Feminists have a long tradition of ‘speaking truth to power’, of challenging injustice and inequality, of being proudly vocal. Together with feminists around the world, we know that the only way to truly achieve our vision of liberation for all women and people oppressed by patriarchal systems is to speak out about injustice wherever it occurs. Right now, the pressing feminist issue of our time is what is happening in Palestine. For those of us who are looking to feminists for leadership, advocacy and solidarity, their voices are essential. On the other hand, where feminists have not raised their voices on this issue, the silence is loud and palpable.
As of writing, at least 32,333 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including over 13,000 children. More than 8,000 people remain missing, many trapped under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the occupied West Bank.
This genocide is an attempt to erase Palestinian lives, culture, stories, and futures, and is reflected in the fact that women and children are the largest casualty. There are about 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza who have been denied access to essential and lifesaving care as the healthcare infrastructure in Gaza has been all but obliterated. The International Rescue Committee reported out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, only 12 remain and are partially functioning.
Mainstream media reporting about the genocide in Gaza takes place in a context of silencing, misinformation, and selective and biased storytelling. But in a time of social media, where war crimes and human rights violations committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces are exposed online and in real-time, we cannot say that we didn’t know or that we didn’t see.
As a feminist, migrant and refugee run organisation advocating for the health, wellbeing and safety of migrant and refugee women and their communities, we are deeply troubled by this silence and continued erasure of Palestinian suffering. We reaffirm our initial statement and commitment to safeguarding women’s lives and believe that everyone has the right to live free from violence.
During this crisis, we think of Sarah Ihmoud, a Chicana-Palestinian feminist, who wrote to Mona Ameen, a young Palestinian scholar in Gaza, asking: What does it mean to practice feminism in a moment of bearing witness to genocide? Both writers shared the importance of truth-telling and breaking “غصة /ghassa, which means “this lump in our throat that keeps us from speaking, to speak loud and courageously into the wind.”
Now, more than ever, we want to work together with other feminists to examine what feminism stands for in the context of international injustice and of Palestine. First Nations and Palestinian feminists here in Australia like Dr Amy McQuire, Professor Chelsea Watego, Sara Saleh and Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah continually show us what true solidarity looks like in the face of oppression. Those of us who are committed to racial justice do not want to see intersectionality reduced to a mere word or framework that explains away identity and representation. Following Kimberlé Crenshaw and others, who were concerned with the structural and systemic questions about discrimination and inequality in relation to Black women’s experiences in America, there is a need to re-evaluate our practice of intersectionality in feminist spaces and scale it beyond borders to challenge the ongoing violence and politics of colonisation and Western empire.
As migrants and refugees who have been impacted by histories of violence, it is not lost on us that we live in a country with its own history of genocide and trauma, and that we are beneficiaries of settler colonialism. We extend our unwavering support and stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and First Nations communities in Australia and around the world by breaking غصة/ghassa and amplifying their strong, bold and fierce voices. Disrupting the noise of complacency is difficult, but necessary work for practising a feminism that is truly intersectional and inclusive. Let us remember the words of Audre Lorde, who in her groundbreaking paper, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action, wrote, “It is not difference which immobilises us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.”
Break the silence with us by:
- Amplifying the voices of Palestinians. You can support their coverage by reposting their original social media content and subscribing to their broadcast channels.
- Calling on influential feminist organisations and other institutions to advocate for Palestine.
- Supporting the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN).
- Supporting organisations that are helping Palestinians resettle in Australia, such as Palestine Australia Relief and Action.
- Writing to or contacting your local MP.
- If you’re short on time, APAN have composed an e-mail for their active campaign demanding the Australian Government to support South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. All you have to do is find your local MP and hit the send button!
- Attending weekly protests and joining local action. This toolkit contains a list of local action groups and other ways you can support the movement.
- Learn about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Australia.
This article was first published in edition #131 of The WRAP on March 2024.