If I Must See So Shall You

[The Israeli burning of olive-tree groves] is familiar to thousands of Palestinian families. In the name of security, Israel systematically removes them from the land and erases their historic rootedness to this geographic place. For Palestinians, food and agriculture are not merely a pastime; they are a way of life. Without it, they’re rendered powerless economically, voiceless politically and devoid of their own cultural legacy. Yet that’s exactly why a sovereign and self-supporting food system is an early target of the Israel.

The Israeli occupation has transformed the Palestinian food system, converting it from a producer society to a consumer society, according to multiple West Bank residents. A tangled web of laws makes it difficult to sell crops or products like tahini for prices high enough to function as a sustainable income, and settlements continue to encroach upon Palestinian villages, seizing arable land and restricting access to crucial natural resources like water. Food is the first frontier of this conflict, and the Palestinian right to produce, sell and eat local food is a barometer for the future viability of the resistance movement.

[...] [In 1994, Israel and Palestine] signed the Paris Protocol to regulate economic interaction. The agreement hamstrung any hopes at Palestinian economic development, all but guaranteeing it would become dependent on Israel. It gave Israel full control of borders and put the sole customs clearinghouse under its jurisdiction. Goods entering and exiting Palestine remain subjected to Israeli taxes. Palestinian exports are heavily taxed while Israeli goods enter Palestine freely. Israeli goods, especially produce and food-related products like tahini and olive oil, flood the market with alternatives cheaper than local options.

What’s transpired as a result is the dramatic transformation of Palestine, says Raya Ziada, who founded an acroecology nonprofit based in Ramallah. “We depend on other people, whether that’s Israel or international aid, and we have to follow other people’s direction on producing food.”

Raya and others argue this is a deliberate act by the Israelis to handicap opposition to the occupation.

—Carly Graf, "Food Is the First Frontier of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," 2019.

I'm never forgetting the Palestinian babies that were left to starve to death then rot in their beds by the IOF.

I'm never forgetting the Palestinian doctors surrounded by bodies of dead children begging the world to stop the slaughter.

I'm never forgetting the Palestinian children who held a press conference in English to beg the world to stop murdering them because they want to live.

I'm never forgetting the Palestinian Priest who said "We will not accept your apology after the genocide" to the world.

I'm never forgetting the Palestinian Imam who used the speakers of the Mosque, not to call people to prayer but to call out to God while the world around them was burning from American supplied Israeli bombs.

I'm never forgetting the grandfather who held his dead grandchild in his arms. Or the father carrying the remains of his two children in plastic shopping bags. Or the mother holding her dead child in a shroud. Or the father sitting among the rubble after he lost his whole family. Or the girl trapped under a broken building begging for people to save her family first. Or the boy who cried when he saw his brother alive. Or the girl who asked if she was still alive after being pulled from the rubble. Or the boy who carried the remains of his brother in his backpack. Or the old man the IOF used for a photoshoot before they shot him dead after getting pictures. Or the little boy wearing plastic gloves to pick up the remains of his family. Or the graves desecrated. Or the body of that small baby girl left alone in a tent because no one knew who she was or if her family was alive, small and alone and not one person who knew her name to bury her. Or the young boy who was shot in the street while his sister watched from the window. Or the men and boys who were stripped naked in winter. Or those tortured. Or those made to stand in open graves. Or the people who were raped by IOF soldiers. Or Palestinian workers kidnapped by the IOF and then labeled with wristbands, each one reduced to a number, then made to walk back to Gaza to be killed in the world's largest open air concentration camp. Or the people of Gaza starving because Israeli Zionists are blocking aid trucks. Or the Israelis dancing and celebrating the death of Palestinians. Or the lies spread by Zionists and their supporters. Or the people profiting off the oppression and deaths of Palestinians. Or the people of the West Bank being killed or kidnapped by the IOF. Or old woman who was older than the creation of the terror state of "Israel" who was shot by snipers for saying that. Or the Israelis dressed up as Palestinians to enter a hospital and kill three Palestinians in their beds. Or every single Palestinian currently kept in an Israeli prison. Or the journalists, doctors, poets, men, women, children, and the unborn all massacred. Or the fact that WCNSF exists now. Or the woman who refused to wash the blood from her hands. Or the dead, unburied and unmourned.

I'm never forgetting those who chose silence in the face of a genocide.

I may not know all their names but I will not forget the over 30,000 Palestinians dead. Or the over 60, 000 people hurt. Or the unknown number of people missing, still lost under the rubble. Or the 12,000 children slaughtered. An entire generation crippled or murdered.

I will never forget these things when Palestine is free.

Journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul was targeted while doing his job. He was wearing a shield with the word “Press” written on it and a helmet. There is no international body that protects this profession. The profession of journalists has become a profession of death. For your information, my husband Mohammed is also a journalist and I am afraid for him. Please help us reach the target and save my family.

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Safaa secure her children‘s lives after war, organised by Pegah Ferydoni

Hi, this is Pegah Ferydoni, actress and social activist from Berlin. I… Pegah Ferydoni needs your support for Help Safaa secure her children

@malcriada @thedigitalbard @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @sibmakesart @sar-soor @sayruq

Help Maryams Family Reach Safety

Each day that the occupation continues is another day that Palestinians will need our help and support to see their land and people freed. I know you have seen many posts like this, but please, I ask you to take a moment out of your day to stop and read this one. Yusra and her family need your help. 🙏

Yusra is a mother, and wants to get her and her daughter Maryam out of Gaza and into Egypt to be able to rebuild their lives. Her daughter was doing very well in school and had dreams and wishes for her life. Yusra was working hard, you can see her work in these pictures, to create a stable life for herself and her daughter.

