of several members and seizure of their documents and passports.

Palestine Action emphasized that the best way to support the detainees is to continue the work to #ShutElbitDown. We are republishing their statements below and extend our full solidarity. To sign up for Palestine Action or donate to their work, visit the Palestine Action website.

There are also several upcoming court dates (below and at Palestine Action) to support Palestine Action activists who have been arrested or charged for their direct action activities – we urge all friends of Palestine to stand with these courageous activists at their court hearings!

Six activists from Palestine Action were arrested on Tuesday morning for allegedly carrying items including paint
Two have been remanded in prison for “possession of articles to cause criminal damage”
Notably, two of the activists remanded were part of the Stop HS2 campaign, one of whom spent several weeks in the Euston tunnels

Two Palestine Action activists have been put behind bars after a court shockingly refused to grant them bail yesterday(March 10).

The two were among six activists arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning for allegedly carrying items which may be used for criminal damage. After being refused police bail, the activists were sent to Wolverhampton Magistrates Court.

The court refused to provide bail for two activists and sent them to prison, while the other two were released. The homes of the activists were raided by police whilst they were held in custody.

Palestine Action is a direct-action network of groups and individuals formed with the mandate of taking direct action against Elbit Systems’ UK locations at grassroots level, calling for them all to be shut down and for the British government to end its complicity in Israeli apartheid.

Commenting on the decision to send the two activists to prison, a spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

“The UK government, its courts and its police, continue to do nothing to stop Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, from developing weapons tested upon children and refugees in occupied Palestine. Instead, choosing to harass, detain & incarcerate those who challenge & resist their crimes against humanity.

It is therefore our moral duty to use our privilege and to join the growing struggle fighting to end this complicity between Britain & Israel’s Apartheid regime. We call on all people of conscience to join our struggle against this ongoing, murderous complicity, to join the fight to Shut Elbit Down and end all complicity between Britain & Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people.”

The two could be forced to spend at least four weeks in prison until potentially being granted bail at their upcoming court date next month.

The unusual decision to refuse bail over a minor charge is yet another escalation in the ongoing campaign of oppression and intimidation against activists allegedly linked to Palestine Action.

Since the direct action network was founded in August 2020, activists have been routinely arrested on spurious charges, had their houses raided and devices confiscated.

Co-founder Richard Barnard was arrested in February for “blackmail”. He and co-founder Huda Ammori had their house raided and passports seized. The documents have not yet been returned.

Barnard and Ammori were even stopped in November 2020 under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which enables police officers to interrogate individuals without the standard safeguards.

Palestine Action has accused the police of launching a wholly disproportionate response to the activists ongoing campaign to shut down Elbit sites in the UK, a firm responsible for war crimes in Gaza and exporting killer drones to oppressive regimes across the globe.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer and provides the Israeli military with over 80% of its drone fleet, including the Hermes 450 and 900, used extensively in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in 2014, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed.

Commenting on the police crackdown of Palestine Action, Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) campaign coordinator Kevin Blowe said:

“Using counter-terrorism police powers, bringing wholly disproportionate charges and essentially treating Palestine Action campaigners as though they are some kind of organised crime network is a deliberate attempt to disrupt protests in solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“The implication that the group is some kind of ‘extremist’ threat provides a justification for police surveillance and harassment. It means that all those associated with Palestine Action may also be labelled in this way – even if they do nothing unlawful.

“Unfortunately, we have seen the state act in this way many times before, especially when corporate interests are challenged by civil disobedience and direct action. This is designed to wear people down, alienate potential public support and restrict campaigners’ ability to exercise their rights to freedom of assembly and association.”

3 activists remanded in prison — Now is the time for real solidarity & that means action to #ShutElbitDown | Join the Resistance https://t.co/1q0pkJxH5I pic.twitter.com/P1oHmeZw7g

— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) March 10, 2021

Earlier today, two Palestine Action activists were imprisoned after being arrested 33 hours earlier for allegedly being equipped to “cause criminal damage”. Six activists were arrested in total, four of whom have subsequently been released.

Maybe they were going to throw paint on an arms factory. Whatever they were, or weren’t, going to do, it would pale to insignificance next to the death and destruction that Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer, causes across the world.

Our activists were held in the police station before being taken to court and remanded in custody until their next court date. We understand this will be at least a month away.

The UK government, its courts and its police, continue to do nothing to stop Elbit from developing weapons tested upon children and refugees in occupied Palestine. Instead, they choose to harass, detain and incarcerate those who challenge their crimes against humanity.

But our brave activists will continue to act, despite the fear they may feel, because they know that the consequences of not acting are too high. We will not allow the continued oppression of the Palestinian people to be facilitated by this country any longer. We therefore call again on all of you, our comrades and supporters, to take action.

We have been asked what is best to do to help those in prison. Of course, sending money and letters will be greatly appreciated, and we will share how to do this as soon as we are informed. But perhaps the best thing we can all do for them is continue their fight – our fight.

Nothing will raise our imprisoned activists’ spirits more than hearing further actions have happened – and that Elbit are even closer to being shut down for good. Those in prison range in age from young to retired. What is stopping each and every one of you taking action to shut Elbit down? Get involved. Join us. Arrange your own actions. Sign up to the resistance: bit.ly/JoinResist

Court Support Dates to #ShutElbitDown

March 26th 2021

Plea hearing for 3 activists who blockaded the gates of Elbit’s subsidiary in Shenstone, near Lichfield. They are charged under the trade union act for obstruction of “lawful business”

Time: 1.00pm

Location: Stafford Magistrates’ Court, The Combined Court Centre, Victoria Square, Stafford ST16 2QQ

March 29th 2021

Plea hearing for the Shenstone 6 who occupied the roof of Elbit’s subsidiary – UAV Engines in Shenstone. They successfully shut the factory for a week and caused over £50,000 in damage to Elbit’s death factory

Time: 9.30am

Location: Stafford Crown Court, The Combined Court Centre, Victoria Square, Stafford ST16 2QQ

March 31st 2021

First court appearance for 6 Elbit activists who are charged with “conspiracy to commit criminal damage” and “conspiracy to commit burglary” for actions against Elbit occurring between 1st June 2020 and 5th September 2020. At court, Richard Barnard & Huda Ammori will also apply to retrieve their passports, which were unlawfully taken by the police in February.

Time: 9.30am

Location: Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, 51 Holloway Rd, Highbury, London N7 8JA

April 9th 2021

Three activists are facing trial against Elbit, after blockading the gates and covering the entrances with blood-red paint. They are charged with criminal damage.

