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9 July, Online Event: What is happening in Occupied Palestine? With Fadia Barghouti

PLEASE NOTE: There was an error in our earlier distribution of this event! The event will take place at 8 pm Palestine time (10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, 7 pm Europe!)

What is happening in the West Bank of occupied Palestine today?

As part of our activities to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the martyrdom of the great Palestinian Arab writer Ghassan Kanafani, we invite you to participate in a special symposium on the recent developments in the West Bank and the entire occupied land of Palestine

🚩 With our guest, Palestinian activist Fadia Barghouti

The symposium will discuss the escalating settler colonization and attacks against the Palestinian people, especially in Jenin and throughout the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the escalation of resistance operations against the occupying forces and settlers, and shed light on the priorities of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement in occupation prisons

📅 Sunday, July 9, 2023
🕥 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, 7 pm Europe, 8 pm Palestine

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/8H9DFlBHzLI?feature=share

Palestinian prisoners say: Free Palestine Action prisoners in British jails

There are currently 6 Palestine Actionists held in British prison for their actions to confront the Israeli war machine on British territory, taking action against Elbit Systems properties and other Israeli arms factories. Dozens of additional actionists are threatened with potential prison sentences targeting their direct action to stop the Israeli arms trade in Britain.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all support, on the international, Arab and Palestinian levels, to free the Palestine Action prisoners. The Palestinian prisoners’ movement has raised its voice from inside Israeli occupation prisoners to show solidarity with the imprisoned Actionists and demand their freedom.

On Wednesday, 5 July, nearly 80 public figures, activists, academics and lawyers issued a statement of solidarity with the Palestine Action prisoners, saying “We demand the charges are dropped against those already incarcerated and at risk of prison over their work to disrupt the criminal production of Israeli weapons on British soil.” Signatories included musicians Roger Waters and Lowkey, writer and activist Mohammed el-Kurd, Professor Rabab Abdulhadi, South African MP and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, MEPs Mick Wallace and Claire Daly, and many others.

Palestine Action supporters, including Samidoun, are calling for a day of action in support of the prisoners and the campaign to shut Elbit down on Saturday, 22 July. Elbit Systems is the supplier of up to 85% of the drones used by the occupation military to attack Palestinians, including the drone used to assassinate three Palestinians in Jenin just two weeks ago, and of the type involved in the invasion of Jenin refugee camp just this week.

There are currently approximately 5000 Palestinian political prisoners in occupation prisons, including 1083 jailed without charge or trial under “administrative detention.” Just as the arms industry of occupation is directly tied to the British weapons industry and colonialism in Palestine, the imprisonment of Palestine Actionists is part of the same framework of colonial repression targeting the Palestinian prisoners. We urge all supporters of Palestine to follow in the footsteps of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and support freedom for the Palestine Action prisoners — and all Palestinian prisoners and prisoners for Palestine in Zionist, imperialist and reactionary regime jails! 

Full Statement of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement: 

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful;

A statement issued by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement on the British imprisonment of Palestine Action activists

The British government currently imprisons several members of the Palestine Action movement, which takes action to challenge companies that are directly complicit in the ongoing Zionist occupation of Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people…

Accordingly, we affirm the following:

First: We express our sincere appreciation for the efforts made by the Palestine Action movement, which led to the closure of several sites belonging to Elbit Systems, which specialises in producing drones and weaponry supplied to the fascist Zionist occupation, in addition to confronting the supply chains of the company and others that supply bulldozers and weaponry to the occupation to demolish Palestinian homes.

Second: The Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement condemns Elbit Systems and all British and other companies marketing their weapons on the grounds that they have been “battle-tested” in the Gaza Strip and throughout occupied Palestine.

Third: We condemn the British authorities’ arrest of members of the Palestine Action movement and call on all international legal and human rights organizations to take a serious position, and to take official and popular action to pressure the British government to immediately release the remaining activists, as well as to bring an end to the British complicity with the Zionist apartheid regime, from the issuing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 until the present day.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement
Sunday 22 Dhu al-Qi`dah 1444 AH
Sunday 11 June 2023 AD

22 July: Join the Day of Action to Free Palestine Action Prisoners!

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network stands in solidarity with the Palestine Action prisoners in British jails and demands their immediate release. The imprisonment of direct action activists confronting the corporations supplying the Zionist military machine with weaponry is part and parcel of the system of oppression targeting activists in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands and other imperialist countries. Join us to take action on 22 July!

