EBASE stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We join the calls for an immediate ceasefire and for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
At EBASE, we believe that all life is sacred and irreplaceable, imbued with the inalienable rights of dignity, peace, and safety. We mourn the lives of the Israeli citizens murdered in early October and the thousands of Palestinian civilians massacred since then. The precious lives lost in the last month, including thousands of children, must be remembered – their names must be repeated, their stories must be shared.
The residents of Gaza are facing a genocide by Israel, which has killed over 10,000 innocent Palestinians, including over 4,000 children, in under a month. This collective punishment can have no moral ground, and yet, the U.S. government is preparing to approve and send an additional $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel.
Our hard-earned and misused tax money has enabled this devastation. Surviving Palestinians are being deprived of water, food, clean air, fuel, and safe shelter, as Israel is blocking any humanitarian aid into Gaza and is intentionally targeting bakeries, hospitals, solar panels, and sources of human sustenance. The U.S. government must immediately stop sending military aid to Israel and instead use our tax dollars to fund services that ensure the well-being and survival of U.S. residents. People in the U.S., including in the East Bay, direly need support and resources from our government. Affordable and quality healthcare coverage, affordable housing, quality public schools, and quality jobs are just several items on the long list of services the government should be funding rather than military death and destruction.
We are compelled to rebuke mainstream corporate media and some politicians’ refusal to share Palestinian stories and to name the war crimes Israel’s army is committing to level Gaza. Furthermore, we denounce the hateful and violent rhetoric dominating the mainstream discourse in America and leading to a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. We denounce any attempts to conflate anti-Semitism with supporting the safety and freedom of the Palestinian people. All people deserve to feel safe throughout their lives. We are deeply devastated by the horrific murder of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea al-Fayoum committed by his landlord, who stabbed him 26 times in an Islamophobic rage.
EBASE rejects and condemns the systems of white supremacy, imperialism and corporate control at play. We call on President Biden and Governor Newsom to support an immediate ceasefire, stop using U.S. tax dollars to fund military aid for Israel and instead prioritize essential services for people in the United States, send humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza, and take action to prevent hate crimes that are arising from misinformation, scapegoating, and deep seated racism.
Please check out the following resources to take action in support of the people of Gaza:
- Call your congressperson to urge a ceasefire
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights toolkit
- Join solidarity actions and follow local organizers: Palestinian Youth Movement; Arab Resource and Organizing Center; Jewish Voices for Peace
- Follow what’s happening on the ground in Gaza: Motaz Azaiza, Eye on Palestine, and more
The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
November 10, 2023