Time: 9.30am

Location: Stafford Magistrates’ Court, The Combined Court Centre, Victoria Square, Stafford ST16 2QQ

April 15th

Caroline Brouard, Palestine Action activist, is facing possible charges of “blackmail” after being arrested and released under bail in January. They are due to answer bail and discover whether they are being charged or not on this date.

Time: 10am

Location: Charing Cross Police Station, Agar St, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4JP

May 17th (listed until May 25th)

5 activists who occupied the roof of Elbit’s subsidiary, UAV Engines in Shenstone, are facing trial against Elbit. They are charged with “criminal damage” of over £30,000. Their action saw the factory close for at least two weeks – totalling £450,000 in losses for Elbit Systems.

Time: 9.30am

Location: Stafford Crown Court, The Combined Court Centre, Victoria Square, Stafford ST16 2QQ

June 1st

Richard Barnard, co-founder of Palestine Action, is due to return after over 4 months of police bail, facing possible charges of “Blackmail”. His police bail restricted him from entering Greater Manchester, Staffordshire & the City of London.

Time: 11.00am

Location: Charing Cross Police Station, Agar St, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4JP

Join the social media storm to #FreePalestinianStudents – Thursday 11 March – in 1 hour!

11 March 2021

#FreePalestinianStudents Twitter Storm and Social Media Campaign
Thursday, 11 March
10 am Pacific – 1 pm Eastern – 7 pm central Europe – 8 pm Palestine
Use the hashtag: #FreePalestinianStudents

Suggested Tweets and Images: https://bit.ly/FreePalestinianStudents

Join the #FreePalestinianStudents campaign – supported by over 300 organizations around the world – for a social media action and Twitter storm on Thursday, 11 March!

Hundreds of Palestinian students are routinely detained by the Israeli occupation, especially those who are part of student organizations involved with campus political life. At Bir Zeit University alone, approximately 74 students were detained by occupation soldiers during the 2019-2020 academic year. They are among nearly 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners jailed by Israel. The work of student organizing, from holding book fairs to organizing events and participating in student elections, is criminalized by the Israeli occupation. Still more students are detained for joining demonstrations or posting on their social media profiles.

Palestinian students have been seized by Israeli occupation forces and abducted for their participation in the student movement in their homes, at their workplaces and on their campuses.

Once arrested, Palestinian students are routinely subjected to torture under interrogation — subjected to stress positions and stretched out over chairs, suspended from walls and forced to stand on tiptoe, deprived of sleep, cuffed and pressured on injured limbs, and beaten.

Palestinian students may be sent to administrative detention — imprisonment without charge or trial, indefinitely renewable in six-month periods. Palestinians routinely spend years jailed with no charges, no trial and no real challenge to the deprivation of their rights. They may be brought before Israeli military courts, which convict over 99% of the Palestinians charged there.

The targeting Palestinian students is an attack on Palestinian futures. It is a systematic attempt to undermine the capacity of young Palestinians to organize with one another for a liberated future for their people: One free of colonization, apartheid and occupation.

On March 11, join us to demand: #FreePalestinianStudents!

Learn more at the Free Palestinian Students campaign page: https://freepalestinianstudents.org
Sign on to support the campaign! http://bit.ly/palstudentsignon

Suggested Tweets and Images: https://bit.ly/FreePalestinianStudents

Here are just a few sample tweets to get started! Find the rest at https://bit.ly/FreePalestinianStudents

Click to tweet: Israeli authorities routinely arrest politically active Palestinian students. #FreePalestinianStudents https://www.972mag.com/birzeit-student-arrests-israel/

Click to tweet: Over 350 global organizations, including political parties, mass social movements, student organizations, churches, and labour unions, joined together in an international call for solidarity with imprisoned Palestinian students. #FreePalestinianStudents https://freepalestinianstudents.org

Click to tweet: A student at Bir Zeit University from Qalandiya refugee camp, Mays Abu Ghosh, 22, is a writer and student activist who has worked to publicize the struggles of Palestinian political prisoners and Palestinian refugees. #FreePalestinianStudents https://samidoun.net/2020/01/palestinian-student-mays-abu-ghosh-speaks-out-on-israeli-abuse-and-torture-under-interrogation/

Click to tweet: We, the undersigned organizations, join our voices together in a global call to urge the immediate freedom of imprisoned Palestinian students and the protection of Palestinian students’ rights. #FreePalestinianStudents https://freepalestinianstudents.org

Click to tweet: “The occupation knows that students are the most active and dynamic sector of society – especially at a time when political parties are less and less effective.” #FreePalestinianStudents https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-students-arrests-israel-universities-west-bank

Click to tweet: The Israeli occupation has targeted Palestinian students and, specifically, the Palestinian student movement and Palestinian student organizations for harsh repression and political detention and imprisonment. #FreePalestinianStudents https://freepalestinianstudents.org

Click to tweet: We join together to call for action and support for Palestinian students behind bars. #FreePalestinianStudents https://freepalestinianstudents.org

Click to tweet: Palestinian students are not only learning and expanding their knowledge as the next generation of Palestinians struggling for liberation – they are on the front lines of struggle against colonial imprisonment. #FreePalestinianStudents https://samidoun.net/2020/04/freedom-for-all-palestinian-students-youth-on-the-front-lines-of-struggle/

Global events and actions highlight Palestinian women’s struggle on International Working Women’s Day

11 March 2021

The struggle of Palestinian women and particularly Palestinian women political prisoners was visible on International Working Women’s Day 2021, with activists of Samidoun and organizations around the world highlighting the cases and stories of Palestinian women in the struggle for liberation.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered in Gaza on 8 March carrying signs and banners calling for the release of Palestinian women prisoners outside the International Committee of the Red Cross, many focusing on the case of Khalida Jarrar, Palestinian parliamentarian, feminist and advocate for Palestinian political prisoners. She was sentenced to two years in Israeli prison for her public political activity on 1 March 2021.

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In Toulouse, France, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra joined a march of thousands organized by Tous en Grève 31 and a coalition of trade union, political and social organizations. They carried signs and posters highlighting the liberation struggle of Palestinian women, including signs calling for freedom for imprisoned Palestinian women students and Khitam Saafin, the president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, jailed without charge or trial in administrative detention.

In Paris, France, activists from CAPJPO-EuroPalestine joined the demonstration for International Women’s Day, where they carried Palestinian flags and banners urging freedom for Khitam Saafin, Khalida Jarrar, and all Palestinian women prisoners.

In Annecy, France, activists from the Association France-Palestine Solidarite joined the 8 March demonstration carrying signs highlighting the case of Khalida Jarrar and calling for freedom for all Palestinian prisoners.

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In Charleroi, Belgium, the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine and Vie Féminine joined together to highlight Palestinian women prisoners on 8 March. They organized a photo shoot to show solidarity with Palestinian women, especially Khitam Saafin and Khalida Jarrar.

