I. Palestine
As Palestinians, we are bearers of a rich and beautiful history. Our history is not defined by Zionism, but by our people's steadfast popular resistance to Zionist colonization and imperialism. For over 73 years, our people have faced Zionist ethnic cleansing and for over 73 years we have risen in struggle against it. Even prior to the 1948 Nakba, Palestinians consistently rose up against British imperialism and the Zionist movement, as exemplified in the 1936-9 Arab Revolt. Our history and struggle, therefore, cannot be defined by victimhood. Instead, they are defined by a relentless persistence toward liberation, even under the most brutal colonial conditions.
Today is no exception. In a moment when the word is rising up for Palestinian freedom, we must emphasize that popular uprisings across Palestine are deeply and firmly rooted in our history. For this reason, our recommended reading list offers historical context on Palestine through the prism of popular resistance, which continues to be our main resource in the fight for land, return, and liberation. We include sources in English and Arabic on popular resistance ranging from political histories, interviews, memoirs, poetry, films, and primary documents. By popular resistance, we refer to all forms of resistance taken up by Palestinians: in the form of economic resistance, women's organizations, unions, and labor organizing, and military/armed resistance.
—Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)
The Ongoing Genocide in Gaza
In the past 18 months, over 52,314 people in Gaza have been confirmed killed, including at least 18,000 children.1 This number equates to one out of every 50 people in Gaza. However, the actual death toll is far higher. Many analytical experts and human rights groups emphasize the impossible task of identifying many of the remains of Palestinians still stuck under rubble. Israel has further increased the death toll by decimating Gaza's infrastructure and implementing aid blockades, violating international law, that prevent medical equipment, food and water from entering Gaza.
Additionally, at least 117,792 people in Gaza have been injured. That's one in 20 people. According to the World Health Organization, nearly a quarter of the injured, an estimated 22,500 people, have life-altering injuries that require rehabilitation that is not available. According to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, every day, 10 children lose one or both legs with operations and amputations conducted with little or no anesthesia due to Israel's blockade. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that by the end of 2024 there had been at least 4,500 amputations.2
According to Israel's own human rights group, B'Tselem, the state of Israel has killed more than 1,000 members of medical, defense and aid teams in Gaza since October 2023.3 B'Tselem writes that “the Israeli chief of staff Zamir is planning to conquer Gaza, the defense minister Katz is forming a bureau for 'voluntary emigration', and Netanyahu has declared Israel is seizing territory. With US support and tacit approval from the EU and the rest of the world—Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel is committing a genocide of devastating proportions in Gaza, consistently committing war crimes in violation of International Law, and wiping out multiple generations of families from the Gazan civil registry.4 This has been established by the International Court of Justice, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and numerous other international human rights organizations.
The United States is the key financial supporter of the genocide of the Palestinian people and fully implicated in Israel's actions. Since the Israeli state was formed in 1948, it has received $158 billion in unrestricted military aid from the United States, making it the single greatest recipient in history.5 In 2024 alone, Israel received nearly $17.9 billion in military financing from the United States.6
As the U.S. government grinds away at civil rights locally, blaming immigrants, the poor, and the unhoused for eating away at resources that could supposedly be used to benefit our society at large, they are spending BILLIONS of our tax dollars to fund one of the most devastating human rights catastrophes in modern history. This genocide runs on U.S. Taxpayer Dollars, OUR taxpayer dollars. It is our call to action that you join us in saying “NOT ON OUR DIME.”7