Donate here – palsolidarity.org/donate
To our friends and comrades:
We would like to thank all of you for your continued solidarity and support for the freedom of the Palestinian people, whether through activism, protest, boycott, donations, or raising awareness online and personally. Because of you, the International Solidarity Movement has been able to continue using non-violent methods to resist Israeli apartheid in Palestine for almost two decades.
ISM is an entirely grassroots funded organization, with no corporate or fixed sponsors, and all of our volunteers are self-funded. However, the global pandemic has forced many countries to adopt exceptional measures, such as quarantines and travel disruptions. Volunteers can no longer travel to Palestine and the consequent economic slowdown has seriously impacted us financially, to a point where we may be forced to close all of our offices in Palestine. This would severely limit our ability to advocate for Palestinian issues, not only during the pandemic but also for months afterwards, preventing us from resuming operations once the lockdown ends.
With settler attacks up 78% amid the pandemic, and Israeli forces continuing with demolitions, arrests, imprisonment, and shootings of civilians, we believe it is more important than ever to maintain a presence in Palestine. Our goal, with your help, is to raise $7,000(USD) in emergency funds to ensure ISM can continue to operate until the lockdown resulting from Covid-19 will be gradually lifted and international travel resumes. The funds will be used to cover costs including legal fees (Palestinian and international activists often face unjust arrest and trial for peaceful activism), rental fees for ISM’s offices and volunteer apartments across Palestine, maintaining current projects and media advocacy, transportation, and other incidental costs.
Over the last 12 months, we have documented and reported on Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing across Palestine, working as international human rights observers and defenders. Our recent actions include:
Our ongoing protective presence program with children in Hebron on their way to and from school. Protective presence for farmers and villages in the South Hebron Hills. Protective presence for farmers across the West Bank during the olive harvest. Using direct action to oppose illegal settlement expansion, home demolitions, and arrests by occupying forces. Documenting, reporting, and media advocacy on human rights abuses and violence against innocent Palestinians. Internationally, we have continued to provide training for independent activists in non-violent direct action activism. Worked with British researchers on a forensic report into the shooting of a Palestinian child by Israeli forces.
With the spread of COVID-19 and consequent lockdown across Palestine, our newest projects include:
Online advocacy about the current situation, And a campaign, together with Palestinian and other international organizations, calling for an investigation into the Hebron Fund – an extremist US hate group which sponsors settler and military violence in Hebron.
We are counting on all of you, our friends around the world, to keep ISM’s Palestinian-led, non-violent direct action approach to activism alive and ready to resume during this difficult time. We know that many of us are facing financial difficulties due to the current global crisis. In whatever capacity you are able we ask for your support as we face this unprecedented challenge to our movement. Please donate if you can, any amount helps. Please share this call and most importantly continue to support the Palestinian cause by raising awareness and advocating in your home countries and adhearing to and supporting the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against those complicit in Israeli occupation and apartheid.
Together we can continue to spread solidarity and work for a free Palestine!
Follow the link to donate securely online: palsolidarity.org/donate
If you have any questions or payment issues, tell us about it at palreports@gmail.com
available in several languages at – https://palsolidarity.org/2020/04/keep-palestinian-led-activism-alive/
