Antisemitism these days isn’t quite like it was up to the holocaust. But it’s still repugnant as hell. This mental habit of writing off an entire group of people based on stereotypes is a real piece of work & it damn sure has no place in transformational politics. When I came of age in politics, some of my best teachers were Jews & internationalists. Jews were a disproportionate number of progressive activists because of their own history of persecution which was brutal. They weren’t obsessed with being Jewish because their vision of humanity was universal. If you think for one moment you can trash Jews in any way on my wall, you’re dead wrong. For no reason I understand, not only my best teachers but my most beloved friends have been Jewish & it would be unthinkable I would ever demean their ancestry in any way. Not just because I love & admire them but because they are/were wonderful people. So please don’t make me censor your comments. That’s a bottom line on my wall regarding any ethnic or religious group. Learn to respect them or keep your damn mouth shut.

West Bank Palestinians stand in solidarity with Gaza

Bethlehem stands with Gaza May 15 2018
Bethlehem, West Bank stands with Gaza: we cannot forget the protests in the occupied West Bank in concert with the Great Return March & protests against the US embassy move to Jerusalem. Today in Beit El, West Bank, Israeli occupying troops fired rubber bullets, live ammo, & deployed drones equipped with tear gas on unarmed protesters, just as they are doing in Gaza. One 20-year old protester said “The suffering of people in Gaza, Jerusalem & ‘48 areas is the suffering of everyone. The pain is for the whole of Palestine.”

Meanwhile, at the UN Security Council, Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon accused Hamas of using protesters as human shields. “They are not protestors,” he said but “a mob that carries explosives & sometimes you cannot differentiate between terrorists & the people around them.” The line being advanced by Israel & all its apologists & stooges is that Israel cannot be criticized for using live fire on unarmed protesters because Hamas is to blame.

(Photo from AbdelKarim Alkahlout on Twitter)

Tel Aviv stands with Palestinians against Israeli apartheid & genocide

Tel Aviv (Simone Zimmerman) May 15 2018
Tel Aviv stands with Palestinians. Many Jews understand the history of their own persecution very well & want to be part of the greater movement against racism, supremacy, & colonialism, not separated from it like Zionists by master race ideology. They have always played a central role in opposing Zionism & will be a central part of forging a democratic, secular state where Palestinians & Jews can live as brothers & sisters.

(Photo from Simone Zimmerman on Twitter)

Palestinian solidarity hits the red carpet at Cannes film festival

Manal Issa, a Lebanese actress on red carpet of Cannes film festival (Basem Naim on Twitter) May 2018
Manal Issa, a French-Lebanese actress, raised the banner for Palestinians on the red carpet of the Cannes film festival. Since few have done more than Hollywood to vilify Arabs & portray Palestinians as terrorists, her act is extremely courageous at such an event since as a young actress it could change her career opportunities. God bless our sister with the nerves of steel.

(Photo from Basem Naim on Twitter; haven’t been able to verify this is at Cannes)

Concentrating during this time on the Palestinian struggle doesn’t take anything away from the Kashmiri, Rohingya, or other freedom struggles. They are inextricably bound together, & not just in the persecution of Muslims, but in so many ways so that when we strengthen solidarity with one freedom struggle, they are all advanced.

Just so we’re clear about those 61 Palestinian ‘terrorists’ who Israeli snipers killed in cold blood yesterday: one was an 8-month-old infant; one was a double amputee; & eleven were teen agers. All the rest were unarmed young men in their 20s & 30s. The unspeakable cowardice of the Israeli military against Palestinians should be an embarrassment & is a criminal shame.

Apparently Facebook is removing the share capacity on many posts about the massacre of Palestinians. Feel free to bypass the share button & copy any of mine without asking. You don’t have to credit me in any way. Political ideas are of no use under copyright or ownership rubrics. Plagiarism doesn’t operate since everything I know, I learned from others & I don’t footnote my teachers every time I write. The point is standing with Palestinians (or Kashmiris, Rohingya, Syrians…), not writing a book for fame & fortune.