May 14, 2021

Solidarity message to Palestinian feminists

Dear Rifka Al-Amya and other feminists and activists in the One Democratic State Group,

Radical Women, a long-lived socialist feminist group in the United States and Australia, sends solidarity and heartfelt wishes for your safety in the midst of Israel’s outrageous bombardment on Gaza and Zionist violence in the streets of Israel and Jerusalem. As we have since our founding, our members – with strong leadership from Arabs and anti-Zionist Jews -- stand with Palestine against Israel’s genocidal assaults. We call for an end to all U.S. military and financial support for the Israeli occupation and we demand the right of return for Palestinians.

Earlier this month, we were inspired to read Rifka’s article, “One State for All: A Palestinian Feminist View,” calling for intersectional women’s leadership in the drive for a secular multi-ethnic democratic state. We very much appreciated Rifka’s recognition of capitalism as one of the oppressive forces that maintains patriarchy, racism and national oppression. We were planning to discuss the article at the Sunday, May 16 national Radical Women zoom meeting – even before the situation escalated to the current level of warfare. Our discussion on Sunday will now be even more urgent and broad about how we can support the rights and survival of Palestinians and end the U.S. role in propping up the apartheid state of Israel.

In solidarity and imagining a more just future,

Helen Gilbert
Radical Women – U.S.