US | IJAN

The United States IJAN chapter has members across the country, from the West Coast to the Midwest to New England. We focus on issues and campaigns that are specific to our context, while remaining in close conversation and consultation with international partners and points of reference. Within the US, we work closely with a variety of organizations and networks within, or in solidarity with, the Palestinian liberation movement, as well as those who are struggling against racism, colonialism, class rule, and state violence more broadly within the US, but who understand the importance of the Palestinian struggle to all of our movements.

Upper Midwest Screening of Where Should the Birds Fly

OnMay 12, 2013 the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network of the Twin Cities(IJAN-TC), along with several other community and solidarity organizations organizeda film showing of Where Should the Birds Fly and brought Fida Qishta to Minneapolis for a discussion.

San Francisco Will Not Tolerate Islamophobia and Racism

A Community Speak Out and Forum was held in response to Pamela Geller's racist ad campaign, carried on SanFrancisco municipal buses this summer. The event was hosted by theCouncil on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), Asian Law Caucus (ALC), ArabResource & Organizing Center (AROC), and Arab Cultural & CommunityCenter (ACCC).

This community forum was intended as a space for Arabs,Muslims, and their allies to express their concerns to city officials,including the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, about the harm which hasresulted from the Geller ads and to send the message that the community willnot tolerate Islamophobia and racism. The event was standing roomonly, and those in the audience included members of municipal institutions(e.g. the Municipal Transit Authority Board, San Francisco Board ofSupervisors, San Francisco Department of Public Health) and community members,groups and organizations, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, PeopleOrganized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) and the National Lawyers Guild. Speakersincluded Dr. Hatem Bazian, Zahra Billoo, Dr. Rabab Abdulhabi, and HusamEl-Qoulaq, as well as a MUNI bus driver who refused to drive his bus with thisad on it, Arab youth, and leaders of grassroots organizations.

IJAN was asked to speak at the event and below is the text of our statement

IJAN Statement of Support for Idle No More

"There is no mystery why Canada acts almost blindly without critique or question in support of the State of Israel's colonial policies in Palestine: Canada and Israel's policies are marching in lock step because both Canada and Israel are colonial states."

-Robert Lovelace Address to Amnesty International, Toronto, November 01, 2011

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) supports Idle No More in its struggle for indigenous sovereignty and environmental protection. IJAN is an international network of Jews who reject the premise that our own histories of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing justify the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. We are uncompromisingly committed to struggles for human emancipation, of which the liberation of all colonized people and land is an indispensable part. We understand the destruction of indigenous people, land and ways of life as a threat to the survival of all people, living things and the planet. We extend solidarity and continue our fight against colonization in the lands that we live and in Palestine.

Please also see the excellent statement: "Palestinians in Solidarity with Idle No More and Indigenous Rights"

The Anti-Defamation League Sticks to What it Knows Best: Racism

In the wake of the decisions not to indict officers Darren Wilson or Daniel Pantaleo for murdering Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) - a Jewish organization purportedly founded to fight racism and anti-Semitism - has revealed itself to be once again standing on the wrong side of history. Not only did the ADL urge “calm” of protestors in the face of righteous anger against the state murder of Black people across the United States, they also stood with the St Louis grand jury: “we respect the grand jury’s integrity and their commitment to meeting the heavy responsibility thrust upon them.” And, adding insult to injury, the ADL praised the NYPD despite the shameful and brutal murder of Eric Garner and the midst of their violent repression of protestors.

Support Joint Struggle at the World Social Forum Free Palestine

InNovember, 2012, social movements from around the globe will gather in Porto Alegre, Brazil to demand and organize for a free Palestine. The World Social Forum (WSF) Free Palestine is an expression of global social movements’ opposition to capitalism, colonialism, war, occupation and racism.

IJAN is part of organizing a US-Canada cross-movement delegation to the WSF Free Palestine. And we need your help to get there.

The delegation, initiated by the US Social Forum, includesProject South, the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and the Muslim Defense Project among other leaders at the forefront of grassroots movements. Click here to see the growing list of endorsing organizations.

Our aim is to promote joint strugglefor Palestinian liberation, indigenous self-determination, the rights of refugees and migrants, economic justice and labor rights, queer liberation and gender justice, the sustainability of the land and natural resources and the creation of a people’s economy.

Comingtogether in Brazil will provide an opportunity to organize for Palestinian liberation in ways that strengthen all our struggles for justice. Donate now to support the Joint Struggle Delegation’s travel expenses to Porto Alegre.

Formore information on why confronting Israel and Zionism is so central toour struggles for justice, freedom from repression and war, ecological preservation and indigenous sovereignty, watch a presentationby members of IJAN, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Center for Constitutional Rights (all members of the Joint Struggle Delegation).

Please contribute what you can to this unique opportunity to broaden the movement for Palestinian liberation. Click here for other ways to get involved.

Block the Boat: Zim Ship Not Welcome in Ports Across the US & Canada

The Block the Boat actions in Oakland, Los Angeles, Tacoma/Seattle and Vancouver are yet another sign of the growing strength and success of the BDS movement against Israel. Led by Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) with participation from over 60 organizations, including IJAN, 3,000-4,000 marched on the Port of Oakland on August 16. The resulting picket line stopped dock workers from entering the port and unloading the ship. With the support of rank and file members of the local longshoreman union (ILWU Local 10), activists and community members prevented the Zim Piraeus from unloading for a historic four days. This is the longest blockade of an Israeli ship in history. Click here for more details on the picket.