Join the Palestine Action Prisoners Day of Action on Saturday 22nd July

There are currently 6 actionists in prison, and 100 more facing prison, for taking action to disrupt the production of Israeli weapons on British soil. Four of them are detained after dismantling an American weapons factory, Teledyne Labtech in Wales. Teledyne are the largest listed exporters of weapons from Britain to the apartheid state of Israel. Two others are in prison for occupying APPH, a Canadian weapons factory, and supplier of parts for Israeli Elbit drones and fighter jets.

Over 100 more face trials for taking direct action against a range of weapons companies, mainly Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons firm. Elbit supply the majority of Israel’s military drone fleet, land equipment, bullets and more. Their weapons are used against the Palestinian people, and then marketed as “battle-tested” and sold on to other oppressive regimes across the world. Using the captive population of Gaza as a laboratory is a crime against humanity, that creates a profitable industry from an illegal occupation. All strikes against that industry is not only legitimate, it is necessary.

Actionists have put their liberty on the line in reaction to the British states deepening complicity with the colonisation of Palestine. Complicity which routes back to the Balfour Declaration, when the land of Palestine was signed away by the British to the zionist militia. Palestine Action refuses to stand by and allow the operations of such companies on British soil, and by doing so, not only have we shut down two Israeli weapons factories and cost Elbit hundreds of £millions in lost contracts, we’re exposing where the states priority lies. By imprisoning actionists, the state is further demonstrating what we already know: the British state prioritises protecting the military supply chain of a foreign apartheid state, over the freedom of its own citizens.

In addition to handing down prison sentences, the state has imprisoned actionists without trial, and on occasions the CPS have reintroduced previously dropped charges, after Elbit asked for a review. In reaction to growing public support for direct action and the plight of the Palestinian people, courts are now adhering to requests from the CPS to eliminate defences in some trials, meaning they’re refusing legal arguments such as preventing the greater crime, and the necessity to save lives. The public did not consent to Israeli weapons factories operating on their doorstep, and by prosecuting us they are not acting in the public interest, but in the interest of foreign weapons firms.

Stand in solidarity with all the actionists in prison and facing prison for taking action in solidarity with Palestine. On the 22nd July, we’re asking for all supporters to organise solidarity actions and protests under the banner “Free the actionists”.

You can protest outside your local CPS office or at a company which facilitates the production of Israeli weapons. Here are a few different actions you can take, but feel free to come up with your own!

(1) In Britain: Organise a solidarity protest/direct action against your local CPS office or any company which facilitates the production of Israeli weapons. Internationally: Protest at British embassies and consulates and/or any company or entity involved in supporting the Israeli arms trade (eg, Scotiabank in Canada; Elbit properties in the US)

(2) Organise a banner drop or poster run and outreach event in solidarity. You can pre-order flyers and posters here: https://bit.ly/PrisonersOutreach

(3) Post the pictures and videos of your actions online and tag @pal_action or/and use the hashtag #FreeTheActionists

(4) Write solidarity messages to the prisoners which you an send to palactprisoners@protonmail.com

(5) Donate to support prisoners and actionists facing trial at https://palestineaction.org/defence-fund

(6) Join Palestine Action’s upcoming online event and hear from former prisoners, actionists and experts on 16th July at 5PM (UK time): https://bit.ly/ActionistsInPrison

Public figures speak out: Free Palestine Action prisoners in British jails! Drop the charges!

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network joins over 75 public figures, including Palestinians, celebrities, legal professionals and politicians, who are calling for the release of Palestine Action prisoners and all charges to be dropped!

Palestine Action’s work and direct action to confront the Israeli arms industry — and British complicity — has led to two Elbit Systems sites being closed down already. Elbit Systems provides 85% of the drones used by the Zionist occupation military, including those used to assassinate Palestinians in Jenin and in the assaults on Gaza.

This statement stands in solidarity with the 6 actionists in prison, and over 100 more who face prison, for disrupting the production of Israeli weapons on British soil. Public figures who signed the letter include Roger Waters (co-founder of Pink Floyd), Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela (South African MP), Mick Wallace (MEP), Michael Malarkey (actor), Lowkey (rapper), Muhammed El Kurd (journalist), Rabab Abdulhadi (professor) and a number of journalists, activist, lawyers and academics.

The letter (published below) highlights the prosecution of Palestine Action activists as part and parcel of ongoing British complicity in and responsibility for the colonization of Palestine, from the Balfour Declaration to the present.

