Two members of Neturei Karta, the religious Orthodox Jewish movement committed to anti-Zionism, have been arrested by the Israeli occupation after meeting with Palestinian leaders and former prisoners in Jenin, including the family of imprisoned Palestinian leader Bassam al-Saadi and former hunger striker Maher al-Akhras. Anti-Zionist Rabbi Simon Roodi is currently held as a political prisoner, while Elhanan Lax was released under restrictive conditions after being arrested earlier in the past week. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands the immediate release of the anti-Zionist political prisoners along with all Palestinian political prisoners in occupation prisons.
Neturei Karta held a press conference in New York City on 17 January to demand the release of the anti-Zionist rabbi as well as all Palestinian prisoners, declaring that the order for the arrest “came from national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leading member of the new extreme right wing Israeli government, who has a history of hostility to anti Zionist Jews.”
During the visit to Jenin, highlighting that anti-Zionist Jews do not recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state and instead stand with the Palestinian people and the liberation of all of Palestine, Rabbi Roodi said: “Zionism has no connection with Judaism. Zionism merely uses Judaism as a vehicle to achieve its goals. Traditional Jews who believe in the Torah have no part in the Zionist conquest and occupation. The state is completely forbidden according to Torah law.”
Members of Neturei Karta visited Jenin on 9 January in an event widely covered in the Palestinian press, where they met with Ata Abu Rmaileh as well as Maher al-Akhras, who Neturei Karta members had also visited in the hospital during his hunger strike for liberation from administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial. During the visit, they declared: “No matter how time passes. We will continue to adhere to our dream and our common goals. We want Palestine with its capital, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian rule, so that we can live happily.”
The arrests have come after several attacks on anti-Zionist demonstrators in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces. The current ultra-right Zionist government finds it unacceptable that anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews, who lived in Palestine before Zionism and the Nakba, continue to serve as a living reminder and example that Zionism does not represent a monolithic Jewish identity nor Jewish religious identity, and that neither the secular nor the religious anti-Zionist perspectives among Jews have been erased or suppressed despite the military dominance of the Zionist state. Further, Neturei Karta’s support for Palestinian self-determination and sovereignty once again underlines the reality that the Zionist regime brutally suppresses: that it is the Palestinian resistance that is the defender of peace, justice and security for all under the banner of Palestinian liberation, and the Zionist project that is an illegitimate colonial interloper.
Watch the video of the New York City press conference:
This poster was created by artist Manu Scordia for the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
With the support of over 215 organizations from more than 30 countries, the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and All Palestinian Prisoners launched on Saturday, 14 January 2023. Marking the 21st anniversary of the imprisonment of Sa’adat, a prominent Palestinian national leader and the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, by the Palestinian Authority — and later, by the Israeli occupation regime — the events of the week highlight the struggle of Palestinian prisoners on the front lines of the liberation struggle. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all who stand with Palestine and justice for the Palestinian people to join us in the week.
Read below for a full list of endorsers as well as multiple upcoming events and actions in cities and communities around the world. Contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net to let us know about your events!
Confronting Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs
In Manchester, Britain, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and the Revolutionary Communist Group organized a stand and speak-out for Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners on 14 January. To get involved with more actions in support of the prisoners, contact the new Samidoun Manchester Facebook Page.
On Sunday, 15 January, Samidoun Deutschland joined international revolutionaries and organizers to march in the annual Liebknecht-Luxemburg Demo in Berlin. Every year, thousands of marchers mark the anniversary of the assassination of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg and the ongoing international revolutionary struggle against capitalism and imperialism with a large demonstration through Berlin.
Youth activists in Stuttgart, Germany gathered to take solidarity photos and demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, including Georges Abdallah jailed in France.
In Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Samidoun Netherlands posters appeared on the streets urging freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat, honouring Nasser Abu Hmeid, urging the Holy Land 5 be freed in the U.S., and calling for the freedom of Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese revolutionary imprisoned for 38 years in France:
In the Bagatelle neighborhood of Toulouse, France, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra hung posters and stickers on 15 January calling for the liberation of Sa’adat and urging supporters of Palestine to attend the two upcoming events in Toulouse — on 19 January and 21 January — for Palestine:
Earlier, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra postered and distributed leaflets at Toulouse University Jean-Jaures, inviting students to attend the upcoming events:
On 14 January, Samidoun Paris Banlieue organized a Palestine stand at Aubervilliers market in support of Palestine and the week of action, distributing flyers and materials about the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat to passers-by:
Later that day on 14 January, CAPJPO-EuroPalestine organized a protest despite significant rain in Paris, gathering people together for a stand and demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people, highlighting the 12 Palestinians killed by the occupation in 2023 and the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners.
In the late afternoon of 14 January in Paris, the Unitary Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah held a rally for the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat, Walid Daqqa, Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners outside Menilmontant metro station:
In Paris, members of AFPS Paris-Sud and the Collectif Boycott Apartheid Israel – Paris Banlieue took solidarity photos in support of the week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat on 12 January:
In Voiron, France, Libérons Georges Abdallah 38 organized a table with information on Palestine, the case of Ahmad Sa’adat and the struggle to free Georges Abdallah at a series of meetings to challenge the extreme right on 14 January.
In Dunkerque, members of AFPS 59/62 and the CGT trade union showed their solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat, the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian liberation struggle at their meeting on Friday, 13 January:
In Clermont-Ferrand, members of AFPS 63 took solidarity photos in support of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, and are preparing for an upcoming event on 24 January in solidarity with Palestine (listed below):
Activists in Bordeaux and Tarbes, France, also posted stickers and posters in their cities to highlight the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners.
The Ligue de la Jeunesse Révolutionnaire in Lyon highlighted banners posted in the city to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Abdallah:
Radiazione Radio in Napoli, Italy also published an interview on 10 January with a Collectif Palestine Vaincra member who spoke about the week of action.
In Brussels, Belgium, the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine participated in an event in support of workers at Forges de Clabecq, where workers are mobilizing for $25 million in wages and unpaid debts. Workers and organizers at the event expressed their solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, including Silvio Marra, one of the leaders of the Clabecq struggle in the 1990s.
In Marchienne-au-Pont, Belgium, supporters of Palestine and the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine gathered with a banner calling for the liberation of Sa’adat:
In Athens, Greece, Samidoun Europe coordinator Mohammed Khatib joined the Anti-Imperialist Front for a press conference and celebration of the liberation of 11 revolutionary prisoners from Turkey who had been jailed in Greece. They had gone on hunger strike for 96 days to demand their freedom, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network joins our comrades in the Anti-Imperialist Front in saluting their victory.
