THREAD -- Confused by the dramatic images & media reports of "clashes" in Jerusalem? That's because most outlets report without setting CONTEXT!!!! Here are 3 pieces of information that are critical for understanding the context of what's happening:
1) Foreign Occupiers vs Rightful Inhabitants:
What's unfolding right now is happening in East Jerusalem, which is occupied (stolen) Palestinian land that Israel has NO legitimate claim to. A mountain of UN Security Council resolutions demand Israel withdraw from East Jerusalem.
2) Ethnic Cleansing in Action:
Despite having no right to E Jerusalem, Israel nonetheless is carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign in the city. The latest is an effort to evict Palestinian families from #SheikhJarrah & hand their homes to settlers. & this isn't the 1st time:
3) When Palestinians protested to defend their community from the ethnic cleansing campaign, the Israeli occupation brutalized unarmed demonstrators in videos that have gone viral over the past couple of weeks. This set the stage for the escalation we're watching tonight.
Of course, there's a TON more context that is relevant. For those who want to learn more, I recommend 2 things:
THREAD: You may have seen the claim that #AOC has somehow sold out her progressive principles on Palestine in order to pander to the Israel lobby. This is a quick thread explaining why this conclusion is wrong and baseless (1/14)
This ^ claim is made by comparing a bold 2018 tweet correctly accusing Israel of committing a massacre against Palestinians & saying we can’t be silent about it, to an incoherent answer she gave to a recent question on how to achieve peace between Israelis & Palestinians (2/14)
Allegedly, the contrast between one tweet & one bad answer to a question proves she was progressive in 2018 while now choosing to be a vapid centrist by comparison. Can you spot the logical fallacy in this conclusion? (3/14)
Saturday Night Live just took a dig at Israeli apartheid: #SNL
This 👆 is their 2nd best dig since the un-aired Chuck Hagel confirmation parody where they skewered US politicians for over-the-top pandering to Israel:
& as the replies show a concerted effort to deny Israeli apartheid, here is a mountain of evidence proving it:
THREAD: Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made several awful remarks on CNN tonight, making abundantly clear how infuriatingly biased towards Israel the admin's policy will be. Here are 3 quick video highlights:
Blinken explicitly endorses Israel's unlawful & widely-condemned declaration of Jerusalem as its capital. Asked whether he'd support a Palestinian capital in occupied East Jerusalem (from which Israel is obligated to withdraw under int'l law), Blinken becomes non-committal:
When asked about Israel's illegal annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, Blinken again provides cover for land theft, refusing to criticize Trump's endorsement of such annexation & using security as a pretext to excuse it:
QUICK THREAD on the Israel/UAE normalization of relations: 1) There is nothing "historic" or "groundbreaking" about this agreement: Israel & the UAE have been strong allies under the table for many years! This is merely making that friendship public (which is still interesting).
2) Israel didn't "halt" the annexation for the West Bank (annexation is ALREADY a de facto reality on the ground). Israel merely "suspended" its announcement of a reality it has already illegally imposed on Palestinians. It is FALSE to say Israel suspended it at the UAE's request
3) Israel suspended (put off) its annexation announcement after realizing it was going to be costly to Israel, with many US Democrats threatening for the first time to cut off military aid to Israel. The suspension came long before this UAE deal was reached.
THREAD: This is Burin, my father’s hometown in Palestine. My father remembers what that place was like before Israel’s occupation. Today, this town is known for being one of the most targeted by Israeli settler violence. #MyPalestineStory#Nakba72
There are people over 50 in this town who have known nothing but brutal foreign military rule for their entire lives. Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine is the longest in modern history, with no end in sight (Israel's illegal annexation is about to declare it permanent).
Today marks 72 years of the Nakba, which is often mistook for a historical event whose memory needs to be kept alive.
THREAD: Israel's decision to bar US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib from entering (on account of their political views) should permanently put to rest several delusions:
1) The delusion that Israel is a democracy that respects freedom of thought (it isn't & doesn't)...
2) The delusion that Israel respects the American people's representatives. Israel is the single largest recipient of U.S. aid (nearly $40 BILLION this decade), & this is how they treat U.S. officials they disagree with. This is our "greatest ally"?...
3) Rashida Tlaib's inability to visit her family in the West Bank (not in Israel) b/c of Israel's ban puts to rest the delusional myth that Palestinians living in the Palestinian territories are free from Israeli domination & control...