If we stand alone, we are frail like the wings of a butterfly,
If we stand together, our wings can sustain the revolution.
15 May marks the 73rd anniversary of the start of Palestinian displacement and dispossession in 1947-1949 – Nakba Day – and June 5th the further displacement during and after the 1967 war – Naksa Day. The recent violent Israeli attacks against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators and worshippers in Jerusalem and the subsequent dramatic escalation of violence in both Israel and Palestine remind us that the resolution of the Question of Palestine – characterized by ongoing ethnic cleansing, occupation, apartheid, and dehumanization – is more remote than ever. This tragic reality and the emergence of a new Palestinian uprising in all of historic Palestine, coupled with a wave of global solidarity, prompt us to call for renewed mobilization and action.
Palestinian youth have been rising since the beginning of Ramadan to protect their ever-shrinking space in East Jerusalem in the face of Israeli provocations at the Damascus Gate, the threatened evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, and the brutal violence at Al Aqsa Mosque. Announced further displacement of Palestinian refugees to make room for illegal Jewish settlers, in Sheikh Jarrah, epitomizes the Nakba, as are similar measures in Jaffa, the Galilee, the Negev and the West Bank. And once again, innocent civilians of an already exhausted Gaza will pay by far the heaviest price in the latest escalation of violence. Until Israeli apartheid and occupation are brought to an end, the Nakba will continue, and, in turn, Palestinians will persevere, maintain their legitimate resistance and demands for justice, prompting our solidarity and support.
Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and its Global Network on the Question of Palestine (GNQP) call for global mobilization in support of the Palestinians, centering on the period between Nakba and Naksa Days. More than ever, this is the time for solidarity and support by mobilizing grassroots, raising awareness, putting political pressure, calling for boycott, divestment, and sanctions, and working towards ending Israeli impunity. Every voice counts!
Under the hashtags #NoMoreNakbas and#SaveSheikhJarrah, ARDD and the GNQP:
Call on the UN Security Council and the international community
To take all necessary measures to de-escalate the situation in Palestine/Israel, by:
- Calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
- Urging the cessation of all forms of harassment and violence against Palestinians and their property.
- Urging the deployment of observers and a protection presence in Gaza, the West Bank including East Jerusalem and Israel.
- Affirming the sanctity of Jerusalem’s holy places and its worshippers.
- Suspending the sale of weapons to Israel.
Call on people of conscience around the world
To lend their voice to the Palestinian quest for justice, including by:
- Giving support and visibility to Palestinian voices and calls – often silenced through repression and censorship – for an end to occupation and apartheid in occupied Palestine/Israel. The world needs to hear them!
- Staying informed on what happens on the ground, joining debates, engaging with the media, calling upon your political references.
Do not remain silent. Remember, it is international tolerance of Israeli crimes that has allowed the situation to last this long!
Call on the media globally
- To report honestly on the facts and current developments on the ground, steering away from manipulation for political convenience
- To placing their coverage of current events in the correct historical, legal, and political context: not that of a conflict between two (equal) parties, but rather one of an ever ongoing Nakba, continuing ethnic cleansing of Palestine’s non-Jewish population accompanied by settler-colonial occupation, culminating in a reality that has all the hallmarks of Apartheid, in flagrant violation of international law and as such constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Call on civil society, lawyers, academics, and activists in the region and beyond, especially those engaged on the Question of Palestine:
- To use their voices and visibility to condemn the latest transgressions in Palestine/Israel
- To use their standing and networks to support Palestinians’ struggle to end occupation and Apartheid, and to achieve justice.
During the Nakba/Naksa commemoration period, ARDD will be collecting:
- Expert commentaries to explain specific issues of the current situation and place them in context.
- Expressions of solidarity toward the Palestinian struggle and display these progressively on its social media platform, to be used as an advocacy tool.
[This call was originally published by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development on 13 May 2021].