Content warning: mentions of Israeli apartheid, ethnic cleansing, colonial violence

Solidarity with Palestinian liberation is absolutely fundamental for anyone who actively denounces and stands against colonial and imperial violence. Palestine has been, and continues to be, subject to ongoing illegal Israeli occupation, colonial violence, and ethnic cleansing. 

Although this article is not intended to be an argument for Palestinian liberation, I will make it incredibly clear that no decolonial, anti-racist, or abolitionist movement is complete without total solidarity and support for Palestinian liberation. None of us are free until Palestine is free.

How we can show up in solidarity 

In our allyship, it is critical that we center the voices of those on the ground who are directly impacted by the harm. That being said, this resource is simply a collection of the support needs that Palestinians on the ground have voiced thus far. 

For those of us in the Global North, myself included, we may struggle to find effective ways to speak out against and combat the ongoing colonial violence against Palestinian peoples and land. We must acknowledge that our inaction is complicit and that our connections to the Global North - and the blatant Zionism of our nation-states - demands that we hold ourselves and our governments accountable for our imperialist, colonial, capitalist violence. It’s necessary to understand that none of these systems, imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism, that incite violence and terror against Palestinians, exist in a vacuum. And therefore, our consumerism too is a culprit. 

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), is a Palestinian-led movement that promotes the withdrawing of economic support to Israel. The movement has three main parts, the first calling upon us to boycott companies that are complicit in Israel's ongoing violation of Palestinian human rights. BDS asks us to boycott companies such as Puma, Sabra, and others. The second part of the movement asks us to urge local universities, regional police, banks, councils, churches etc. to withdraw investment from Israel and/or corporations that uphold Israeli apartheid. Lastly, we must pressure governments to stop aiding and/or funding the Israeli state as well as to place sanctions on Israel. The BDS movement acknowledges that the international support for Israel is justified through capitalism, consumerism, and imperial interests. 

Additionally, it’s incredibly important to actively protest Israeli occupation and apartheid. We must critically look at mainstream media’s attempts to silence Palestinian voices and listen to Palestinians on the ground. 

Additional reading list (all 10 minute reads or under)

Free Palestine: The right side of history by Krisna Saravanamuttu

Palestinian freedom is an abolitionist struggle by Rajean Hoilett

The battle of Sheikh Jarrah by Moe Alqasem

Why You Should Support Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Against Israel by Daphna Thier & Sumaya Awad

Note: This article was written on May 16th, 2021. There may have been developments and/or changes since this date, please continue to stay updated and educated on the current situation in Palestine.