Palestine solidarity groups condemn anti-Palestinian hate and reject conflation of Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism

To sign on to this Statement, please use the form at this link. The Google Document of this statement will be updated with signatories. Human rights groups condemn the surge […]

To sign on to this Statement, please use the form at this link. The Google Document of this statement will be updated with signatories.

Human rights groups condemn the surge of racism against Palestinians and denounce the violence that has been waged and initiated by pro-Israeli groups.  As officials ignore these crimes, NY4Palestine has launched a taskforce to receive complaints at LegalNY4Palestine@gmail.com.

Palestine solidarity groups reject, as racist and defamatory, claims that the Palestinian liberation and solidarity movement is anti-Semitic. “We reject any equivalence between Jewish people and Israel or Zionism, and so we reject the racist contention that Palestinian identity and the Palestinian struggle for liberation and defense against Israeli violence is anti-Semitic,” said Fatin Jarara, member of Al-Awda and PYM, which are part of the NY4Palestine Coalition.

“Racism drives Israeli regime practices in Palestine so our movement is grounded in anti-racist work, –  but we are not equally protected from racist hate in NY,” added Gigi Mohammed, of Al-Awda.

“Pro-Israelis have been hurling racial slurs and violence at Palestinians in NYC to provoke a response which they manipulate to further demonize their victims. This is part of Israeli campaigns [i] to undermine the mushrooming global movement against Israeli violence, colonization, and Apartheid. It is intended to and is daily hurting Palestinians, it’s also endangering Jews facing real anti-Semitism and has to stop,” said attorney Michael Letwin.

“Anti-Palestinian hatred and racism by (pro-) Israelis is so deeply normalized here even government officials engage in it regularly- from Schumer to Yang and Yeger. This city has an anti-Palestinian racism problem which is endemic to all sectors of society from courts to campuses to media. It is grossly unequal protection when a system is itself dedicated to mobilizing anti-Palestinian racism,” said human rights attorney Lamis Deek.

“We also demand NY and US government officials preempt and prosecute pro-Israeli and Zionist New Yorkers who were filmed invading and stealing Palestinian homes, and openly calling for pogroms in Palestine. These are crimes under US and NY law, and they are war crimes under international law. This silence is empowering racism and violence against Palestinians,” Deek added.

Over the past two weeks, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate crimes by pro-Israeli groups in NY surged launching the hashtag #everdayIslamophobia. In the presence of NYPD and press, pro-Israelis threatened to kill and rape Palestinians, snuck into Palestinian rallies to physically assault youth, stalked youth on the streets and beat them, entire blocks of residents threw trash and full bottles from windows at them. In one incident, a middle aged pro-Israeli woman accosted a Palestinian teenager, maced him for several seconds and returned to chanting racist slurs with other Israeli and Zionist agitators – echoing Israeli pogrom chants of “death to Arabs” in Palestine. 

Ex-Israeli occupation soldiers were caught on camera initiating assaults on Palestinian youth on several occasions [ii] another pro-Israeli yelled racist slurs against Palestinian youth inciting an inappropriate violent response from his targets.[iii ] Both incidents were racistly portrayed as anti-Semitism although nothing identified the provocateurs as Jewish before or after the altercation. “The erasure of pro-Israeli, white, racist provocations and the manipulation of anti-Semitism have life devastating impact on its victims.  It also privileges and protects white violence by way of the NYPD which itself has a long track record of abusing Arab and Muslim youth,” said Suzanne Adely, president-elect of the National Lawyers Guild.

   **  More detailed report with context and footage of similar incidents is forthcoming in addendum to be released in the coming weeks

To sign on to this Statement, please use the form at this link. The Google Document of this statement will be updated with signatories.

[i] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jdl-toronto-assault-palestinian-anti-semitic-1.6029953

[ii] https://twitter.com/protest_nyc/status/1395517369414524928?s=19

[iii] https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1396204203211636740?s=19

NY4Palestine is receiving complaints at LegalNY4Palestine@gmail.com  

Donations for jail/legal support can be made to https://palestinefreedomfund.org/ 

ISSUED BY:   

NY4PALESTINE, a coalition of organizations working for Palestinian rights and liberation, and includes:

  • Al-Awda: The Palestine Right To Return Coalition-NY;
  • American Muslims for Palestine-NJ;
  • Existence Is Resistance
  • Jews for Palestinian Right to Return;
  • La Lucha;
  • Labor For Palestine;
  • Palestinian Youth Movement-NY;
  • Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network;
  • Within Our Lifetime: United for Palestine. 

SPONSORED & ENDORSED BY:

Organizations:

  • Majlis Ash-Shura: ILCNY
  • National Lawyers Guild
  • Jewish Law Students Association- CUNY Law
  • US Palestinian Community Network

Individuals:

  • Suzanne Adely, Attorney
  • Moira Meltzer-Cohen, Attorney
  • Lamis J. Deek, Attorney
  • Sheikh Ibad Wali
  • Michelle Munjanattu
  • May Arjomand
  • Shalu Arjomand
  • Bibi Areej
  • Yaser Jawaid
  • Tahsina Islam
  • Rowan Rabah
  • Monadel Herzallah
  • Hadil El Wahidy
  • Burhan Ghanayem
  • Shireen Quaizar
  • Maysoun Ahmad
  • Manal Fakhoury
  • Syed W Quadri
  • Zahi Abdein
  • Nazim Uddin

Photo credit: Andy Ratto