Filipinos in Solidarity with Palestine | International Al-Quds Day 2023
On this International Al-Quds Day, BAYAN USA reaffirms its unwavering solidarity for the Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation and return. We pay our highest respects to the martyrs of the Palestinian movement, and to all those who continue the fight in their wake.
We condemn to the highest degree the brutal fascist violence of the Israeli state, which has once again intensified during the holy month of Ramadan. Al-Aqsa Mosque — one of the holiest sites in Islam — was violated again in early April, with Israeli occupation forces assaulting, shooting at, tear-gassing, and detained worshipers gathered in prayer. This attack is just part of the routine forced displacement and mass arrests experienced by Palestinians in their own home of Jerusalem. Coupled with the wave of airstrikes in Gaza and the West Bank, it is clear that the Zionist state will use all fascist tools in its playbook to deny Palestinians the right to life, dignity, and humanity.
Israel’s calculated campaign of ethnic cleansing and occupation has carried on ever since the Nakba, the catastrophe during which almost 1 million Palestinians were forced into exile and a vast majority of Palestine was colonized. And throughout its history, Israel’s violent occupation has been supported by U.S. imperialism without any remorse, as the Israeli state remains a top recipient of U.S. security assistance, weapons, and political and cultural support.
As Filipinos waging our own struggle for national liberation and democracy, we understand Zionism, imperialism, and fascism are plagues to the masses around the world. The Israeli state itself has trained the fascist Philippine military and police, and has provided arms that have been used against our people. And in the past three months alone, U.S. imperialism has sunk its claws deeper into the Philippines, establishing four new military bases and sending over 12,000 troops to train the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the Balikatan war games.
But what the forces of Zionism and imperialism do not have on their side are the winning factor: the people. In the face of seemingly endless violence, the Palestinian people choose every day to resist by any means necessary. The Filipino people’s movement will continue to stand with the Palestinian struggle until our exploiters and oppressors fall one by one, and until we can rightfully reclaim our homes.
We call on Filipinos across the country to mobilize to Al-Quds Day actions, and in the many mobilizations to come, especially leading to the 75th anniversary of the Nakba.
End the Occupation!
Free Palestine!
Down with Zionism and U.S. Imperialism!