Dear FICA DC,
Today is Nakba Day, the 70th anniversary of the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their lands and homes, and the seventieth time Israel is “celebrating” its “independence.” Yesterday’s double images of the slaughter of more than 55 Palestinians in Gaza juxtaposed with Trump and Kushner ceremoniously opening an illegal and immoral U.S. “embassy” in Palestinian Jerusalem yesterday is an accurate rendering of the history of this violence.
Like many I am in anguish over the violence unleashed on a caged people (literally and logistically caged: Gazans cannot leave Gaza, their food supply is strictly controlled, they have fewer than 4 hours of electricity a day, they are regularly killed and maimed via drone and sniper, &&) but strengthened by the resolve and righteousness of Palestinians in marching, protesting, BBQ-ing, flying kites, and just existing at the “border” (though even this is fictional as there is no official border). All of this as U.S. tax funds buttress and co-conspire this daily and historical erasure.
Solidarity roads are taking place all over the world this month, including in Amman, Oakland, New York, Berlin, Montreal, London, Ann Arbor, and more. The DC/MD/VA event is Friday, 18 May, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Please participate and hold space.
I remain strengthened by the intrinsic solidarity of all oppressed peoples in sloughing off their oppression.
¡No pasarán!
MMG