A Palestinian man stands in a home in the aftermath of the settler rampage in the village Turmusaya northeast of Ramallah.

Demolition Data

Israeli pogroms have raged across Nablus, Ramallah, and Jenin communities. Israeli settlers torched small Palestinian communities, lighting fire to farmlands, family vehicles, and homes. Masked Israeli settlers and the military stood side-by-side, watching the billowing smoke clouds engulf entire villages and enacting violence on Palestinians that mobilized to protect their communities. While it's easy to look on in horror, it's critical we don't write this off as simple acts of unrestrained violence. These coordinated attacks are one tool within Israel's larger strategy to erase the indigenous population and capture land and resources. It is no coincidence that the Zionist movement established seven new colonies on Palestinian lands during these attacks.

In this context, as we look at the trajectory of demolitions across the West Bank in 2023, with it being third highest rate of demolitions in the last 13 years, we are confronted with the reality that Palestinians are, in fact, resisting ethnic cleansing. With the year about half way over, the Israeli regime has pushed nearly 700 Palestinians out of their homes and potentially off their lands.

As our resolve for justice hardens, we must move towards dismantling the oppressive structures of Zionism. This includes ensuring that organizations within our movement have adopted anti Zionist principles and are articulating a vision of decolonization and indigenous liberation through their programming and communications. It means we have to organize to stop the flow of monies that underwrite the violence of Zionism and settler colonialism. This means joining the campaigns disrupting charitable organizations in the US, Canada, and elsewhere through the Defund Racism campaign and others.

Phase One of the GSC Tech Dev Program.