As of mid March 2024, 160+ days into this genocide in Palestine, Gaza’s Ministry of Health report: 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 13,000 children, and 72,000 wounded. More than 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes. Despite significant global pressure, Israel’s PM insists ground invasion in Rafah is imminent, as nightly bombardments and massacres continue. This would be catastophic. A man made famine is unfolding as hundreds of aid trucks are blocked by Israel and near 100% of the population is reaching critical starvation levels.
* 25 children have died from starvation in the North of Gaza – the youngest was one day old * 1000 children have had limbs removed without anesthesia and many caesarean operations have been performed without anesthesia since November * 70,000 tonnes of bombs have been dropped on Gaza * Dozens of multi generational families have been erased from the civil registry * Children are eating grass and animal feed to survive * 100+ starving people were murdered whilst waiting in desperation for long delayed food aid * More than 19,000 children have been orphaned * nearly 100 journalists have been murdered * 220 mosques have been destroyed, 31 hospitals have been bombed, all 12 universities destroyed * Multiple young children have been brought to hospital with sniper shots in their heads * There is no clean water or electricity and food aid is being deliberately withheld * The population has been directed to move south via safe corridors that have been bombed *
On this page>>> We know this is a long article, feel free to skip to areas of interest | Australia complicit | The big picture | Inspiring Resistance | October 7 | The Hostages | Every accusation is a confession | Mass Rape | Proof of Sexual Violence | Human Shields | Media Literacy | A few more things | WHAT WE CAN DO
Please don’t look away. We are being asked not to, by the people of Palestine. There is a genocide being live-streamed to our phones and we can stand together against this. We are many millions strong.
Just as the scale of this devastation is massive – the global response been stunning, and we firmly believe that this atrocity will change the course of both Australian and global politics, as we watch Empire crumbling, though devastatingly, likely not at the pace needed to save tens of thousands of lives, especially with famine imminent.
A generation (or two) has experienced the remarkable cognitive dissonance of western colonialism in full force treating Israel with business as usual kid gloves in the media.
This has been contrasted with seeing bloodied and dismembered children shared with us by the brave citizen journalists and media of Gaza on our phones. This won’t be forgotten.
If your socials feed hasn’t been lit up with the biggest marches in history since the Iraq War, the brave and powerful civil disobedience of Jewish Voice for Peace in the United States and the many and varied actions here on this continent, then you have been missing out on some amazing organising in these dark days – and we have some gorgeous inspiration and plenty of ideas of how to help out.
As soon as the Hamas attacks on Israel unfolded – supporters of Palestine saw the writing on the wall as Israel swore mighty vengeance, and immediately retaliated – hundreds of thousands turned out in many cities across the globe, concerned at a much larger bloodshed of Gazans. Unfortunately this was, and still is misrepresented as “celebrating” the murder of Israeli civilians – which we’ve not witnessed at events we have seen. But there was certainly jubilation at one of the most famous walls in the world, locking Palestinians into an open air prison/concentration camp being smashed through by armed resistance.
AUSTRALIA COMPLICIT
Israel, like Australia was founded on a similar lie – for us, it was Terra Nullius – a supposedly unpopulated continent despite the rich and diverse cultures across the continent and 100s of Aboriginal nations. There is hostility towards both Indigenous peoples of the land for daring to question, or speak of the day of their dispossession. “Both in Australia and occupied Palestine, naming history, refusing erasure, provokes reactionary, oppressive political violence. Palestinians and their supporters are punished for commemorating the day they lost their land.”
When the state of Israel was created there was a common narrative of a mostly unpopulated area with some nomadic peoples often referred to as “a land without a people, for a people without a land.”
These similarities have been noted by many, as the mutual solidarity between Indigenous peoples of Palestine and here has continued to build over the decades and local Aboriginal peoples are leading support for Palestine and collaborating with diaspora.
Our countries share a legacy of violent displacement, massacres of Indigenous peoples, and driving people off their traditional homelands. These damaging ramifications are still felt, with high rates of incarceration, and ongoing racism and violence. As Aboriginal and Palestinian advocates have shared “we charge genocide.”
Whilst we might not live in an apartheid state (Amnesty International and United Nations references) the disparities experienced by Aboriginal people continue. A huge chasm in life expectancy, health, disproportionate numbers are jailed, killed in custody, and experience racism daily. The damaging referendum campaign showed the racism of 97% of the country who do not have a legacy of tens of thousands of years caring for country.
To this day, some five months into the horrific genocide and forced displacement, ethnic cleansing of Palestine – Australia maintains strong ties to Israel, a nation is still characterised as a “Friend” of this country, linked in perpetual, colonial violence embrace.
In January 2024 Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited Israel and said “I’ve spoken about Australians’ concerns. Australia is a friend of Israel’s. We are also a friend of the Palestinian people.”
She emphasised this friendship back in 2015 addressing the Council of Australian Jewry AGM, condemning the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaign. This was just one year after Israel murdered over 2000 people in Gaza. She said then, “Yours is a community that understands the importance of human rights, yours is a community that understands the need for tolerance, and you appreciate the hurt and lasting damage that hate speech can cause.”
Our “friendship” with Israel has seen the Australian government complicit in genocide with PM Anthony Albanese is the first western leader to formally face this accusation. Australian state and federal governments have agreements with weapons contractors, and use Israeli tech in surveillance of peaceful activists in this country.
Foreign Minister Wong withdrew aid from UNRWA in January – just 10 days after she visited this UN agency in Jordan and characterised it as “the only organisation with the capacity to provide relief and social services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, and is playing a critical role delivering aid in Gaza” Not long after significant movement at the UN in relation to support for ceasefire, Israel accused a small number of workers of being involved with the October attacks, who were unilaterally fired. It has been confirmed Israel did not, and still has not provided any proof of wrongdoing.
For a lesson in diplomacy speak you can check out Penny Wong on twitter – she mentions the word “attacks” numerous times in relation to Hamas. Not Israel. No mention of bombing, or other actions from Israel. When she speaks of Gaza it is a “humanitarian crisis.” The closest she gets to mentioning what is happening in Gaza is “meeting urgent needs arising from the conflict in Gaza” or “…deeply concerned by attacks in and around hospitals in Gaza” The perpetrators are unmentioned.