Yusra and Maryam are now forced to live in fear, first fleeing to Yusra's parents' home, then to multiple shelters, and being displaced to Rafah and most recently to Khan Younis. The family has been displaced four times in total, and under conditions where they have limited access to water, food, power, and internet, and while under the threat and fear of bombing and Israeli attacks.

Can you imagine living with no access to basic necessities, while being terrified that you may not see tomorrow? Knowing that your child isn't safe, but being powerless to protect her? What crime have Yusra and Maryam committed? Any human being can recognize this injustice. Let your anger move you to make a difference, and contribute to Yusra's campaign. She worked hard to support her family and provide her daughter with a peaceful childhood, but after October, their hopeful future was stolen from them ... will you help them take it back?

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Maryam family reach safety, organized by Isabella Perez-Bonet

My name is Yusra, a 40 year-old Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip is becoming … Isabella Perez-Bonet needs your support for Help Maryam f

$0 / $30,000 (new campaign!)

Verification: Yusra is a friend of Doaa @dodooomar, who is verified by 90-ghost here.

Hello there 👋

@islamgazaaccount2

Islam, a 27-year-old from Gaza, is currently sleeping on the streets without any form of shelter or safety for himself and his family. Their home was demolished by a bombing from the Israeli occupation. While shelter is crucial, they also urgently need food and water. All of their necessities were taken away.

Islam tried sharing a donation link, but with limited followers, it wasn't reaching enough people. Thankfully, he created a GoFundMe account, making it easier for those who want to help.

Please consider sharing Islam's story and donating to his GoFundMe. Even a small contribution can make a big difference in their time of need. 🙏❤️

https://gofund.me/08ed0b8c

This fundraiser is on the following list of vetted ones and has been verified by @90-ghost and @riding-with-the-wild-hunt

.

openlynews || meduza

Please if you have the means consider donating to the following:

Queer Svit - https://queersvit.taplink.ws/ helping LGBTQ+ and BIPOC аffected by the war and political repressions

Center-T - https://centre-t.com/english helping transgender people in Russia

КилькоТ-Действие - https://boosty.to/kilkota

Delo LGBT+ - https://www.delo.lgbt/ || https://boosty.to/delolgbt

i've recently noticed a pattern that i'm not sure that i like. we have hundreds of fundraisers circulating on this site. many of them go without donations for days/weeks. if any fundraiser receives donations, its because the posts stand out/ something very tragic has happened to someone in the family.

for example, the nineteen year old, Shaban Al-Dalou, who was burnt alive a few days ago had a fundraiser. the family only reached their goal after losing that poor boy. i cannot understand why couldn't we have helped him before? i dont know how the family will cope with his loss.

so ask yourself, is genocide not a simple enough reason to donate? or do you need the family to be hit with a tragedy to even consider donating? everyone, i mean EVERYONE in gaza has experienced unimaginable loss and pain and destruction. they've lost their homes, livlihood, friends and family.

humanity has existed for so long because we care. we love each other and are hurt to see others' suffering.

you don't have to wait for tragedy to strike someone to donate. they are going through starvation, forced displacement, and mass murder. please care about this.

do not decrease the meaning of the word genocide. it breaks my heart to see the suffering of the people of gaza at the hands of their colonizers.

I've just got one thing left to say, save my friend mahmoud and his family. they deserve to live just like everyone. help him secure a better future for his family.

donate here || vetted by @gazafunds

[ @mahmoudjumaa1238 ]

Help Hazem and his pregnant wife secure a better future 🇵🇸🍉

Dear Humanity,

My name is Hazem, I am 27 years old, and I live in the Gaza Strip with my wife, Nadra, who is 26 and in the early months of pregnancy. We led a simple life; I worked in trade and owned a modest store, while my wife was a daily-wage teacher. But everything changed drastically with the recent war, leaving us no choice but to flee multiple times in search of safety.

We have become used to facing wars, but this time, it’s entirely different. We are experiencing an unrelenting genocide, forcing us into constant displacement from one area to another within Gaza. Today, we find ourselves living in a tent on the streets amid worsening conditions every day.

The pain of loss doesn’t end there; I recently lost my father, and now I live with my beloved mother, whom I care for. My home, for which I hadn’t even completed the payments, was entirely destroyed, along with our family home where I grew up and created my fondest memories. Even my store, built through hard work to provide a dignified life for my family, didn’t survive.

My wife and I have thought a lot about the future of our upcoming child and how life would be for them in these harsh circumstances. The motivation behind launching this GoFundMe campaign is that I am about to become a father, and my wife needs special care during her pregnancy. We hope to provide them with better conditions.

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Hazem and his pregnant wife secure a better future, organized by Hazem Alsadi

Dear Humanity, My name is Hazem, I am 27 years old, and I liv… Hazem Alsadi needs your support for Help Hazem and his pregnant wife secu

Purpose of the Campaign

The purpose of this GoFundMe campaign is to seek financial assistance for us, as we face unimaginable challenges in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis. As we prepare for the arrival of our first child, we urgently need support to:

1. Ensure Safe Conditions for Pregnancy: Nadra requires special care during her pregnancy, and the current living conditions are not suitable for her or the baby.

2. Rebuild Our Lives: After losing our home and livelihood, we need funds to start over and create a stable environment for our family.

3. Provide Basic Necessities: The donations will help secure food, shelter, and medical care, which are essential for both Nadra and our unborn child.

I write to you today seeking your kind support. We are in desperate need of assistance to rebuild our shattered lives and secure a future for our coming child, who deserves to be born into conditions far better than the ones we currently endure. Every donation, no matter how small, will have a tremendous impact on helping us overcome this crisis.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any help you provide, and we ask that you and your loved ones remain safe.

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #282 )