In New York City, antiwar activists and organizers marched from Times Square on 14 January in a march against NATO and U.S. wars organized by the ANSWER Coalition, following a People’s Speakout organized by Struggle – La Lucha on war, racism and poverty on 13 January.
In Vancouver, posters are on the streets urging people to join the event on 18 January calling for freedom for Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners:
Organizations have issued statements in support of the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, a campaign that is particularly relevant at a time that Zionist forces are escalating the attack on the Palestinian resistance and the prisoners’ movement.
CODEPINK created a set of slides in support of Ahmad Sa’adat:
Swedish socialist and anti-imperialist organization Clarté endorsed the week of action, issuing a statement, and The Communist Party of Sweden affirmed its support for the cause:
Idag är det 21 år sedan PFLP:s ledare Ahmad Sa'adat greps. Han är oskyldigt dömd till 30 år fängelse av Israel. Ahmad Sa'adat och de andra palestinska fångarna måste friges!https://t.co/UWnYFUgVKo
Ang Bayan, the revolutionary newspaper of the Philippines, published a discussion of the week that highlighted the role of Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in the liberation movement.
Madison 4 Palestine posted a solidarity statement urging the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian political prisoners:
Tomorrow marks the 21st anniversary of Ahmad Sa'adat's arrest by the traitorous "Palestinian Authority". Ahmad Sa'adat is the General Secretary of the PFLP, imprisoned for his role in resistance against the criminal zionist entity. pic.twitter.com/5158k0SziV
Saoradh, the revolutionary Irish political party, issued a statement in support of the week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
Éirígí, the Irish republican socialist party is organizing a demonstration for Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners on 16 January (details below):
Éirígí activists in Tralee, County Kerry will be holding a rally this coming Monday, 16th January, calling for the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, and all Palestinian political prisoners. #FreeAhmadSaadatpic.twitter.com/jPOy2tifJB
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization issued a statement calling for the release of Sa’adat: “The Palestinian revolution will continue until victory. The Zionist regime exists on stolen land and borrowed time. We demand and end to all U.S. aid to Israel, and we stand in solidarity with all those struggling for a liberated Palestine.”
The Resistance News Network issued a statement with graphics calling for the liberation of Sa’adat. RNN provides up-to-date translated information from the Palestinian resistance; to subscribe to their Telegram feed, click here.
Freedom for Ahmed Sa'adat!
21 years ago, PFLP SG Ahmed Sa'adat was kidnapped by the forces of the comprador PA for "incitement," following a speech in which he said, "We do not deserve respect unless our motto is: An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and a head for a head." 1/5 pic.twitter.com/tByHSSsVm5
Students for Justice in Palestine, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Students for Justice in Palestine – UW Madison
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – UW
Sulong UBC
Svenska Clartéförbundet
Syria Support Movement
Temple Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
The Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with Zionist Enemy
Toronto Raging Grannies
Tunisian Youth Movement -حركة الشباب التونسي
UBC SPHR
UDIRS 30 (Union Départementale Interprofessionnelle des retraités de Solidaires)
UJDL (Lebanese Union of Democratic Youth – Union des Jeunes Démocrates Libanais)
Unadikum association
Ung Vänster Göteborg & Bohuslän
Union Communiste Libertaire
Unión de Jóvenes Venezuela
Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP)
Union Locale CGT Annecy & ses Environs
Unión Palestina de América Latina
Unité Communiste
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
UPML (Union Prolétarienne marxiste-léniniste)
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
V-SB
Verdes Equo Cantabria
Veterans For Peace
Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine
Workers World Party
Yeni Demokratik Gençlik – YDG
Young Struggle
Youth Against War & Racism
Youth Front for Palestine
Events during the Week of Action
This is only a preliminary list of events! Events will be shortly announced in Brussels, Athens, Vienna, Berlin and a number of other cities. Please do send us your events to samidoun@samidoun.net and we will include them in the next set of actions! The United National Antiwar Coalition in the United States — an endorsing organization of the Week of Action — has called for actions between 13-22 January against U.S. wars and imperialism. We urge people to attend these events and bring signs and banners for the liberation of Palestine — they are very welcome at these actions!
Clermont-Ferrand
4 PM
Tractage pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat et de tous les prisonniers politiques palestiniens
Tram UNIVERSITES, Clermont-Ferrand
On 14-24 January 2023, join our collective call for the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, with action and global solidarity to escalate the boycott of Israel, end aid and support to Israel, organize for justice in Palestine and resist imperialism and colonialism.
Organize events, actions and protests to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners! Protest in public squares and other open community spaces. Note that these dates are also the anniversary of Israel’s bloody “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008-2009 –we urge you to include both in your event. Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net to inform us about your events or actions.
Highlight the key themes of this year’s campaign:Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs. Share information on your social media pages, and discuss these issues in your public events and demonstrations.
Join the social media campaign. Post a photo or a video with a message calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners and the hashtag #FreeAhmadSaadat. You can use the posters below. Send us your photo by emailing us at samidoun@samidoun.net or contacting us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Include Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in your Palestine solidarity, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and social justice events. Bring flyers and posters or share a statement from Sa’adat as part of your program. Let us know what you’re doing: Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Boycott Israel! Ahmad Sa’adat says: “I call on all forces of progress, freedom and democracy to stand by the struggle of our people through all forms of boycott: political, economic, academic and cultural of the occupation state and the creation of a real economic cost for its industries of colonization and settlement and escalating the global campaigns for boycott of all corporations that support and invest in the occupation militarily and economically.” Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Join direct actions to challenge war profiteers (like the Elbit campaign with Palestine Action) and boycott complicit corporations like Puma and HP.
Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine, from the river to the sea!
Campaign Graphics
ENGLISH
Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat
The General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Sa’adat was arrested by the Palestinian Authority on 15 January 2002 and jailed under US and British guard. After a violent attack in 2006, he was kidnapped by occupation forces; he is now serving a 30-year sentence in Israeli prison.
ARABIC
الحُرّية للقائد الوطني الأسير أحمد سعدات
أحمد سعدات : الأمين العام للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين. إعتقلته الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية في مدينة رام الله يوم 15 يناير 2002 وجرى وضعه تحت حراسة أمريكية ـ بريطانية في سجن أريحا . في 14 أذار / مارس 2006 هاجمت قوات الإحتلال الإسرائيلي سجن اريحا واختطفته مع عدد من رفاقه الأسرى. وفي 25 ديسيمبر 2008 أصدرت محكمة صهيونية غير شرعية حُكمًا بالسجن ضده لمدة 30 عامًا .
