Nakba 73 – We Will Return to Palestine

May 11, 2021
Los Angeles, thousands at the Israeli Consulate, see
https://twitter.com/AnswerLA

New York City, thousands in streets chanting what we have waited to hear for 73 years: "Palestine will be free in our lifetime!"
https://twitter.com/GloriaLaRiva?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Zionist terrorists now attacking Arabs throughout Historic Palestine aka Israel. See
https://twitter.com/Ha_Matar/status/1392536721280098304
"NOW: organized gangs of Jewish right wingers are marching in cities throughout the country. In Bat Yam (vid), they're destroying Arab-owned businesses. In Lyd, currently attacking believers coming out of a mosque. In Hedera and Afula - beating on random Arabs on the street."
Also see:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/GazaUnderAttack?src=hashtag_click
https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreePalestine?src=hashtag_click&f=live

The outcry is growing as Israel declares total war on 6.8 million Palestinians in Historic Palestine, the West Bank and Gaza.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/11/sanders-says-us-must-call-cease-fire-and-end-provocative-and-illegal-settlement
"U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday added his voice to a growing chorus of political figures in the United States and around the world who have expressed alarm about Israeli forces' violence against Palestinian protesters in occupied East Jerusalem and deadly airstrikes on Gaza, along with retaliatory rocket fire from Palestinians."

"Palestinian children should not have to grow up under the constant violence and oppression of occupation, as so many do, and have done."
—Sen. Bernie Sanders

"I am extremely concerned by the growing conflict in Israel and Palestine," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. "Once again we are seeing how the irresponsible actions of government-allied right-wing extremists in Jerusalem can escalate quickly into devastating war."

"In a message to the Biden administration, he added: "The United States must call for an immediate cease-fire and an end to provocative and illegal settlement activity."

"The escalating violence on Tuesday—including an airstrike that destroyed a 13-story apartment building in Gaza—followed crackdowns on protests against attempts by Israeli forces and settler colonists to force Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem."

"Political leaders and human rights experts the world over condemned the violence and noted that the takeovers of Palestinian homes are violations of international law."

"U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) urged the Biden administration to pressure Israel to "move away from annexation" and said that Congress should condition military aid to the country on whether the Israeli government is abiding by international law."

"We cannot ignore the ongoing violence in Jerusalem and beyond as the Israeli government uses excessive force on worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque," U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Tuesday. "We need to have serious conversations about U.S. taxpayer dollars funding actions like these."

"Some advocates for peace went further. In an email Tuesday, the U.S.-based anti-war group CodePink said:"

"What is happening in Palestine is heartbreaking and people around the world are taking to the streets demanding a just and lasting end to the root cause of the violence: Israeli apartheid. This week marks 73 years since hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were violently displaced from their homes to make way for the Zionist project. We have the obligation to be loudly and proudly in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians, so that not one more family will lose their homes or loved ones to Israeli attacks."

"In a tweet, CodePink slammed U.S. military aid to Israel and promoted a petition calling on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "stop funding Israeli apartheid and violence."

https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-omar-carson-and-tlaib-statement-attacks-al-aqsa-mosque-during-ramadan
5/10/21
"Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), André Carson (D-IN), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) issued the following statement today on the attacks on Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan."

“We are horrified by the violent assault by Israeli forces on the Al Aqsa mosque, and the continued violent attacks on the Palestinian people during the holy month of Ramadan. More than 300 people were injured in the attack, 200 of whom have been hospitalized.

“Everyone, regardless of their faith, deserves refuge and peace in their places of worship. The same should apply to Palestinians, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

"Many Muslims were praying Tarawih and Tahajjud in this mosque. For Muslim families, the mosque is like home. Many pray all night during Ramadan.

“This is happening as the Israeli government plans to move forward with forced evictions in the predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in direct violation of international law, the Geneva Convention, and basic human rights.

"Today, the Israeli military launched air strikes into Gaza, killing 20 people, including 9 children, according to Palestinian health officials. And Hamas fired rockets into Israel. We condemn all violence in this conflict - these acts only serve to advance the political goals of the powerful at the expense of the suffering of the people.