Wong, and Defence Minister Marles are concerned about “Houthi attacks on civilians and shipping lanes” however. The Houthis are based out of Yemen and were effectively blockading significant naval trade routes in solidarity with Palestine, and calling for a ceasefire. So Australian military were sent to support the United States and England to bomb Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, dealing with their own humanitarian disaster, and famine. Because apparently “Australia will continue to support any actions which assert the global rules-based order” when it comes to trade routes. Israel has also bombed the Rafah crossing in Egypt. And Lebanon. And Syria.
We also have a cosy relationship with Israeli weapons company, Elbit Systems who just received nearly one billion dollars in government contracts in February 2024. And $75,000 is on offer from the government for “eligible Australians who were harmed, or lost a close family member in the Hamas terror attacks.” Not for Palestinians who have lost family. In a recent update Samah Sabawi has reported from Egypt, that after intense negotiations with the Australian government, Palestinians fleeing bombing and famine were directed to apply for a particular class of visa. In an act of stunning cruelty these expensive visas have now been cancelled, leaving many in limbo in Egypt – with the cost to even cross the border often $5000+
The Australian government is also apparently unperturbed at the reported 1000 citizens who voluntarily joined the Israel Defence Force (IDF), who may also be complicit in genocide. There is so much more, including the very close relationship of Australian politicians and journalists who often benefit from all expenses paid junkets to Israel for a carefully curated view – it is a toxic relationship and it must end. The call for immediate, permanent ceasefire must be heeded.
* Please note – it is incredibly difficult to summarise the history and current context briefly, even as long time allies. We do not purport to understand all aspects, but also want to reject the notion this issue is too complex for “do-gooder” westerners to understand. Included are cited references, links to nuanced detail and unpacking commonly misunderstood aspects for those unfamiliar. Whilst we have had challenges published and imperfect seemed better than silence – We did our best and will keep learning. The statistics sadly keep getting outdated with fresh horror. The truth is not antisemitic *
THE BIG PICTURE – in brief
It is in the interests of colonial western powers, mainstream corporate media, United States and Israel for you to think this issue is too complicated, and be scared of speaking out. And that is exactly why you should. Yes, there are complexities and a long political history but when you can see a genocide unfolding live on your phone – the ONLY option, should be to try and stop it. It is not antisemitic to name this genocide – and you are not alone.
There was no ‘ceasefire’ in place in October, the occupation, violence and displacement has been ongoing for 75 years and hundreds of Palestinians were murdered in the months prior to October during 2023.
The nation state of Israel was created in 1948, and this time is known as the Nakba (catastrophe) by Palestinian people. In the shadow of the Holocaust, after World War two – in response to Jewish people who had been persecuted by Nazis, and devastatingly unwelcome in many countries across Europe, the UN decided to establish a Jewish State in more than half of what was Palestine. Zionist militia used this opportunity to rampage across the lands, displacing 700,000+ Palestinian people, and destroying hundreds of communities.
Whilst the history of Zionism goes back further – geopolitics was key to this decision made by Western countries – and resulted in ongoing massacres and and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population over decades.
Palestinians have lived in the land west of the Jordan River for thousands of years. Up until the rise of Zionism in the late nineteenth century; Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinians lived together as one community, largely at peace.
~ Australia Palestine Advocacy Network – APAN
It is true that Jewish people are among those indigenous to the land with connection to the region going back thousands of years. However Zionists (as there are non-Jews who are also Zionists) assert that the land of Israel is promised to them exclusively. Anti Zionist Jews have differing politics and perspectives. We have included multiple links to accessible resources that explain it better than we will. It is interesting to note though, given Zionists argue that relationship to, and ownership of land has existed for thousands of years – they are not at the forefront of a movement returning homelands to Aboriginal people on this continent.
Regardless of your views of Hamas, or the fact they are credibly accused of war crimes, Hamas was voted into office by the Palestinian people in a 2006 election. They maintain separate wings for governance and community services, and their armed resistance wing is known as Al Qassam.
For 75 years of brutal occupation, apartheid, and discrimination, Palestinians have tried all means of resistance – both violent and nonviolent. Even their most disciplined and organised nonviolent action has been met with bullets and bombs inside occupied Palestine and accusations of antisemitism in the diaspora – with the long running Boycott Divest and Sanctions campaign – both internationally and locally.
As just one example – In 2018-19 Palestinians undertook The Great March of Return – massive mobilisations – openly nonviolent and peaceful marches, that saw Israeli snipers regularly firing live ammunition on the unarmed demonstrators. 223 Palestinians were killed, 46 of them children. Nearly 10,000 were wounded and 155, mostly young men, required limb amputations. This excellent interview with Dr Tarek Loubani unpacks the Great March and decades long history of nonviolent resistance in just the first five minutes alone. The attacks in October did not occur in a vacuum, but as a result of ongoing Israeli aggression – commonly reported as only ever instigated by belligerent Palestinian “terrorists”.
In 2024 after months of bombardment, and uncertainty the government of Israel is unstable, unpopular and many have speculated that Netenyahu has refused deals of having the hostages returned (offered by Hamas, not widely reported) because he can only hang onto power as long as this military campaign of devastation continues.
As the government maintains its hard-line stance and bombardments of civilians in Gaza, hostage families demand action, Orthdox Jews and others are beaten at protests, this has led to a wave of resignations of senior military and government figures. There are ongoing concerns that clear warnings were missed about intelligence regarding the October attacks with many blaming the deaths of Israeli’s on Netenyahu in part, for relocating military from defensive positions to support Israeli settlers continuing their attacks and stealing land, in contravention of international law, in the West Bank.
And whilst this slaughter of civilians is characterised as self defence from one of the most sophisticated military in the world, receiving billions in US aid, Israel insists the bombing is not at all to do with displacement and taking land. They say they are solely focused on eradicating Hamas and rescuing the hostages but we are still seeing hundreds of people murdered, and thousands injured in the West Bank – an area not governed by Hamas, but by the Palestinian Authority… and millions of people pushed to the southern most border in Rafah.
There are also plans for an expansion of unlawful settlements, settlers having meetings about new seaside homes in Gaza, thousands of new units in the West Bank, and reports of mass infrastructure being built in the Sinai desert in Egypt – which would achieve the long stated goal of some Zionists, (said out loud just one week into the hostilities, and another of many examples) to drive Palestinians out to desert exile, with no right of return.
Currently more than 1.5 million people have been squeezed into the tiny southern most region of Rafah, just 60 square kilometres on Egypt’s border – now the most crowded place on the planet, no clean water, sanitation, electricity, barely any food, disease running rampant, still under daily attack from Israel, and with looming threats of a ground invasion.
