It’s been a year since the revolt (or attack, depending on who you ask) on October 7th. Since then, much has happened to the people of Gaza and Occupied Palestine. From the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declaring Israel an apartheid state and ordering the unlawful occupation to end, to Lebanon’s invasion by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), to thousands more Palestinian deaths, and to the United States’ appalling support of a settler colonial state, the violence has not stopped and has only escalated as Israel creates plans to establish a “Greater Israel.”
I have outlined much of the history of Palestine in my first article titled “Why what’s happening to Palestinians is genocide”. I have extensively explained and debunked Zionist talking points and lies. And I feel like I have nothing left to contribute besides highlighting just how vile and horrific the crimes committed against Palestinians are. For over a year, I have been further radicalised into a sincere and deep aversion to Israel and those who wish to excuse or dismiss or even encourage the destruction of Palestinians. And for over a year, I have felt completely alone in fighting against this apartheid in this community. I have found a community online, but the lack of an in-person community or friends who I know support Palestinian liberation is frustrating and demoralizing to say the least.
Which is why I was extremely excited to be a part of the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation’s Vermont Palestine Conference: The Struggle for Land and Liberation. The conference was established to connect others who are fighting for a free Palestine, educate those who are new to the struggle, and to give attendees a few action items to do.
On Oct. 19, 2024, the Conference was held at the Old North End Community Center in Burlington. The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) is a collaboration of several Vermont organisations and hundreds of Vermont residents working together for a Free Palestine.
The conference ran from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with multiple workshops throughout the day which people could attend and two plenaries (the first lasted from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and the second was from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.). A halal lunch with vegan options was also offered for attendees.
The plenaries were livestreamed and can still be viewed on the YouTube channel Haymarket Books. While these livestreams can be watched on the YouTube channel, and I highly recommend that you do, the workshops were not recorded or livestreamed because most of the people did not consent to being recorded for security reasons.
The opening plenary was hosted by Ashley Smith, Aria Aber, Samia Abbas, and Kali Akuno, where they all introduced the full room to the main topics of that day: “Palestine Today: War, Genocide, Resistance & Solidarity.” In it, they discussed what is happening in occupied Palestine today, and then later discussed the itinerary for the day. There were two blocks of time for workshops, with the first one taking place between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and the second taking place between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
I joined to help with setting up and assist running an artist auction to help fund the Coalition. I got to interact with several people from all kinds of backgrounds. The sense of community and all of us having a common goal, regardless of ethnic background, was something which was inextricably felt throughout the conference. To hear the stories of Palestinians as they described the atrocities they have faced was harrowing, but to hear them speak about hope and fighting for a better future where all peoples are free was inspiring.
I was especially moved by the words of local Palestinian Wafic Faour. This man did not beat around the bush, did not soften the blow, and did not treat his audience like fools. He lambasted the American attitude of dismissing the genocide because it was across the ocean, in another country — an attitude I have seen many on this campus and at this college take. He laid out his feelings, plain and simple, as he asked us all to support Palestinians.
“There has always been a strategy: To make Palestine a local issue. To make Palestine a Vermont issue. To make Palestine an American issue,” Faour said. “…We have a campaign here in Vermont, and if we change Vermont, we’re going to change the United States of America. If we change the United States of America, we will change the world. We have to put this apartheid down. For our liberation as Palestinians to your liberation to end racism for everybody.”
We watch as Israel bombs and invades Lebanon, with continued U.S. support. And as a citizen of this godforsaken country, I am ashamed of Democrats (and most politicians to be honest) who continue to dismiss the suffering of countless people just so they can win an election. I am ashamed of people who are voters who refuse to put pressure on the Biden/Harris administration. When Black Muslims are calling for Muslims not to vote for Harris because of what is happening in occupied Palestine, that should tell you something. There is a stunning lack of support for marginalized and oppressed peoples in the west, and this is nothing new. I don’t know what else I can say to encourage people to participate in supporting Palestinians that I haven’t already said. If you do not support Palestinians and are not vocal about your support, you are not my friend.
As an Indigenous person, my people were taken out of our own narratives and history for the benefit of colonial projects very similar to the ones done in Palestine with the creation of Israel. Except somehow it is worse. Bombing hospitals, civilian tents and homes, prisoners raped by their guards, entire cities razed to the ground based upon the loose belief Hamas is in these areas, plotting and scheming like cockroaches beneath their feet. A lie that Israeli media, the government, and many of its people have been spouting since the beginning of its unlawful colonization. An apartheid state. A colonial project. Plain and fucking simple.
This is not a complicated issue. It never has been. Any Palestinian will tell you this. Any historian worth their salt will tell you this. And as I have said in my previous article, you cannot win the approval of the people who gleefully and knowingly oppress you. This is how Israelis are treating Palestinians.
So, what can be done? If you live in Burlington, Montpelier, or Winooski, or know anybody who lives in these cities, please sign the Apartheid Free Community pledge. The QR code is below, and if you are reading this online, here is the link.
We cannot do this alone, and it would be foolish to expect to attempt to. The VCPL’s top priority right now is to get the Apartheid Free Measures on the ballots for Town Meetings in Spring of 2025. If you live in a local community, please go to your town meetings and introduce this on the ballot. Start a campaign for an Apartheid Free Community. Get people talking about Palestine. Make it a local issue.
In the words of an anonymous Palestinian: “We are all Palestinian. Our freedom is your freedom.”
The next VCPL meeting it will be on November 2 at 1p.m., at 173 North Prospect Street, in Burlington. I hope to see you there, VTSU.
