4 things you can do right now to help bring peace to Palestine and Israel

Be teachable.

If you know that you don’t know enough about Palestine and Israel, congratulations! That’s more self-awareness than most people have. It’s not easy to find out the truth because, as they say, “history is written by the victors.” If you want to take some time to learn about the side that has been disenfranchised and silenced, I will make it easy for you. Here are a few starter lists:

• Websites that you can trust implicitly include If Americans Knew (full disclosure: I am an editor at IAK), Mondoweiss, Electronic Intifada, Al Jazeera
• Several free downloadable books are available here
• A very thorough list of suggested books – not free – is here
• For free YouTube film suggestions, go here
• For more films available on various platforms, go here – these are just starter lists

Knowledge is power – the more you know, the more effectively you can tell the truth and move the world a bit closer to justice and peace. But even if you’re not a scholar on the subject, don’t shy away from getting started as an advocate.

Use precise words.

When you advocate for Palestinian lives, you are teaching others the facts. You’re not just a lone voice crying out in the wilderness, but one of a great cloud of witnesses. Here are some of the things you can say with them:

• If you feel the need to be “balanced” by expressing concern for “both sides,” be intellectually honest: the two sides are Palestine and Israel, the occupied and the occupier, one is destitute, the other a military superpower. Know that you don’t have to mention Israel’s plight every time you mention Gaza’s. It’s ok.
• Keep in mind that resistance against occupation – even armed resistance – is a right protected by international law. Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7th was an act of resistance. Whether it was terrorism or not is a debate that you don’t need to enter or worry about (unless you want to). Just know that resistance is a legitimate right, and what Israel has been doing against Gaza is resistance-worthy. Israeli violence was consistent and brutal long before October 7th.
• Gaza has been under a brutal blockade, initiated by Israel, for sixteen years (unofficially, even longer than that), blocking basic food, medical, and hygiene items from entering the strip; simultaneously, Israel has carried out airstrikes and incursions that have caused thousands of Palestinian deaths. In fact, More Palestinians have been killed in the past 34 days than in the past 22 years combined.
• It is accurate to say that Gaza is being ethnically cleansed. The term ethnic cleansing refers to the forced removal of an ethnic group from a territory. Israel is forcing the population of northern Gaza – over one million people – to leave their land and head to southern Gaza. Israel does not guarantee the safety of anyone who stays in the north – including the disabled and hospitalized. Many Palestinians in Gaza were already ethnically cleansed from their ancestral lands in 1948, and do not trust Israel to let them return to their refugee camps in northern Gaza after this war is over.
• Under international law, Israel technically doesn’t have the right to “defend itself” against the people of Gaza. Gaza is under de facto occupation (even the US agrees), so Israel actually has an obligation to care for the people and keep them safe until it returns them to self-rule. Israel caused the situation in Gaza to deteriorate enough that its people rose up in armed resistance.

With these accurate descriptors, you are telling the truth about the situation. Every time the truth is told, we move a bit closer to justice and peace.

Be clear when you condemn.

• Since 2000, Israel has killed at least 20,772 Palestinians (during that same time, Palestinians have killed 2,777 Israelis). If you haven’t condemned Israel for those 20,772 Palestinian deaths, you should not be condemning Palestinians for rising up against their own annihilation. As of Friday, 11/10, More Palestinians have been killed in 34 days than in the past 22 years combined (now I’ve mentioned that fact twice – you should read the article). Condemning Israel for its violence bears witness to the truth – and every time the truth is told, we move a bit closer to justice and peace.
• Israel – this should be obvious, but some people forget – is not the same as Jews. Our condemnation should be directed at the Israeli government for its policies and practices, not at Jews in general.
• If you feel the need to condemn Hamas, keep in mind that Hamas is not Gaza or Palestine. In fact, Hamas is not a monolith, but a resistance organization made up of individuals. Some of them no doubt espouse terrorism but not all of them (see the testimony of one of the freed hostages). Let’s condemn those members of Hamas who carried out terrorist acts.

Supporters of Israel paint Hamas with a broad brush that unfairly lumps them all together as “animals” or “ISIS” or “Nazis.” That only serves to excuse the horrific bombardment of Gaza. Stereotyping like this is dishonest and borderline racist. Telling the truth, instead of misrepresenting a group of people, moves us closer to justice and peace.

Think big, demand big.

If you genuinely want justice to be done, don’t just call for a ceasefire. Palestine needs so much more. For example:

• Call for Israel to comply with international law
• Call for an end to the blockade of Gaza
• Call for an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories
• Call for an end to Israel’s apartheid rule
• Call for Israel to start behaving like the democracy it claims to be

Without these changes, resistance against Israel will not stop. Demanding big changes to the status quo will energize the world take big steps toward justice and peace.

GazaIsPalestine.com is a website created by US and Palestinian organizations to support advocacy efforts. It includes resources that you might want to use if you attend (or organize) an event for Gaza.

Take a good look at this chart. Then look below the chart for a list of short statements that you can use on social media, or as conversation-starters.

A list of short statements that you can use on social media, or as conversation-starters:

• The two sides in this conflict are Palestine and Israel. One is the occupied, the other is the occupier.
• The two sides in this conflict are Palestine and Israel. One is a destitute people living in a ghetto, the other is a military superpower.
• Resistance against occupation – even armed resistance – is a right protected by international law.
• Resistance is a legitimate right, and what Israel has been doing against Gaza is resistance-worthy. Israel caused the situation in Gaza to deteriorate enough that its people rose up in armed resistance.
• October 7th did not happen in a vacuum. Israeli violence was consistent and brutal long before October 7th.
• Gaza has been under a brutal blockade, initiated by Israel, for sixteen years (unofficially, even longer than that), blocking basic food, medical, and hygiene items from entering the strip.
• For years, Israel has carried out airstrikes and incursions that have caused thousands of Palestinian deaths.
• More Palestinians have been killed in the past 34 days than in the past 22 years combined.
• The term ethnic cleansing refers to the forced removal of an ethnic group from a territory. Israel is forcing the population of northern Gaza – over one million people – to leave their land and head to southern Gaza.
• Gaza is under de facto occupation, so Israel actually has an obligation to care for the people and keep them safe until it returns them to self-rule – it does not have the right to defend itself against the people it occupies.
• Since 2000, Israel has killed at least 20,772 Palestinians (during that same time, Palestinians have killed 2,777 Israelis).
• If you haven’t condemned Israel for those 20,772 Palestinian deaths, you should not be condemning Palestinians for rising up against their own annihilation.
• Israel – this should be obvious, but some people forget – is not the same as Jews. Our condemnation should be directed at the Israeli government for its policies and practices, not at Jews in general.
• Hamas is not Gaza or Palestine. Hamas is not a monolith, but a group of individuals in a resistance organization. Some of them no doubt espouse terrorism but not all of them (see the testimony of one of the freed hostages).
• Israel needs to comply with international law
• Israel needs to end to the blockade of Gaza
• Israel needs to end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories – Gaza and the West Bank
• Israel needs to end its apartheid rule over Palestinians
• Israel needs to start behaving like the democracy it claims to be
• If Israel does not change, resistance against Israel will not stop.

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