“Let us be clear, however: we continue to provide the Israeli government with over $3 billion in military aid every year—with no conditions or accountability for wanton human rights abuses and continuing illegal seizures of Palestinian land.

"For decades, we have paid lip service to a Palestinian state, while land seizures, settlement expansion, and forced displacement continue, making a future home for Palestinians more and more out of reach.

"It is long past time we finally take action to protect Palestinian human rights and save lives."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/11/biden-budget-would-send-13-billion-more-israeli-military-global-climate-programs

"As Israel continues its deadly assault on Palestinians throughout the occupied territories, a new analysis released Monday night shows that if congressional lawmakers in the U.S. approve the federal budget unveiled last month by President Joe Biden, the nation would give $1.3 billion more to the Israeli military than to the global climate response."

"In his analysis, Stephen Semler, co-founder of the Security Policy Reform Institute, cited two excerpts from the White House's spending proposal (pdf):

"The discretionary request meets the climate emergency head-on, providing $2.5 billion for international climate programs." (p. 25)
"The discretionary request fully funds U.S. commitments to key allies in the Middle East, including Israel." (p. 26)
As Semler explained: "'Fully funds U.S. commitments to... Israel' includes giving the apartheid state $3.8 billion in annual military aid—$3.3 billion in 'base' bilateral security assistance plus another $500 million for missile defense systems—as outlined [in] the 10-year MOU the Obama-Biden administration reached with Israel in 2016."

"In response to the analysis, Left Flank Veterans, a group of anti-war veterans, said Biden's spending priorities indicate that the president thinks "preserving apartheid is more important than fighting climate change."

"According to a recent analysis of "fair share" climate policies conducted by Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, and the Sunrise Movement, the U.S. should reduce its carbon pollution by 70% compared to 2005 levels by 2030, contribute at least $8 billion to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, and provide up to $3 trillion for green economic recovery and no-strings-attached debt relief in impoverished countries."

"Per international human rights law," Semler continued, "U.S. military aid to Israel should be zero."

"Two weeks ago, Human Rights Watch released a report, based on over two years of research and documentation, that says the Israeli government's systematic oppression of Palestinians across Israel and the occupied territories amounts to crimes of apartheid and persecution."

"Progressives in recent days have denounced the Biden administration for refusing to condemn Israel's deadly airstrikes on Gaza and for failing to hold Israel accountable after its security forces invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to attack peaceful worshipers, which was part of a broader assault on Palestinians who are protesting settlers' attempts to expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem."

"That Biden is prepared to fail so spectacularly on both [mitigating the climate emergency and opposing potential war crimes] warrants a unified response from the Congressional Progressive Caucus about what they plan to do once Biden drops his official budget request," Semler added.

"Lindsay Koshgarian, the program director of the National Priorities Project at IPS, told Common Dreams on Tuesday that "the sum of $2.5 billion in international climate aid, compared to more than $3 billion in military aid to a single country, would be laughable if it weren't so dangerous."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/11/human-rights-experts-denounce-israeli-violence-confiscation-homes-east-jerusalem
"In the U.S. , some Democratic members of Congress are calling for a shift in ongoing policies and practices in which the U.S. continues to supply Israel unconditional military aid and defends Israel's lethal military actions as "self-defense" while rejecting direct criticism of Israeli forces' deadly attacks on Palestinians and the ongoing illegal occupation."

"Those voices include Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and André Carson (D-Ind.)."

"In a joint statement Monday condemning the Gaza strikes and attacks on worshipers at Al Aqsa, the lawmakers said the threatened evictions are a "direct violation of international law, the Geneva Convention, and basic human rights."

"We condemn all violence in this conflict—these acts only serve to advance the political goals of the powerful at the expense of the suffering of the people," they said.

"The lawmakers also denounced the lack of "accountability for Israel's wanton human rights abuses and continuing illegal seizures of Palestinian land" in the face of mere "lip service to a Palestinian state."

