if there is good news during apartheid...
...it's that global resistance is gaining momentum.
i don't have anything new or poignant to say about the attempted genocide that is happening in Palestine, and it's hard to even say good news right now, but i am grateful for the organizing work being done, the resources being made available, and the ways in which we can each put pressure on this imperialist war-machine. here is a gathering of some of these things:
Jews are continuing to organize against zionism and genocide
i have tremendous respect for all folks who stand up against their conditioning and choose to align with their values. the organizing work being done by JVP is powerful.
Today, 500 Jews were arrested and 10k took to the streets to support and to demand a ceasefire and an end to Palestinian genocide.
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) October 18, 2023
We shut down congress to draw mass attention to the U.S. complicity in Israel's ongoing oppression of Palestinians. But our work isn't done. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/1aQf15Xx0D
public opinion is changing
despite what mainstream media or many government officials are telling you, more and more people are seeing what's happening in Palestine for what it is. people across all levels of society are speaking up.
Additionally, the CBS poll finds that 70 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of voters overall, including a perhaps surprising 41 percent of Republicans, believe the United States should directly ferry humanitarian aid into Gaza. All of this lines up with polling from earlier this year and previous years that indicate an uptick in support for Palestinians, particularly from younger Americans. Prominent figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman have called for a cease-fire. The sole Palestinian American in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, has said that she has one goal in calling for a cease-fire: “save lives.” A new Data for Progress poll finds that “66% of likely voters agree that the U.S. should call for a ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza to prevent civilian deaths.” In other flash points of public discontent, a senior State Department official has resigned from his position, and the Huffington Post is reporting “extremely low morale” at Foggy Bottom. Yesterday, a letter signed by over four hundred Jewish and Muslim staffers on Capitol Hill was released calling for cease-fire. It is clear that, like in May 2021, there is a much stronger and more organized pushback against a uniformly pro-Israel position than in previous decades.
Yaseen Al-Sheikh
there's a push for people to take care of themselves without disengaging or looking away
each time there's an crisis, the discourse creates a false dichotomy of engaging or taking care of yourself. i've seen more and more resources about how to do both.
caveat: the slide about building resilience doesn't land right with me, but the rest feel useful.
if you want more information, it's readily available
Haymarket Books has made three ebooks on Palestine free to anyone who wants to read them. i've been reading Light in Gaza: Writings Born in Fire and would love to talk about it.
Publishing books on the struggle for justice in Palestine has been a central part of Haymarket’s mission since we published our first book, The Struggle for Palestine, in 2001. Now as ever, we recognize the root cause and ongoing perpetrator of violence in Palestine to be Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid, and we stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for freedom. We also believe that books, as tools for education, analysis, combatting misinformation, and inspiration, have a vital role to play in the global Palestine solidarity movement. In that spirit, we’ve made three crucial books free to download:
there are accessible events we can all join
Every Friday starting October 20th at 12pm EST the American Friends Service Committee is hosting an action hour. i'll be there & i hope you'll join me.
AFSC Action Hour – Ceasefire Now
as always, i hope this was useful.
if you donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund and send me a screenshot, i'm happy to offer a birth chart reading, Abolitionist Card Deck (New Orleans locals), or a year subscription to this newsletter.
with hope,
katie wills evans