Also in Belgium, Vroni Lemaire of the FGTB-Brussels Women’s Commission, the women’s organization of a large trade union syndicate, appealed on Facebook: ” On November 2, our comrade Khitam Saafin was arrested in administrative detention by the Israeli occupation forces. She was due to be released this week, but they extended her detention for another four months. Khitam is the director of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC) and a member of the World March of Women in Palestine. Administrative detention is an arbitrary procedure that Israel uses to incarcerate Palestinians without any specific charge or trial. Today, 37 Palestinian women are detained in Damon prison, including 3 administrative detainees without charge or trial. We call on all our sisters of the World March of Women to denounce this arbitrary detention and to show our solidarity on March 4 by sending messages and photos with #FreeKhitam signs, by tagging the #MarcheMondialedesFemmes #worldmarchofwomen on social networks. We will march until all women are free!”

In Naples, Italy, the Centro Cultural Handala Ali organized an International Working women’s Day action where they held banners in support of Palestinian women prisoners, flew kites bearing the images of Palestinian women heroes and detainees, including Khalida Jarrar and Leila Khaled, and raised the Palestinian flag. The display by the sea attracted wide attention and support from people passing by.

In Stockholm, Sweden, members of Samidoun Stockholm dropped a banner reading “Class Struggle – Women’s Struggle” and delivered a statement in support of health care workers’ struggle for 8 March: “Last week, it was noted that in the Stockholm Region there has been a surplus of close to six billion kronor, while Södersjukhusetets Kvinnoklinik has been commissioned to implement extensive cuts, including by not bedding properly, reducing the range of selected drugs and saving money on food, drink and coffee.

This situation is not isolated to Swedish conditions. In occupied Palestine, the Arab population is systematically denied access to health care, medicines and vaccines. At the same time as Israel is at the top of the world of vaccination, it refuses to vaccinate the Palestinians in the occupied territories.

In occupied Palestine, feminist organizing can be a crime. Palestinian feminist Khitam Saafin has been detained without evidence for several months, and two weeks ago her detention was extended for another four months . Exactly one week ago, feminist parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar was sentenced to two years in prison for her political activism. Israeli occupation prisons have been criticized year after year by the UN and human rights activists for their lack of access to food and medicine, as well as for systematic torture of political prisoners.

Our position is the same in Sweden as in Palestine: the nurses and the feminist prisoners show the way forward. The women’s struggle, like the class struggle, is at its height as a result of a pandemic and economic crisis, and it is only through unity that we can win our freedom. We say:

Stop applauding and raise nurses’ salaries!
Freedom for Khitam Saafin, Khalida Jarrar and all other Palestinian female prisoners!
All support for the #TaHemmetTacka campaign!”

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A post shared by Samidoun Stockholm (@samidoun08)

In Madrid, Samidoun España members participated on 6 March in a feminist demonstration to close detention centers for migrants, emphasizing the importance of internationalist, anti-imperialist and class solidarity. They carried signs calling for freedom for imprisoned Palestinian women, including Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin, and highlighted the case of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the longest-held political prisoner in Europe, imprisoned in France for over 36 years.

Samidoun Espana in Madrid at a feminist protest to close migrant detention centres, 6 March 2021

In Murcia, Samidoun España joined in the 8 March demonstration, highlighting the struggle of Palestinian women prisoners, especially Khitam Saafin and Khalida Jarrar. They marched together with Sahrawi women in support of justice in Palestine and Western Sahara, and issued a call: “The struggle of women is and has been important to keep the resistance alive in every place in the world and Palestine is no exception, The Palestinian woman is and has long been a figure of resistance and tenacity, of rebellion and love, of strength and freedom, of struggle and, without hesitation, of life, this is why from any area we recognize, remember and support them in demanding justice until #Palestine is free, we are a creative force, we are sisterhood, we are sisters.”

Samidoun Deutschland joined with Free Palestine FFM for several 8 March events, in Darmstadt, Frankfurt, and elsewhere in Hessen, Germany. They declared: “We say: None of us is free until we are all free! Freedom for all political prisoners, freedom for Palestine! Consistent solidarity must be internationalist and combative! The emancipation of all sexes can only be possible if there is also emancipation from imperialism, occupation, apartheid regimes and settler colonialism – from the river to the sea!”

Samidoun’s international coordinator Charlotte Kates participated in the 8 March event organized by Gabriela BC in Vancouver. The online event highlighted the struggles of women locally and around the world in confronting imperialism and capitalism, and the Samidoun solidarity statement focused on Palestinian women prisoners, including the student prisoners, Khalida Jarrar, Khitam Saafin and Bushra al-Tawil. The event highlighted the struggle of Filipina women, especially political prisoners like Reina Mae Nasino and Amanda Echanis. “There is power in the struggle for liberation for workers, women and all oppressed peoples living in the Philippines. Together, we envision a world where we exist, live and thrive in equality and peace!” Gabriela activists affirmed.

Samidoun España also joined Alkarama Palestinian Women’s Mobilization and the Masar Badil (Alternative Palestinian Path) to organize an online event on 6 March, highlighting Palestinian women’s struggle from the first Intifada to today, with speakers Linda Graysa and Juani Rishmawi.

Jaldia Abubakra of Samidoun España, Alkarama and the Alternative Palestinian Path also participated in an interview with Emi Sin Fronteras for 8 March, where journalists Eliécer Jiménez Julio, Victor Torres and Sandra Hernández Acosta interviewed Jaldía Abubakra and Sausan Al Khuli Marín about the situation and struggle of Palestinian women:

Samidoun in occupied Palestine issued three posters highlighting Palestinian women’s struggle historically and at present, including their role in the Palestinian revolution and the struggle of the prisoners and detaiinees for liberation.

Hadeel Shatara, coordinator of Samidoun in occupied Palestine, spoke at an event organized by Attac Morocco, focusing on women’s struggle amid the crisis of capitalism and patriarchy, alongside women throughout the Arab region, on 7 March:

**

Despite all attempts of the Zionist regime to isolate them from the global movement for the liberation of women and humanity through imprisonment and repression, Palestinian women continue to organize and struggle from behind bars, in the streets and fields of occupied Palestine, and everywhere in exile in diaspora, seeking return and liberation. On International Women’s Day 2021, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes the movement of Palestinian women and their leadership in the ongoing and daily struggle for national and social liberation.