“Still, I won’t leave Rafah because where will we go? The rest of Gaza is destroyed. I’ll die here before I leave,”
Mohammed Madi – Medic
INSPIRING RESISTANCE
We have seen some of the smartest community organising and inspiring mass civil disobedience come out in the last few months and here are some favourites…
SOCIAL LICENSE – Citizen journalists and influencing the influencers – from raising money via Tiktok filters to Project Watermelon, Gen Z is stepping up big time. With broad discontent over the lack of leadership and moral courage shown by high profile people on social media – those who have platforms of millions, and who talk about social justice but have remained conspicuously silent on an unfolding genocide.
Project Watermelon was a clever TikTok effort that skipped past pressuring content creators to speak up, and simply tapped their platforms. They choose someone with a huge following, flood their comments sections with positive or educational messages – participants don’t argue, or harass the influencer/creator – their aim is to simply get enough comments that they change the search bar attached to the video, potentially opening up 1000s to get curious and wonder who “Bisan” is, as one example. And whilst it isn’t the goal it led to at least one high profile TikToker apologising and educating themselves and their audience.
Speaking of Bisan, if you haven’t heard of her, get yourself to insta and follow her and other citizen journalists on the ground in Gaza – they are doing phenomenal work. Here is a great list to get you started.
People on twitter are self organising to increase accessibility and adding text to images that may have been quickly uploaded – using hashtag #AltTextPalestine and there are abundant skillful and educated fact checkers who immediately research and debunk the lies regularly shared by @Israel and @IDF – by the time many of us see a tweet, they have already deconstructed it. People are taking on educating others on Instagram and other platforms and there are a huge number of great accounts, and Palestinian voices to follow.
Whether its two million people turning out in Indonesia, mass rallies in Paris in defiance of repressive legislation or huge civil disobedience actions in the United States, the world is truly turning out for Palestine.
ESIMS FOR GAZA has got to be one of the cleverest, and most practical mutual aid projects we have ever seen, circumventing Israel’s communication blackout.
They’re asking people to purchase esims, which are then distributed to Gazans – 50,000 people so far – doctors, journalists, families trying to stay in touch and so many more. They reported that it was their esims that helped get the story out about the flour massacre. It is a life saving contribution, and you can chip in for less than $15 – it is also very powerful to feel a connection across seas as you top up the data and hope for safety. You can also contribute towards crips for esims. Tip: buy multiple smaller plans rather than one large amount of data.
SHUT IT DOWN – its a classic, but direct action gets the goods. In Australia we have seen actions in many capital cities – from the ports of Fremantle, Botany, and elsewhere to multiple actions in Brisbane and Melbourne – at factories that make or process parts for weapons systems, and a powerful Jewish led action at a Labor MP office.
BLACK GREEN RED SOLIDARITY
there has long been collaboration, stories and struggle demonstrated between Aboriginal and Palestinian activists – Noura Mansour speaks to the shared challenges of settler colonialism.
Read on for further context, truth, & challenge to Israels claims, or >>> WHAT WE CAN DO
WHAT ABOUT OCTOBER 7
We didn’t start here, because this is not the start of the story. Israel, the US, and the western governments who collude want us to keep our eyes on the tragedy of October 7 as a uniquely horrific event. Sadly, it is not. Certainly not for Palestinians.
Hamas absolutely committed war crimes on October 7 noted by respected international human rights groups. Hundreds of Israeli civilians were murdered, and taken as hostages, alongside military targets. Hamas is continuing war crimes as they are still holding some civilians as hostages. We must condemn civilian deaths, and civilian hostages, especially children being taken against their will.
The same human rights groups that have named Hamas’s actions as war crimes, have also reported Israel’s pattern of serious war crimes, rape, torture and murdering civilians at ten times, one hundred times, that scale – both before and since October 2023.
We must recognise that people living under occupation have a legally protected right to resist an occupying force. Israel’s brutal occupation has been condemned as an apartheid state, accused of genocide, and with a long history of war crimes, human rights violations and harassment of Indigenous peoples. Palestinians have a right to self-defence against all these horrors (bearing in mind self-defence does not extend to attacks on civilians).
Whilst the much maligned but unsophisticated rocket strikes (early iterations of rockets in 2000s were called “fireworks”) hit civilian targets, this can often be more of a function of access to less resources and technology, than a determination to kill civilians, which they are extremely ineffective at, though views on this vary. International law does not regard ‘indiscriminate’ attacks as legitimate resistance, so when Hamas rockets are not targeted at military, they are in breach of international law.
We hear Israel say it has a right to defend itself – a statement repeated ad-nauseum by western leaders. However, as UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese has said, Israel is a nation state occupier – and they can’t claim self-defence against people who are trying to resist occupation – as its understood under international law. Incidentally, everyone’s favourite Albanese as still not been granted entry to Palestine to do her job.
33 Israeli children were killed, including 2 infants on October 7th 2023 and we grieve for them.
350+ children were killed in Palestine in 2008/9.
550+ Palestinian children were killed in a huge escalation over less than 6 weeks by IDF in 2014.
More than 13,000 Palestinian children have been murdered since then.
Are their lives less important? Do we not grieve for them? Do Palestinian mothers not shed tears, as others do?
The armed attack by Al Qassam brigades – which is separate to the governing wing of the ruling party, Hamas referenced concerns cited by many Palestinians, as well as human rights groups, and advocates worldwide:
- Treatment of Palestinian prisoners including arbitrary detention without charge
- Israel IOF/IDF (occupation/defence forces) supporting settler violence
- Invasion of towns, and occupation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank
- Continuous assaults on Palestinans, resulting in 100s wounded and killed recently
- Reference to the siege in Gaza
The Hamas operation was named Al Aqsa flood – in reference to the mosque coming under increasingly brazen attack for some years during the holy month of Ramadan with people praying tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets, injured, 100s arrested – condemned by the UN last year.
In the way the Hamas attacks are framed, there seems to be a particular insistence on focusing on the brutality, and the savagery of “killing in cold blood” when people are shot by a human they can see. Or could it be that the people being shot are deemed more important, or more politically powerful?
