From​ ​Turtle​ ​Island​ ​to​ ​Palestine:

Solidarity​ ​with​ ​Indigenous​ ​Freedom,​ ​In

opposition​ ​to​ ​Colonial​ ​Escalation

The​ ​supreme​ ​objective​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Palestinian​ ​liberation​ ​movement​ ​is​ ​the​ ​total​ ​liberation​ ​of​ ​Palestine,
the​ ​dismantlement​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Zionist​ ​state​ ​apparatus,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​construction​ ​of​ ​a​ ​socialist​ ​society​ ​in
which​ ​both​ ​Arabs​ ​and​ ​Jews​ ​can​ ​live​ ​in​ ​peace​ ​and​ ​harmony​.​ ​-Leila​ ​Khaled

We​ ​stand​ ​as​ ​witness​ ​to​ ​extreme​ ​tragedy​ ​and​ ​cruelty:​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​declaring​ ​Jerusalem​ ​(Al-Quds),​ ​one
of​ ​the​ ​holiest​ ​sites​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world​ ​for​ ​worshippers​ ​across​ ​faith​ ​traditions,​ ​the​ ​capital​ ​of​ ​Israel--
a​ ​state​ ​that​ ​has​ ​become​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​driving​ ​forces​ ​and​ ​models​ ​of​ ​ethno-nationalism​ ​and
colonialism,​ ​that​ ​has​ ​violently​ ​occupied​ ​stolen​ ​Arab​ ​indigenous​ ​land​ ​(with​ ​imperial​ ​support)​ ​for
nearly​ ​70​ ​years.​ ​Mainstream​ ​news​ ​outlets​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​question​ ​of​ ​retaliatory
violence,​ ​but​ ​few​ ​mention​ ​the​ ​violence​ ​of​ ​declaring​ ​Jerusalem​ ​the​ ​capital​ ​of​ ​Israel​ ​or​ ​the​ ​violence
of​ ​daily​ ​life​ ​for​ ​Palestinians​ ​living​ ​under​ ​occupation​.​ ​Jerusalem​ ​is​ ​home​ ​to​ ​thousands​ ​of
Palestinians,​ ​many​ ​who​ ​have​ ​lived​ ​there​ ​for​ ​generations.​ ​This​ ​announcement​ ​is​ ​a​ ​further​ ​act​ ​of
dehumanization​ ​for​ ​Palestinians,​ ​and​ ​an​ ​assault​ ​on​ ​sacred​ ​ground.
Since​ ​this​ ​announcement​ ​indigenous​ ​peoples​ ​of​ ​Palestine​ ​have​ ​continued​ ​to​ ​do​ ​what​ ​they​ ​have
always​ ​done​ ​in​ ​the​ ​face​ ​of​ ​colonialism:​ ​resist.​ ​Over​ ​800​ ​Palestinians​ ​have​ ​been​ ​injured​ ​by​ ​Israeli
military​ ​forces​ ​for​ ​protesting,​ ​including​ ​children​.​ ​The​ ​practice​ ​of​ ​jailing​ ​and​ ​injuring​ ​children
however​ ​is​ ​not​ ​new:​ ​339​ ​Palestinian​ ​children​ ​were​ ​jailed​ ​by​ ​Israel​ ​from​ ​January​ ​to​ ​May​ ​2017
alone​.​ ​The​ ​death​ ​toll​ ​has​ ​also​ ​risen,​ ​including​ ​18​ ​year​ ​old​ ​Muhammad​ ​Amin​ ​Aqel​ ​al-Adam​ ​who
was​ ​shot​ ​and​ ​killed​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Israeli​ ​military​ ​in​ ​Ramallah,​ ​and​ ​Ibrahim​ ​Abu​ ​Thurayya​,​ ​who
previously​ ​lost​ ​both​ ​of​ ​his​ ​legs​ ​and​ ​kidney​ ​in​ ​an​ ​Israeli​ ​air​ ​raid​ ​in​ ​2008.

