December of Dissent: From Turtle Island to Palestine
Dear Friends,
My name is Sandra Tamari, the Executive Director of Adalah Justice Project and a friend of The War Resisters League. My work is centered around fighting for the rights of Palestinians: as a Palestinian living in the United States, I have spent over 15 years connecting people across borders to resist settler-colonial violence— both domestically and abroad. It’s that work that brings me to ask that you support the work WRL does in this season of giving.
Of all the diaspora groups in the United States, Palestinians are among those uniquely positioned to build powerful domestic alliances against settler-colonial violence because of a simple truth: both the United States and Israel are settler-colonial projects. Both countries use the language of “democracy” to build an image of being beacons of justice and human rights when in reality the ideology of both countries originate from violently oppressive ideas of supremacy where some people have more humanity and rights than others: settler-colonial ambitions require violence against and the erasure of indigenous people.
That’s why Adalah Justice Project works closely with Red Nation, to build indigenous solidarity across borders.
And it’s also why we seized the opportunity to be part of Roots IRL, an alternative conference organized by War Resisters League outside of Netroots Nation this year to bring an antimilitarist message to a space largely devoid of concern for international struggles and solidarity for people fighting to end structural racism across the globe. When you support WRL you help to ensure movement-building opportunities like this continue; can you donate today?
I joined Ramah Kudaimi from US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Felicia Teter of Indigenous 215 on a panel called Breaking Borders: Diaspora Internationalist and Indigenous Organizing. It was on this platform where I was able to speak about the relationship between the US and Israeli militaries and how their tactics inform one another. The United States subsidizes the Israeli military, providing 3.8 billion of U.S. tax dollars every year, money that should instead be invested to uplift the safety and critical needs of our communities.
I dream of the day when Palestinians are able to enjoy the full dignity of life: the right to move freely, to pursue an education, to build and care for family, to express themselves creatively, to be counted politically. What I dream of for Palestinians is not so different from what any oppressed people dream of for themselves; that’s because what we desire is universal. The U.S. and Israeli military stand directly in the way of Indigenous peoples in the United States and Palestinians to building fully liberated communities, which is why we must continue to resist militarism and build the better, more just world we know is possible.
WRL’s political education and organizing work address the root causes of militarism and advocates for people’s right to self-determination. I’m writing to you today because that work is so important. I’m writing to you today because that work is so important. I hope you’ll join me in supporting War Resisters League today by making a gift — large or small!
In Solidarity,
Sandra Tamari
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