Aside from the fact that murders of many civilians, and many times more children, have been regular occurrences across Gaza and the West Bank over the last two decades and beyond, why is the of measure of greater evil apparently proximity? Why is bombing a refugee camps or dozens of hospitals, killing hundreds of people a less heinous act, simply because one side has billions in US military aid and more sophisticated equipment? Why is a remote controlled armed drone quadcopter murdering teenage civilians somehow less barbaric? How was a lie about 40 babies beheaded global front page news, but documented evidence about IDF leaving four premature babies to suffocate not newsworthy?
How many red lines will be crossed with the supposed imperative to rescue the hostages? Bombing hospitals? How did every single hospital in Gaza get bombarded, with the majority out of commission? This has not been front page news, despite the deliberate distraction of a media debate over the Al-Ahli hospital bombing. Dozens of hospitals, schools, places of worship have been bombed since by Israel but this is apparently something we are used to now?
Israeli authorities initially reported 1400 deaths, later revised down to 1200 after Israeli media reported a list of names, cross referenced by Palestinian advocates around the same time Israel announced that it was actually 1200. It is a little less, most commonly reported at 1163, and includes 700+ civilians and 400+ army and police – pointing to a Hamas focus on military targets as well as taking hostages for prisoner exchange. Israel stated this discrepancy was due to many bodies being so badly burned they had counted Hamas fighters in their death toll.
The Hamas attack was deeply distressing for civilians, traumatising for Jewish people worldwide, and involved significant cruelty, with civilian hostages and children killed both horrific, and war crimes. However, as we lay out below – the gruesome allegations of systematic rape, barbaric mutilation of bodies, beheading of children – are all without evidence, reliant on hearsay from dubious IDF and first responder sources (Zaka and United Hatzalah), and are demonstrably untrue. This can easily be checked by viewing the public updated list hosted on Israeli media outlet, Haaretz, and reported in the Times of Israel – 12 children under 10 were killed.
Some previous Israeli operations in the last decade include:
- Operation Cast Lead – 2008-09; 1400 dead, including 350 children
- Operation Pillar of Defense – 2012; 100 dead, 35 children
- Operation Protective Edge – 51 days in 2014; 2200 dead, 550 children
The Opera house was not lit up for these deaths.
Al Jazeera just released a must watch documentary going into forensic evidence and covering many of the same claims and lies we unpack here in relation to October 7. A preview shows a methodical approach, a view that Hamas murdered hundreds of civilians but a conservative estimate that IDF friendly fire was likely responsible for dozens of hostages being killed also. They also critically examine and shine a light onto the appalling lies of Zaka, IDF and others and some of the gruesome lies that made global headlines.
THE HOSTAGES
There are around 100 hostages reportedly still held by Hamas, though it is unclear if those numbers are accurate, or if any more have been killed in bombings, as many apparently have been, or whether they too are starving. It is claimed many have died as a result of indiscriminate bombing.
Whilst being taken hostage was clearly a terrifying ordeal for all involved, it is very difficult to find the truth of how they are being treated now. Footage went around the world when a group of hostages were released in the November negotiation – in part because there appeared surprisingly respectful exchanges. This followed on from interactions reported during the initial wave of attacks also.
In response to friendly waves, handshakes and hugs Israel said that they believed they were sedated. Some young people shared their stories on tiktok. One teenager spoke of her solace in having been able to keep her dog with her in captivity. Certainly it was not the narrative expected.
Some hostages who spoke earlier of good treatment have recanted, or changed stories. Others have spoken out of sexual harassment and poor treatment at the hands of Hamas, and the conditions have been gruelling for all captured. The hostages remaining are likely experiencing the same terror from bombings, and scarcity of food, water, sanitation, medical aid and other resources as everyone else in Gaza.
It is hard to take the Israeli government and military seriously when they say tens of thousands of Gazans are being murdered and displaced to rescue hostages, when they have rained down bombs in every area hostages could be, including the tunnels, and at current count have likely killed significantly more hostages than they have rescued. This included three hostages who escaped and were murdered by IDF as they shouted out in Hebrew, waving white flags.
“Hostages and civilian casualties will be secondary to destroying Hamas, even if it takes a year” Nir Barakat, Minister for Economy.
Analysis by the New York Times found that most Palestinians released by Israel were 18 and younger:107 teenagers younger than 18, including three girls, and 66 who were 18 years old. Three-quarters of them had not been convicted of any crime. They had been detained for what Israel said were offenses related to Israel’s security, the Times reported. More on administrative detention and Palestinian prisoners below
EVERY ACCUSATION IS A CONFESSION?
Israel and their defence/occupation forces (IOF) have a long history of lies which are easy to find, and Norman Finkelstein talks about “the big lie” of Palestine being painted as the aggressor. As Palestinian advocates have often said – it can appear that “every accusation is a confession” and it can be hard to find the truth of the matter if you rely only on Israeli military sources given their long history of fabricated claims.
A list of Israeli lies, propaganda and genocidal intent shares links to many debunked stories that have provided cover for genocide, as does the Institute for Middle Eastern understanding and the Middle Eastern monitor and this instagram account attempts to debunk and fact check Israeli propaganda.
MASS RAPE
Accusations of rape need to be taken extremely seriously, especially if the allegation that sexual violence is systemically used as a tool of war. There is no evidence of this to date. Israeli Police have confirmed there is no forensic evidence, and there is no first hand testimony of rape.
The only “evidence” shared has been hearsay, unreliable and untrained first responders from Zaka/United Hatzalah, IDF narrative alongside collated images to infer sexual violence, and stories of supposedly awful video shared by Hamas. Investigations have found no evidence of sexual violence on the body cams of Hamas fighters.
Israel has been touring the world to gain public sympathy and shared their most compelling evidence with select journalists during a media and PR blitz involving a 47 minute presentation of footage.
Owen Jones of the Guardian saw the Israeli presentation and video and confirmed there was no evidence of rape or torture, children being killed, or people being beheaded in this footage. The “worst” of what was shown, which is still distressing obviously – was video of a corpse being mutilated and Hamas killing civilians – both of these being previously confirmed.
“It is urgent that we call out rape atrocity propaganda and remind that this stratagem has historically been one of the most potent weapons used by White power to discredit, demonise, diabolise, and destroy Black and Brown men”
~ Randa Abdel-Fattah, The New Arab
Early on the LA Times shared, and then retracted an article on mass rape. CNN has been taken to task for lack of fact checking lies that were shared. There has been an absolute furore over the New York Times exclusive story about sexual violence which has demonstrated an appalling failure of due diligence or the most basic journalism ethics.