This​ ​week​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​vetoed​ ​a​ ​UN​ ​security​ ​council​ ​draft​ ​resolution​ ​rejecting​ ​President​ ​Trump’s
recognition​ ​of​ ​Jerusalem​ ​as​ ​the​ ​capital​ ​of​ ​Israel​.​ ​ ​U.S.​ ​ambassador​ ​to​ ​the​ ​U.N.​ ​Nikki​ ​Haley​ ​has
warned​ ​members​ ​of​ ​the​ ​UN​ ​General​ ​Assembly​ ​in​ ​a​ ​letter​ ​that​ ​President​ ​Donald​ ​Trump​ ​"will​ ​be
watching​ ​[Thursday's]​ ​vote​ ​carefully"​ ​and​ ​"requested​ ​I​ ​report​ ​back​ ​on​ ​those​ ​who​ ​voted​ ​against
us."​ ​While​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​and​ ​Israel​ ​rely​ ​on​ ​militarized​ ​policing​ ​and​ ​capital​ ​to​ ​force​ ​occupation​ ​down
the​ ​throats​ ​of​ ​oppressed​ ​peoples,​ ​we​ ​will​ ​not​ ​lose​ ​our​ ​determination​ ​to​ ​be​ ​in​ ​solidarity​ ​with
Palestinian​ ​liberation.​ ​All​ ​over​ ​the​ ​world​ ​from​ ​Somalia​​ ​to​ ​Turkey​ ​to​ ​Indonesia​​ ​to​ ​Chicago​,
hundreds​ ​of​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​people​ ​have​ ​flooded​ ​the​ ​streets​ ​in​ ​solidarity​ ​with​ ​Palestine.​ ​As​ ​Fred
Hampton​ ​put​ ​it​ ​in​ ​1969:​ ​“​Power​ ​anywhere​ ​where​ ​there’s​ ​people​.”

In​ ​the​ ​Trump​ ​era​ ​the​ ​stakes​ ​have​ ​been​ ​raised​ ​and​ ​we​ ​can​ ​no​ ​longer​ ​accept​ ​fairy-tales​ ​for​ ​facts.
Opposing​ ​anti-Semitism,​ ​like​ ​all​ ​forms​ ​of​ ​racialized​ ​oppression,​ ​is​ ​deeply​ ​connected​ ​to​ ​the​ ​fight
against​ ​white​ ​supremacy​​ ​and​ ​capitalism​ ​all​ ​over​ ​the​ ​world.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​extremely​ ​harmful​ ​and​ ​damaging
to​ ​our​ ​movements​ ​for​ ​collective​ ​liberation​ ​to​ ​confuse​ ​uncritical​ ​support​ ​for​ ​Israel,​ ​a​ ​relatively
new​ ​individual​ ​state​ ​that​ ​practices​ ​a​ ​particular​ ​modern​ ​racist​ ​ideology--Zionism,​ ​with​ ​supporting
Jewish​ ​people​ ​who​ ​have​ ​existed​ ​around​ ​the​ ​world​ ​for​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​years.​ ​There​ ​will​ ​never​ ​be
liberation​ ​that​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​violently​ ​policing,​ ​humiliating,​ ​or​ ​murdering​ ​Palestinian​ ​people​ ​and
escalating​ ​land​ ​theft.​ ​There​ ​will​ ​never​ ​be​ ​liberation​ ​that​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​an​ ​Israeli​ ​military​ ​that​ ​trains
U.S.​ ​police​ ​forces​ ​that​ ​hunt​ ​and​ ​incarcerate​ ​Black​ ​people​.​ ​There​ ​will​ ​never​ ​be​ ​liberation​ ​that
comes​ ​from​ ​Israeli​ ​security​ ​companies​ ​that​ ​profit​ ​from​ ​building​ ​a​ ​border​ ​wall​ ​on​ ​stolen
indigenous​ ​land​​ ​in​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​to​ ​further​ ​contain​ ​and​ ​criminalize​ ​those​ ​moving​ ​in​ ​between
the​ ​U.S.​ ​and​ ​Mexico.

The​ ​same​ ​leading​ ​U.S.​ ​white​ ​supremacists​ ​who​ ​endorse​ ​threatening,​ ​harassing,​ ​and​ ​attacking​ ​our
Jewish​ ​community​ ​members​ ​are​ ​vocalizing​ ​support​ ​for​ ​the​ ​Israeli​ ​model​,​ ​an​ ​ethno-nationalist
apartheid​ ​state.​ ​Our​ ​collective​ ​liberation​ ​will​ ​always​ ​be​ ​bound​ ​together​ ​so​ ​we​ ​must​ ​be​ ​honest
about​ ​the​ ​urgent​ ​time​ ​that​ ​we​ ​live​ ​in​ ​and​ ​the​ ​impact​ ​colonial​ ​violence​ ​has​ ​on​ ​all​ ​of​ ​us.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​no
accident​ ​that​ ​the​ ​same​ ​administration​ ​that​ ​implemented​ ​a​ ​racist​ ​“Muslim​ ​Ban,”​ ​to​ ​further
criminalize​ ​the​ ​movement​ ​and​ ​migration​ ​of​ ​Black​ ​and​ ​brown​ ​peoples,​ ​is​ ​also​ ​escalating​ ​colonial
violence​ ​abroad.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​no​ ​accident​ ​that​ ​the​ ​Jerusalem​ ​announcement​ ​happened​ ​within​ ​the​ ​same
week​ ​President​ ​Trump​ ​announces​ ​an​ ​enormous​ ​land​ ​grab​ ​at​ ​Bears​ ​Ears​ ​National​ ​Monument​​ ​in
direct​ ​opposition​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Navajo​ ​Nation​ ​and​ ​many​ ​other​ ​indigenous​ ​tribes.

