Stand against Zionist settlerism in Sheikh Jarrah!

By Yousuf Khan, YCLer in Toronto (Fred Rose Club)

Over the past few weeks, 28 Palestinian families of around 550 people living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Jerusalem (Al-Quds) have begun to be evicted from their homes by the Israeli government. These homes, which were built and provided to them as public housing as per an agreement between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Jordan, are now being stolen by settlers, who according to the UN have “no legal validity” and are a “flagrant violation under international law”. In order to illegally move in settlers, the Israel Defense Forces have been violently expelling local Palestinian families from these homes. This new example of Israel’s genocidal policy comes during the same month as Palestinians worldwide commemorate the Nakba, Israel’s ethnic cleansing of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948.

The Israeli court has now chosen to delay this case by a month — but with Israel’s long track record of being openly supportive of illegal settlements, it is quite clear what the outcome will be. The lawyer representing the Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah, Hosni Abu Hussein, has stated, “Our request to appeal the eviction was based on sound legal arguments that any judge would have easily accepted but the prevailing atmosphere made it difficult for the judge to stand up for justice.” In the meantime, the fate of the Palestinians living in Sheikh Jarrah hangs in the balance, with one resident currently threatened by illegal settlers stating, “Although we are not at present threatened with eviction, if the Israeli courts insist on turning a blind eye to the facts in this case and give unquestioned support to the Jewish settlers, then we are all doomed.” This situation is a perfect representation of the violent and oppressive nature of Zionist settlerism, illustrated even further when one Israeli settler argued in a now viral video, “If I don’t steal your home, someone else will steal it!”

Following escalating attacks, on May 10th and 11th Israel attacked Gaza with airstrikes, killing 38 Palestinians (including 12 children) and wounding 220 others as well as collapsing a 13 story residential building. Israel had earlier raided Al-Aqsa Mosque with stun grenades and rubber bullets while those inside prayed, injuring at least 305 people and arresting around 150. Western media, ever the mouthpiece of imperialism, has potrayed the crisis in an extremely biased manner and in favour of Israel, calling Palestinian resistance to these expulsions “terrorism”. But even Human Rights Watch — which itself has former CIA members on its board of advisors, and is not shy to support imperialist projects — has finally designated Israel as an apartheid state.

Let us be clear, the ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide being suffered by Palestinians at the hand of Israel is not a “conflict” with equal sides. It is not a religious battle. It is an indigenous liberation struggle against fascist settlerism. We as communists and as humans must support the self-determination of the Palestinian people and condemn the actions of the Israeli state. We must call on the Canadian government to condemn the actions of Israel and take action to support the families of Sheikh Jarrah and the people of Palestine. Youth across Canada must continue to take part in solidarity actions across the country in protest of these inhumane evictions. We should echo the demands of the #SaveSheikhJarrah movement, namely the recognition of Israel’s legal system’s complicity in apartheid, the protection of refugees from Sheikh Jarrah by UNRWA, and the return of Palestinian homes to their families. We should call on Canadian government officials to condemn this act, and continue our support of BDS against Israeli apartheid. Palestine will be free!

---

Upcoming Palestinian solidarity events:

St. John’s — Rally for Palestine — May 16, Bannerman Park, 12pm

Montreal (Westmount) — Manifestation en soutien aux Palestiniens — May 15, 650-1 Westmount Sq., 1pm

Ottawa — Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation — May 15, 220 Elgin St., 1pm

Toronto — Nakba 73: Ongoing Nakba, Ongoing Resistance — May 15, Nathan Phillips Square, 7pm

Windsor — Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation — May 15, Riverside + Ouellette, 3:30pm

Winnipeg — Car Rally for Palestine — May 15, start at Legislature, 1pm

Edmonton — Drive for Palestine — May 15, Castledowns YMCA, 6pm

Calgary — Emergency Car Rally for Palestine — May 12, Calgary Zoo North Parking Lot, 6pm

Vancouver — Nakba 73: Ongoing Nakba, Ongoing Resistance — May 15, CBC Vancouver Plaza, 2pm

Demands of the Sheikh Jarrah community

Template to email Canadian government officials about this crisis

Petition to stop Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem with list of signatory organizations

BDS Movement: What is BDS?

Photo: AFP