The lead researcher of this NYT piece, which is still online, has no journalistic experience, but a history in Israeli intelligence and a quote from her was recently unearthed saying “turn the (gaza) strip into a slaughterhouse… those in front of us are human animals who do not hesitate to violate minimal rules including the murder of medical staff and babies”. This has been covered by Electronic Intifada (Intifada simply means uprising), the Intercept, with excellent reporting from Mondoweiss.
Despite the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri experiencing devastating loss during the attacks, with more than 95 people killed and 30 taken hostage, they have refuted the rape allegations, and also intervened to stop the destruction of the home where Israelis were killed by the IDF, to allow investigation.
Even now, the western mainstream media will still barely touch the matter of rape propaganda, just as they are walking blindfolded around increasing evidence that Israel killed many of its own people on 7th October. There has been such intense pressure on Israel internally that they have announced an investigation which will likely follow business as usual where they investigate themselves and find they didn’t do anything wrong – and whilst some western media reported this announcement, there seems to be little interest in digging further into these shattering allegations. It is truly devastating to contemplate that the IDF may have killed a significant number.
An Israeli organisation called Zaka founded by an alleged rapist has been the source of numerous gruesome stories, many widely shared in western mainstream media, and almost all debunked, and they have been accused of mishandling evidence and profiting off the tragedy by Israeli press.
Israel typically refuses to allow access or cooperate with major human rights organisations, and has branded the United Nations antisemitic for any critique (who have passed 140 resolutions against them), and whilst initially rebuffing UN offers, and banning doctors from speaking with them – they did ultimately offer some evidence and entry to the UN exploratory team on conflict related sexual violence.
The UN team made significant effort in calling for women assaulted to come forward, yet could not find a single person to interview who claimed rape and confirmed there is no physical evidence. This is remarkable when you look at the findings from the UN from dozens of Palestinian women, shared below, in much more difficult circumstances under daily bombardment.
The UN findings confirmed the high profile examples outed by independent media as false – and they advised there was no proof for those instances, however they did find reasonable grounds that some sexual violence, and rape had likely occurred. Sadly this is a horrific hallmark of conflict all over the world.
In Kibbutz Be’eri, the mission team determined that at least two allegations of sexual violence, which had been widely reported in the media, were unfounded. These included the graphically publicized case of a pregnant woman whose womb had reportedly been torn open, before she was killed, and her fetus stabbed while still inside her. – United Nations, Sexual Violence in Conflict
If there is legitimate evidence of sexual violence, of course this must be condemned, however given the track record of major allegations debunked thus far, any actual investigation must be rigorous with access unimpeded by Israeli authorities, IDF and Zaka first responder testimony to be treated with significant caution, and there is nothing thus far to support a directive, or demonstration of systemic, mass rape.
As feminists we will always err towards believing women – but currently there are no women who have come forward to believe, and painting Arabic or Muslim men as out of control rapists en masse has provided cover for genocide.
PROOF OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
A small sample of huge amounts of actual testimony, reports, studies and documented sexual abuse by IDF
- Palestinian woman raped by military – Times of Israel 2017
- A third of women serving in the IDF experienced sexual harassment – Haaretz, 2021
- Sexual torture of Palestinian men by Israeli authorities – Study, Pubmed, 2005-2012
- A routine founded on violence – B’Tselem (huge collection of human rights violations, including sexual)
- Palestinian Women’s Experience Visiting Loved Ones in Prisons and Jails – Sage Journals, 2020
“Many have reportedly been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, denied menstruation pads, food and medicine, and severely beaten. On at least one occasion, Palestinian women detained in Gaza were allegedly kept in a cage in the rain and cold, without food,”
~ the most moral army in the world
The UN has reported credible allegations of sexual assault of Palestinians (March 2024) An internal UN report describes widespread abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centres, including beatings, dog attacks, the prolonged use of stress positions and sexual assault. “Another detainee reported being made to sit on an electrical probe, causing burns to his anus, the scars for which could still be seen weeks later...He indicated that another detainee had also suffered the same treatment and died as a result of his infected wounds.” From UN release: Palestinian women and girls have reportedly been arbitrarily executed in Gaza, often together with family members, including their children, according to information received. “We are shocked by reports of the deliberate targeting and extrajudicial killing of Palestinian women and children in places where they sought refuge, or while fleeing. Some of them were reportedly holding white pieces of cloth when they were killed by the Israeli army or affiliated forces,” the experts said. “We are particularly distressed by reports that Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers. At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and sexual violence,” the experts said. They also noted that photos of female detainees in degrading circumstances were also reportedly taken by the Israeli army and uploaded online.
HUMAN SHIELDS
The only evidence collated on the use of Human Shields by respected international or local human rights organisations shows Israel, not Palestine have a track record of using human shields as reported by Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem and BBC’s middle east correspondent, Al Jazeera and more – links available at Decolonize Palestine. In fact an Israeli court ordered the IDF to cease using Palestinians as human shields way back in 2005.
Amnesty reported in 2014: “The Israeli authorities have claimed that in a few incidents, the Hamas authorities or Palestinian fighters directed or physically coerced individual civilians in specific locations to shield combatants or military objectives. Amnesty International has not been able to corroborate the facts in any of these cases. Specific assertions of the use of civilians as “human shields” by Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip should be independently investigated.”
Israel has presented no credible evidence for its decades old lies regarding human shields. Al Jazeera has an excellent program on this made two years ago (45 min). It has become accepted fact merely by repetition in western media and by our politicians.
In one example the purported “proof” of a Hamas COMMAND CENTRE under Al Shifa hospital was half a dozen guns, a laptop with an Israeli plug and screen saver, and an elevator shaft they said was a tunnel. This effort was so universally mocked that the video quietly disappeared from twitter. Even mainstream media picked this one up. More detail is here relating to the accusation of human shields and a decent overview from Owen Jones.
MEDIA LITERACY
There have been numerous concerns about media bias towards Israel expressed here in this country by staff at the ABC and elsewhere, the outrageous firing of Antoinette Lattouff after some excellent work spreading the truth about manipulated audio disseminated by the Australian Jewish Association.
We have seen censorship and firing of Palestinian and Muslim journalists worldwide, and bias in reporting about Palestine is consistent – from accepting incredulous claims without fact checking, to CNN editorial decisions, to the widespread use of passive voice when talking about Israelis being killed, when Palestinians simply “die”. You can find more detail at CAMERA.
