Things we can do for Palestine

& pain as a portal to power

This week, Israel withdrew from the al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza City after a two-week siege, leaving behind evidence of a clear massacre. An estimated 400 Palestinians were killed, images of zip-tied bodies fill my feed. Doctors scribbled heart-wrenching goodbye notes on the walls of the hospital. The homes of my friends who lived in the vicinity have been reduced to rubble. This week, Israel also killed international and local aid workers delivering meals to a starving population, leading to the withdrawal of other international aid organizations from Gaza.  

In my recent posts, I’ve opened up about my personal experience of grief in the face of genocide. While every cell in my body wants to succumb to despair, I know there is no time or use for that. The events of this week are a disturbing indicator of what’s to come in a looming ground invasion in Rafah. In the words of Palestinian writer Nicki Kattoura, “There’s nothing more to say and everything more to do.”

I push my despair aside and turn to my power. Here is a round up of things we can do.

Help a family in Gaza reach safety

Many families in Gaza have made the devastating decision to evacuate Gaza to an uncertain but less deadly future. To do so, they must pay fees in the amount of $5000/adult and $2500/child to an Egyptian-state affiliated company called Hala to be placed on a list at the Rafah border to leave Gaza for Egypt. I have many words on the injustice of this system and the utter cruelty of profiteering off of human suffering. For now, I will use my words to call us to action. 

I have a growing roster of trusted GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns for families in Gaza seeking to raise the funds necessary to get to safety. Contributing to these campaigns is a direct and immediate way to help people in Gaza get out of harm’s way. 

My friend and former director at Gaza Sky Geeks, Ryan, has forged a partnership with the 188 Foundation, a US-based 501c3 that has enabled tax deductible, corporate matching-eligible contributions to an evacuation fund that is being distributed to our network in Gaza. This method of donation requires a bank transfer. Learn more and contribute to that fund here. 

I am also collecting funds via GoFundMe that I distribute to individual evacuation campaigns. This does not have the perks of tax deduction or corporate matching, but it offers a quick way to contribute funds. I can also share individual GoFundMes for anyone looking to directly contribute to a family—just respond to this post via email.

I am also co-leading an initiative where I am connecting my network in Gaza to friends and acquaintances from around the world who act as “champions” for a family in Gaza. I assign an individual GoFundMe to the champion, and then they fundraise for the family using online and offline methods. I also connect them directly to the Gazan they are supporting as a pen pal. So far, we have around 60 active champions who are in a WhatsApp group supporting each other with creative fundraising ideas. This initiative has gone above and beyond my dreams for it—we’ve collectively raised over $96,000 and many individuals have been able to evacuate as a result. 

Beyond directly supporting the safety of families in Gaza, this initiative offers other gifts. It gives us allies on the outside a chance to convert our passive support of Gaza into an active one by stretching our creativity and intellect and taking matters into our own hands. It roots us into our personal and collective power. If our government will not protect and uphold Palestinian life, then we will. It also gives us, some who are witnessing genocide and others who are enduring it, a chance to say, “I’ve made a new friend.” This to me is true solidarity. True resistance and true love. If you’d like to join our small but mighty movement, register here.

Trusted organizations to donate to in Palestine

For my new job at BuildPalestine, I’ve helped compile a list of trusted initiatives and organizations to donate to in Palestine. This list also offers some perspective on how we might rethink aid and development in ways that affirm Palestinian agency, self-determination, and liberation, beyond unjust systems of power. Please take a look and share.

Join me in DC for an in-person workshop on May 5th

Another offering through my role at BuildPalestine is this upcoming workshop for DC-based people entitled Mobilizing for Gaza. I am designing a session aimed to counter feelings of burn out and powerlessness that guides supporters of Palestine to reflect on and define their personal mission statements and commitments towards taking action for Palestine. It’s something that I’m designing for myself too. It’s my hope that by taking the time to define our lanes in this revolution, we equip ourselves for the long-haul work it will take to dismantle untenable systems of power and support Palestinians on the ground. We equip ourselves with clarity and focus in times of despair. Share with your DC-based friends and register to attend here. We plan to offer a digital version of this workshop in the near future so it can be replicated far and wide.

This framework for participation in Collective Liberation has been developed by Slow Factory and used internationally to educate and inspire in political, leadership, higher education, and community contexts.

I also encourage you to become a member of BuildPalestine. We run an interactive membership platform called Under the Olive Tree to build community and share resources and opportunities to mobilize for a free Palestine. The $12/month membership fee gets reinvested into BuildPalestine’s work, and helps us move away from donor-dependency. I like to think of the fee the same way I think of a gym membership—an investment that makes solidarity with Palestine a lifestyle and not a one-off event. 

Don’t look away from Palestine

For my final call to action, I ask you to keep witnessing. Reflect on the difference between intellectualizing suffering versus empathizing with it. It is painful to open ourselves up to the suffering of the world, but emotions offer a powerful impetus to take action. This tweet crossed my feed and I think about it everyday.

When we allow ourselves to feel pain, it acts as a portal to the highest expression of our power. Let yourself be rattled, heartbroken, enraged. Feel it fully and let it lead you to community, to action. Let it lead you to purpose. Yalla, we need you.