Looking for more basic information on Palestine? Here are some frequently asked questions and how we respond. We also recommend the website DecolonizePalestine.com for more information.
What does Palestine have to do with us in the United States?
Our tax dollars are funding the genocide in Gaza. Many local and state governments invest in Israel bonds, which are unrestricted funds to Israel that are often used to support violence against Palestinians. On the federal level, the U.S. sends billions of dollars to Israel specifically for weapons.
Why should Black people care for Palestine?
The injustices that Black Americans and the people of Palestine face are deeply intertwined. Many pivotal Black organizers, such as Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, George Jackson, Kwame Ture, and the Black Panthers stood in solidarity with Palestine. Often U.S. police officers are trained in racist and violent tactics by the Israeli Defense Forces. As a result, in movements such as the Ferguson protests, the two groups have worked together to support each others’ liberation.
Haven’t Muslims and Jews been warring forever?
For hundreds of years, Muslims and Jews lived in community together in Palestine. Zionism as we know it today is a relatively new concept, with the first Zionist conference taking place in 1897. The struggle in Palestine is not religious. It is between the native Palestinians of all religions and the Israeli regime that is occupying Palestinian land. Occupation is when a nation uses military control over another territory without consent of the native population.
Why can’t there be a two state solution?
A two-state solution does not address the injustices that Israel has imposed upon Palestinians after ethnically cleansing them from their own land. Israel would still occupy the majority of Palestinian land, which would deprive Palestinians of essential resources, such as water and farmland. Further, Israel has demonstrated by its actions that it would never accept a Palestinian state. We believe that Palestinians should have the right to return to their land and that the wrongs of Zionist occupation should be reversed.
Don’t they kill queer people in Palestine?
There are plenty of queer people living in Palestine, just like anywhere else in the world. Therefore, queer liberation includes Palestinian liberation as well. The tactic used by the Israeli government of showcasing LGBTQ+ rights to distract from and justify violence against Palestinians is known as “pinkwashing.” Get more information on pinkwashing from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
Do you support Hamas?
The Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community supports Palestinian resistance against decades of violence at the hands of Israel. Under Provision I of the Geneva Convention, resistance against an occupier is protected under international law. We understand that it is not our place to tell oppressed people how to respond to unspeakable violence.
Why can’t aid get into Gaza?
Israel built walls eight feet high and eight feet wide around Gaza and set up military checkpoints along the walls, making Gaza into an open-air prison. There is no way to get into or out of Gaza without crossing a checkpoint; therefore, citizens aren’t able to leave and aid is not able to enter without Israel allowing it.
Doesn’t Israel have the right to defend itself?
Israel’s violence and injustice against Palestinians did not start after October 7th. In 1948, Israel forced over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes. Since then, the Israel Defense Forces has subjected them to terror and violence in their everyday lives. Israel has historically been the aggressor and oppressive force against Palestinians, therefore any violent actions they take cannot be considered self-defense.
What is Zionism?
Zionism is a political movement and ideology that calls for establishing a Jewish nation state in Palestine through settler colonization. This is a process where a particular nation displaces the native population, and settlers from that nation move in with the goal of establishing their own culture and political power in the area. It relied and continues to rely on violence and intentional ethnic cleansing, removing Palestinians from their homeland to replace them with a Jewish majority.