As​ ​Angela​ ​Davis​ ​explained​ ​in​ ​her​ ​speech​ ​“Freedom​ ​is​ ​a​ ​Constant​ ​Struggle:​ ​Why​ ​Movements​ ​for
Social​ ​Justice​ ​Should​ ​Support​ ​Palestine”:​ ​“The​ ​U.S.​ ​is​ ​a​ ​prison​ ​nation....if​ ​we​ ​call​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​a
prison​ ​nation​ ​Palestine​ ​under​ ​Israeli​ ​occupation​ ​is​ ​certainly​ ​the​ ​worst​ ​possible​ ​example​ ​of​ ​a
carceral​ ​society.”​ ​While​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States,​ ​a​ ​nation​ ​built​ ​from​ ​inception​ ​on​ ​land​ ​theft,​ ​indigenous
genocide​ ​and​ ​extraction,​ ​overwhelmingly​ ​imprisons​ ​poor​ ​Black​ ​and​ ​brown​ ​people,​ ​slashes
funding​ ​to​ ​public​ ​education,​ ​refuses​ ​to​ ​raise​ ​worker​ ​wages​ ​or​ ​provide​ ​our​ ​families​ ​with
affordable​ ​healthcare,​ ​it​ ​extends​ ​a​ ​$38​ ​billion​ ​military​ ​aid​ ​package​ ​to​ ​Israel​,​ ​the​ ​largest​ ​of​ ​its​ ​kind
ever.​ ​While​ ​many​ ​of​ ​our​ ​families​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​be​ ​ripped​ ​apart​ ​by​ ​deportations,​ ​Israel​ ​remains​ ​one
of​ ​the​ ​leading​ ​benefactors​ ​of​ ​militarized​ ​border​ ​security​ ​technology​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world​.

Escalation​ ​in​ ​Palestine​ ​has​ ​ripple​ ​effects​ ​felt​ ​all​ ​over​ ​the​ ​world.​ ​What​ ​we​ ​allow​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States
and​ ​Israel​ ​to​ ​get​ ​away​ ​with,​ ​from​ ​advancing​ ​occupation​ ​and​ ​genocide,​ ​to​ ​the​ ​profits​ ​being​ ​made
from​ ​policing​ ​Black​ ​and​ ​brown​ ​bodies​ ​on​ ​stolen​ ​land,​ ​will​ ​be​ ​written​ ​into​ ​all​ ​of​ ​our​ ​histories,​ ​and
working​ ​class​ ​Black​ ​and​ ​brown​ ​people​ ​everywhere​ ​will​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​suffer​ ​for​ ​it.​ ​As​ ​Ahed
Tamimi,​ ​Palestinian​ ​teenager​ ​and​ ​freedom​ ​fighter​ ​who​ ​was​ ​arrested​ ​this​ ​week​ ​(in​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​her
mother)​ ​by​ ​Israeli​ ​police,​ ​said​ ​in​ ​a​ ​video:​ ​“We​ ​should​ ​extend​ ​our​ ​struggles​ ​to​ ​one​ ​another​ ​in
order​ ​to​ ​end​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world’s​ ​injustices.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​all​ ​victims​ ​of​ ​some​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​occupation.​”​ ​ ​As​ ​an
abolitionist​ ​organization​ ​led​ ​by​ ​Black,​ ​Latinx,​ ​and​ ​Arab​ ​youth​ ​that​ ​began​ ​in​ ​the​ ​wake​ ​of​ ​the
murder​ ​of​ ​Trayvon​ ​Martin​ ​we​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​vocally,​ ​materially,​ ​and​ ​spiritually​ ​supporting
Palestinian​ ​liberation​ ​and​ ​the​ ​liberation​ ​of​ ​all​ ​occupied​ ​and​ ​indigenous​ ​peoples​ ​around​ ​the​ ​world
is​ ​integral​ ​to​ ​our​ ​freedom​ ​project.

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For​ ​questions:
Nailah​ ​Summers,​ ​Communications​ ​Director
Nailah@dreamdefenders.org