Demand for an End to the Violence and Apartheid in Gaza and West Bank
As an organization committed to demilitarization, de-occupation, and decolonization, Hawaiʻi Peace and Justice calls for the end to the violent assault on Gaza and the West Bank by the state of Israel. We denounce all forms of violence on civilians and mourn the loss of Palestinian and Israeli lives.
Over $150 billion of our U.S. tax dollars have provided Israel unlimited weaponry and diplomatic cover allowing Israel and its settlers to expand its occupation so completely that even former President Jimmy Carter labeled it “apartheid.”
The Palestinians in Gaza live within an open air prison with Israel blockading 2.3 million people by land, sea, and air. The violence of this system of apartheid and occupation fueled the Palestinian uprising of October 7, 2023. Israel then declared war on Gaza, inflicting “collective punishment” on all Palestinians, according to dozens of UN Special Rapporteurs. We recognize this war did not start last week; it has gone on for decades. At no time has this been an equal fight. Palestine has been militarily occupied for 75 years.
It’s important to understand the structural context Palestinians face: The violent expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, settler violence toward Palestinians on their own land, home demolitions of Palestinian owned houses, mass killings of Palestinians, military raids on Palestinian refugee camps, the apartheid wall separating Palestinian communities, daily humiliation of Palestinians by Israeli military and police, and the jailing of hundreds of Palestinian children.
In the last week, Israel has initiated the worst war crime imaginable: Genocide against Palestinians by dropping 6,000 bombs in the span of 6 days instantly killing thousands of civilians, destroying thousands of structures, including the housing of over 400,000 persons, displacing over 300,000 civilians by demanding that all Palestinians leave northern Gaza in 24 hours with nowhere to flee, and cutting off of water, food, electricity and fuel to operate generators in hospitals
These forms of violence are a continuation of the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic—just the latest in decades of Israeli settler colonialism and apartheid.
Until the Israeli violence in the blockade of Gaza ends and violence of land theft by illegal settlers and government annexation in the West Bank stops, resistance will continue.
We denounce the Israeli government’s spread of misinformation and its openly stated intentions for more mass atrocities.
We condemn the U.S. government’s active support for the Israeli government’s violence, as it continues to send weapons and warships to Israel’s aid. Currently, the United States funds 20% of Israel’s entire military budget. We demand an immediate end to U.S. military aid to Israel, including halting any naval interference, provision of additional military ammunitions, or other forms of military escalation. We call on the United States to stop shielding Israel from accountability in the International Criminal Court, and to join the international community by supporting U.N. resolutions condemning Israeli violations of human rights.
We demand that Israel stop the assault on Gaza and civilians, and establish humanitarian corridors for essential transit and supplies such as food, water, and medical supplies.
As an organization led by native people of Hawai’i, Nā Kānaka Maoli, we continue to resist 130 years of illegal and belligerent occupation of our homeland Ka Pae ‘Āina o Hawai’i by the United States. As such, we support the Palestinian-led call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions in the face of apartheid. We support the Palestinian resistance to occupation and genocide.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people as they continue to struggle for their liberation and sovereignty against the genocidal policies of the US-backed apartheid regime of Israel and its allies. We remain committed to our work of creating a future of peace, justice, and genuine security for all peoples.
