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John,
Every year on March 30, Palestinians commemorate Land Day.
This marks a day 48 years ago when Palestinians protested against the Israeli government’s illegal theft of Palestinian land. Israeli forces opened fire on the protesters, killing six people.
On Land Day six years ago, when Palestinians in Gaza led the peaceful Great March of Return, Israeli soldiers killed hundreds and injured thousands of people.
Despite years of mass displacement and erasure, Palestinians’ connection to the land of Palestine is still strong. It’s a link to our identity, to our Indigenous traditions and culture.
The olive tree is a symbol of that steadfastness, and when Israeli soldiers and settlers destroy olive trees or set fire to agricultural land and crops in Palestine, it’s an attempt to sever the relationship that Palestinian people have with the land.
This year on Land Day, millions of people will march around the world, demanding an end to genocide, an end to apartheid and occupation, and for Palestinian refugees’ internationally recognized right of return.
Click here to find a protest near you today: https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/actions.
If you can’t find or attend an action near you, please keep posting and talking about Palestine.
It matters, and it’s shifting public opinion: A new Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans oppose the Israeli military’s actions.
We must keep the pressure on and demand the U.S. government stop its unconditional support for Israel's oppressive apartheid system, which treats Palestinians as less than human.
This past week, the UN International Court of Justice ordered the “unhindered provision” of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. This is binding international law, as is the UN Security Council’s recent binding resolution for a temporary ceasefire.
But Israel’s government continues to violate and ignore international law, blocking lifesaving aid for millions of Palestinians facing starvation, killing hundreds of people gathering for aid deliveries, and continuing the relentless bombing that has killed over 14,000 children.
This must end now. UN member countries must enforce these laws and save lives—especially the United States.
The U.S. is the top provider of military aid to Israel. A new report found that 70% of all arms imported by Israel are from the U.S.
Instead of using this leverage to demand an end to the genocide, Congress and the White House just secured a new law sending billions of American tax dollars to Israel’s military and cutting off essential aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
Keep the pressure on. Click here to find a Land Day protest near you today: https://www.shutitdown4palestine.org/actions.
Thank you for continuing to demand human dignity for all people, without exceptions.
In solidarity,
Rashida
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