Even nominally progressive publications repeat Israel’s allegations without fact checking. One very common frame repeated is attributing casualty numbers to the “Hamas run Health Ministry” with the obvious inference that they are not reliable, and it is part of the broader narrative that deliberately conflates all Palestinians as Hamas. The armed resistance wing is separate to health and community services and over many years both United Nations, and human rights organisations, have said the Gazan health ministry numbers are consistently close to accurate considering difficult circumstances – they have also been accepted by the United States and Israel.
Even mainstream Israeli news channels are sometimes covering these lies, while the same lies, fabrications and media bias continues in the west. From the very beginning the events of October 7th and beyond have been framed by western media as the Israel/Hamas war – failing to recognise Palestinians or Gazans who are being systematically killed. Some also dispute the characterisation as a war implies military engagement between nation states. Palestine has no army, navy, defence system, or control over its own borders.
The government, officials and defence force of Israel lie consistently, and with a sense of impunity that hasn’t caught up to the reality of millions of eyes on them. Here is a brief overview to hopefully encourage you to re-think some things you have seen –
* On social media, there has been a very consistent cycle, and the lies have been routine and lazy – for example, IDF tweeted that they found a list of targets written by Hamas – not caring that there are around 400 million Arabic speakers in the world who could easily share the truth – that it was a calendar
* 40 babies were not beheaded, or killed – at all. Verified Israeli data on public record shows no beheading at all. Sadly two infants were tragically killed on Oct 7 – one baby was in with a family group of people shot who were sheltering behind a safe house door, and another was carried by a pregnant mother who was shot driving, with the baby unable to be saved. These stories are desperately sad, but they don’t show babies being targeted – through beheading, being cooked in ovens, hanging from clothelines or any of the other graphic lies circulating.
* A video of a “nurse” telling people to leave Al Shifa hospital that was shared from an official IDF account was shown to be fake
* Hamas did not kill 1400 Israeli civilians, or 1200 civilians or 1000 civilians. Whilst all civilian deaths are tragic, and many Israeli and Jewish people are understandably distraught at these attacks, the numbers appear initially over-inflated, and include Israeli’s killed by the IDF – a topic of huge debate.
As for human shields and mass rape allegations – as with all of these horrific stories, they are incredibly dangerous – it is much easier to look away from tens of thousands of deaths if you can “other” the people involved.
The typical cycle of Israel’s propaganda (Hasbara) is an outrageous story will be shared somewhere, which may be overtly or tacitly supported by official channels. This will then be picked up by mainstream media, and as was the case with the debunked “beheaded babies” or mass rape allegations, it will be shared prolifically, repeated by western political figures, and hit the front page of newspapers worldwide.
In the meantime advocates and independent media will be frantically unpicking the threads and debunking claims – then the lie will often be slowly walked back – whether by the President of the United States or Israeli government. This happens long past the damage being done, and is not seen by 99% of people who now believe the unhinged lie of infants being slaughtered in such a horrific way, or other hideous claims designed to manufacture consent for genocide.
Meanwhile while it saw some limited media coverage – despite clear, verified evidence the Washington Post could not bring themselves to lay the blame for the murder of four ACTUALLY documented premature babies left to suffocate alone by the IDF after they forced hospital staff to evacuate yet another hospital.
Two weeks later, the pause in hostilities allowed a Gazan journalist to venture into the hospital. In the neonatal intensive care unit, Mohammed Balousha made the awful discovery. The decomposing bodies of the four babies. Eaten by worms. Blackened by mold. Mauled, Balousha said, by stray dogs.
“A terrible and horrific scene,” he told The Post. He took video.
Washington Post
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
* “The Gaza strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child” ~ UNICEF
One child is killed every fifteen minutes. 1 in every 10 children killed did not make their first birthday.
1000+ children have lost one or both legs. 10+ children a day are losing limbs and if they require amputation it is done without anaesthetic. 19,000 children in Gaza are orphans. 25 children (likely under-estimated) have died from pure starvation in the north. They are among the most under-nourished children in the world.
* Pregnant women number around 20,000 in Gaza, with approximately 150 births per day. There has been a 300% increase in miscarriages. Women are having caesarean births without anesthesia, and are too malnourished to breastfeed. Newborn infants have died from starvation.
* Al Jazeera reports 31 of 36 hospitals in Gaza have been destroyed or rendered inoperable by Israel, with the few remaining hospitals scraping by on emergency generators, short staffed, hugely beyond capacity, sanitation issues, and very few medical supplies – with aid still being blocked by Israel. You can track attacks on healthcare facilities at the World Health Organisation.
The little girl was weeping in pain and screaming “Mummy, Mummy” while the nurse stitched up her head wound without using any anaesthetic, because none was available at the time at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
That was one of the worst moments nurse Abu Emad Hassanein could recall as he described the struggle to deal with an unprecedented influx of wounded people and a dearth of pain relief medication since the war in Gaza started a month ago.
Nidal Al Mughrabi, Reuters
* Disabled people and the elderly have faced incredibly difficult circumstances. Anyone requiring access to regular treatment or medication prior to the bombardment is obviously not able to access it. The constant directions to move into areas that will supposedly be safer, yet are still bombed, is unimaginably difficult for people with mobility issues, with 15% of 1.4 million currently displaced having a disability.
* Already vulnerable starving people with no access to clean water and catastrophic levels of hunger have no capacity to heal from injuries inflicted – some 70,000+ have been documented. And given the appalling sanitation and crowding, respiratory infections are running rampant, among them Covid. Doctors without borders criticised vaccine inequality when Israel withheld vaccines from Palestinians despite being applauded for their response during the pandemic. Disabled people’s stories have been shared here.
* Prior to October there were 1,319 Palestinians held in “administrative detention” without charge or trial, which rose to 2,070 within one month. It has been reported that the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has now swelled to around 9,000, from about 5,200 before the October attack.
Administrative detention allows for indefinite detention without charge, based on mere suspicion or to theoretically “prevent” acts of violence, with the accused rarely even being able to see, let alone challenge evidence against them.
This has been the subject of a 200+ page report from Amnesty International, and in 2015 the United Nations made a report outlining serious concerns. Since 2000 there have been 85,000 people held under administrative detention, some for many years. 10,000 of these were children.
Palestinians who have been processed through the military courts and actually had charges laid, a minority of which are serious, were reported by Israeli media to have a 99.7% conviction rate, often produced by “confessions” prior to accessing a lawyer. 40% of all Palestinian men have been incarcerated in Israeli prisons.