Stand in solidarity with Palestine Action and join the international day of action on 22nd July: https://palestineaction.org/prisoners-day-of-action

Here is the full statement issued calling for the release of Palestine Action activists detained in the UK:

We, the undersigned, call for the freedom of all Palestine Actionists. We demand the charges are dropped against those already incarcerated and at risk of prison over their work to disrupt the criminal production of Israeli weapons on British soil.

We stand with those who have sacrificed their liberty to challenge colonial violence and we call on others to do the same until they, and the Palestinian people, are free. The British government signed Palestine away in 1917 and today, it is openly hosting companies who arm the Israeli occupying regime to enable it to further entrench its system of domination and oppression.

Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, which has several sites across England and Wales, are manufacturers of an array of weaponry, including drones equipped with payloads, surveillance technology and components for tanks and fighter jets. American weaponry firm Teledyne also export a wide assortment of munitions to the state of Israel and recently, Rafael, an Israeli state-owned company, purchased a factory in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as part of the regime’s planned expansion into Britain.

Both Elbit and Rafael, as well as their suppliers, profit from the captive population of Palestine — they have turned civilians into a human laboratory, where experimental weaponry can be tested, improved on, and then marketed as “field-proven” and branded as “battle-tested”.

Britain has been an accessory to the Israeli apartheid regime for many consecutive governments. Its current refusal to respond to calls from its own citizens to end its decades-long complicity, led to the creation of Palestine Action.

Since the network launched, hundreds of activists have taken heroic direct action to blockade, occupy and dismantle the Israeli war machine in Britain. These actions have resulted in the closing down of two of Elbit’s sites, and the loss of millions of pounds through the severance of
MoD contracts. Palestine Action has inspired local communities across the country to rise up against these immoral factories which profit from the business of war and destruction.

In response, the government has decided to prioritise its interests in protecting the military supply chain of a foreign apartheid state by incarcerating its own people. By choosing to side with the oppressor, the British state has made it a duty for those with influential platforms to speak out and take a stand for those risking their own liberty for the sake of justice.

The heroes who have taken courageous action to expose and dismantle Britain’s role in the colonisation of Palestine should be celebrated and rewarded, not imprisoned. We therefore call for the release of all Palestine Action political prisoners, and for the charges to be dropped against all those facing sentences for simply doing what is necessary.

(1) Mohammed El-Kurd (writer and journalist)
(2) Farah Nabulsi (Filmmaker)
(3) Ghada Karmi (Academic and Physician)
(4) Noura Erakat (Professor)
(5) Susan Abulhawa (novelist)
(6) Michael Malarkey (actor)
(7) Roger Waters (musician)
(8) Lowkey (rapper and activist)
(9) Alexei Sayle (comedian)
(10) Richard Sanders (TV Producer)
(11) Rabab Abdulhadi (Professor)
(12) Moazzam Begg (CAGE Director)
(13) Dr Shahd Abusalama
(14) Adhaf Soueif(Novelist)
(15) Paul Laverty (Screenwriter and lawyer)
(16) Nicolas Jaar (musician)
(17) Aki Kaurismaki (Film director and screenwriter)
(18) Tayo Aluko (Actor, singer, writer)
(19) James Kennedy (Musician and author)
(20) John King (Composer-Musician)
(21) Daniel Mejia
(22) Ashok Kumar (Associate Professor)
(23) Ahmed Eldin (Journalist)
(24) Matt Kennard (Journalist)
(25) Asa Winstanley (Journalist and author)
(26) Katie Halper (Journalist)
(27) Frank Barat
(28) Steven Salaita
(29) Andrew Feinstein (writer)
(30) Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela (South African MP)
(31) Busisiwe Tshwete (South African MP)
(32) Mick Wallace (MEP)
(33) Clare Daly (MEP)
(34) Chris Williamson (Former MP)
(35) Franck Magennis (Barrister)
(36) Robert Lizar (Solicitor)
(37) Robert Frank Atkins (Solicitor)
(38) Saskia O’Hara (Legal Caseworker)
(39) Melinda Janki (Lawyer)
(40) Tim Crosland (Plan B Director)
(41) David L. Mandel (Human Rights Attorney)
(42) Richard P Koch (Attorney-at-Law)
(43) Michael Deutsch (Human Rights Attorney)
(44) Michael Letwin (Former President, Assn. of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW 2325)
(45) Mark Stern (Lawyer)
(46)Suzanne Adely (National Lawyers Guild)
(47) Fahad Ansari (Solicitor)
(48) Vanessa Ramos (American Association of Jurists)
(49) Thomas Hofland (International Center for Palestine Studies)
(50) Mireille Fanon Mendes France (Co-chair of Frantz Fanon Foundation)
(51) Dr Gail Bradbrook (Co-founder of Extinction Rebellion)
(52) Jill Clark-Gollub (Black Alliance for Peace Solidarity Network)
(53) David Thomas (Academic)
(54) Seunghoon Paik (Researcher
(55) Michael Noble (Professor)
(56) Nadia Edmond (Academic)
(57) Kareem Rabie (Anthropologist)
(58) Bikrum Gill (Assistant Professor)
(59) Martin Smith (Retired doctor)
(60) Nick Thoburn (Professor)
(61) David Miller (Academic, writer, producer)
(62) Helyeh Doutaghi (Law Academic)
(63) Matteo Capasso (Academic)
(64) Charlotte Kates (Samidoun)
(65) Khaled Barakat (Palestinian writer)
(66) Frances Hasso (Professor)
(67) Andrew Ross (Professor)
(68) Corinna Mullin (Academic)
(69) Max Ajl (Researcher)
(70) Mohammed Dalbah (Journalist and author)
(71) Dr Issam Hijjawi
(72) Robin D.G. Kelley (Writer/Professor)
(73) Marjorie Cohn (Professor)
(74) Heike Schotten (Professor)
(75) Ken Montenegro
(76) Peter Desrochers (Academic Coordinator)

