Palestine is a Women’s Issue
Speech by Emily Newberg, a member of the Anti-War Committee, at the march organized by the MN Abortion Action Committee on International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a time for ALL women to unite and celebrate our determination, our resilience, and our resistance to the oppression that connects us. On this Day we must talk about the women who are fighting not only for their right to equality, but for their very right to exist! The tactics that Trump is using to oppress American citizens at rapid speed today are not new to people who are living under occupation, they are not new to the people of Palestine. In fact, much of what makes up the police state we see forming before our eyes was tested on the Palestinians first!
Because women are disproportionately affected in areas of conflict, some of the greatest female resistors in history are Palestinian. We can learn a lot from what they know.
But let’s get real about how these women are affected. Living in areas of conflict leads to increased rates of prenatal births and miscarriages, and a lack of access to medicine and hygienic supplies. Israel has regularly illegally blocked aid as a war tactic, leaving menstruating women and girls no choice but to use tent scraps in lieu of feminine products. In the last year and a half miscarriages have increased by an astonishing 300% among women living in Gaza. There are 73,000 pregnant women with only 18 functioning medical facilities. Israel’s continued bans on water, food, and electricity, and its use of starvation and displacement, more war crimes, exacerbates these issues for pregnant and breastfeeding women. There are an estimated 48,000 pregnant women currently suffering from catastrophic food insecurity.
I read an interview with a fertility doctor working in Gaza who said he is surprised the women are still trying to get pregnant with all they are facing. I’m not! When you are under occupation and facing a genocide, pregnancy is a form of resistance! Palestinian women know they are doing more than fulfilling a dream, they are replacing entire bloodlines wiped out by the IOF! They know they are especially at risk of death because pregnancy makes you a target in the eye of the colonizer. And they do it anyway.
During the first intifada when Israel closed all the schools it was the Palestinian mothers who made classrooms inside their homes, making sure the children learned their history and national identity. Palestinian women led mass boycotts and sit-ins, bravely facing Israeli soldiers and arrested for their audacity. And we see how they were punished as hostages being released today are reporting alarming cases of sexual assault in Israeli prisons. They report being stripped and beaten, banned from using showers, deprived of medicine and medical care, and being forced to eat cold, unflavored food or face starvation.
There are many stories of the courage of Palestinian women in Israeli prisons, but one stands out to me. In 1995 as part of the Oslo Accords all female prisoners were to be released by Israel. When it was discovered that 4 of the 30 women in prison were not going to be released, do you know what the other women did?? Instead of walking out to freedom, instead of rushing to their waiting families they barricaded themselves inside and REFUSED to leave anyone behind. It took almost 17 months before an agreement was reached and all the women were freed, 17 MONTHS of chosen imprisonment! Why?? Because after living under the worst oppression imaginable, experiencing the slow genocide of their people, and the ethnic cleansing of their land, Palesinian women know that no one is free until all are free.
Coming out and showing up is important and you should all feel proud for showing up for women today. But a protest isn’t a stand alone event, it isn’t to say, hey look at how many of us came out. A protest is a call to action! It is to say, hey look at how many of us came out, who are now going to sign this petition and take home that leaflet and spread what we learned and maybe even be inspired to take on some new roles in the movement.
We on the Anti War Committee have been working to STOP MN tax dollars and public pensions from being invested in the Israeli regime. Did you know that 5.4 billion dollars of MN money is invested in entities connected with or profiting from Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians? SHAME! If you are a public employee, if you are a teacher, your pensions are helping to pay for those weapons. The State Board of Investments, made up of Gov Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha, and Steve Simon, decides how this money is invested and they hold quarterly public meetings. If you want your voice heard about how your money is invested then join the AWC in demanding the SBI DIVEST from Israel!
Their next meeting is on Friday March 21st at 9am. They haven’t shared their location yet, but let’s just say they aren’t unfamiliar with our campaign so they might try to be sneaky about it. Let’s show up and help remind them that they work for us. The People of MN will not be ignored and forced to pay for the needless suffering and ruthless genocide of others. Join us and pack that room!
On this International Women’s Day, and on ALL International Women’s Days going forward let us remember the resilience of our sisters in Palestine and ALL the women of the Resistance. Let us never forget that no one is free until all are free! FREE FREE PALESTINE!
