What did I previously know to be true? I referenced in my previous post that everything I once thought true has shattered. But I also do not remember a time when I trusted government or people in power. I perceive that many folks in my community are on the same page now, even if they once had a shred of hope. Rather, my disillusionment has to do with a person’s available options to effectively fight the ongoing genocide and who is trustworthy in that work.
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One blessing came from being raised in a family primarily identifying as Libertarian. I never once had the illusion that government officials would save working class people, let alone act in my best interest. I now fundamentally differ from my family on what a better future means, and how that can materialize, but I am grateful that I learned early in life the importance of resistance, self-governance and community building. Not blindly trusting perceived authority has proven an essential, life-saving skill many times throughout my adult life.
I spent the last year working in an organization with an amazing legacy of bringing activists from around the world into solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. People have done a lot of incredible work operating within this network. However, I feel that organization’s practice has recently departed from its stated principles. This has been one of the hardest things for me to contend with — some of the people I once loved and trusted with my life turned out not to be who I believed them to be.
I want to live in a world where I can trust everyone, but in reality that ideal is not reasonable. Things are much more complicated than I previously realized.
There is a balance — knowing when to depart and when to work through problems. Human beings, especially in high stakes situations, are not going to agree on everything. It is an important skill, to organize in a large group and to not always expect seeing eye-to-eye with everyone. In activist spaces here at home, consensus is easier because we come from similar backgrounds and are so few in number. This can lead to some effective direct action, but will never build a movement, because social revolution necessitates a dynamic, non-homogeneous society. Our differences are our greatest strength.
In my last month in Masafer Yatta, I and a handful of comrades from the previous group became disillusioned with the way we operated, and decided it’s best to begin anew in order to move forward in the most ethical way. We then met with the local town council, which is made up of democratically elected representatives from each of the villages in the region, in order to form a new organization. We have the same goal of Palestinian liberation as do all other groups there. But this is the difference between this new group and others: that we will be truly Palestinian-led, in the way our presence will be directed and informed by the wider community instead of just one or two individuals.
I will write more soon about how to support this new group, as well as how to stay best-informed, and to volunteer. For now, please follow Masafer Yatta Solidarity Alliance on Instagram and share this fundraiser as widely as you can.