Confronting “Israel Premier Tech” team at the Tour de France in Capvern #TDF2023

On Thursday, 6 July in Capvern, France, in the Hautes-Pyrénées region, around 20 members and supporters of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra and the Collectif 65 for the release of Georges Abdallah came together for the sixth stage of the Tour de France. As in all past years where the team was present, the demonstrators were present to denounce the participation of the “Israel Premier Tech” team, which openly boasts of its political role in laundering Israeli war crimes through sport.

The Collectif Palestine Vaincra — a member organization of the Samidoun Network — and comrades from the Collectif 65 raised a massive banner visible to the audience and the cyclists: “Israel out of the Tour de France!”

They also carried banners calling for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea and for freedom for Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese communist and struggler for Palestine jailed in France since 1984 and denied release following political decisions by multiple French governments. The mobilization for Abdallah, one of the longest-held political prisoners in Europe was particulatly important, as French president Emmanuel Macron had announced his presence for this stage of the Tour de France.

As the caravan of advertising subscribers passed by, several people working for different sponsors of the Tour expressed their support for Palestine over the mic, having seen the many Palestinian flags waving by the roadside!

As they passed by, the activists booed the cars of the Israel Premier Tech team as well as those of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which are fully engaged in normalization to the extent of serving as soft power tools in the service of colonialism,

When the main peloton of cyclists arrived, the activists loudly chanted “Boycott Israel!” in order to emphasize the commitment to expose this scandalous political operation which aims to instrumentalize support in the service of the project of settler colonialism and apartheid. This mobilization is all the more necessary as the Zionist state escalates its colonial violence throughout Palestine, as illustrated by the recent deadly attack on Jenin, which was successfully repelled by the Palestinian resistance.

As part of the same campaign, supporters of justice in Palestine mobilized near the village of Lasseube in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques this Wednesday, July 5 during the fifth stage of the Tour. They displayed Palestinian and Galician flags together, expressing their internationalist commitment.

The success of these new actions underlines the importance of mobilizing during the various stages of the Tour de France in order to intensify our campaigns to boycott and isolate the occupation regime, in support of the Palestinian resistance fighting for liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. Throughout the route of the Tour de France, let’s fly the flag of Palestine and confront Zionism on the roads of the biggest cycling race in the world!

8 July, Albuquerque: Solidarity Rally for a Free Palestine

Samidoun Albuquerque will be participating in the following rally:

Solidarity rally for a Free Palestine! End all U.S. Aid to Israel – Solidarity with Palestinians in Jenin!

Saturday, July 8
11 am
UNM Bookstore, Albuquerque, NM

Organized by PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) and Stop the War Machine

7 July, NYC: Long Live Jenin! Long Live Walid! Rally

Samidoun NY/NJ will be joining the Palestinian Youth Movement and many other organizations this Friday, July 7th at 4:30pm at the UN Headquarters, Ralph Bunche Park, to demand the immediate release of Walid Daqqah!