We urge women’s organizations, student organizations and people of conscience everywhere to raise their voices and act in solidarity with Palestinian women, and Palestinian women prisoners, targeted by the Israeli occupation – including by building the movement for the boycott of Israel, its institutions and complicit corporations like HP, Puma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and G4S. The Israeli occupation wants to continue its colonization of Palestine unchecked by isolating and detaining the leaders of the Palestinian people’s movement. Now is the time to act and urge their immediate release and the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners, and of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

Canadian statement condemns anti-Palestinian attacks: Political Advocacy and National Liberation are not “Terrorism”

9 March 2021

The following statement was issued on 9 March 2021 by the Canada Palestine Association and BDS Vancouver – Coast Salish and supported by over 25 organizations across Canada, including the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, the Canadian Peace Congress and major Palestinian community organizations across Canada, including CPA, Palestine House, the Palestinian Canadian Congress and the Palestinian Youth Movement.

The statement denounces the attacks on Samidoun and its designation as a “terrorist organization” by Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz, noting that they are part of a wide campaign against Palestinian civil society organization, as well as the demands for Samidoun’s criminalization by CIJA, the pro-Israel lobby group in Canada. As the statement concludes: “Palestinian-Canadians and their supporters have no intention of allowing biased officials to suppress their democratic rights and their voices. We will continue to work for justice and equality for Palestinians, be it through prisoner support or boycott campaigns; we will not allow our guaranteed rights to free expression and association to be threatened or curtailed.”

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes CPA and all of the signatories for their strong position in defense of Palestinian and Palestine solidarity activism, organizing and political expression. Political advocacy and national liberation are not “terrorism!”

To add your organization’s name to the CPA statement, email cpavancouver@gmail.com. CPA will continually update the list at its website: http://cpavancouver.org/2021/03/political-advocacy-and-national-liberation-are-not-terrorism/

(25 groups endorse CPA’s call to reject moves by the Israeli government and its lobby in Canada to criminalize Palestinian advocacy. Group endorsements can still be sent to cpavancouver@gmail.com)

On February 28, 2021, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared that he was adding the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network to Israel’s “terror list”. The designation was based on accusations that are both spurious and false. There has been a recent upsurge in the campaign by the Israeli government to thwart effective Palestinian civil society groups that refuse to be silenced or sanitized.

There are no concrete charges against Samidoun, simply that it helps Palestinian prisoners and is involved in “anti-Israel propaganda efforts”. Samidoun operates as a public and transparent prisoner advocacy group; it is independent and has no organizational connection or affiliation with any Palestinian party.

On February 3, 2021, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Advocacy CIJA called for Samidoun to be placed on Canada’s terror list. This was included in their statement responding to the announcement by Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, that Canada was adding 13 groups to Canada’s list of Terrorist Entities. Then, on February 28, 2021, the same day Israel stated they were designating Samidoun as “terrorist”, CIJA tweeted to Bill Blair saying that Canada should now follow Israel’s lead and do the same.

Is the timing of Israel’s announcement part of its attempts to deflect attention from the ongoing International Criminal Court investigation? It is worth noting that Benny Gantz (who is not only the Israeli Defense Minister but also its Justice Minister!) is himself one of the persons who might be implicated by the ICC for possible war crimes. Gantz was the Army Chief of Staff during Israel’s 2014 aggression on Gaza. Canadian Minister Bill Blair was listed as a member of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary group for 2016, 2017 and 2019. Are these the officials to make any impartial and balanced decision on what constitutes “terrorism”? Should Canada’s policies on these important issues be decided by what the Israeli government dictates?

In 2003, the Canadian government committed the same blunder of being influenced by the pro-Israel lobby, often on the basis of faulty information, in determining who should be listed as “terrorist”. An open letter issued last month by the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group also addressed the issue of the abuse of “anti-terrorism” powers by the Canadian state.

This criminalization of Palestinian advocacy is unacceptable and unfounded; Palestinian-Canadians and their supporters have no intention of allowing biased officials to suppress their democratic rights and their voices. We will continue to work for justice and equality for Palestinians, be it through prisoner support or boycott campaigns; we will not allow our guaranteed rights to free expression and association to be threatened or curtailed.

Signed by:
Canada Palestine Association
BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish

Endorsed By:
Anti-Imperialist Alliance, Ottawa
B.C. Civil Liberties Association
Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation, Victoria
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
Canadian Peace Congress
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Communist Party of Canada
Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War
Independent Jewish Voices-Vancouver
Inminds Human Rights Group
International Association of Democratic Lawyers IADL
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
Just Peace Advocates
Justice for Palestinians Calgary
Labour for Palestine
Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel NMJPI
Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
Palestinian and Jewish Unity
Palestinian Canadian Community Centre – Palestine House
Palestinian Canadian Congress
Palestinian Solidarity Sudbury
Palestinian Youth Movement
Regina Peace Council
Toronto BDS
U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel USACBI
Vancouver Peace Council

On International Women’s Day, Palestinian women are on the front lines of liberation struggle

8 March 2021

“To our colleagues, to Palestinian students and those around the world, from the heart of the Zionist prisons. On the occasion of 8th of March, we long for freedom, justice and equality for all women of the world, including students, inside and outside the prison cells. Our battle is united, as we are all fighting oppression on the basis of gender, fighting class exploitation and fascist colonialism and foremost among which is the occupation on our land. To our female university colleagues, who are at the front lines of the battle for change, our confidence is in your struggle and resistance that illuminates the sky of our homeland and lights the road for freedom. For all Palestinian women, we believe that our social struggle is an inherent part of the struggle of our people, and for the liberation of land and people, we sacrifice, struggle and bring forth strugglers.” – Bir Zeit University student prisoners, Layan Kayed, Elia Abu Hijleh, Ruba Assi, Shatha Tawil, Damon prison, Mount Carmel, 8 March 2021

“On this 8 March, humanity exposed to the devastation of the Corona pandemic on the one hand, and the regime of tyranny, racism and colonialism on the other hand. A thousand greetings to every voice that resists injustice and oppression. May women remain at the forefront of this resistance, and 8 March stand as a symbol of liberation!” – Khalida Jarrar, imprisoned Palestinian leader, feminist and rights advocate, Damon prison, Mount Carmel 7 March 2021

As we commemorate International Working Women’s Day around the world this 8 March, there are 35 Palestinian women in Israeli jails, representing all facets of Palestinian society: students, activists, organizers, parliamentarians, journalists, health workers, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, strugglers, freedom fighters. Palestinian women have always been at the center of the liberation movement through all aspects of struggle and have led within the prisoners’ movement, organizing hunger strikes and standing on the front lines of struggle even behind bars. On International Working Women’s Day, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes the leading role of Palestinian women in struggle and urges the immediate release of all Palestinian women prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.