"It is long past time we finally take action to protect Palestinian human rights and save lives," the trio said."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/11/israel-condemned-unambiguous-war-crime-after-destroying-gaza-apartment-tower
"Israel's military faced war crime accusations Tuesday after carrying out an airstrike that completely destroyed a high-rise apartment building in densely populated Gaza City, prompting a massive barrage of retaliatory rocket fire as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to further escalate violence that has already left over 30 people—almost all of them Palestinians—dead."

"Israeli forces have reportedly killed at least 30 Palestinians, including 10 children, in what the IDF has dubbed "Operation Guardian of the Walls." Amid the escalating bloodshed, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would "increase both the intensity of the attacks and the rate of attacks."

"The IDF called up 5,000 reservists for active duty Tuesday as fears mounted globally of a full-blown Israeli assault on Gaza. The last such war—which Israel called "Operation Protective Edge"—left more than 2,100 Palestinians, including over 500 children, dead during seven weeks of mostly one-sided fighting in the summer of 2014. Israel lost 67 soldiers and six civilians in the war."

The Ethnic Cleansing of Jerusalem by David Monaco, 5/10/21, at
https://www.globalresearch.ca/ethnic-cleansing-jerusalem/5744829

"The Israeli occupation of Palestine has taken an ugly turn, as nearly 2,800 Palestinians are slated to be evicted from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah by fanatical Jewish settlers."

"The outright theft of Palestinian homes and property by predatory Zionist vultures has provoked widespread protests and violence in the revered city. Heavily armed Israeli police forces have intervened to protect the settlers. Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured on the grounds of the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque. The necessity of defending Jerusalem and one of the holiest sites in Islam is a deeply held conviction for many of the world’s 1.9 billion Muslims."

"By slowly encircling Al-Aqsa and allowing property expropriations in East Jerusalem, Israel is playing with fire. It should be recalled that the notorious Arab murderer Ariel Sharon invaded Haram al Sharif surrounded by hundreds of armed police, igniting the second Palestinian Intifada on September 28, 2000. The revolt became known as Al-Aqsa Intifada."

"Tear gas and rubber bullets being used to repress protesters in the streets of East Jerusalem bear the following trade mark: “Made in the USA.”

https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/124308
5/5/21
"Israeli settlers Tuesday evening torched Palestinian farmlands and attacked houses in Burin village, south of Nablus, according to an official."

"Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors Israeli colonial settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said that Israeli settlers set fire to a large tract of farmland in the eastern section of the town and attacked at least three houses."

"The settlers came from Bracha, an illegal colonial settlement inhabited by hardcore fanatic Jews."

"Meanwhile, a group of settlers hurled stones toward vehicles with Palestinian registration plates traveling along the Nablus-Ramallah Road, causing damage to some of them."

"Burin town has been the scene of frequent settler attacks, including cutting down fully grown olive trees, setting fire to fields and crops, stealing the olive harvest, attacking olive harvesters and foreign volunteers, and hurling Molotov Cocktails toward houses in the town."

"Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is commonplace in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities."

"It includes arsons of property and mosques, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others."

"Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in Jewish-only colonial settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-israel-settlers-fire-attack-west-bank-burin
5/5/21
[Has photo of apartheid sign stating road is unsafe for Arabs.]

"According to the official Palestinian Authority (PA) news agency Wafa, residents of the settlement of Bracha torched swathes of farmland east of Burin overnight while under Israeli army protection and attacked three Palestinian homes in the village. Bracha, like all Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, is deemed illegal under international law.

"In 2015, Israeli settlers from Yitzhar, a settlement built just south of Burin, burned an 18-month-old baby alive after firebombing a house in the nearby Palestinian village of Duma. The baby's parents later died from their wounds, leaving only their then 4-year-old son, who was badly burned, as the sole survivor of the attack."

"In addition to Yitzhar, two other settlements surround Burin: Bracha, built in 1984 to the north of the village, and the outpost of Givat Ronen, established in the 1990s near Bracha."

"The Palestinian village has seen an increase in settler attacks since Sunday when a Palestinian woman was killed and three Israelis were wounded in two separate shooting incidents in the occupied West Bank."