The Zionist entity is killing Walid Daqqah in an act of deliberate medical negligence. Walid has been imprisoned for over 37 years and has had his sentence extended despite his dire medical condition and cancer diagnosis!

Despite these flagrant abuses, Daqqah’s spirit has not been stifled–he remains a guiding light in the Palestinian prisoner’s movement. Join us to amplify Walid’s case and demand action from international actors like the UN.

FREE WALID DAQQAH. FREE THEM ALL.

Vancouver banner drop shows solidarity with Jenin, demands liberation for Palestine

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

On Wednesday, 5 July, Samidoun Vancouver and friends took to the streets for a banner drop for Palestine in support of the people and the valiant resistance of Jenin, and to denounce the Canadian government’s complicity in and support for ongoing Zionist war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine.

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

Participants in the action dropped banners over the busy Georgia Viaduct, seen by drivers below, SkyTrain riders and the many residents of high-rise buildings in the area, receiving many honks and visual expressions of support from drivers and passers-by.

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

In the early morning hours of 3 July, Zionist forces began invading and assaulting Jenin city and refugee camp with a massive military presence involving 1,000 soldiers and at least 150 armored Caterpillar bulldozers, armed drones, armored vehicles and aerial military equipment. The aim of these attacks is to target the growing Palestinian resistance with deep roots in Jenin, that has created a new reality on the ground in the northern West Bank of occupied Palestine that is no longer under the control of the Zionist occupation or the proxy Palestinian Authority.

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

The invasion of Jenin took the lives of 12 martyrs in the occupied city and refugee camp, but the occupation forces were never able to enter the center of the camp as the heroic resistance defended their people and pushed forward toward liberation. Once again, the occupation failed to achieve its objective and was defeated by the power of the resistance and its popular cradle in Jenin. They were unable to enter the center of the camp — and the resistance remains vigilant, defending their land and people and advancing towards liberation.

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

As Randa Musa, the widow of the martyr Khader Adnan – Palestinian prisoner who rose to martyrdom after 86 days of hunger strike – said: “Jenin camp has always been a flame of anger and uprising in the face of the occupation. This is why the occupier seeks to destroy this revolutionary arena…We are all proud of Jenin and its Brigade, which is an honorable model for all resistance fighters and confronts the enemy with full vigor & strength. Palestine is ours from the river to the sea despite the bloody invasion.”

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

This action in Vancouver comes to emphasize that the actions of the Canadian state are linked with those of the occupation regime, so long as it continues to provide military, diplomatic, economic and political support to Israel. In addition to demanding that Canada cut ties with the occupation, justice-seeking people in Canada are demanding that Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest banks, immediately divest from Elbit Systems, the notorious Israeli weapons manufacturer of armed drones like the ones used to assassinate Palestinians and attack homes in Jenin. Scotiabank is the largest foreign investor in Elbit.

Photo: Michael Y.C. Tseng

Samidoun Vancouver is organizing an evening for Palestine in honour of Ghassan Kanafani, the Palestinian revolutionary intellectual, writer and leader assassinated by the Mossad in 1972, on Saturday, 8 July 2023, the 51st anniversary of his assassination. The event will take place at 7 pm at Grandview Church at 1803 E 1st Ave in Vancouver, and all are welcome to attend.

To get involved with Samidoun Vancouver, contact us at vancouver@samidoun.net, on Instagram at @samidounvan or on Twitter at @samidounvan.

All photos credit: Michael Y.C. Tseng

Jenin rises: Palestinian resistance confronts imperialist-backed Zionist aggression

In the early morning hours of Monday, 3 July 2023, Zionist forces began invading and assaulting Jenin city and refugee camp with a massive military presence involving 1,000 soldiers and at least 150 armored Caterpillar bulldozers, armed drones, armored vehicles and aerial military equipment. The aim of these attacks is to target the growing Palestinian resistance with deep roots in Jenin, that has created a new reality on the ground in the northern West Bank of occupied Palestine that is no longer under the control of the Zionist occupation or the proxy Palestinian Authority.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network joins with our comrades in the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, in calling upon “all solidarity forces and liberation movements around the world to begin organizing activities and demonstrations to support our Palestinian people and their heroic resistance in Jenin camp and city. The Palestinian people in the homeland and in exile and diaspora are united around the valiant resistance that is currently confronting the brutal Zionist-U.S. aggression, and is confirming with its blood and bullets its ability to confront the attack.”