*International Women’s Day 2021 in Toulouse. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra*

Palestinian women prisoners include 11 mothers, six injured women and three jailed without charge or trial under administrative detention. They include Khalida Jarrar, Palestinian parliamentarian, feminist, leftist and advocate for Palestinian political prisoners, sentenced to two years in Israeli prison for her public political activities just days prior to International Women’s Day; Khitam Saafin, President of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, jailed without charge or trial, her administrative detention renewed for another four months; Bushra al-Tawil, Palestinian journalist and activist whose detention without charge or trial was also renewed for another four months on 7 March 2021.

They include Palestinian students, like Layan Kayed, Elia Abu Hijleh, Ruba Assi and Shata Tawil of Bir Zeit University. Hundreds of Palestinian students are routinely detained by the Israeli occupation, especially those who are part of student organizations involved with campus political life. At Bir Zeit University alone, approximately 74 students were detained by occupation soldiers during the 2019-2020 academic year.

*International Women’s Day 2021 in Paris. Photo: CAPJPO- EuroPalestine*

Palestinian women prisoners are among 5,000 total political prisoners, but Palestinian women are broadly affected by the mass incarceration of Palestinian men as well. Palestinian women are the mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, lovers and friends of Palestinian male prisoners. They make homes for themselves and their children, denied access to their husbands and fathers. They lead the movement outside prison to highlight the names, faces, voices and stories of all Palestinian prisoners struggling for liberation.

Since 1948 and before, from the earliest days of the Palestinian national liberation movement, Palestinian women have been expelled from their homes and targeted for repression on multiple levels, their very capacity to reproduce and raise their children labeled as an unacceptable threat to the racist settler-colonial project of Zionism. Since 1967 alone, around 10,000 Palestinian women have been jailed by the Israeli occupation for their political activity and involvement in the Palestinian resistance, including Palestinian women in Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian women holding Israeli citizenship in occupied Palestine ’48. Palestinian women in exile and diaspora have been denied their right to return to Palestine for over 72 years yet continue to struggle, facing political repression, criminalization, deportation and imprisonment.

Palestinian women prisoners are routinely subjected to torture and ill-treatment by Israeli occupation forces, from the moment they are detained — often in violent night raids — and throughout the interrogation process, including beatings, insults, threats, aggressive body searches and sexually explicit harassment. Within Israeli prisons, the official state policy of “worsening the conditions” of Palestinian prisoners has particularly targeted Palestinian women, denied family visits or even phone calls, subjected to intense surveillance that violates their privacy, denied education and held in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. They are transported in the “bosta,” a metal vehicle where women are shackled on a long, circituous trip that takes hours longer than a direct route and often denied access to sanitary facilities.

Damon prison, itself formerly a stable for animals, is located in occupied Palestine ’48 — in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and making it even more difficult for Palestinian women’s family members to visit them. All visits are subjected to an arbitrary permit regime which is often obstructed by the Israeli occupation regime.

However, Palestinian women behind bars continue to resist and to lead. In April 1970, Palestinian women prisoners at Neve Tirza prison launched one of the first collective hunger strikes of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement when they refused food for nine days. They demanded access to women’s sanitary supplies as well as an end to beatings and solitary confinement. Palestinian women have been consistently involved in general hunger strikes and protest actions, including strikes led by women prisoners in 1985, 2004 and 2019 that inspired global women’s solidarity. Despite the denial of formal education by the Israeli colonial regime, Palestinian women prisoners have developed revolutionary education for all prisoners, expanding their knowledge and commitment to struggle.

Palestinian women prisoners are not alone; they struggle alongside fellow women political prisoners in the Philippines, Turkey, India, Egypt and around the world. And their imprisonment is also international: it is funded, backed and supported by the diplomatic, military, economic and political backing given to Israel by the imperialist powers, including the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and the European Union states. Palestinian women also confront the role of the Palestinian Authority’s “security cooperation” regime under Oslo and the normalization politics and repressive attacks of reactionary Arab regimes.

Despite all attempts of the Zionist regime to isolate them from the global movement for the liberation of women and humanity through imprisonment and repression, Palestinian women continue to organize and struggle from behind bars, in the streets and fields of occupied Palestine, and everywhere in exile in diaspora, seeking return and liberation. On International Women’s Day 2021, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes the movement of Palestinian women and their leadership in the ongoing and daily struggle for national and social liberation.

We urge women’s organizations, student organizations and people of conscience everywhere to raise their voices and act in solidarity with Palestinian women, and Palestinian women prisoners, targeted by the Israeli occupation – including by building the movement for the boycott of Israel, its institutions and complicit corporations like HP, Puma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and G4S. The Israeli occupation wants to continue its colonization of Palestine unchecked by isolating and detaining the leaders of the Palestinian people’s movement. Now is the time to act and urge their immediate release and the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners, and of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

*Naples, Italy, International Women’s Day 8 March 2021*

Take Action!

1. Join the Campaign to Free Palestinian Students! Over 325 organizations have already signed on to the campaign to take action to free imprisoned Palestinian students. Get involved at freepalestinianstudents.org.

2. Organize protests, demonstrations creative actions. Ad hacks, postering and other outdoor actions – especially near an Israeli embassy or consulate – can draw a significant amount of attention to the Palestinian women prisoners and the Palestinian cause at this critical time.

3. Build the boycott of Israel! Join the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Highlight the complicity of corporations like Hewlett-Packard and the continuing involvement of G4S in Israeli policing and prisons. Build a campaign to boycott Israeli goods, impose a military embargo on Israel, or organize around the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Resources on Palestinian women prisoners

We recommend the following resources for more information on Palestinian women prisoners:

Khalida Jarrar speaks out on women prisoners’ struggle as Ramallah protest urges their liberation, November 2020
Famed musician Roger Waters joins campaign to #FreeKhitamSaafin with unique musical contribution, November 2020
Steadfastness and resistance: Palestinian women prisoners confront repression, Charlotte Kates, March 2020
International Women’s Day … 43 Palestinian Women in Detention, March 2020, Addameer
Khalida Jarrar: New Video and Resources, April 2020, Samidoun
Nahla Abdo, From Captive Revolution to Grand Gaza Prison: https://plutopress.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/from-captive-revolution-to-grand-gaza-prison/
Nahla Abdo’s book, Captive Revolution: https://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745334936&%3C/)
“For the Love of Palestine:” New booklet highlights stories of Palestinian women prisoners – November 2016, Prison, Labor and Academic Delegation to Palestine
Sahar Francis, Gendered Violence in Israeli Detention, Journal of Palestine Studies, summer 2017
Remembering Therese Halasa, Palestinian revolutionary: Rima Tannous’ prison story – Samidoun, March 2020. With reprint of historical account of Palestinian freed prisoner Rima Tannous
Soraya Antonius, Prisoners for Palestine: A List of Women Political Prisoners – Journal of Palestine Studies, 1980
Addameer, Occupied Lives: The Imprisonment of Palestinian Women and Girls: http://www.addameer.org/publications/occupied-lives-imprisonment-palestinian-women-and-girls
Leena Jawabreh, Facing imprisonment in Israeli Jails: A Palestinian Woman’s Testimony: http://samidoun.net/2013/09/facing-imprisonment-in-israeli-jails-a-palestinian-womans-testimony-by-leena-jawabreh/
Film, Women in Struggle, Dir: Buthaina Canaan Khoury, 2004: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Va7-cNxf8
Film, Tell Your Tale, Little Bird, Dir: Arab Loutfi, 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdkoxBjKM1Q
The Struggle of Palestinian Women (PLO, 1975): http://www.palestinianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PLO-PalestinianWomen.pdf
International Women’s Day and the General Union of Palestinian Women, PFLP Bulletin, April 1982: http://www.palestinianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WomensDay-PFLPBulletin-April1982.pdf
Palestinian Women Develop Their Struggle through Democratic Revolutionary Resolutions, September 1974, PFLP Bulletin: http://www.palestinianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WomensDay-PFLPBulletin-13-SepOct74.pdf
Women’s Struggle in Occupied Palestine, Democratic Palestine, May 1984: http://www.palestinianconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WomensStruggle-DemocraticPal-Mar1984.pdf

