Palestine Legal Stands Firmly with the Palestine Movement, Condemns Rising Anti-Palestinian Attacks
/Palestine Legal expresses our firm and unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for self-determination and freedom. The events of the last few days broke the barriers – physical and psychological – of Israel’s inhumane 16-year long siege of over two million Palestinians in Gaza, of 75-years of dispossession, exile and apartheid, of Israel’s invincibility and Palestinian invisibility.
Four days into what is one of the most significant acts of Palestinian resistance to Israel’s nearly eight decade long settler colonial project in Palestine, it is clear that Israel is bent on waging a vengeful genocidal war on the people of Gaza – once again.
Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq is documenting the Israeli army's relentless attack by air, sea, and land against the civilian population in Gaza, which has already destroyed dozens of houses with their residents still inside, residential and commercial buildings, and wiped out entire Palestinian families.
There is no equivalence – moral or otherwise – between Israel’s nearly eight decades of ceaseless colonial violence, and the resistance that it has engendered. We can only address the tragic loss of life by addressing its root causes. US complicity in Israel's decades-long military occupation and apartheid system against Palestinians is one of those causes, and must be stopped. Rather than leverage its influence to stop the genocide that Israeli leaders have openly called for, Washington has expressed unwavering support for Israel’s actions and announced it will send additional weaponry to Israel, on top of the nearly four billion in military aid it sends annually.
As a legal organization supporting the Palestine movement in the U.S., we are committed to supporting those organizing for Palestine at this critical moment. We are witnessing a dramatic increase in attacks on people taking a stand in support of Palestinians, including violent assaults, smear campaigns, censorship and racist, anti-Palestinian rhetoric across the board.
We urge all activists to be prepared, to take physical and digital security precautions, to know and assert your rights when you’re protesting and organizing, and to reach out for support in anticipation of or when you are attacked with smears, violence, legal threats, or harassment for your activism.
Below are essential resources about your right to organize for Palestine:
Our Know Your Rights resources for students, and the National Lawyers Guild guide for law enforcement encounters.
Our advisory on law enforcement visits to Palestine activists from 2021.
Our interactive guide on efforts to redefine antisemitism to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights.
Fill out our intake form if you face backlash in response to your organizing or advocacy for Palestinian rights on your campus or in your community.
If you need legal observers at your protest, or if you need legal support following an arrest, call your local National Lawyers Guild chapter or hotline, here.
You can also contact us if your student or community group would like to request a Know Your Rights workshop for your membership.