Palestinian Youth Movement

People’s Conference for Palestine draws thousands in struggle against genocide

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Original article by Natalia Marques republished form peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

The second annual People’s Conference for Palestine opens in Detroit (Photo via People’s Conference for Palestine)

The second annual “People’s Conference for Palestine” seeks to strengthen the growing movement for Palestinian liberation within the United States – Israel’s largest political and financial backer

The second annual People’s Conference for Palestine opened Friday afternoon, August 29, bringing together thousands of people of conscience in Detroit, Michigan. “Through this conference, I invite all of you to take part in the rich revolutionary tradition of Detroit,” said Nelson Garay, a member of Detroit’s People’s Assembly, a grassroots coalition fighting back against Trump’s policies. “In one voice, let us declare that we will not stand for the dehumanization of the Palestinian people, and we will not stand for anything less than their true liberation from a genocidal, apartheid state.”

Taher Dahleh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement and an activist in the labor movement through his membership in the Communication Workers of America, opened the conference by describing the major milestones in the Palestine solidarity movement since last year. “Millions marched to break the siege, flotillas set sail one after the other, doctors risked lives, went through repression, every single possible means to participate in medical missions to provide life-saving aid, and millions of workers, regular people, organized for an arms embargo, to demand that companies like Maersk halt all complicity and stop shipping weapons components to the occupation.”

Attendee of the People’s Conference for Palestine (Photo via People’s Conference for Palestine)

The conference is being organized by a coalition of 12 groups active in the broader Palestine solidarity movement: the Palestinian Youth Movement, the US Palestinian Community Network, The People’s Forum, Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, the Palestinian Feminist Collective, the ANSWER Coalition, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, the People’s Center for Palestine, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Writers Against the War on Gaza, and the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC).

Last year’s conference was held after a fierce wave of student protest against ongoing complicity of US institutions and government in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This year, thousands of activists once again reconvene as the situation in Gaza reaches a humanitarian breaking point: the entire population of the Gaza Strip is being deliberately starved en masse by Israel.

“Freedom Flotillas” take a stand against mass starvation

In protest of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid in Gaza, several “Freedom Flotillas” have set sail carrying life-saving supplies including food, baby formula, and medical supplies. Each of the three flotilla missions launched this year has been blocked by Israeli forces.

In one particularly brutal example of Israeli state repression, all the passengers aboard the most recent Flotilla, the Handala, were kidnapped by Israeli forces and held in custody by Israel. US labor activist Chris Smalls, also the only Black passenger aboard the Handala, faced the most brutal repression. “They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back,” the Freedom Flotilla coalition wrote in a post on X. “When his lawyer met with him, Chris was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. This level of force was not used against other abducted activists.”

Chris Smalls makes opening remarks (Photo via People’s Conference for Palestine)

Smalls gave opening remarks at this year’s conference. “As a labor leader, it is our responsibility to be a shield for the working class,” Smalls said, addressing an auditorium of thousands. In 2022, Smalls led the successful effort to create the first union at an Amazon warehouse in the United States, the Amazon Labor Union. “It is our responsibility to stand up when things are uncomfortable, and take a stance.”

Victories in the global movement for an arms embargo

At last year’s People’s Conference for Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement announced the launch of “Mask Off Maersk,” an international organizing campaign aiming to expose the role of logistics giant Maersk in sending weapons components to Israel.

Through international pressure, this campaign has marked significant victories since last year. In June, Maersk became the first global shipping company to divest from companies in Israeli settlements. The campaign raised global awareness of Maersk’s role in supplying Israel, to the point where people across the globe mobilized against Maersk shipments. In April, Moroccan protesters successfully delayed Maersk ships leaving the country for Israel. In November of 2024, the Spanish government announced it had blocked two ships operated by shipping giant Maersk and carrying military cargo bound for Israel.

Palestinian Youth Movement organizers Aisha Nizar (Photo via People’s Conference for Palestine)

Speaker Aisha Nizar, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, spoke at a plenary on the topic of the global demand for an arms embargo on the lessons learned from one year of the “Mask off Maersk” campaign. “We need to be surgical. We need to be strategic, and we need to be bold in our actions. Because there are many different points of these supply chains of death that we can intervene in, and we must intervene in.”


Original article by Natalia Marques republished form peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingPeople’s Conference for Palestine draws thousands in struggle against genocide

Thousands to join “Mass March for Humanity” in NYC against Israel’s starvation of Gaza

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Original article by Natalia Marques republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Protesters in New York City protest genocide in Gaza (Photo: Wyatt Souers)

Amid Israel’s starvation of Gaza, a broad coalition of pro-Palestine groups are planning a march of thousands through the streets of New York City

On Saturday, August 16, demonstrators are set to march in protest of Israel’s starvation of Gaza in a “Mass March for Humanity” through the streets of New York City. Over 200 organizations have endorsed, coming from an array of diverse backgrounds including the Palestinian diaspora, pro-Palestine solidarity groups, labor unions, anti-war groups, faith groups, and others. Buses are set to travel from across the northeastern United States, including from Baltimore, Boston, Burlington, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, Providence and Washington, DC.

