STATEMENT ON PALESTINE
DAISA is a team of diverse races, ethnicities, genders, and religions, including Jews and Muslims, of whom two have direct family ties in Palestine and Israel. As a team, we work for social justice and systems-change in food and health. Our mission is to support vibrant and equitable communities, many of whom have embodied resilience and determination in the face of ongoing systemic oppression. As such, we denounce the U.S. funding of Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. We denounce anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and we are united in solidarity with Palestine.
We are people of conscience, and our humanity and spirituality call us to speak out — with clarity — against oppression in all its ugly forms. We condemn anti-semitism around the world, and we stand with Palestinians and their struggle for liberation against the illegal occupation of their ancestral land (which Human Rights Watch has defined as apartheid). For over 75 years, Palestinians have resisted Israel’s violent settler-colonialism, forced removal of Palestinians, and well-documented systematic and violent disruption of daily life. Palestinian resistance exists because occupation exists. We fully recognize that Jews have a right to home and safety, and have also been the victims of genocide, violence, and colonial manipulation. But the oppression of the Palestinian people is NOT the answer. It is very painful to us all to see the brutality of what happened on October 7th, the massacre of 1,400 Israelis, kidnapping and hostage- taking. But none of this began with those events, and we condemn the subsequent retaliation.
Our criticism of the Israeli occupation and current genocidal campaign is not anti-semitism, but belief in the values which teach us to repair the world, question authority, and champion the oppressed over the oppressor. These are values deeply rooted in all our traditions, including Jewish, and guide us as we move through the world.
One month ago, Israel openly declared its intentions to commit genocide in Gaza – one of the most densely populated areas in the world, where 1.7 million of its 2.1 million residents are refugees and nearly half are children – enabled by the US and fueled by a biased, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian media apparatus. Over the course of the last four weeks, Israeli forces have relentlessly dropped bombs across Gaza, violating international law by restricting all food, electricity, fuel, medical supplies, and collapsing the hospital system, further crippling every aspect of infrastructure in this small strip of land that has already endured a 16-year siege. Israel’s constant airstrikes on residential areas, hospitals, United Nations relief offices, schools, and journalists across Gaza, have left residents with no safe place to to evacuate. Over 20,000 individuals have been killed, over 8,000 of which are children, over 43,000 injured, and most of Gaza’s population of 2 million have been internally displaced (as of this writing). Every hour, these numbers increase.
Locally in the US, we have seen a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, and anti-semitic rhetoric that has yielded fatal consequences. There has also been a rapid rise in censorship and intimidation across all sectors. This precedent is an attack on free speech. This is a moment where our values as a team call us to speak out. Here are some examples of what we’re doing at DAISA and our calls to action:
We hope and ask for immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and real change. We stand for the fundamental right of all people, especially children, to grow up with equality and life free of violence. While this is a time when all seems polarizing, we should all be united and vocal against killing of children and ongoing oppression.
We are people of conscience, and our humanity and spirituality call us to speak out — with clarity — against oppression in all its ugly forms. We condemn anti-semitism around the world, and we stand with Palestinians and their struggle for liberation against the illegal occupation of their ancestral land (which Human Rights Watch has defined as apartheid). For over 75 years, Palestinians have resisted Israel’s violent settler-colonialism, forced removal of Palestinians, and well-documented systematic and violent disruption of daily life. Palestinian resistance exists because occupation exists. We fully recognize that Jews have a right to home and safety, and have also been the victims of genocide, violence, and colonial manipulation. But the oppression of the Palestinian people is NOT the answer. It is very painful to us all to see the brutality of what happened on October 7th, the massacre of 1,400 Israelis, kidnapping and hostage- taking. But none of this began with those events, and we condemn the subsequent retaliation.
Our criticism of the Israeli occupation and current genocidal campaign is not anti-semitism, but belief in the values which teach us to repair the world, question authority, and champion the oppressed over the oppressor. These are values deeply rooted in all our traditions, including Jewish, and guide us as we move through the world.
One month ago, Israel openly declared its intentions to commit genocide in Gaza – one of the most densely populated areas in the world, where 1.7 million of its 2.1 million residents are refugees and nearly half are children – enabled by the US and fueled by a biased, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian media apparatus. Over the course of the last four weeks, Israeli forces have relentlessly dropped bombs across Gaza, violating international law by restricting all food, electricity, fuel, medical supplies, and collapsing the hospital system, further crippling every aspect of infrastructure in this small strip of land that has already endured a 16-year siege. Israel’s constant airstrikes on residential areas, hospitals, United Nations relief offices, schools, and journalists across Gaza, have left residents with no safe place to to evacuate. Over 20,000 individuals have been killed, over 8,000 of which are children, over 43,000 injured, and most of Gaza’s population of 2 million have been internally displaced (as of this writing). Every hour, these numbers increase.
Locally in the US, we have seen a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, and anti-semitic rhetoric that has yielded fatal consequences. There has also been a rapid rise in censorship and intimidation across all sectors. This precedent is an attack on free speech. This is a moment where our values as a team call us to speak out. Here are some examples of what we’re doing at DAISA and our calls to action:
- Learn about Palestine through resources such as Decolonize Palestine, United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and Palestinian Youth Movement
- Call on your representatives in the senate and congress to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Find your representatives here. Busy their phone lines and fill up their inboxes with calls for ceasefire.
- Aid is very slowly trickling into Gaza. If you would like to donate to trusted organizations, visit MedGlobal, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Baitulmaal, Inc.
- Find humanity. This is not Palestinians versus Jews. This is a cry against an oppressive Israeli regime, and a cry against escalating violence. There has been enough hate. Many Jews of principle are advocating for a different way: https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/, https://www.btselem.org/about_btselem
We hope and ask for immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and real change. We stand for the fundamental right of all people, especially children, to grow up with equality and life free of violence. While this is a time when all seems polarizing, we should all be united and vocal against killing of children and ongoing oppression.
