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As someone whose family and life was torn apart by terrorists, I know intimately the destruction of terrorism. To be devastated by the brutal killing of loved ones never justifies the killing of others.
The atrocities committed against the people of Israel this past weekend are horrific. As is the violence, displacement and imprisonment of Palestinians for far too long. To acknowledge history is not to erase the present. It is the height of dehumanization to look at events as if they started on Saturday rather than to look backwards and acknowledge that Palestinians have been waking up to violence for years.
To advocate for liberation and human rights for Palestinian people is not to justify the acts of terror against Isreali civilians. #FreePalestine does not equate to supporting Hamas. Nor does it negate the very real devastation to the Israeli community. These are human lives caught in a legacy of oppression and violence. And none of us are safe inside of a system that says some lives are more valuable than other lives. Ending the systemic and structural oppression of Palestinian people (and other marginalized people) is bound with all liberation. 
My politics around this have been clear and consistent since the unjust and inhumane retaliation against Muslims and the people of the Middle East in the wake of 9/11 that killed over 1 million civilians. The tragic loss of my step dad and so many other does not justify war crimes. It is exactly for this reason that I will not be silent when anyone commits crimes against humanity. 
Kerri (she/her)
Art: @gabestorres
NTK (need to know)
As buildings fall, as children die in the heat of battle, as threats of annihilation become indistinguishable from the flags that herald them, as hunger and pain curdle the atmosphere, as networks of unimaginable suffering become electrified by ballistic missiles, where do you stand? Bayo Akomolafe on the lines that whisper us. [ [link removed] ]
What Preceded This Bloodshed in Gaza Was Not “Peace” [ [link removed] ] — It Was Apartheid. A conversation with Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba.
How was Hamas Able to Launch Such a Devastating Attack on Israel? [ [link removed] ] The deadly foundations of the war between Isreal and Hamas and where the war might lead.
How should the US respond to the Israel-Palestine crisis? [ [link removed] ]Noura Erakat, Alex Kane, Joshua Leifer [ [link removed] ], Libby Lenkinski, Yousef Munayyer and Diala Shamas weighs in.
Gabor Maté, a holocaust survivor of Auschwitz, on why standing with Palestine [ [link removed] ]and Palestinians today is standing with justice, freedom, and truth.
Across Indian Country, tribal nations are buying back their land one parcel at a time. How the Land Back Movement Is Unraveling Manifest Destiny [ [link removed] ].
Solidarity
This history of the Israel-Palestine “conflict” is not a simple one. I don’t claim to understand all of it or be an expert on the topic. I am simply listening and learning from those who are most impacted by the history and present reality, following their lead and trying to play my part. What I’m learning is that this is not a “both sides” situation. There is no symmetry between these two entities: Palestinians are under occupation and Israel is the occupying force. Here are some resources to get educated and take action:
LEARN: Books, as tools for education, analysis, combatting misinformation, and inspiration, have a vital role to play in the global Palestine solidarity movement. Check out this list (and free downloads) from Haymarket Books. [ [link removed] ]
QUESTION EVERYTHING: Western media is biased and distorting the news from Israel and Palestine. Double standards shape how politicians and media [ [link removed] ] treat Israelis and Palestinians. Here’s what the mainstream media never told you about Palestine. [ [link removed] ]
DEMAND DEESCALATION: Americans have a stake in this and must stop military and weapons support. Call Congress now. [ [link removed] ]Tell them to immediately deescalate to prevent the further loss of life, not fuel violence by sending more weapons to Israel. Call them again in an hour. We must prevent mass atrocities and end this.
FOLLOW: @paliroots [ [link removed] ] @eye.on.palestine [ [link removed] ] @ifnotnow [ [link removed] ] @IMEU [ [link removed] ] @breakingthesilenceisrael @
GIVE: If you are able and willing, please consider supporting these organizations who are providing direct support:
Emergency Relief for Gaza [ [link removed] ]: $100 Feeds 1 Family
Standing Together Movement: [ [link removed] ] organizes Jews and Arabs locally and nationally around campaigns for peace, equality and social justice.
Breaking the Silence [ [link removed] ]: organization of veteran soldiers of Isreali military endeavors to stimulate public debate about the violence and end the occupation.
Art: @carolinejsumlin
Practicing Justice
As soon as I heard of the devastating attacks in Israel I was devastated. Not only heartbroken for the unnecessary and brutal loss of innocent life, but a deeper fear for what was about to come. I remember that feeling, in the wake of 9/11 - when we were gutted and most vulnerable - the shock and moral outrage that inevitably leads to vengeance. To know history is to know how it would play out. Fear and hurt has been used to justify countless wars including the false war on terror that followed 9/11 and took almost 1 million lives. It calls us to debate who deserves to be mourned and who doesn’t; whose lives matter and deserve to be defended and whose don’t. The root of violence is oppression and therefore the end of violence is the end of systemic oppression. Fred Joseph wrote “when we, in our selfishness and prejudice, start to believe that some children are less deserving of life, of breath of dreams - then we are truly wandering in the wilderness of our own making, and we may very well be irretrievably lost”. I pray for all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering. I pray for an end to the brutal occupation of Palestine. And I pray for peace.
Art by Radical Matriarch
We-ness
“Hope and grief can coexist, and if we wish to transform the world, we must learn to hold and to process both simultaneously.” - Let This Radicalize You by @prisonculture [ [link removed] ]
Organizing My Thoughts [ [link removed] ]
Here are some questions to hold from #LTRY [ [link removed] ] Reading and Discussion Guide Chapter 8:
How can a loving practice of grief serve as a practice of resistance?
How do you process grief?
How can you make a commitment to resist the normalization of mass death?
More resources on hope and grief can be found HERE. [ [link removed] ]
Thanks for subscribing to WELLREAD. For the last six years we’ve been providing folks with the need to know (NTK) news, calls to actions and resources for how to stay engaged and resourced along the way. But now, we’ve added an option to “upgrade to paid” to help sustain our work. While we will never put our content behind a pay wall, we depend on the support of our community to keep us going. 💛

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