FRENCH
Liberté pour Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, secrétaire général du Front Populaire de Libération de la Palestine, a été arrêté par l’Autorité Palestinienne le 15 janvier 2002 et emprisonné sous surveillance américaine et britannique. Après une violente attaque en 2006, il a été kidnappé par les forces d’occupation. Il purge actuellement une peine de 30 ans dans une prison israélienne.
DUTCH
Vrijheid voor Ahmad Sa’adat
De Generaal-Secretaris van het Volksfront voor de Bevrijding van Palestina (PFLP), Sa’adat werd door de Palestijnse Autoriteit gearresteerd op 15 januari 2002. Vervolgens werd hij bewaakt door Britse en Amerikaanse troepen. Maar na een Israëlische aanval in 2006 werd Sa’dat gekidnapt; hij zit nu een 30-jarige celstraf uit.
GERMAN
Freiheit für Ahmad Sa’adat
Der Generalsekretär der Volksfront für die Befreiung Palästinas, Sa’adat, wurde am 15. Januar 2002 von der Palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde verhaftet. Das Gefängnis, in dem Sa’adat inhaftiert war, wurde von US-amerikanischen und britischen Soldaten bewacht. Nach einem gewaltsamen Angriff im Jahr 2006 wurde er von Besatzungstruppen entführt. Er verbüßt jetzt eine 30-jährige Haftstrafe in einem israelischen Gefängnis.
SPANISH
Libertad para Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, secretario general del Frente Popular de Liberación de Palestina, arrestado por la autoridad palestina el 15 de enero de 2002 y encarcelado bajo vigilancia americana y británica. Después de un ataque violento en 2006, fue secuestrado por las fuerzas de ocupación. Cumple actualmente una pena de 30 años en una prisión israelí.
SWEDISH
Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat
Den 15:e januari 2002 arresterade Palestinska myndigheten Ahmad Sa’adat, generalsekreterare för Folkfronten för Palestinas befrielse. Sa’adat sattes därefter i fångenskap under USA:s och Storbritanniens regi. Under ett våldsamt angrepp 2006 kidnappades han av Israels ockupationsstyrkor och nu avtjänar han ett 30-årigt straff på israeliskt fängelse.
DANISH
Frihed for Ahmad Sa’adat
Generalsekretæren for PFLP (Folkefronten til Palæstinas Befrielse), Ahmad Sa’adat, blev arresteret af det palæstinensiske selvstyre (PA) den 15. Januar 2002 og fængslet under US-amerikansk og britisk overvågning. Under et voldsomt angreb i 2006 blev han kidnappet af besættelsesstyrker og har siden været indespærret i israelske fængsler, idømt 30 års fængsel.
ITALIAN
Libertà per Ahmad Sa’adat
Sa’adat, segretario generale del Fronte Popolare di Liberazione della Palestina, è stato arrestato dall’autorità Palestinese il 15 gennaio 2002 e imprigionato e sorvegliato dalle autorità americane e britanniche. Dopo un violento attacco nel 2006, è stato rapito dalle forze d’occupazione. Sconta attualmente una pena di 30 anni in una prigione Israeliana.
PORTUGUESE
GREEK
Λευτεριά στον Αχμάντ Σααντάτ!
Ο Γενικός Γραμματέας του Λαϊκού Μετώπου για την Απελευθέρωση της Παλαιστίνης, Σααντάτ, συνελήφθη από την Παλαιστινιακή Αρχή στις 15 Ιανουαρίου 2002 και φυλακίστηκε υπό αμερικανική και βρετανική φρουρά. Μετά από μια βίαιη επίθεση το 2006, απήχθη από τις κατοχικές δυνάμεις∙ τώρα εκτίει ποινή κάθειρξης 30 ετών σε ισραηλινή φυλακή.
15 January 2023 marks the 21st anniversary of the abduction of Palestinian leader Ahmad Sa’adat by the Palestinian Authority — at the behest of and as part of “security coordination” with the Israeli occupation in 2002. Sa’adat, the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has now been imprisoned consistently since that time — first by PA security, then under US, British, Canadian and Turkish guard in a PA prison in Jericho, and now, for the past 17 years, inside Israeli jails alongside 4,750 fellow Palestinian political prisoners after occupation forces’ deadly siege on Jericho and the kidnapping of Sa’adat and his comrades in 2006.
The arrest of Sa’adat on 15 January 2002 was emblematic of the deep damage the crime of “security cooperation” has done to the Palestinian people and their national cause. “Security cooperation” has meant nothing but attacks on the Palestinian resistance at the behest of Israel, committed by Palestinian Authority hands. The abduction of Ahmad Sa’adat, and his imprisonment – and that of his comrades – in the PA prison in Jericho, under U.S. and British guard, was a clear example of the PA’s status as fundamentally beholden to the interests of Israel, the U.S. and other international powers, at the expense of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance.
This has not changed since 2002; instead, the problem has become only more widespread. There are dozens of Palestinian political detainees in Palestinian Authority prisons in the West Bank, held there precisely because they are targeted for allegedly being part of or supporting the Palestinian resistance. The PA jails have become a “revolving door” with the jails of the Israeli occupation, with former prisoners particularly targeted for political repression through “security coordination.” Today, as in the case of Sa’adat — who was ordered released by a Palestinian Authority high court but remained held in Jericho until the Israeli assault — Palestinians continue to be locked up by PA security forces despite Palestinian courts ordering their release, another indication of the lack of meaningful sovereignty or self-determination of the PA.
In recent days, demonstrations demanding the release of political prisoners held by the PA have come under attack by PA security forces, even as the anniversary of Sa’adat’s arrest approaches. Sa’adat and his four comrades — Ahed Abu Ghoulmeh, Majdi Rimawi, Hamdi Qur’an and Basil al-Asmar, along with Fuad al-Shobaki — were jailed by the PA, only to be seized by the occupation at the first potential hint that they may be released. In the 2006 PA elections, the Change and Reform bloc — supporters of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance — won a majority, and during their campaign, they pledged to end security coordination and release PA political prisoners. The assault on Jericho prison on 14 March 2006, organized by the Israeli occupation together with the international “guards,” who withdrew to give the occupying forces free access to attack the prison, kill Palestinian guards and seize the political prisoners — came exactly two weeks before Ismail Haniyeh was slated to be sworn in as prime minister.
Of course, the results of the 2006 election were never truly implemented and were immediately met with sanctions, siege and intensified imperialist domination. This helped to clarify, once again, that the PA as a system was never set up to represent Palestinians but to pacify the Palestinian people for the benefit of the occupation. However, it remained a priority for the occupation to ensure that even the limited powers of the PA could never be used to liberate political prisoners, only to maintain them on behalf of the occupation.
140 organizations from 25 countries have already joined the call for the Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners from 14-24 January 2023. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all who stand with Palestine and justice for the Palestinian people to join us in the week.