Palestinian, international organizations support Samidoun against Israeli “terrorist” designation

6 March 2021

Organizations and activists in Palestine and around the world have expressed solidarity with Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in response to the Israeli regime’s designation of Samidoun as a “terrorist organization” for its public work advocating for freedom for the nearly 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

In our response statement, Samidoun emphasized that “we will continue to organize and mobilize internationally in defense of Palestinian rights and liberation. This is the latest manifestation of a smear campaign that is intended to silence international support for the Palestinian people and especially the nearly 5,000 Palestinians jailed by the Israeli occupation. This is an attack on the Palestinian prisoners’ movement as well as the right of Palestinians in exile and diaspora to organize. We affirm that we will not be silenced or deterred by Israel’s smear campaigns.”

Samidoun has received widespread support in response to this repressive attack, with many different organizations and individuals in Palestine and around the world sharing and republishing the statement in English, Arabic, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Greek and Dutch. A number of organizations have also issued statements of their own condemning this action. We know that this list is incomplete and we will provide further updates about upcoming statements. Several of these were published in French at the Collectif Palestine Vaincra website.

In one statement, Al-Qutob, the Democratic Progressive Student Pole at Bir Zeit University, “announced our full solidarity with the Samidoun Network, which supports the prisoners in occupation prisons, after being classified as a ‘terrorist’ organziation by the so-called Occupation Ministry of War. In this regard, we affirm that the brutal occupation attempts repeatedly to suppress the spirit of commitment and struggle among Palestinian youth through killing, arrest and oppression, but we affirm that all of their attempts will not undermine our resolve and will only increase our insistence.”

The Ministry of Prisoners in Gaza “denounced the classification of the Samidoun Network defending Palestinian prisoners as a ‘terrorist’ organization by the Israeli Ministry of War….The network’s members, active in European countries and North America, are working to help Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom, and the network plays an important role in efforts to expose the occupation internationally.”

The prison branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued a statement, in which it said “The prisoners’ movement is following with great interest and pride the strong efforts made by the Samidoun Network in support of the just cause of the prisoners, exposing the violations og the occupation and the prison administration against them, and all of them are firmly convicnced that the Zionist decision will be an even greater motivation for the network and an inspiration for its members and all of the solidarity activists around them to continue their efforts to uphold the prisoners’ cause.”

In a statement, the Preparatory Committee of the Palestinian Alternative Path Conference (Masar Badil), stated “its solidarity and principled stand with the comrades in Samidoun Network and emphasizes that this racist and unjust Zionist decision demonstrates the effectiveness of Samidoun’s role in advancing the cause of Palestinian prisoners and detainees and in defending the rights of our Palestinian people in the face of the crimes of the occupation and its colonial racist policies throughout occupied Palestine. The Preparatory Committee considers this Zionist decision as one targeting the Alternative Palestinian Path but also all forces, organizations and institutions participating in it, and all of the voices that defend the prisoners’ movement and the rights of the Palestinian people everywhere…The Samidoun Network, which has become one of the arms of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and an active voice in the service of the cause of Palestine and its people, has constituted a source of inconvenience to the governments and parties of the racist fascist right in the West and disturbed the comfort of the Zionist occupation, its leaders and embassies through continuous action and organizing. Accordingly, we call for joining its membership and participating in its activities, as this is the strongest response to the Zionist entity’s decision and the revolutionary way to thwart and defeat it.”

In a statement, the Palestinian Youth Movement affirmed that “Israel has long used “terrorism” as a vehicle for criminalizing any resistance to Zionism, including political advocacy on behalf of prisoners, the exact work in which Samidoun engaged and for which it has received international recognition and acclaim. As a grassroots, Palestinian, Arab and internationalist institution, Samidoun has been a critical lifeline of support for incarcerated Palestinians who are tried in Israeli military court, which has a 99% conviction rate for Palestinians and incarcerates children as young as 12 years old. The ‘terrorist’ designation is nothing more than collective punishment for the brave and tireless work of the organization’s members to ensure that our prisoners’ struggle remains at the fore of public consciousnesses and at the root of our people’s collective resistance against the Zionist regime…As Palestinian youth, we affirm that Israel can add every Palestinian to its list without for a second changing our determination to continue resisting and fight for our land and our people’s right of return.”

The US Palestinian Community Network affirmed that it “dismisses ridiculous charges of “terrorism” from the racist, white-settler-colonialist, terrorist state of Israel. Samidoun organizes in support of Palestinian political prisoners, and the liberation of Palestine. We defend Samidoun!”

USPCN dismisses ridiculous charges of "terrorism" from the racist, white-settler-colonialist, terrorist state of Israel. @SamidounPP organizes in support of Palestinian political prisoners, and the liberation of Palestine.

We defend Samidoun!https://t.co/7rsNILrJAQ

— US Palestinian Community Network (@uspcn) March 3, 2021

Wa’ed Association for Prisoners and Freed Prisoners in occupied Palestine denounced the designation of Samidoun Network as “an attempt to neutralize and block any window that supports the cause of the prisoners in occupation prisons, and confirms the importance of popular and media efforts in exposing occupation crimes…Wa’ed declares its full solidarity and support to the Samidoun Network against the occupation decision, praising its work in support of the rights of the prisoners.”