Just as in Australia with First Nations people, incarceration is not necessarily an indication of guilt, or criminal activity – children have been kept without charge on the mere “suspicion” of throwing stones. The over representation of Indigenous peoples incarcerated in colonised countries speaks to serious injustice. At least 20 prisoners have died in jail since October related to “isolation, starvation and medical neglect”
* The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 94 journalists were killed by early March 2024, more than any conflict in decades. Journalists have been deliberately targeted, and arrested, family homes bombed as they operate under some of the most hostile conditions on the planet. Foreign journalists are not allowed by Israel into Gaza, and international media can only embed with Israel if they agree to reporting being vetted.
GENOCIDAL INTENT
On January 26, in a landmark preliminary ruling on South Africa’s genocide charge against Israel, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found it “plausible” that Israel is committing acts that violate the Genocide Convention; and demanded that it take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Murdering 100+ starving civilians as they gather to collect flour in Northern Gaza to take back to their children, while the Israeli military facilitate a blockade party by Israeli settlers to stop aid at the border crossing is in breach of that directive, as would be most daily activity of the IDF at this point.
“While in an off-site location, several individuals reported being forced into cages and attacked by dogs, with some individuals including a child exhibiting dog bite wounds on release.”
UN report 2024
Academics and International law experts often note that the most difficult part of bringing successful charges on genocide is demonstration of intent. There is plenty of evidence on public record, and the decision to cut food, water, power, internet, fuel, aid supplies and medicine to a population of 2.2 million people, where around 50% are children can not be seen as anything other than collective punishment.
Netanyahu said: “If we want to achieve our war goals, we give the minimal aid.” and in January 2024 Mondoweiss reported: “He said that his ultimate aim is that Israel will permanently occupy all the territory “from the river to the sea.” There is video of him saying it in Hebrew. Mainstream media did not report this
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared: “The only thing that needs to enter Gaza are hundreds of tonnes of explosives from the Air Force. Not an ounce of humanitarian aid.”
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a complete siege on Gaza. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Gallant said. “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”
If it looks like genocide and has the effect of genocide, then it probably is genocide. MP and former Likud Minister Galit Distal Atbaryan called for “erasing all of Gaza from the face of the Earth … Gaza needs to be wiped out.
Former Likud MP Moshe Feiglin urged the Israeli army to “completely destroy Gaza before invading it. I mean destruction like what happened in Dresden and Hiroshima.” (quotes referenced in this article and are likely contributing towards evidence presented to the International Court of Justice)
One horrifying pattern we are seeing is how embedded the hatred and malice towards Palestinians is in the IDF and other institutions. IDF/IOF Soldiers are projecting to the world via social media what they think of the peoples they are displacing and shooting at in hundreds of videos that have been shared online. From rifling through underwear drawers, posing in dresses and with mobility aids, and sadly, even Israeli civilians dressing up as Palestinian women and mocking their terror. Some references to this are here, and reported by Al Jazeera here.
ADDITIONAL POINTS
There is so much to cover it has been a struggle to include even the most important points and local context.
Speaking out has come at a cost to many who are less privileged than many who will read this. We must push back on this. One of the most egregious example locally was a whatsapp group of Zionists who plotted to de-platform Palestinians and their supporters.
Their chat was leaked by a Jewish member who was appalled at the discussion and this was debated for days on social media. Not one mainstream outlet picked this up. However when these people were outed, they cried foul, and pulled a DARVO – and suddenly the people doing the doxing were the victims – a sadly familiar pattern.
* The cultural genocide is heartbreaking – there has been a deliberate focus of bombings on universities – all 12 have been destroyed, places of knowledge holding, culture and art, schools, places of record-keeping, museums, as if to dim the brightest sparks, disappear history and truth under rubble. We are graced with so much beautiful art from Palestine – from within the country and here on this continent, it is a brutal loss. The Middle East studies association recently shared their views. Here are some artists to follow and you can find beautiful poetry from Palestinians living locally like Sara Saleh, and Omar Sakr.
* There is mounting evidence – reported in Israeli media, but not western mainstream media that the Israeli military is responsible for possibly hundreds of the civilian deaths. When Israel is saying this is “their 9-11” and accusing Hamas of a genocidal attack – these facts matter. Many familiar with the limited munitions used by Hamas were asking questions immediately as drone footage over the Nova festival site showed dozens of incinerated cars.
The armed militants who came into some areas on paragliders did not have the firepower to destroy these vehicles. Israel’s apache helicopters do. Survivors from one kibbutz have shared stories of over a dozen hostages murdered via tank fire, with other examples elsewhere. There is a lot more to this story including suspicion around the potential use of the Hannibal directive – you can read more at Electronic Intifada and Mondoweiss.
* When pro Israel people say “we just want peace (like before October)” – the reality is, they want peace for Israeli people. If they want to return to the “ceasefire” prior – peace on these terms is to continue to expand settlements, displace families, steal homes, attack and jail Palestinians. This is not peace. We all need justice and Palestinians need urgent healthcare, food and everything they have been denied for 75 years, equal rights, and right of return.
* You can’t “eradicate Hamas” and Israel knows that. Hamas and other armed resistance in Palestine is a product of years of violence and oppression, and has gone through periods of pragmatic negotiation as well as horrific tactics like suicide bombings in Israel. Whilst there is much to critique and significant antisemitism in their first charter which is thrown around as an excuse for genocide, the current charter is much less inflammatory, though perspectives differ on the application of it.
Netenyahu is on record as saying Hamas is useful for him and he has supported them, and fostering division between West Bank and Gazan leadership is strategically helpful for Israel. What will become of the 1000s of orphaned boys from this conflict? If you have literally watched your family explode or burn in front of you, would you perhaps be radicalised by the experience? A permanent ceasefire is in everyone’s interest.
* Aaron Bushnell, an enlisted active duty US serviceman self immolated in February 2024 in an extraordinary act of protest and sacrifice – He recorded his action, saying he could not be complicit in genocide, and as he burned himself he shouted Free Palestine throughout his last painful minutes of consciousness.
Even in the act of dying the absurd violence of US military and police played out as an officer focused on keeping his gun drawn on him, instead of helping put out the fire. His actions have inspired other current and ex military in the United States to speak out and his sacrifice has been honoured by Palestinian people.