Glory to the Martyrs, Freedom to the Prisoners!

This attack on Jenin has so far claimed the lives of 11 Palestinian martyrs:

  • Majdi Younis Araarawi (17 years old)
  • Owais Hani Hanoun (19 years old)
  • Hussam Mohammed Abu Zeib (18 years old)
  • Nour al-Din Hussam Marshoud (16 years old)
  • Ali Hani al-Ghoul (17 years old)
  • Samih Firas Abu al-Wafa (20 years old)
  • Ahmed Mohammed al-Amer (21 years old)
  • Mohammed Mohannad al-Shami (23 years old)
  • Mustafa Nedal Qasem (17 years old)
  • Oday Ibrahim Khamayseh
  • and Mohammed Imad Hasanein (21 years old), who was shot by occupation forces at the northern entrance of Al-Bireh, Ramallah.

The strugglers of the resistance are fighting and sacrificing their very lives not only to defend Jenin camp but to advance Palestinian liberation.

Confronting the Ongoing Nakba

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 100 Palestinians have been wounded in Jenin. Occupation bulldozers have cut deep swaths through the streets of Jenin, destroying vehicles and property, while over 500 Palestinian families — already refugees — have been forcibly evacuated from their homes in the Jenin refugee camp. The Red Crescent stated that this includes over 3,000 individuals, who have continued to come under attack by occupation forces amid this example of ongoing Nakba.

Occupation forces have rounded up hundreds of Palestinians from the streets of Jenin, throwing them into jeeps and cars and interrogating them, and engaging in mass arrests in an effort to target the resistance. Palestinians seized by occupation forces in such an attack are frequently subjected to physical and psychological torture and abuse.

The occupation forces have blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching the wounded, while their drones have targeted homes and residences, mosques, and the Freedom Theatre of Jenin.

The Rising Resistance

At the same time, the resistance — who have dubbed this battle, “Fury of Jenin” — continues to fight back and to hold their ground in the besieged Jenin camp. Several Israeli military drones have been shot down, occupation soldiers have been ambushed by resistance fighters, and multiple military vehicles have been exploded, damaged and destroyed by explosives and roadside bombs of the resistance forces. As in Gaza, the escalated use of aerial bombing and assassination indicates that the resistance has in many ways made it impossible for occupation soldiers to enter on the ground.

Inside Palestine, demonstrators have taken to the streets in cities throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip and occupied Palestine ’48. Palestinians are confronting occupation forces at areas throughout the West Bank, while resistance forces unleashed explosions on the so-called colonial “border fence” surrounding Gaza.

Imperialist Crimes in Jenin

Emergency demonstrations are being organized in cities and towns around the world to demand an end to this aggression. In the meantime, the full complicity and involvement of imperialist powers — particularly the United States — in the attack on Jenin is perhaps best made clear by Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he spoke to the 4th of July celebration at the U.S. embassy in occupied Jerusalem today, declaring:

“America has provided Israel with moral and political backing against those who would wipe us out, the only Jewish state..Security cooperation has never been better, intelligence sharing has never been deeper.” He boasted about the attack on Jenin and its civilian refugee population: “As I speak, our troops are battling the terrorists…There are no sanctuaries for terrorists – not in Gaza, not in Judea and Samaria, not anywhere.”

The United States provides the Israeli regime with over $4 billion in military aid annually, and is joined in this economic, military, diplomatic and political aid by its imperialist cohorts in the United Kingdom, the European Union states, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, which continue to maintain trade privileges and military alliances with the occupation while suppressing organizing for justice in Palestine in their own countries.

The Prisoners’ Movement: Revolutionary Bonds

As always, the prisoners’ movement is in the heart of the resistance. Jenin is home to many martyrs and prisoners who have sacrificed dearly for the liberation of Palestine and continue to do so on a daily basis. Jenin is, of course, home to the six Palestinian prisoners of the Freedom Tunnel operation, who liberated themselves from the occupation’s high security Gilboa prison in 2021. The self-liberation of these prisoners is deeply connected to the ongoing resistance in Jenin, with the name “Jenin Brigade” applying to both.

Among other targets, occupation forces invaded the home of Zakaria Zubeidi, one of the six strugglers of the Freedom Tunnel. The attack on and occupation of Zakaria Zubeidi’s home is a deliberate attack on Palestinian prisoners and an attempt to hit the morale of the resistance.