The Free Democratic Palestine Movement issued a statement, declaring: “An attack on one is an attack on all!.. We in the Free Democratic Palestine Movement (FDPM) stand with (Samidoun) against this attack on their freedom of speech and political fight. We demand the immediate release of all Palestinian political prisoners and call on the world progressive and democratic forces to join their struggle. We condemn in the strongest possible terms all the assaults by Israel or anyone else on freedom of speech and any attempt to stifle debate on the Palestinian cause for it is a civil and human right enshrined by International law and treaties.”

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=214900536987827&id=104128958064986

“Palestinian prisoners are a major pillar of the Palestinian movement for liberation. More than 5,000 political prisoners languish in Israel’s jails today. Israel seeks to punish prisoners and those who support them and by extension, seeks to break a major pillar in the Palestinian liberation struggle,” said American Muslims for Palestine Director of Outreach Taher Herzallah. “We stand firmly against Israel’s criminalization of Palestinian civil society groups working in defense of Palestine’s political prisoners.”

Palestinian prisoners are a major pillar of the Palestinian movement for liberation. 5,000+ political prisoners languish in Israel's jails today. We stand firmly against Israel's criminalization of Palestinian civil society groups working in their defense.https://t.co/oJFv75EC2D

— American Muslims for Palestine (@AMPalestine) March 4, 2021

The Global Campaign to Return to Palestine issued a statement in response to the designation, declaring that “It is not surprising that the resistance fighters and the honorable people are accused of terrorism by the criminals against humanity, nor for the Zionist Ministry of War to classify Samidoun as a terrorist organization, especially after the continuous successes of the Samidoun network in revealing the true terrorist face of the occupation. We consider solidarity with Samidoun an obvious matter and one of the basics of solidarity with free prisoners and with the Palestinian people.”

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle Commission 3 – focusing on political prisoners – affirmed in its statement that “The real terrorists are States such as Israel’s which has brought much terror through killings, arrests, detention and other human rights violations against the Palestinian people and through its Zionist occupation of Palestinian land and territories. We salute Samidoun and the Palestinian people for their bravery in standing up against Israel’s multitiered system of oppression – colonisation, occupation and apartheid. No designation of an oppressive government can stop the advocacy for and struggle of the Palestinian political prisoners. Hands off Samidoun! Long live the Palestinian struggle for freedom and liberation!”

Decolonize This Place, an action-oriented decolonial movement in New York City, declared: “Israel recently designated Samidoun a ‘terrorist’ organization; and our response is anti-colonial and unequivocal: Israel is a settler-colonial project and thus has no standing or legitimacy in our eyes. It must be dismantled.”

UPOTUDAK, the International Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, declared that “Samidoun is not alone! Samidoun is legitimate and cannot be inhibited!…We know that the state of Israel and the reactionary imperialist powers..have no tolerance for any democratic demands and democratic struggle. But no matter what decision they take, no matter how much they denigrate, they were and will never be able to remain standing in front of the legitimate and just struggle of the peoples.”

The Friends of Palestine Against Imperialism and Zionism in Turkey declared, “We stand with Samidoun! Resistance is not terrorism. Supporting the rights of captives captured by a colonizer is not terrorism. Building an apartheid stae by exiling and murdering the inhabitants of a land IS terrorism.”

We stand with @SamidounPP ‼️

Resistance is not terrorism ❌

Supporting the rights of captives captured by a colonizer is not terrorism ❌

Building an apartheid state by exiling & murdering the inhabitants of a land IS terrorism ✅ pic.twitter.com/y96wikc2bQ

— Friends of Palestine (@friendsofpales_) March 1, 2021

Palästina Antikolonial in Germany denounced Gantz’s action as a “continuation of the road of criminalization and suppression of any Palestinian self-organization and solidarity work. This attempt to isolate Palestinian organizations through defamation comes just a few days after the launch of the campaign for the freedom of numerous Palestinian students.

Alfred de Zayas, the first UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, affirmed that “Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, is certainly not a “terrorist organization”, but one that can invoke the ICCPR and self-determination.”

Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, is certainly not a “terrorist organization”, but one that can invoke the ICCPR and self-determination.

— Alfred de Zayas (@Alfreddezayas) March 6, 2021

These expressions of solidarity indicate the broad rejection of Israeli attempts at repression and silencing as well as the importance of redoubling our efforts without intimidation by the threats of a racist, settler colonial state. In response to these actions, now is the time to escalate our solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners — especially the international campaign to release Palestinian student prisoners, endorsed by over 325 groups, political parties, social movements, trade unions, associations and student organizations — and our efforts for a liberated Palestine from the river to the sea.

To contact Samidoun Network and discuss how we can work together, please contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net.

Basil al-Araj lives: Media action in the streets of Berlin

6 March 2021

Samidoun Deutschland launched a postering campaign on the streets of Berlin, Germany, especially in Palestinian and Arab neighborhoods, on 6 March 2021, the fourth anniversary of Basil al-Araj‘s assassination by Israeli occupation forces.

The posters salute al-Araj and his contributions to the Palestinian struggle, accompanied by a quote from al-Araj underlining the effects of the Nakba of 1948, the dispossession of the vast majority of the Palestinian people and the establishment of the Zionist settler-colonial state of Israel, upon Palestinians and the Arab people more broadly.

Basil al-Araj, born on 27 January 1984 in al-Walaja village near Bethlehem, occupied Palestine, studied pharmacy in Egypt and became active in the Palestinian youth movement, standing against Zionist occupation and the collaboration of the Palestinian Authority. As an “engaged intellectual,” he was a talented speaker and writer who organized a range of cultural and educational programs in different spheres, from the boycott movement to the Sulaiman al-Halabi Colonial Studies Department. He organized seminars and tours highlighting the history of the Palestinian liberation movement from 1936 to the present and various aspects of resistance to Zionist colonialism. His many articles, revolutionary thoughts and slogans have had a lasting impact on Palestinian youth.

He took part in many demonstrations and protests and was detained for several months in 2016 by the Palestinian Authority under its “security coordination” with Israel. After his release, he was pursued by the Israeli intelligence services and occupation forces, who attacked him in an assault on the home where he stayed in El-Bireh, occupied Palestine, on 6 March 2017. He battled with the occupation forces for over two hours before he was assassinated in a hail of bullets. Thousands of Palestinians joined his funeral and many artists, writers, activists and intellectuals continue to admire the power of his words and legendary will, inspiring new generations of strugglers.

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Remembering Basil al-Araj and continuing his legacy of struggle

6 March 2021

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network remembers Basil al-Araj, the engaged intellectual and Palestinian revolutionary assassinated by Israeli occupation forces as he continued to resist, refusing to surrender, four years ago today: 6 March 2017. He put into practice his vision of the “struggling intellectual,” writing, thinking and acting, engaging in all aspects of Palestinian struggle, from the boycott movement to the armed struggle. Today, Basil al-Araj is a symbol and a living example of struggle for millions of Palestinians, Arabs and internationalists looking towards a vision of return, liberation and victory in Palestine and around the world.