His supporters and friends say he was of sound mind – with a good heart and a commitment to social justice. While his act was extreme, there is no evidence he was mentally ill – as many have inferred, to take away from the power of his action. Even after this ultimate sacrifice, and screaming Free Palestine through horrific pain many United States media could not bring themselves to mention these words.
* The disproportionate resources are never accurately reported. While Palestinian militants do receive some support from other countries, it pales in comparison to the United States, and other western powers backing Israel. Israel has one of the most advanced armed forces in the world, and one of their exports is weapons and intelligence technology – they literally do live tests of munitions and surveillance tools on Palestinians which they can then claim as battle-tested and profit from exporting.
Despite billions of US tax payer dollars being spent on the infamous Iron Dome weapons prevention system, it has been reported as being very over-rated in its effectiveness. Whilst Zionists make a lot of noise about their victim status, and the horrific toll of tens of thousands of rockets launched from Hamas and other militant groups, the total number of deaths from 2000 to mid 2023 is credibly recorded to be around 35.
Yes, you read that correctly. 35 deaths in nearly 13,000 days. The equivalent casualties of one small bomb dropped from one Israeli plane, on one night during any Gaza bombardment in the last 20 years.
* Whilst it is understandable to focus on the number of children killed, and numbers of women are mentioned in part to demonstrate the breadth of the civilian death toll, we reject the erasure and demonisation of Palestinian men. We have seen role models for gentle, kind masculinity day after day – adoration of children, respect for the mothers of Palestine, brave medics, fathers digging through rubble. Photographer Motaz Azaiza was one of the most shared and followed Palestinian voices on social media and is just one example, but there are so many we see as they face brutality with grace and care for others.
* Both (legitimate) antisemitism and Islamophobia is on the rise. We condemn both. Unequivocally. We do not, and will not conflate Israeli zionists with Jewish people. Our concerns are colonisation and zionism, and the actions of the Israeli government and IDF/IOF, however we absolutely do not accept that critique of a literal genocide and 75 years of occupation is antisemitic. We look to progressive Jewish and Palestinian voices for leadership.
* What is the solution then? Beyond an immediate and permanent ceasefire it is not for us to say. We support a Free Palestine – and the majority of Palestinians have said they want to live in peace with their neighbours. A two state solution seems out of reach with Gaza in ruins – with 70%+ of buildings and most social infrastructure destroyed, but is it possible? We defer to Palestinian voices – whose immediate priority is stopping their people being killed. The solution is most definitely not ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and driving them into exile in the Egyptian desert.
WHAT WE CAN DO – YES THERE IS PLENTY!
Much of the information we have collected may be already relatively well understood by those who are already deeply involved in the struggle for Palestinian human rights and liberation, however we hoped this could be a useful reference collation for them, and may be helpful for people newer to the issue, who have been told it is “too complex” to speak out against genocide, and have only seen the situation through the biased lens of western media and our government.
But I am only one person? Said billions of people… Millions are rising.
We can make change – and we are seeing it. Of course it isn’t fast enough to save many lives that will be lost regardless if/when a ceasefire is finally called, but there has been significant movement – from brilliant organising shifting rhetoric during the US presidential campaign, to the United Nations resolutions isolating Israel and the United States. Penny Wong has been forced to redirect her phone lines and we have seen a limp redirection from Australian government sources who are boldly insisting they have been calling for ceasefire for months – having finally clued onto the fact that many of their constituents care about genocide, and they have seats with large Muslim and Arab demographics.
Excellent resources include the excellent and rare bright spot that is Overland who have published extensively on Palestine – in a bereft Australian media landscape, where even nominally progressive publications such as the Guardian, and especially the zionist owned Saturday paper have failed. Meanjin have re-committed to publishing Palestinian voices and you can see check a sneak preview of Sara Saleh’s “Palestine as liberatory praxis.”
Check this lovely resource kit by Beautiful Trouble, and an early article from their key contributors in waging nonviolence and Australia Palestine Advocacy Network who have done excellent work for many years. They keep a list of events you can check to find your local action group.
- Turn out. Whether its your first rally or you have been going weekly, keep hitting the streets
- Share information with, and talk to your friends – we aren’t experts, we just did our best, as can you
- Support and learn from progressive Jewish groups who are playing a critical support role, and moral guidance for resistance efforts internationally, and locally – Tzedek Collective, Loud Jew collective and welcome new addition Jewish Council Australia
- Check out esims for gaza – absolutely brilliant way to help Palestinians on the ground for under $15
- In terms of other donations, with aid not getting in, be careful who you support. Trusted organisations include Olive Kids, APAN as above, and PARA – also keep an eye out for people you trust sharing vouched crowdfunders to get family and friends out of Gaza.
- Contact your local Labor MP and Senator Wong and tell them you won’t vote for those complicit in genocide. Then tell them again. Then sit in at their offices. Creatively re-decorate. Surround Parliament. Etc
- Get educated – there are brilliant resources out there, in addition to all the links here – especially on social media – follow and amplify Palestinian and Arabic voices – international list here, and we have shared numerous references throughout this article.
On insta you can also check Middle East Eye, Nadine Chemali, Randaa Fattah, ByPlestia escaped to Australia, The Palestine Pod, Amal Naser, Eye on Palestine, Palestine Action Group and APAN, @letstalkpalestine @palestine.academy and so many more. Someone even made a “lazy persons guide” to supporting Palestine and here is a list of Palestinian articles to read which Overland also has a lot of. - Wear a keffiyeh (the traditional black and white patterned scarf or variations of) or a pin to show solidarity
- Palestine is union business so ask yours to speak up and/or get involved with Unionists for Palestine
- On Gadigal country (Sydney) you can join #LittlePalestineAtAlbos in Marrickville – Follow @riotersbloc and Families for Palestine @FFP_AU on twitter for updates
- If you work for a social, racial, environment or climate justice organisation ask them to speak out. Raise your voice if you see censorship in the climate movement and check out climate activists for Palestine
From the river to the sea – Palestine WILL BE FREE … a historic slogan of resistance for decades
Thank you to everyone who pitched in – we are grateful to have had guidance from long time activists, involved on the issue and both Jewish and Arabic voices inputting. We have tried our best to link to credible sources, organisations and media. If some numbers don’t entirely correlate it is likely because this was written slowly over months, and some may be underestimates. We understand there will be critique from usual sources, however, if there is anything not factual or unhelpful for Palestinians or progressive and anti zionist Jewish people in struggle we are open to learning.