Randa Musa, the widow of Khader Adnan, the Palestinian prisoner movement martyr from Jenin whose life was taken on 2 May 2023 after 86 days of hunger strike, said: “There is a generation in Jenin seeking to avenge their fathers; children whose fathers were killed by the occupation in 2002 who have now grown up.” She emphasized the importance of supporting the resistance in Jenin, emphasizing that the people in resistance will not be defeated and are engaged in an exceptionally heroic battle. “What is happening is a test for all of our people in the West Bank.”

Mustafa Sheta, former Palestinian prisoner and director of the Freedom Theatre, echoed this sentiment: ” Buildings may crumble, cars may be reduced to wreckage, and countless individuals may be detained, wounded and even martyred. However,these actions will only serve to breed a new generation that will carry the torch of resistancepassed down by those who came before them, as we do today, and as our children will do in the future. It is a relentless pursuit, driven by the aspiration to reclaim our land and restore the dignity of every human being.”

Zionist Crisis and PA Complicity

The Israeli regime has attempted to shatter the Palestinian resistance and its broad, nurturing popular cradle in Jenin through massacres and colonial violence. It has been shaken by the reality that it is losing its grip over Jenin and the entire northern West Bank as the resistance has grown, developed itself and enhanced its capacities to defend their people and fight for freedom. Further, the fascist forces around Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir are attempting to displace the ongoing internal crisis of the Zionist project into yet another brutal assault on the Palestinian people.

While the Zionist assault and the regime’s fascist leadership are backed by imperialist forces, the Palestinian Authority has remained subservient, issuing statements of condemnation while directing its security forces to stand aside and allow the occupation forces to invade and rampage against Jenin. PA forces have even arrested Murad Malaysheh and Mohammed Brahmeh, leaders of the Al-Quds Brigades, as they atempted to travel to Jenin to support the resistance; despite the PA’s claims that it is protecting Malaysheh, he rejects his arrest and has launched a hunger strike for his release. The PA was created in the Oslo accords to serve as a proxy for the occupation and to engage in security coordination, not to represent or defend the Palestinian people — and these moments reveal that reality with exceptional clarity.

Defend Jenin! Stand with the Resistance!

The occupation is attempting to strike at the beating heart of the growing Palestinian resistance in the West Bank through its assault on Jenin and, in particular, Jenin refugee camp. It is clear that 75 years of ongoing Nakba have failed to break the spirit or conquer the will of Palestinian resistance, and the same is just as true today. The resistance has the capacity to confront these massacres, to fight back, and to move forward toward liberation; in fact, the fighters holding their ground in Jenin today represent a true hope for humanity, and that justice can prevail over the oppressor and exploiter.

At this moment, we must not leave the brave people of Jenin and of Palestine alone to confront this military machine of colonialism and occupation. Just as the Zionist regime relies on its imperialist partners in crime to continue to attack the Palestinian people, and they rely upon it to deny sovereignty and self-determination to the Arab nation and all nations of the region, the resistance in Palestine also finds its support in the regional forces and alliance of resistance and in the international camp of resistance and revolution. In the imperial core, our popular movements must organize, take to the streets, hold emergency actions and build power that is capable of boycotting and isolation the occupation regime, and breaking the bonds of military cooperation, diplomatic alliance and security collaboration targeting the Palestinian people.

From the posters of resistance on the streets of Berlin that sparked the condemnation and demands for criminalization by the Israeli Ambassador to Germany, to the direct actions of Palestine Action that have shut down two of Israeli war profiteer Elbit Systems’ sites in Britain, we can and must organize and take action to defend Jenin, defend Palestine, and stand with the Palestinian people and their brave resistance as they fight for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea.

Follow up-to-date news in English from the Resistance at https://t.me/PalestineResist

Events and actions

The following events and actions are organized by groups and organizations around the world. We urge all to contact the organizers for more information:

  • Manchester, England – Manchester stands with Jenin, Manchester stands with Palestine! Tuesday, July 4, 4 pm, Whalley Range/Old Stafford Brooks Bar Main Junction
  • London – Hands off Jenin! Emergency Protest, Wednesday, July 5, 6 pm, Israeli Embassy
  • Dublin, Ireland – IPSC Emergency Demo for Palestine, Wednesday, July 5, 5:30 pm, The Spire
  • Berlin – Stop the Aggression against Jenin, Wednesday, July 5, 5 pm, Potsdamer Platz
  • Copenhagen – Demonstration for Jenin, Tuesday, July 4, 6 pm, Norrebro
  • Vancouver – Banner Drop for Jenin, Wednesday, July 5, 4 pm, Main St and Prior St, Vancouver
  • Rotterdam – Rotterdam Supports Jenin, Wednesday, July 5, 3 pm, Binnenwegplein, Rotterdam
  • Vienna – Vigil for Jenin, Thursday, July 6, 9 pm, Stephansplatz, Vienna
  • NYC – Free Walid Daqqah Demonstration, Friday July 7, 4:30 pm, UN Headquarters
  • Vancouver – Kanafani Lives, Palestine Lives! Evening, Saturday, July 8, 7 pm, Grandview Church, 1803 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver
  • Göteborg – Cultural Afternoon in Honour of Ghassan Kanafani, Saturday, July 8, 2 pm, Syndikalistisk Forum, Linnégatan 21, Göteborg
  • Montreal – Free Walid Daqqah Demonstration, Saturday, July 8, 3 pm, St Catherine & Guy

 

8 July, Göteborg: Cultural Afternoon in Honour of Ghassan Kanafani

As part of the Palestinian Coordination Group Göteborg, Samidoun Sweden is involved in organizing the following activity:

Welcome to a cultural afternoon in memory of Ghassan Kanafani!

Time: Saturday 8 July 14:00
Place: Syndikalistisk Forum, Linnégatan 21, Göteborg (entrance under Hagabion’s stairs, call the intercom to the right of the door).

Marking 51 years since the assassination of Ghassan Kanafani by the Israeli occupation, we invite you to an afternoon of revolutionary culture. We will show films about and from Palestine and we will exhibit art by the international revolutionary and artist Marc Rudin (1945-2023) who worked in the spirit of Ghassan in all arenas of liberation.

On July 8, 1972, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad detonated a car bomb on a street in Beirut. Ghassan Kanafani and his 17-year-old niece Lamis were in the car. Both perished instantly.

Ghassan Kanafani was a Palestinian revolutionary liberation leader, a prominent member of the PFLP, and a non-fiction and fiction writer. Besides being a clear and distinct voice for a progressive and radical approach to the liberation of Palestine, as a struggle against the imperialist world system, the Zionist movement and reactionary forces in the region, Ghassan Kanafani stood for something that Palestinians and oppressed peoples have known and practiced in all times: culture, the hearts, minds and creative abilities of the people, are battlefields and weapons in the struggle for liberation.

“The Palestinian question is not only a question for Palestinians, but for every revolutionary, wherever he is, as a question that belongs to the exploited and oppressed masses of our time.” – Ghassan Kanafani

Som del av Palestinska samordningsgruppen Göteborg är vi med och ordnar följande aktivitet:

Välkomna till en kultureftermiddag till minne av Ghassan Kanafani!

Tid: Lördag 8 juli 14:00
Plats: Syndikalistiskt Forum, Linnégatan 21, Göteborg (ingång under Hagabions trappa, ring på porttelefonen till höger om dörren).

För att uppmärksamma att 51 år har gått sedan ockupationsmakten Israels mord av Ghassan Kanafani bjuder vi in till en eftermiddag i revolutionens och kulturens tecken. Vi visar filmer om och från Palestina och vi ställer ut konst av internationella revolutionären och konstnären Marc Rudin (1945-2023) som verkade i Ghassans anda i befrielsens alla arenor.

8 juli 1972 sprängde israeliska underrättelsetjänsten Mossad en bilbomb på en gata i Beirut. I bilen satt Ghassan Kanafani och hans 17-åriga systerdotter Lamis. Båda omkom direkt.

Ghassan Kanafani var en palestinsk revolutionär befrielseledare, en framstående medlem i PFLP och en fack- och skönlitterär skribent. Förutom att vara en klar och tydlig röst för en progressiv och radikal ramp för Palestinas befrielse, som en kamp mot det imperialistiska världssystemet, den sionistiska rörelsen och reaktionära krafter i regionen, så stod Ghassan Kanafani för något som palestinier och förtryckta folk har vetat och utövat i alla tider: kulturen, människors hjärtan, sinnen och kreativa förmågor, är arenor och vapen i kampen för befrielse.

”Den palestinska frågan är inte enbart en fråga för palestinier, utan för varje revolutionär, var hen än befinner sig, som en fråga som hör till de exploaterade och förtryckta massorna i vår tid.” – Ghassan Kanafani

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