Basil al-Araj’s life was defined by his commitment to liberation. A prominent writer, thinker and youth activists in protest campaigns and boycott movements throughout occupied Palestine, he was seized by the Palestinian Authority under its security coordination with Israel. In fact, the abduction of Basil al-Araj and five of his comrades was touted by PA President Mahmoud Abbas as an important achievement for PA/Israel security coordination. There, Basil and his comrades were tortured and imprisoned for five months without charge before being released after their hunger strike in September 2016.

After his release, Basil went underground. His family’s home was attacked and invaded over 10 times by Israeli occupation forces before he was assassinated in a hail of bullets on 6 March 2017 in the home where he was staying in El-Bireh, occupied Palestine. He resisted until the end, always refusing to surrender, rejecting the path of Oslo and the dismantlement of the Palestinian cause physically and intellectually.

Basil al-Araj’s final statement was issued after his assassination, as demonstrations took place in Palestinian, Arab and international cities, with marches and protests in New York, Washington, DC, Brussels, Berlin, Vienna, London, Rabat, Tunis, Cairo, Amman, Beirut, Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, Gaza City, Ramallah, Haifa, Dheisheh refugee camp and elsewhere. In Ramallah, Palestinian demonstrators were attacked and beaten by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.

“Greetings of Arab nationalism, homeland, and liberation. If you are reading this, it means I have died and my soul has ascended to its creator. I pray to God that I will meet him with a guiltless heart, willingly, and never reluctantly, and free of any whit of hypocrisy. How hard it is to write your own will. For years I have been contemplating testaments written by martyrs, and those wills have always bewildered me. They were short, quick, without much eloquence. They did not quench our thirst to find answers about martyrdom. Now I am walking to my fated death satisfied that I found my answers. How stupid I am! Is there anything which is more eloquent and clearer than a martyr’s deed? I should have written this several months ago, but what kept me was that this question is for you, living people, and why should I answer on your behalf? Look for the answers yourself, and for us the inhabitants of the graves, all we seek is God’s mercy.”

Ahmad Sa’adat, imprisoned Palestinian leader and the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, described Basil Al-Araj:

“with his gun in one hand and his pen in the other, a solid, conscious fighter who would not compromise one iota on principles or constants and who did not melt like some intellectuals in the acid of temptations or acceptance of the status quo…He gave his life for Palestine at a time when some traders seek to sell it piece by piece. He never fell or wavered before the rubble of reality, the enormous challenges, the attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause or divert it from its natural course…His experience of struggle and rich cultural work is an inspiration and compass for revolutionary Palestinian youth, and his luminous flame illuminates their struggle and uprising.”

Khaled Barakat, Palestinian writer and activist, said:

“He saw the relationship between all forms of struggle, and he recognized the right and the duty to participate in all forms of struggle when possible…For him, to be a Palestinian revolutionary intellectual, you must be in confrontation with occupation and struggle to bring down all internal Palestinian chains and blockades, as represented by the PA. Basil studied in Cairo and visited Amman, Beirut and other Arab cities on many occasions. He was working to build bridges between Palestinians inside and outside. That’s why the first demonstrations after his assassination were in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp and in the other camps in Lebanon, as well as in Ramallah. Basil is a representation of an entire Palestinian generation that finds itself today entering 100 years of struggle against colonization, occupation and oppression. And I have no doubt in my mind that they will succeed in liberating their cause and their voice.”

“Basil was alert and aware of the struggles taking place outside Palestine. He participated in the boycott campaigns, actions against the apartheid wall, against normalization, led a campaign called ‘youth for dignity,’ confronted PA policies, negotiations and security coordination in the streets, presented in colleges and universities, worked to build research institutions, and he also carried a gun. These forms of struggle do not contradict each other; in fact, they complement each other…It is revolutionary knowledge that directs the guns, and not the other way around.”

Thousands of Palestinians marched in Basil al-Araj’s funeral of resistance in al-Walaja village, saluting and pledging to continue Al-Araj’s legacy of struggle, chanting against Zionist colonization, the Israeli assassination policy, and the Palestinian Authority’s complicity and security coordination with the occupation regime.

Today, Basil al-Araj remains a towering representative of justice and of the Palestinian liberation struggle. His commitment and vision lives on in the ideas, organizing and action of Palestinian, Arab and international youth organizing and struggling to confront colonialism and achieve victory. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes the living legacy of Basil al-Araj, revolutionary intellectual, freedom fighter and Palestinian, Arab and international symbol of justice and liberation.

Webinar, 14 March: Palestinian Women in Europe – Confronting Racism, Islamophobia and Sexism

#FreePalestinianStudents: 350 organizations sign on with actions in Spain, France, Tunisia, Italy

Call to Action: #FreePalestinianStudents

Endorsers

Solidarity with Palestine Action as two activists jailed in Britain: Take action to #ShutElbitDown

Court Support Dates to #ShutElbitDown

Join the social media storm to #FreePalestinianStudents – Thursday 11 March – in 1 hour!

#FreePalestinianStudents Twitter Storm and Social Media Campaign
Thursday, 11 March
10 am Pacific – 1 pm Eastern – 7 pm central Europe – 8 pm Palestine
Use the hashtag: #FreePalestinianStudents

Suggested Tweets and Images: https://bit.ly/FreePalestinianStudents

Global events and actions highlight Palestinian women’s struggle on International Working Women’s Day

Canadian statement condemns anti-Palestinian attacks: Political Advocacy and National Liberation are not “Terrorism”

On International Women’s Day, Palestinian women are on the front lines of liberation struggle

Take Action!

Resources on Palestinian women prisoners

Palestinian, international organizations support Samidoun against Israeli “terrorist” designation

Basil al-Araj lives: Media action in the streets of Berlin

Remembering Basil al-Araj and continuing his legacy of struggle

Follow us on Instagram @samidounnetwork

Endorsers

Court Support Dates to #ShutElbitDown

#FreePalestinianStudents Twitter Storm and Social Media Campaign Thursday, 11 March 10 am Pacific – 1 pm Eastern – 7 pm central Europe – 8 pm Palestine Use the hashtag: #FreePalestinianStudents

Suggested Tweets and Images: https://bit.ly/FreePalestinianStudents

Take Action!

Resources on Palestinian women prisoners

Follow us on Instagram @samidounnetwork

#FreePalestinianStudents Twitter Storm and Social Media Campaign
Thursday, 11 March
10 am Pacific – 1 pm Eastern – 7 pm central Europe – 8 pm Palestine
Use the hashtag: #FreePalestinianStudents