"Ongoing tensions in occupied East Jerusalem surrounding the Old City and the imminent eviction of Palestinians in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah have also made the situation worse."


“Over the years, my home and land have been attacked dozens of times by Israeli settlers,” he recalled. “Last year, they came and set my car on fire. When I went to the Israeli police centre to file a report they didn’t do anything, and just mocked me until I left.”

"According to the United Nations humanitarian office, Israeli settlers have committed at least 127 confirmed attacks against Palestinians and their property since the beginning of 2021."

"Nidal al-Najjar, the mayor of Burin, believes that the high number of aggressive acts, which include several other arson attacks in his village, is due to the political and military support enjoyed by settlers."

“These are not just radical individuals, these are entire groups and organisations of settlers who are supported by right-wing Israeli lawmakers and the Israeli occupation forces,” Najjar told MEE."

“The role of the Israeli soldiers is to protect the settlers. Not only do they do nothing to protect us, but they protect the settlers while they are attacking us. When we try to defend ourselves the soldiers shoot at us, attack us, and arrest us. This is all part of a system.”

“When they burned the trees, they also burned our memories, our dreams, and our years of hard work.”

"The targeting of Palestinian agriculture is far from a coincidence, Najjar argued, saying that the tactic was part and parcel of efforts to push Palestinians off their lands. "

“The settlers know that the olive trees connect us Palestinians to our land,” he said. “So, when they attack our land like they did yesterday, they are attempting to stop us from using the land so they can continue to expand their settlements and their control over the area.”

"The mayor said that while the actions of Israeli settlers have been regularly denounced by global powers and international organisations, including the United Nations, there have been few consequences.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/04/israeli-man-trying-take-over-palestinian-home-says-if-i-dont-steal-it-someone-else
An American not wearing a mask during the pandemic speaks in English in attached video proclaiming his right to steal a Palestinian home. Dramatic picture of US-funded Israeli military knee on head of Palestinian. Provides history of theft of Palestinian land as follows:

"The modern state of Israel was founded largely through the theft of Palestinian land and the ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Arabs from their homes in 1948 and 1949. Over 400 Arab villages were destroyed or abandoned, their residents—some of whom still hold the keys to their stolen homes—were never allowed to return, despite a United Nations resolution guaranteeing the right of return."

"Israeli war hero and Cabinet minister Moshe Dayan acknowledged in a 1969 speech that:

"We came to this country, which was already populated by Arabs, and we are establishing... a Jewish state here. Jewish villages were built in place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you, because those geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either... There is not one place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population."

"Hundreds of thousands more Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes during Israel's seizure of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War."


https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/03/national-lawyers-guild-urges-biden-align-us-israel-palestine-policy-international

"The memo (pdf), authored by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) International Committee's Palestine Subcommittee, notes that after four years of "bullish and detrimental" U.S. policy on Palestine and Israel under the Trump administration, "the health, human rights, and humanitarian situation for Palestinians—both in Palestine and in the refugee camps of surrounding countries—is dire."

"The memo's authors urge the Biden administration to take steps including, but not limited to:

1. Relocate the U.S. Embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv;

2. Reverse the Trump administration's repudiation of a 1978 State Department legal opinion declaring Israel's settler colonies in the occupied West Bank to be illegal;

3. Rescind the previous administration's rule requiring "Made in Israel" labeling on goods produces in the unlawful settlements, as well as former President Donald Trump's formal recognition of Israel's illegal annexation of Syria's Golan Heights;

4. Reinstate aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency;

5. Call for an immediate end to Israel's 15-year closure and blockade of Gaza;

6. Refrain from further interference in International Criminal Court proceedings and consider ratifying the Rome Statute;

7. Reverse Trump's order falsely conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism; and

8. Affirm that boycotts for human rights such as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement "are a form of highly protected speech under the U.S. Constitution."

*********************
Not one nickel; not one dime;
Stop US/Israeli war crimes and
Stop US aid to Israel.
We pay $4 billion a year to the US military base called Israel to protect US oil profits and support fascism around the world.

The rally has been moved to 16th and Valencia at 2 p.m. See
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2021/05/12/18842470.php