Why We Celebrate International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
A message from our Executive Director
Friday, November 29, 2024 is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a United Nations’ annual observance recognizing the partition of Palestine in 1947, which paved the way for the Nakba and Israel’s violent colonization.
The irony of the day, and phrase—as the United States continues funding Israel’s genocide of my people, and as so many “celebrate” the most American of holidays in Black Friday hyper-consumerism—is not lost on me.
“Thanksgiving” was far from a holiday—it was a National Day of Mourning to recognize the ongoing genocide and colonization of Indigenous peoples.
And today is far from a normal observance, as the emboldened Israeli military ramps up its genocide in Palestine.
The Palestinian people have a right to live in freedom, to resist occupation, and to return to our ancestral homeland.
I could not be more grateful for this movement—led by Palestinians, alongside our greatest allies across the anti-colonial, anti-racist, pro-working people movements that form the moral backbone of our world.
Together, we’ve made historic progress toward shifting decades of U.S. policy.
If you had told me twenty years ago that 19 U.S. Senators would vote against the Israeli military receiving more arms, I would not have believed it.
And that most recent Joint Resolutions of Disapproval vote came after a historic rebuke of Netanyahu’s speech in DC, successful BDS campaigns forcing Puma and other companies to divest from Israel, and localities across the country cutting ties with Israel over the genocide in Palestine.
More than anything, I want to thank you, Friend. You have marched. You have organized. You have educated friends and relatives. You have disrupted business as usual. You have showed up for this movement time and again.
Collectively, we have significantly advanced the global struggle for Indigenous rights, of which Palestine is an indelible part.
If you’re looking for the next step to take action, I encourage you to visit our updated Stop Gaza Genocide toolkit.
Especially take the time to review the section on boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) tactics, which directly counter the harms caused by Black Friday, capitalism, and rampant consumerism.
Disrupt the death machine. Refuse to buy from companies that profit off genocide, like HP, Coca-Cola, and Chevron gas stations, especially during this holiday spending season.
The reality is: We have a long fight ahead.
The incoming administration is no friend of our cause.
The genocide continues.
Stopping the genocide and ending military funding to Israel is going to take a lot more political power than we currently have. We have a plan to invest in the team, tools, and tactics that will build that power in a way that no one can deny.
It will take time, resources, and your participation and feedback. As we share that plan over the coming months, I hope we can rely on your support to see it through.
The more we can resist in the heart of the U.S. empire, the easier it will become for our people in Palestine to achieve liberation—on International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2024 and every day after.
From the river to sea, Palestine will be free.
Onward to liberation,
AHMAD ABUZNAID
Executive Director
