By The Gaza Fund
We can protests, condemn, tweet, hold vigils, forward WhatsApp messages and post anti-Zionist memes on social media platforms all we want.
Toothless organisations can issue empty statements of condemnation while activists can cite the litany of Geneva conventions, ICJ rulings, UNSC & UNGA resolutions violated by Israel, but no one seems able to bring the genocide to an end!
What can we do then, apart from grumbling?
Here are up to 20 options to choose from, to effect change:
READ, WATCH or SHARE:
1. Read up on Israel-Palestine. Click here;
2. Watch videos from neutral sources on Israel-Palestine to get a basic overview;
3. Post, share, like or retweet videos on YouTube, X, TikTok and other social media platforms that focuses on Israeli brutalities;
SPONSOR or SUPPORT:
4. Over 98% of water is undrinkable in Gaza. Help sponsor advanced water filters across town. Click here for a list of 70+ charities active in Palestine;
5. With thousands of orphans, and for as little as HK$3,000 per year (£300 per year), you could sponsor an orphan. Click here for a list of 70+ charities active in Palestine;
6. Rebuild homes, or buy medicines and medical supplies, or donate money for food or sponsor a family in Palestine. Click here for a list of 70+ charities active in Palestine;
7. Contact one of 70 charities and ask to become a local representative and help raise funds for Palestine in your own district, town or city. Click here for a list of 70 charities active in Palestine;
8. Palestinians can scream and cry foul all they want to, but no one ever seems to listen. Meanwhile, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UNICEF, UNRWA and countless others have each produced independent and unbiased research – on the Gaza blockade and the illegal occupation of the West Bank and Jerusalem imposed by Israel. Please consider donating and supporting research produced by these global and local human rights groups. Click here for a list of 250+ leading human rights groups, everyone ought to support;
WRITE or LOBBY:
9. China is very important to Israel. If you read and write Cantonese or Mandarin, email Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, B’Tselem, etc., and offer to help translate their reports in your local language. Click here for a list of 250+ leading human rights groups, everyone ought to support;
10. Write to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Office of the Prosecutor, PO Box 19519, 2500, CM, The Hague, The Netherlands or email otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int;
11. If you are in the U.S or U.K or elsewhere, write to your Member of Parliament or Member of Congress. Remind them of their international obligations and ask them to take firm measures to end the illegal occupation of Palestine, rather than just issue a cycle of empty statements. As more people write to their governments, they will have no choice but to take the issue a bit more seriously;
12. Write a Letter to the Editor to your local newspaper, or write and publish a blog or produce a vlog on your views on Israel-Palestine;
13. Start a fresh petition or sign and circulate existing online petition(s) on Israel-Palestine;
PROTESTS or CAMPAIGN:
14. Join or launch a peaceful protest to your nearest U.S or Israel Embassy;
15. Organise a booth and handout leaflets to locals in your local community, district, town or city. Hand out dates, tea, balloons, etc., along with the leaflets;
16. Gather your friends and organise an Israeli Apartheid Week (typically in March of each year), a weeklong series of events on street sidewalks, online, etc., to exhibit, showcase and highlight how much of an Apartheid Israel really is. Click here for all the material and online tools that can be easily downloaded and used.
17. Palestine Solidarity Campaigns are being launched everywhere. If you can’t find one near you (check here), start one on your own by organising events to raise awareness of the long list of human rights violations by Israel among members of the local public, trade unions and business people;
BLOCK or BOYCOTT:
18. There are at several global companies (many more) that are unashamedly operating within the illegal settlements (Occupied Palestinian Territories) in Israel today. The names are from an official list published by the UN Human Rights Office. The companies include Surveillance technology and checkpoint equipment i.e., HP & Motorola Solutions; Construction machinery & bulldozers i.e., Caterpillar & Hyundai, companies that promote properties in the illegal settlements, in violation of international law including: AirBnB.com, Expedia.com, Tripadvisor.com & Booking.com. Lead a grassroots campaign, encouraging the masses to demand their governments block these websites. Click here for details.
19. Additionally, there are at least 3 global Israeli brands (Fiverr, WiX & Ahava Cosmetics) used to whitewash Israel’s global image. The founders of both, Wix & Fiverr are ex-IDF soldiers or alumni of the elite army intelligence unit, called 8200. Lead a grassroots campaign, encouraging the masses to demand their governments block or boycott these sites.
20. In 2020, U.A.E formally recognised Israel, betraying the 70+ year Palestinian struggle, in exchange of diplomatic favours and advanced U.S weapons. Lead a grassroots campaign, encouraging the boycott of prominent U.A.E brands such as Emirates, Etihad and others. Put simply, we should “United Against Enablers” (U.A.E).;
A PINCH OF ANARCHY:
There are some who are utterly frustrated and aren’t sure how to channel the anger. They have chosen to:
(A) disrupt AGMs at companies that support Israel, (B) pour red biodegradable dye around the waters housing the U.S embassy like what Greenpeace did, (C) put a padlock around the main gates of Egyptian embassy, to protest how the country facilitates the Gaza siege, (D) spray graffiti on the offices of companies linked to Israel, (E) spray paint a U.K military plane, (F) launch fireworks at the Israeli embassy (G) vandalise fast food chains that are reportedly known to support the IDF. (G) Others are part of groups that launch cyberattack and ransomware against companies and entities that sympathise with Israel.
In effect, there’s something for everyone along this spectrum. The point is: We can’t stand by the sidelines and scream for change. Brick-by-brick and wall-by-wall, we need to speak up, ask questions, share a story, debunk a myth, post on social media, create awareness, protest, disrupt, boycott or donate.
If your support for Palestine means having a watermelon for dinner, you are not doing enough. Therefore, pick at least 1 item from the list of 20+ ideas above. For feedback on these ideas or more, please click here.
RESIST. REVOLT. RISE