Things Australians Can Do To Help Palestinians Living Under Occupation

This past Saturday saw the third week straight of national protests in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli occupation, and the movement  to free Palestine shows no sign of slowing.

 It’s estimated last week’s march saw a turn out of 15,000 between Sydney and Melbourne alone. According to police supervising the march in Sydney, most estimated that the march had at least 1000 more than the previous week’s protest.

These protests and many like it around the world went ahead, despite a ceasefire brokered after 11 days of Israel Defence forces bombing the West Bank, and Palestinian retaliation. These past few weeks are the latest in Israel’s 73 year-long ongoing campaign to occupy and colonise Palestinian lands.

To many Australians, Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine may just seem like a war in another country that Australia has little to do with. But it isn’t. As Social Justice writer, Millie Roberts has explained, lack of coverage Australian media regularly contributes to misinformation that favours Israel’s occupation. Palestinian-Australians are also at the forefront of spreading education about Palestine.

The big question on everyone’s minds is how can I help? Well, here are some ways you can support Palestine, and avoid supporting Israel’s apartheid.

Boycott Organisations And Products That Support Israel

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement is part of the global effort to end support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law. BDS works by encouraging people and organisations to boycott products and business that financially, technologically, and socially contribute to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

You may have seen infographics listing products to boycott being shared and felt overwhelmed or confused. Thankfully, BDS Australia has your back. At bdsaustralia.net.au, you’ll find lists of companies, businesses and brands in Australia that supply Israel with support and infrastructure.

Attend Rallies, Protests And Vigils & Sign Petitions

Follow the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network to keep up with upcoming rallies, vigils, and events in support of Palestine. The Australian Friends of Palestine Association is also is a not-for-profit community organisation based in South Australia actively engaged in advocacy for a just peace between Palestine and Israel.

If you have a spare minute right now, head over and sign this petition to the federal government to sanction Israel and condemn their apartied.

Donate To Organisations That Aid Palestinians

Due to Israel’s blockade, Palestine has been in a dire financial crisis for years. Shortages in water, food, and medical supplies are common. However, there are plenty of global and national organisations sending aid directly to Palestinians on the ground that need financial donations.

• Olive Kids
• Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
• Doctors Without Borders
• BuildPalestine 
• Anera 
• United Palestinian Appeal (UPA)
• The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
• International Medical Corps – GAZA

Read Pro-Palestinian News Sources

Much of Australia’s news media are biased when reporting on Palestine. For accurate information about what is happening in Palestine, Gaza and the West Bank, check out the following outlets:

• Middle Eastern Eye
• The IMEU
• Al Jazeera (English)
• Eye On Palestine
• Eye Witness Palestine
• 972mag

Follow, Listen To And Share Palestinian Voices

It’s easy to dismiss sharing posts from Palestinians as performative activism, but in this case, sharing Palestinian voices is one of the most important things you can do as an ally. Sharing stories, posts, experiences and information from Palestinians and uplifting their voices is key to combatting Israel’s global campaign to silence and erase Palestinians.

A good place to start when looking for Palestinian-Australian voices is looking to people like Author and advocate, Sara Saleh, or educator and activist, Jeanine Hourani. Author, Randa Abdel-Fattah recently appeared in this viral clip from QnA.

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