Students for Justice in Palestine, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Students for Justice in Palestine – UW Madison
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – UW
Sulong UBC
Svenska Clartéförbundet
Syria Support Movement
Temple Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
The Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with Zionist Enemy
Toronto Raging Grannies
Tunisian Youth Movement -حركة الشباب التونسي
UBC SPHR
UDIRS 30 (Union Départementale Interprofessionnelle des retraités de Solidaires)
UJDL (Lebanese Union of Democratic Youth – Union des Jeunes Démocrates Libanais)
Unadikum association
Ung Vänster Göteborg & Bohuslän
Union Communiste Libertaire
Unión de Jóvenes Venezuela
Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP)
Union Locale CGT Annecy & ses Environs
Unión Palestina de América Latina
Unité Communiste
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
UPML (Union Prolétarienne marxiste-léniniste)
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine
Yeni Demokratik Gençlik – YDG
Young Struggle
Youth Front for Palestine
Events during the Week of Action
This is only a preliminary list of events! Events will be shortly announced in Brussels, Athens, Vienna, Berlin and a number of other cities. Please do send us your events to samidoun@samidoun.net and we will include them in the next set of actions! The United National Antiwar Coalition in the United States — an endorsing organization of the Week of Action — has called for actions between 13-22 January against U.S. wars and imperialism. We urge people to attend these events and bring signs and banners for the liberation of Palestine — they are very welcome at these actions!
Paris
5:30 PM
Rassemblement pour exiger la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat, de Walid Dakka et de Georges Abdallah !
Place Jean Ferrat, métro Ménilmontant – ligne 2
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/517538566845244/
Manchester
9:30 AM
Support The Ferranti2 At Manchester Crown Court – Every Day between 17 January and 20 January
Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street, Manchester
Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/372382948057496/
Clermont-Ferrand
4 PM
Tractage pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat et de tous les prisonniers politiques palestiniens
Tram UNIVERSITES, Clermont-Ferrand
On 14-24 January 2023, join our collective call for the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, with action and global solidarity to escalate the boycott of Israel, end aid and support to Israel, organize for justice in Palestine and resist imperialism and colonialism.
Organize events, actions and protests to demand freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners! Protest in public squares and other open community spaces. Note that these dates are also the anniversary of Israel’s bloody “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008-2009 –we urge you to include both in your event. Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net to inform us about your events or actions.
Highlight the key themes of this year’s campaign:Deportation, Medical Neglect, Administrative Detention and the Imprisonment of the Martyrs. Share information on your social media pages, and discuss these issues in your public events and demonstrations.
Join the social media campaign. Post a photo or a video with a message calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners and the hashtag #FreeAhmadSaadat. You can use the posters below. Send us your photo by emailing us at samidoun@samidoun.net or contacting us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Include Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in your Palestine solidarity, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and social justice events. Bring flyers and posters or share a statement from Sa’adat as part of your program. Let us know what you’re doing: Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Boycott Israel! Ahmad Sa’adat says: “I call on all forces of progress, freedom and democracy to stand by the struggle of our people through all forms of boycott: political, economic, academic and cultural of the occupation state and the creation of a real economic cost for its industries of colonization and settlement and escalating the global campaigns for boycott of all corporations that support and invest in the occupation militarily and economically.” Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Join direct actions to challenge war profiteers (like the Elbit campaign with Palestine Action) and boycott complicit corporations like Puma and HP.
Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine, from the river to the sea!
Since the passing of Filipino leader, comrade Jose Maria “Ka Joma” Sison, in the Netherlands on 16 December 2022, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network had the honor of participating in tributes and events celebrating the life of the co-founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines and one of the greatest revolutionaries of the past century.
On 23 December a Samidoun delegation from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands joined the Day of Tribute including international guests, comrades and representatives of political parties and groups in Utrecht. Together with over 150 comrades, we celebrated the life of Ka Joma and reiterated our commitment to the struggle for the liberation of the Filipino people and all struggling people of the world.
Samidoun Europe coordinator Mohammed Khatib delivered the following message:
Good evening comrades,
Thank you for inviting us and thank you for being here. On behalf of myself, on behalf of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, also on behalf of the Masar Badil – the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, we salute you. We salute Julie de Lima, we salute the Filipino migrant community in exile, we salute Louie Jalandoni, Coni Ledesma, and all the families of the Filipino comrades who live here in the Netherlands. We salute the Filipino people with this great loss of comrade Joma Sison.
For us it is an honor and privilege to be close to comrade Joma, to his contributions and to his work. It was an honor for us as a Palestinian community also in exile to be close to comrade Joma. To arrange together with him the solidarity work and to build bridges between Palestine and the Philippines.
Me myself, I had the privilege at the age of 22 to meet comrade Joma for the first time in Utrecht. This was the main reason why I visited this city for the first time. And from there I found myself one year later in the Philippines, and two years after we founded the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association. And until today we are still struggling and working together.
We did not lose comrade Joma. I think all of us here, we are all comrade Joma. Comrade Joma has been a rock in this revolutionary path for the struggle of the Filipino people. We will keep hearing his voice with every bullet fired by the NPA red freedom fighters in the mountains of Mindanao. We will hear comrade Joma, we will see him when we see the people of the slums in the Philippines marching against exploitation and against colonialism.
Comrade Joma will always be alive in our struggle. Not only in the Philippines, but in Palestine and in Lebanon, and in the Netherlands and the United States – against hegemony, against imperialism and capitalism.
We salute comrade Joma again. We salute everyone here. We reaffirm our commitment to comrade Joma that we will continue on the path of resistance. We will continue on the path of struggle. Not only in the Philippines and Palestine but also we will follow our enemy everywhere.
Thank you so much.
The cremation ceremony of Jose Maria Sison on 27 December in Utrecht was similarly attended by many family members, friends and comrades. It was an emotional image to see Joma’s coffin surrounded by his closest comrades and the flags of the CPP, NPA, NDF and its allied organizations.
On behalf of the Patriotic Youth, Kabataang Makabayan Europe, Mila Esperanza said:
Every bullet fired by the New Peoples Army, every red flag flown ever higher; our victory will be in his name. And this victory will come. This victory will be our legacy. This victory will be the legacy of Tito Jo. We challenge the youth and the migrants to follow the steps of Ka Joma and other brave revolutionaries. We call on the youth and migrants to go to the Philippines, live with the masses, and join the armed revolution in the countryside. Kabataan at migrante, tumungo sa kanayunan! Paglingkuran ang sambayanan! (Youth and migrants, head to the countryside! Serve the people!).
