Room Magazine stands against the occupation of Palestine and condemns the ongoing apartheid and genocide perpetuated by Israel. Israel has illegally occupied Palestine since 1948.
Following Hamas’s October 7 attack that tragically killed 1300+ Israelis, the Israeli government has responded with 10 days of relentless bombing and collective punishment, which is a war crime.
At the time of writing this letter, no ceasefire has been announced, and the Canadian government has refused to demand an end to this violence despite calls from the public.
At this very moment, over two million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza with no food, water, medical supplies, or electricity. UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani has stated that a “staggering” 4,200 people have been killed, over one million have been displaced in 10 days, and “there are daily indications of violations of the laws of war and international human rights law.”
We grieve the violence and the loss of life, and fear what is yet to come. We hold space for the Palestinian community, who face ongoing and incomprehensible violence in their struggle for liberation and right to exist in their homelands. We hold space for the Jewish community, whose grief has been co-opted to excuse ethnic cleansing, even as many Jewish organizations and communities stand against the genocide. We fear for growing anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic sentiment and antisemitism both in Canada and abroad, and those who would use this as a reason to divide our communities.
And amidst this grief, we must act.
Call on governments to demand a ceasefire
Canada: Petition to the Prime Minister, via House of Commons ⎯ Call upon the House of Commons in Parliament to require the Prime Minister to take the necessary measures to call for a ceasefire, among other measures.
Canada: Tell Trudeau, push for end to bloodshed in Gaza, via Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East ⎯ This form sends an email to Prime Minister Trudeau, your local MP, and the leaders of the NDP, Convervatives and Greens.
Canada: Gaza on the Brink: Call upon the Canadian Government for Ceasefire now, via Independent Jewish Voices Canada — Send a letter to PM Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, demanding that they take action now. This is an already-filled template and it takes barely a minute to add your name.
Urgent Action Needed to Secure an Immediate Ceasefire & Humanitarian Corridor in Gaza, via Islamic Relief Canad, Action for Humanity, and Union Of Medical Care And Relief Organizations.
US: Write to Congress to stop genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, via Jewish Voice for Peace
Donating to support Palestine
Donate to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, an organization delivering life-saving medical relief and humanitarian aid on the ground.
Donate to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that provides lifesaving medical care.
Donate to the Center for Arab American Philantrophy’s Disaster Relief Fund, which provides medical aid, distributes hygiene kits and food, and more.
A List: Where To Give Money and Take Action To Support Palestinians Right Now, via Autostraddle
Writers in support of Palestine
A Letter from 18 Writers, via The Nation ⎯ Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Toni Morrison and other luminaries call to resist Israel’s undeclared political aim: the liquidation of the Palestinian state.
An Open Letter from Participants in the Palestine Festival of Literature, via the New York Review ⎯ Writers call for the international community to commit to ending the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and to finally pursuing a comprehensive and just political solution in Palestine.
Statement in Solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, via For Harriet ⎯ Feminist writers and thinkers such as Alice Walker and Angela Davis “call upon all people of conscience to stand with Palestine.”
Oberlin College Commencement Speech by Audre Lorde, May 29, 1989 ⎯ Audre Lorde states, “Encouraging your congresspeople to press for a peaceful solution in the Middle East, and for recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people, is not altruism, it is survival.”
Fighting disinformation
Educating yourself on how disinformation runs rampant in images related to Israel-Gaza war, via Hyperallergic — pertaining to atrocities have gone viral before fact-checkers could identify them as old footage and even video game clips.
How to avoid sharing bad information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, via MIT Tech Review ⎯ although this was written about the spread of misinformation during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the advice about analyzing and debunking content still proves relevant.
Palestinian Voices
“The Palestine Double Standard” (previously: “Why Must Palestinians Audition for Your Empathy?”) by Hala N Alyan, via The New York Times
“A Palestinian Meditation in a Time of Annihilation” by Fady Joudah, via Literary Hub
“To be Palestinian is to constantly have basic facts of your existence denied” by Saeed Teebi, via Globe and Mail
“Denying Motherhood in Gaza” by Lama Ghosheh, via Institute for Palestine Studies’ Palestine Square
“I Grant You Refuge” by Hiba Abu Nada, translated by Huda Fakhreddine, via Protean Magazine
Reading lists and resources
Call for submissions from Palestinian writers & artists, via Adi Magazine
A reading list on Palestinian refusal, via Briarpatch Magazine
Articles from Palestine Square, via Institute of Palestine Studies, which features news, analysis, narrative, perspectives, and arts and culture pieces on Palestinian affairs.
Letters from Gaza, via Protean Magazine in partnership with the Institute for Palestine Studies
Solidarity With Palestine – A Radical Black Feminist Mandate: A Reading List, via Black Women Radicals
Free Palestine: A Verso Reading List, via Verso Books
As a Jewish Anti-Zionist, Here’s What I’ve Been Reading This Week, via Autostraddle
Free e-books for a free Palestine, via Haymarket Books
20 Arab Films Spotlighting Palestinian Stories & Struggles, Scene Now
‘Unprovoked Narratives,’ an online film program via the Palestine Film Institute that showcases the beauty, struggle, and survival of Gaza and its people.
Sign: Statements of support
Artists & Academics in Canada: Statement of Support for Palestine ⎯ a Google form
Writers in solidarity with Palestine ⎯ a Google form
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Header photo: In the fields of Deir Ballout. Photo by Daoud Abdallah, courtesy of Palestinian Assembly for Photography and Exploration.
