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No Pride in Apartheid Protest at NYC 6/4/17 Israel Parade

by Repost
We have achieved another milestone in ending the 69 year occupation of Historic Palestine, namely a 100 person protest in full costume and with musical instruments at New York's 6/4/17 Israel Parade celebrating the horrifying and illegal invasion and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza 50 years ago during the Six Day War of June 1967. See the article and excellent movie at http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40870-no-apartheid-in-our-name-lgbt-jewish-groups-block-celebrate-israel-parade.
We have achieved another milestone in ending the 69 year occupation of Historic Palestine, namely a 100 person protest in full costume and with musical instruments at New York's 6/4/17 Israel Parade celebrating the horrifying and illegal invasion and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza 50 years ago during the Six Day War of June 1967. See the article and excellent movie at http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40870-no-apartheid-in-our-name-lgbt-jewish-groups-block-celebrate-israel-parade.

From:
"No Apartheid in Our Name: LGBT Jewish Groups Block "Celebrate Israel" Parade" by Craig Willse, 6/7/17 at
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/40870-no-apartheid-in-our-name-lgbt-jewish-groups-block-celebrate-israel-parade.
"On Sunday, June 4, 2017, I participated with a group of queer and trans Jewish activists and allies in blocking the Celebrate Israel parade in New York City. We were one of six groups organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) to put our bodies on the line in support of the struggle for justice in Palestine. We came together to proclaim loudly and unequivocally that apartheid and occupation are nothing to celebrate. One group organized by JVP blocked the Celebrate Israel contingent that included Mayor Bill de Blasio, decrying his support for Israeli state violence. Other groups targeted the NYPD as part of JVP's new campaign, Deadly Exchange, which seeks to expose and end partnerships between US police departments and Israeli security forces."

"Our group organized in reaction to an open call posted on Facebook to join an LGBT contingent of the Celebrate Israel parade sponsored by a variety of national and local LGBT Jewish organizations. We felt we could not let this contingent march without disruption because of the particular ways Israel uses LGBT people to distract from its brutal suppression of Palestinians."

"In 2005, in consultation with marketing and advertising firms, the state of Israel launched a multifront program (called Brand Israel) to improve its image by convincing the global public that Israel is aligned with progressive values. Consequently, Brand Israel has promoted the idea that Israel is a safe haven for LGBT people in the Middle East. Tactics of Brand Israel include funding LGBT film festivals around the world, sponsoring delegations of Israeli LGBT activists to visit US cities and promoting gay tourism, such as Tel Aviv Pride. Palestinian activists have labeled this strategy "pinkwashing" -- meaning that Israel is using its putative support for LGBT people to cover up its human rights abuses, violations of international law and ongoing forcible removal of Palestinians from their lands and homes."

"When the time came to begin our protest, we stood in formation, holding signs that read "No Pride in Apartheid" and "Queer Jews for a Free Palestine." We were full of firm resolve, knowing we carried a four-fold responsibility to take action: as citizens of the US, which funds Israel's occupation and apartheid regime and blocks international action against Israel; as residents of New York City, whose police department targets and murders our Black and Brown neighbors and collaborates with Israeli security forces, enabling their violent and daily oppression of Palestinians; as people of Jewish ancestry in whose names Israel's ongoing nakba is committed; and as queer and trans people who are being used to cover all of this up."
**************
For more information on the deadly exchange of the US police and military training in Israel, and Israel's promotion of spy equipment and military hardware, see:
http://deadlyexchange.org/celebrate-ending-apartheid/
and
http://deadlyexchange.org/the-spoils-of-war/

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