Julie de Lima, lifelong partner and comrade-in-arms of Ka Joma, and chairperson of the NDFP Peace Negotiation Panel, gave a moving speech:
Love bound us on the day we got to know each other. It is love that binds us, and us to our four children and two grandchildren. To our comrades and friends, and the people we have served all our lives. I shall always love you. I shall always feel your presence with every breath I take, in the air that I breathe in the sunlight that sheds on me, in the water that I drink, on the ground on which I thread, and in all the things I do. I love you as you loved me, your children and your grandchildren. The Filipino people that you served with determination until your very last breath.
Since the foundation of Samidoun we have had the pleasure of working closely together with the Filipino revolutionary movement and learning from them. We continuously study the history and developments of the Filipino revolutionary movement in order to practice its lessons in the struggle for Palestine. And we encourage all Palestinian revolutionaries and their supporters to deepen their knowledge and connection to the Filipino liberation movement.
We understand and feel the loss of Ka Joma as the loss of one of our own. Ka Joma was a Filipino revolutionary but his struggle reached far beyond the archipelago. He was always open to intensify the collaboration between Palestine and the Philippines and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association.
As Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network we salute Ka Joma and the Philippine revolutionary movement. We reaffirm that Ka Joma lives on through the struggle of millions of Filipinos, Palestinians and people from all countries of the world. We will continue to draw inspiration from Ka Joma’s work and learn from his inspiring revolutionary optimism, selfless work ethic, and firm belief in the victory of the people.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is excited to be a co-sponsor of this important project.
After two years of dedicated organizing, we are excited to officially announce the launch of the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, and Economic Coercive Measures. This project is a first ever international effort to build systems of accountability—rooted in global cross-movement solidarity—both within and outside of the law, to challenge the violence of imperialism through sanctions. With an impressive group of internationally renowned jurists from across the world, we interrogate sanctions not from the perspective of those who enforce them, but from the perspective of those most impacted by them, namely the peoples of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
This half-day event will take place on January 28, 2023, at People’s Forum located at 320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018, by an international coalition of over 30 organizations. The Tribunal will last for approximately six months and will conclude with a closing event hosted by the Simón Bolívar Institute in Caracas, Venezuela in July 2023.
The launch event will feature a distinguished group of jurists, scholars, and activists, including:
Nina Farnia, Co-chair of the Tribunal Steering Committee & Professor of Law, Albany Law School
Niloufer Bhagwat, Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific
Brian Becker, ANSWER Collation
Mireille Fanon Mendès-France, The Frantz Fanon Foundation
Booker Omole, Communist Party of Kenya
Carlos Ron, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations for North America
Suzanne Adely – President National Lawyers Guild & Tribunal Steering Committee
Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Former United Nations Independent Expert
Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, Historian & Scholar
Claudia De La Cruz, People’s Forum
Sara Flounders, Sanctions Kill
Helyeh Doutaghi, Co-chair of the Tribunal Steering Committee & Adjunct Professor, Carleton University
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes Karim Younes and the entire Palestinian people on his liberation today after serving 40 years as the longest consecutively-held Palestinian prisoner. Imprisoned since 1983, Younes was welcomed home by his fellow residents of ‘Ara, a Palestinian village in occupied Palestine ’48.
Speaking immediately after his release, he confirmed his continued commitment to struggle. “I salute our great people who have engaged in struggle for 100 years without raising the white flag,” he said, draped in a kuffiyeh and carrying a Palestinian flag as he marched with loved ones through ‘Ara. “I am willing to give another 40 years of my life as a sacrifice for my people, and all of the prisoners have the strength and commitment to sacrifice 40 and 50 years for the freedom of their people….The messages of the prisoners are many, but the final message is one of love and gratitude to our great people in all of the places of their presence, our people in the West Bank, in Gaza, in the diaspora, in occupied Palestine ’48, in Jerusalem…The prisoners carry many questions and concerns, and my heart is with those who remained in prison, carrying their bodies on their shoulders and walking with death alongside them.”
The Israeli occupation regime attempted to deny the Palestinian people their joy at the release of Karim Younes, who has become a national symbol of unity through his decades of imprisonment. Rather than releasing him at the prison gates of Hadarim or in his home village, he was instead released at a random bus station, away from his family and crowds, at dawn. However, with the help of another passerby, he was quickly reunited with his family and his liberation celebrated. Zionist interior minister Aryeh Deri also threatened to withdraw Israeli citizenship to impose statelessness on Younes and his cousin Maher, who is himself soon to be released on 17 January.
Nevertheless, with his powerful comments and strong welcoming — as well as messages of support from all Palestinian resistance factions and political parties — Karim Younes once again demonstrated the steadfastness and leadership of the Palestinian prisoners and the unquenched will to freedom of the Palestinian people despite 40 years behind bars, 75 years of Nakba and 100 years of colonialism.
Just days before his release, Younes issued a moving statement about his forthcoming liberation: “I am returning to sing again with my people everywhere the anthem of my homeland, the anthem of the fedayeen, the anthem of return and liberation.”
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network congratulates Karim Younes, his family and the entire Palestinian people upon his release, with a celebration that will only be complete with the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners. We join not only his friends and family in Palestine, but also thousands of friends, comrades and supporters in the Palestinian diaspora, Palestinian solidarity movement and global social justice movement in saluting his ongoing commitment to Palestinian liberation.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network condemns the recent report published by the conference of German interior ministers which aims to target Palestinian communities and Palestine solidarity activism with repression and criminalization. We urge not only all supporters of Palestine but all defenders of basic democratic rights to act now to prevent the ministers from implementing these plans that aim to repress one of the largest Palestinian communities in Europe.
The conference in question took place between 30 November 2022 and 2 December 2022, involving interior ministers of all 16 German states. Two working groups were assigned by the conference to specifically address “Need for action due to increasing anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli agitation in the context of the Middle East conflict”. Namely the “internal security” and the “Verfassungschutz” working groups (the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s internal intelligence agency). In other words, the state is moving towards explicitly and admittedly treating Palestinian and Palestine solidarity organizing as a target for criminalization and repression. In addition to the two working groups, federal criminal police officials and “antisemitism commissioners” took part in formulating the report, which aims at laying out a list of recommendations and courses of action for the interior ministries of the German federations. Ten of Germany’s 16 states were explicitly represented in the working group.
It is important to note that many of these “antisemitism commissioners”, rather than dedicating their attention to confronting fascism and Nazism that is on the rise in Germany and in Europe as a whole, instead spend their time promoting the Israeli occupation and war crimes, and attacking Palestinian organizing in Germany. For example, the antisemitism commissioner of Frankfurt, Uwe Becker frequently demands the cancellation of Palestinian events and does not hesitate to appear for photo ops with Israeli military officials promoting the bombing of Gaza.
