It’s Not My Position To Tell Palestinians Under Occupation How To Kill Jews

By Linda Sarsour

I make a good deal of noise about the oppression and marginalization of various disadvantaged groups within American society, but I do recognize the relative privilege that we Americans, even many marginalized ones, have, compared to the situation of my Palestinian brethren. That is why I would never presume to instruct Palestinians on what methods to employ when targeting Jews for violence.

Make no mistake: Trump and his Republican enablers deserve all the vitriol we can throw at them, even as we avoid any blatant crossing of the line into outright incitement to violence, or to death threats. But those restrictions on our rhetoric have no application to the Palestinian struggle – it would be arrogant for us to impose our standards on how they stab, run over, shoot, burn, or otherwise harm Jews. A little humility never hurt anyone.

I understand that applying this sensibility can prove complex, notably when at the same time we attempt to impose our sensibilities and agenda on Israel and on Jews everywhere, but adhere to it we must. I am a Palestinian – we are all Palestine – but we also have to remember that we’re not the ones on the ground there, sending incendiary balloons into Israeli farmland, parks, and kindergartens, or launching rockets into villages and towns. Do not judge the Palestinians for how they resist. Also don’t forget to judge Israel, and right-wing Zionists – I love that phrase – for every little aspect of how they face that resistance. The judgier, the better, as far as that goes. But leave our beloved Palestinian brothers and sisters alone, and don’t you dare tell them how they should or shouldn’t try to kill as many Jews as possible. That’s not your job, or mine.

Our job as progressives and as human beings is to support Palestinian resistance no matter what methods they choose, because it’s their conflict. And ours, because all struggles against oppression are one, but not enough ours that we can assert anything about how to conduct that struggle. So it’s our struggle but not really our struggle, but of course it’s enough our struggle that we have to subordinate some of our struggles here in the US to the Palestinian cause, but not to the point of having a say in how the Palestinians pursue their cause. By which I mean our cause. I hope we’re clear on that part.

Also, someone should tell the women of Iran that the hijab they’re forced to wear is a symbol of liberation and female empowerment.

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