Statement from Al Awda, The Palestinian Right to Return Coalition, published on Workers World, October 8, 2023
We, the Al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition, firmly stand in unwavering support of the Palestinian resistance, and we fervently urge our Palestinian people to mobilize in the face of colonial genocide. This ongoing struggle, born from a deep-seated yearning for justice and liberation, demands our resolute solidarity. It is a powerful response to decades of unspeakable atrocities, relentless oppression, and the suffocating blockade that has imprisoned the Gaza Strip and refused its population — mostly Palestinian refugees — their right to return.
The Israeli occupation regime, the perpetrator of these heinous acts, has rained down a deluge of violence upon Palestinian towns and cities, while sacred sites are desecrated with impunity. Families have been torn apart, their lives shattered under the iron grip of an occupying force. To turn a blind eye to these atrocities is to forsake our moral compass and betray the very essence of our shared humanity. The Palestinian resistance, through their brave actions, are forging a path to bring the ongoing Nakba to an end.
Yet, in the face of such adversity, the Palestinian people rise as an indomitable force, their spirit unyielding, their determination unbreakable. They demand their inalienable right to self-determination, liberation and return, their unwavering cry for freedom echoing through the annals of history. We must never underestimate the power of an oppressed and occupied people yearning to breathe the air of liberty.
As people of conscience struggling for justice and liberation, it is our solemn duty to heed this call, to champion the cause of justice, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian resistance. We must cast aside the shackles of complacency and embrace the urgency of their struggle. Together, we shall forge a path towards justice, return and liberation for Palestine, from the river to the sea.
End all U.S. aid!
Let our voices resound with unwavering conviction, shaking the foundations of U.S. government complicity in these crimes, including nearly $4 billion in annual military aid to the Zionist colonizer. Let us rally the international community, igniting an unquenchable fire of solidarity. For it is in unity that we find strength, and it is through collective action that we shall dismantle the walls of oppression.
The time for action is upon us. Let us march forward, unwavering in our support, unwavering in our commitment to justice. Together, we shall unleash a tidal wave of transformation, where the Palestinian people rise victorious over colonialism, reclaiming their freedom, claiming their right to return, exercising their right to live in dignity in a liberated Palestine, free of imperialism, colonialism, racism and Zionism.
We demand the United States government and the international community end their complicity in the ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people, a people living under colonial occupation and denied their right to return home for over 75 years. Palestinians in exile and diaspora have been illegally denied their homeland, including the over 70% of Palestinians in Gaza who are themselves Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian people possess an inherent right to resist occupation, a fundamental right that must be upheld and defended.
We further demand the United States government immediately end all aid and support to the Israeli occupation regime. Every year, our tax dollars fund $4 billion in weaponry to arm the occupier against the Palestinian people. This complicity in war crimes and genocide must immediately end.
We further demand that the United States cease its efforts to impose “normalization” projects on the Arab region through the so-called “Abraham Accords” and other attempts to legitimize Zionist colonialism in the region through bribery and illegitimate imperialist sanctions. The Palestinian resistance has exposed the bankruptcy of this project, and it must come to an end once and for all.
The United States has been part and parcel of the blockade of Gaza for over 16 years, imposing a siege on the Palestinian people that was meant to kill the resistance. However, the resistance has not been killed — it has flourished despite the brutality of the open-air prison imposed upon the Palestinians of Gaza. We demand not only the end of the crimes, but reparations to the Palestinian people for the reconstruction and development of Gaza and all of Palestine.