Following the banning by Berlin’s interior minister of all events commemorating the Nakba, including events and marches organized by Samidoun and Palestine Speaks, in May 2022, the documents produced by the conference specifically call for the targeting of these two groups, as well as campaigns for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel generally. It was this ban on Nakba day that led to the creation of a new coalition to defend democratic rights, especially those of targeted communities and oppressed groups.
In addition, the interior ministers propose a series of criminalizing and politically propagandistic interventions to promote Zionism and suppress Palestinian organizing and narratives, including:
Requiring school teachers to promote positive images of “Israel” in German classrooms and implementing educational agendas portraying the occupation more positively.
Further implementation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism: a definition whose sole purpose appears to be the stigmatization and criminalization of Palestinian advocacy. With that, it categorized the reports labelling the occupation as an apartheid regime as “anti-Semitic”.
Advancing criminal prosecutions for anti-Semitic statements as defined by the IHRA.
Prohibiting (and subjecting to criminal sanctions) the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and the map of all of Palestine, as they question the occupation’s “right to exist”.
Creating “new legal bases” for “prosecuting previously permissible efforts” that challenge the Israeli regime.
Moving towards banning pro-Palestinian associations and activities under the guise of “combating Israel-related antisemitism”.
Promoting normalization activities and initiatives.
The report identified 35 state-funded projects to “combat Israel-related antisemitism”, 649 such projects to fight antisemitism overall, based on the IHRA definition; and 138 projects targeting schools, kids and youth. It is important to note that such projects specifically aim to target Palestinian and Arab children growing up in Germany as well as a new generation of German youth who share the perspective of young people around the world in rejecting Zionism and racism.
Let us be clear: there is nothing about this meeting and its proposals that is about fighting antisemitism. If it were, it would instead focus on the extreme right, the growth of which has even led to a recent set of arrests around a neo-Nazi coup plot. Instead, the focus is on the interests of German imperialism, U.S. imperialism and the Zionist project in Palestine, at the expense of Palestinians in Germany and in occupied Palestine. Rather than take responsibility for European fascism, neo-Nazi and extreme right elements and German history, these German politicians instead seek to displace that responsibility onto Palestinians, Arabs and Germans who support the rights of the Palestinian people.
Germany votes “no” at the United Nations on resolutions against the glorification of Nazism, attempting to justify that decision by blaming Russia, despite the reality that Russia — and the entire Soviet Union — bore one of the greatest brunts of the Nazi assault in World War II.
These events are not unrelated. By shifting the definition of antisemitism from one that accurately reflects the ideology that motivated Nazism and fascism to one that instead focuses on the legitimization of the Israeli occupation and the Zionist project (the so-called “IHRA definition”), the German government is doing the opposite of taking responsibility for Nazi crimes. It is, in effect, minimizing those atrocities and their ongoing legacy by instead celebrating the Zionist regime and demonizing the Palestinians who defend their land and resist colonization.
German officials — particularly in Berlin, a city with a very large Palestinian community and an active and mobilized anti-imperialist left — are already pursuing these policies in fact. Multiple Palestinian students have already been threatened with deportation and bans from Germany and Europe for attending or registering a legal demonstration for Palestine with the police. Hundreds of people were arrested or ticketed for commemorating the Nakba in Berlin in May 2022. Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat was subjected to a political ban and expelled from Germany for his political activities, only months after torture survivor and former political prisoner Rasmea Odeh was subjected to a political ban and her Schengen visa revoked.
On multiple occasions, German officials, including interior ministry and immigration department officials in Berlin, have attempted to justify these severe repressive acts — this crisis of democratic expression — by reference to notorious Zionist propaganda arms like NGO Monitor, or by reference to the Israeli regime labeling Samidoun a “terrorist organization”. At the same time, in Ramallah, representatives of Germany’s foreign ministry feign shock at the very same designation applied on an identical basis to Palestinian NGOs in occupied Palestine and note that such allegations are unproven. It is clear that these German officials seem to believe that Palestinians in Germany should have even fewer rights to organize, express themselves, demonstrate and struggle for freedom than those living under military occupation.
In reality, there is a long history in Germany of anti-imperialist organizing and support for Palestine — and for a clear recognition that the two are intimately connected. Of course, recognition of Palestinian rights was the official policy of the German Democratic Republic. In addition, Germans joined people from around the world in travelling to the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to join the Palestinian revolution as volunteers of all kinds, participating in everything from health support to armed struggle. On the popular movement level, campaigns to boycott Israel and support the Palestinian resistance — including, explicitly, the armed struggle — took place throughout Germany as part and parcel of anti-imperialist organizing, repeatedly coming into confrontation with the Federal Republic of Germany’s government. The attempt to “left-wash” the Israeli occupation through a claimed “anti-German” ideology that in fact mirrors German and U.S. foreign policy largely follows German reunification: advancing, rather than confronting, imperialism.
The Palestinian and Arab community has grown significantly in Germany in the past 10 years, although this builds among an already significant community that has experienced multiple waves of repression in the Federal Republic of Germany, from the large-scale deportation of Palestinian students in the 1970s to the explicit restrictions imposed upon Palestinians from Lebanon seeking to immigrate to Germany or seek asylum. In many ways, these proposals, while threatening, are also a recognition of the growing power and stronger alliances of this community, as tens of thousands have repeatedly taken to the streets to march for the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
From legal battles like those undertaken by the Stuttgart Palestine Committee that secured their right to space and bank account, to Khaled Barakat’s battle that saw his political ban declared illegitimate, to the grassroots organizing that the largely youthful and Palestinian comrades of Samidoun in Germany engage in on the streets on a daily basis, from mass demonstrations to postering and raising the image of the leaders and fighters of the Palestinian resistance, supporters of Palestine and anti-imperialists in Germany have never stopped fighting back and will not be forced into submission by this latest threat.
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers adopted a resolution at its December 2022 meeting, noting that “the IADL condemns these actions to suppress expression on Palestine as a form of German and European complicity with ongoing Israeli colonization, apartheid and occupation in Palestine, including ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The struggle for the liberation of Palestine is a struggle confronting imperialism, Zionism and the reactionary agents that do their bidding. Inside occupied Palestine, we see the appointment of overtly fascist figures such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itmar Ben Gvir as yet another attempt to intimidate the Palestinian people, who have shown for 75 years of Nakba, 100 years of colonization and more that they will never be intimidated or defeated. Indeed, the rising power of the Palestinian resistance and liberation struggle — including the increased involvement, visibility and action of the Palestinians in exile and diaspora around the world — is provoking alarm in the centres of imperialism and Zionism. These threats by German officials must be met with more organizing, more action and more resistance and with a clear message from all who value human dignity, democratic rights and a rejection of colonialism: that we will stand together against criminalization and repression, and that together, we will struggle — until, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is republishing the following update from Palestine Action on the upcoming court cases for Palestine Action activists, including the four political prisoners, the #Teledyne4. We urge all supporters of Palestine to support these important campaigns and defend direct action to put an end to British-Israeli cooperation in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This month, numerous actionists will fight in the courts to prove Elbit is Guilty, Palestine Action is not! Most are on bail, but 4 remain imprisoned since December. Below is a list of court battles which require your support.
Free the #Teledyne4
On December 9th, 4 activists allegedly dismantled approximately £1million worth of military equipment, destined for Israel, at the US-owned Welsh based factory, Teledyne Labtech. They’ve remained detained ever since, sacrificing the holidays with their families and loved ones. In our last email, we called out for supporters to mobilise outside Mold Crown Court on the 6th January to attend the plea hearing of the #Teledyne4, where they have another opportunity to apply for bail. However, there is also a bail hearing listed for one of the activists on the 5th January at the same court. We expect that the courts will merge both hearings into one on the 6th January, but we can not confirm yet if there will be another hearing on the 5th January. Please follow our social media (Twitter: @pal_action) for up to date information.
Either way, please get ready to mobilise your friends and families to gather outside Mold Crown Court, County Civic Centre, Mold CH7 1AE from 9.30AM on the 6th January — and watch out for any updates on support needed on the 5th January
Balfour 2
To commemorate 105 years since the Balfour declaration, two activists defaced Balfour’s statue in the private members lobby of the House of Commons, before gluing onto the plinth and explaining: “105 years ago Balfour gave away the land of Palestine, a land that wasn’t his to give”
The action exposed British complicity with the colonisation of Palestine and forced the issue into British mainstream media. Now, the two are possibly the first to be charged with “criminal damage to a memorial” under the new Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill.
Support the two activists on 4th January from 9.30AM outside Southwark Crown Court, 1 English Grounds, London SE1 2HU
Kingsway 4
6 days after the assassination of Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, 4 activists took action to shut down the London HQ of Israel’s largest arms firm. They successfully disrupted Elbit’s criminals operations and contributed towards Elbit abandoning their swanky London offices.
Now, they’ll be facing trial, where they’ll battle charges of “criminal damage” for taking action against a firm who commits criminal damage and murder in Palestine on a near daily basis.
Support the activists and mobilise from 9.30AM on the 10th, 11th and 13th January outside Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, 51 Holloway Rd, London N7 8JA
Leicester 5
Last year, 6 activists were arrested close to Elbit’s Leicester factory, UAV Tactical Systems. Subsequently, 5 were charged with possession of items to commit criminal damage.
They’ll be battling their charges when they face trial on the 10th-12th January.
Mobilise outside Wolverhampton Magistrates Court, 9 North St, Wolverhampton WV1 1RE from 9.30AM each day of the trial,
Ferranti 2
In February 2021, Palestine Action teamed up with XR North to take down Elbit’s factory in Oldham. Eight activists took to the site to lock down the gates and climb on top of their overhang. The two who scaled on top of the overhang proceeded to smash the windows. In all, the factory was severely disrupted and less than one year later, it was announced that Elbit were packing their bags and leaving Oldham.
Although a huge victory was achieved, the state are still adamant are trying to convict activists who contributed to the success. The two activists will battle Elbit and the state in the Crown Court, to prove to a jury that Elbit is guilty, they are not.
This will be our second case to go to the Crown Court. The first one resulted in a unanimous not guilty jury verdict. There is no doubt that Elbit are the state will be becoming increasingly desperate to convict in the Crown Court. Mobilise on mass from 9.30AM on every day of the trial to show that we are also doubling our efforts in support for the activists who #ShutElbitDown.
The trial will be taking place from the 17th January (scheduled to last 4 days) at Manchester Crown Court, Minshull St, Manchester, M1 3FS
A hearing for legal arguments will be taking place on the 13th January ahead of the trial.
Kingsway 2
Activists took action against Elbit’s former London headquarters, leading to its permanent closure. The trial began last year but was interrupted due to technicalities. Support the activists once the trial resumes.
Mobilise from 9.30AM on 24th and 25th January 2023 outside Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, 51 Holloway Rd, London, N7 8JA
Samidoun is republishing the following interview, originally published in Spanish, with Liliana Córdova Kaczerginski, co-founder of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), anti-imperialist activist and member of Samidoun Spain. The interview was conducted when she spoke before the Spanish Congress of Deputies on Palestine and the instrumentalization of anti-Semitism allegations to suppress Palestine solidarity, at an event in November 2022 organized by Podemos Unidos.
Liliana Córdova Kaczerginski is the co-founder of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN). Currently residing in Madrid, the Argentinian activist is the daughter of a Jewish Communist who fought in the Vilnius ghetto in Lithuania during World War II in resistance to the Nazis. She was born in Paris as her family struggled to survive, and later lived in occupied Palestine for 14 years. She knows what Judaism, persecution and Zionism entail and has chosen to become a committed activist, opposing the existence of the State of Israel as we know it and supporting the Arab liberation cause. Today, her voice was heard at a conference organized by Unidas Podemos at the Spanish Congress of Deputies on the situation of the Palestinian people.
Q: “Anti-Semitism as an excuse to undermine solidarity with the Palestinian people”. From the title, the discussion seems sensitive…
The fact is that the Israeli state has a very large propaganda apparatus, like many governments and countries, and it is very easy to label as anti-Semitic, or, in other words, racist, the organizations or people who speak out against its policies. This is intended to always disqualify you from the outset as an interlocutor. You have to prove first that you are not an anti-Semite. If you are not a famous politician, an author who has written things and spoken out, how do you prove that you are not racist? This is why we must talk about this issue. Under this mechanism, the mere fact that you criticize the Israeli governments or the Zionist project is reason enough for them to label you and silence you. People are afraid to face this label. And because you are afraid of this, including being called an anti-Jewish racist, you shut up, and that’s how they prevent the public from voicing their criticism. This is the simplest device there is.
In your case, there is also the fact that you yourself are Jewish. To be a Jew and not to defend the State of Israel and its policies is a sin for many.
For them, we are their Achilles’ heel, because they consider that being Jewish means being completely submissive to the Israeli state and its policies and accepting everything of your own free will. Well, yes, one can criticize a little, but not the very essence of the state, which, let us remember, is a state that practices apartheid, as is already well documented today, a state that practices settler colonialism and treats Palestinians who live inside the Israeli state, within the ’48 borders, as second-class citizens who are heavily discriminated against. The fact that we criticize these things, which address the very nature of the regime, is for them a sign that we are traitors or, as some say, a sign of self-hatred. There are also many Jews who dare not speak out.
Internal critiques of Zionism from within are more unrecognized than new, aren’t they?
It’s true, you must see that criticism of Zionism is not a new thing, an original or exotic invention, but that it was born with the creation of the Zionist movement, within Jewish communities which did not want to be drawn into this nationalist project. In Germany or the United Kingdom, where the movement was particularly strong, from 1880 to 1945, these people expressed themselves as Germans or British, with the addition of a Jewish faith or identity. But rejecting a Jewish national project.
For the propaganda apparatus, this is total heresy, it makes us bad Jews, which is almost funny because, for example, there is a group of very, very religious Jews, the Neturei Karta (ultra-Orthodox ), who really practice all the precepts of Judaism, and who are anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian activists. Anti-Zionism can be of all kinds: liberal, religious, leftist, revolutionary… but it is a common critique and it is not new.
Beyond the current crisis, you denounce the origin and the creation of the State of Israel. Why ?
I consider that we are not a people, in the sense of a nation. We are a group of people in many countries, like others, just as there are Protestants in many parts of the world, with many currents, and that does not mean that they will ask for a state, is this not the case? In the U.S. too. Judaism is a religion, but not only a religion, because there are many secular Jews for more than 200 years, including almost half of the Jews today. It is an identity which, of course, can be religious, but also cultural or familial. And each Jewish, human, group living in different countries has its own characteristics and tastes, even from the point of view of religious rites. What Jews in Poland and those in Morocco do and how they live is often very different and don’t have much to do with each other,
It is not written anywhere that each human group must have its own state, otherwise imagine what this world would be like! From the first principle, we consider that the Zionist movement has no basis. Finally, it is based on the same framework as anti-Semitism itself. They insist that non-Jews will always be Judeophobic, because it’s already in the DNA of non-Jews and that’s why Jews must concentrate in one place, to have their army, to defend themselves. We say no, we say that racism is a terrible evil, shared by many human groups, and that the solution is to fight against discrimination and not for each group to create its own small state to protect itself. Protection also lies in having another kind of vision of what humanity is.
It is to fight against Israel and against powerful allies, like the United States…
Everything is not uniform. It is precisely in the United States that people are also very divided. Until 1948 – the year of Israel’s creation – a significant number of Jews did not agree at all with the Zionist project. Then there was the creation of the state and, above all, the 1967 war, which brought the Jews into the Western sphere, because before they were considered a little Western, a little Eastern, they were not admitted with full strength to Western identity… Until 1800, it was very rare for Jews to enjoy equal rights in European countries, for example. But from that time, from 1967 and the war, the West began to look at the [Zionist] Jew in a different way. “He’s strong, he’s smart, he knows how to defend himself, he’s technologically advanced…” they said. This new deal allowed Jews to be seen as equals to other whites, it allowed many Jews who were not interested in Israel or who were clearly anti-Zionists to change their coats and join, alongside a state which was clearly associated with international capitalism. The propaganda aimed to make Zionism hegemonic in all Jewish communities. They succeeded.
How do you see the label “Jewish state” applied to Israel today?
It’s always been like that, a form of sectarianism; I think it’s better that it’s made clear, because it was already this reality; the fact is that since it didn’t have that much influence yet, Israel had to hide a bit, but it was never anything else [than exclusive]. It has always seen itself as a Jewish state. They said there was a difference between being an Israeli Jew or not being one. They had all the privileges and non-Jews, especially Palestinians, were deprived of those privileges. The most terrible is all the policies that relate to land. Not only did they confiscate all the land, but the Palestinian population within the ‘48 borders, the Israeli state, increased dramatically, and at the same time, the Israeli state stole more and more land from them. The forced crowding of the Palestinian Arab population into small areas of land in the Israeli state is appalling (they represent today a little more than 20% of the total.)
What do you think the state that should now exist in the region should look like?
I think there is no other way than to put an end to the Zionist project. This in no way means that the Jews living there should leave or be second-class citizens, full respect for Jewish people who want to stay there and live in a state that will normally be a Palestinian state, because the Palestinians are the majority, especially if the refugees return. A country with collective and individual rights for Jews who want to stay there, without any form of hegemony or supremacy over the Palestinians. I don’t see how you can live with a Zionist state that will always be militarist, expansionist, racist, colonialist…
You can’t imagine a Jewish state that isn’t Zionist, it has no reason to exist otherwise, because even before 1948, it was absolutely acceptable that some Jews wanted to live there, because for some of them it is the Holy Land. But it’s one thing to live like inhabitants and to have rights, obviously, it’s another thing to have a national project. It made sense, from a humanitarian point of view, that Jews persecuted from 1933 and in need of refuge would go there, and it was very good that the Palestinians took in many of them, but again, as residents. There is no reason, if they agree to stay there, as inhabitants, with their rights to religion, culture or language, there should be any problems, because the Palestinian population is very diverse, there are all kinds of communities, not only Muslim or Christian, but also Circassian,
Why do you support the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign?
During the first initiative of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, in San Francisco, in 2006, we had already organized an event to support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign. We have fully subscribed to this vision and these demands and goals, but these remain very basic, and we must go further with Israel. There are two things that are essential conditions, let’s say, to weaken its aggressive policies: one is boycott, divestment and sanctions, a popular blockade carried out by people, institutions, parties and states, from the cultural field to sports, and obviously economic , as was done with South Africa.
And the other is the military weakening of the state, which is more difficult, but which happened in Lebanon in the confrontation with Hezbollah. Now, they do not dare to enter on the ground and hardly by plane. The strength it has in terms of security, defense and intelligence gives it a sort of supremacy that some people themselves fear.
What do you think Spain should do about Israel? Congress, for example, has called for recognition of the Palestinian state.
Most important is imposing sanctions at the governmental level, and not to support any project that could benefit the Israeli economy, including the army. No exchange or trade whatsoever should be encouraged. In international institutions where sanctions are proposed, we must demand from Spain proactive support for this path.
Israel has projects with enormous privileges vis-à-vis Europe, it has arms exchanges. Ending these would be a very important way to show support for the Palestinians and international law, ultimately. It would be anti-colonial support, these are important words, to take the side of the peoples who are struggling. Today, the president, Pedro Sánchez, says that he is doing this with Ukraine. I hear him at the G20, speaking for five minutes about his unconditional support…
In Voiron, France, Libérons Georges Abdallah 38 
Vrijheid voor Ahmad Sa’adat
Freiheit für Ahmad Sa’adat
Libertad para Ahmad Sa’adat
Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat
Libertà per Ahmad Sa’adat
Λευτεριά στον Αχμάντ Σααντάτ!