Endorsing organizations include, but are not limited to, the Palestinian Youth Movement, the People’s Forum, the ANSWER Coalition, the Arab American Association of New York, the Palestinian American Organizations Network, American Muslims for Palestine, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Democratic Socialists of America, SEIU Local 509, Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Green Party of the United States, Healthcare Workers For Palestine, the National Women’s Studies Association, and Doctors Against Genocide.

Doctors take a stand against mass death

“​​Genocide will never stop without global intervention,” Dr. Nidal Jboor, the cofounder of Doctors Against Genocide, told Peoples Dispatch. In May of this year, Jboor was arrested while sitting in a US congressional building holding a sign that read “Let the children eat. Let the children live,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. 

“We cannot abandon the victims to the mercy of their killers. Humanity must rise, mobilize, and save the starved population of Gaza – because governments will not act unless we force them to through relentless, unyielding pressure,” said Jboor. 

Members of Doctors Against Genocide, along with over 100 medical professionals across the globe who have volunteered in Gaza have signed onto a letter in solidarity with Palestinian medical workers. 

“We refuse to remain silent while our colleagues are being starved, and shot by Israel,” the letter reads. “Palestinian health workers are collapsing from hunger while performing surgeries, operating without basic medical supplies, and enduring relentless attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances.” 

The letter demands urgent protection for Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers, an end to attacks on medical facilities, the lifting of Israel’s blockade to allow full humanitarian access, an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and accountability for those responsible for violence and abuses in Gaza.

Journalists’ contingent to denounce Israel’s targeting of Palestinian journalists 

The recent assassination of six Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif on Sunday, August 10, has fueled a surge of outrage. On Saturday, journalists and media workers will join the demonstration to denounce the attacks on their colleagues in Gaza. 

Among these journalists include a group of writers organized by Writers Against the War on Gaza, a group that has been active since the first weeks of the genocide in October of 2023. WAWOG’s organizing hit the ground running with bold, targeted action against mainstream media outlets, including blocking a shipment of the New York Times newspaper at its printing plant in Queens, New York in March of 2024.

According to Nicki Kattoura, a member of WAWOG, “there is no press freedom if Palestinian journalists are being killed.” 

“Israel is targeting Palestinian journalists because they are threatened by the exposure of their war crimes,” says Kattoura. “But we also find, this is not the whole story, politically, although it may be, and also feels true, psychologically.”

“One thing that we can say with certainty is that Israel is killing Palestinian journalists because they are Palestinian. The Zionist entity’s clear stated intent is to exterminate the Palestinian people,” Kattoura continued. “And I would say the killing of Hossam Shabat or Anas Al-Sharif is as much about breaking the Palestinian spirit, because they are the beloved voices of the Palestinian people, as it is about ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip.”

Original article by Natalia Marques republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.


Continue ReadingThousands to join “Mass March for Humanity” in NYC against Israel’s starvation of Gaza

Pro-Palestine activists declare victory after shipping giant Maersk divests from Israeli settlements

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Original article by Peoples Dispatch republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Maersk’s decision follows over a year of pressure by the “Mask off Maersk” campaign, led by the Palestinian Youth Movement

Danish shipping giant Maersk has become the first global shipping company to divest from companies in Israeli settlements following a concerted pressure campaign by pro-Palestine activists across the globe. The company has stated that it will cut ties with companies linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

This decision follows over a year of pressure by the “Mask off Maersk” campaign, led by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), an international Palestinian diaspora organization. Since launching the campaign in the summer of 2024, the PYM has aimed to shed light on Maersk’s role in supplying Israel with military shipments as it continues its genocide in Gaza. In January of 2025, PYM released a report detailing Maersk’s role in facilitating exports from Israeli settlements. 

PYM noted in a statement that “this marks the first time in history that a global shipping company has committed to full compliance with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) database,” which documents “all business enterprises involved in certain specified activities related to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” according to the OHCHR. 

Divestment from Israeli settlements has been a popular demand of the pro-Palestine movement for decades. “Maersk’s decision proves that divestment from occupation is not only possible – it’s necessary,” said Aisha Nizar of the Palestinian Youth Movement. “This sends a clear message to the global shipping industry: compliance with international law and basic human rights is not optional. Doing business with Israel’s illegal settlements is no longer viable, and the world is watching to see who follows next.” 

“Still, as Israel escalates its military aggression across the region, Maersk continues to profit from the genocide of our people – regularly shipping F-35 components used to bomb and massacre Palestinians,” Aisha added. “The Mask Off Maersk campaign is far from over. We will continue to build pressure and mobilize people power until Maersk cuts all ties to genocide and ends the transport of weapons and weapons components to Israel.” 

Since its launch, the “Mask Off Maersk” campaign has spread across the globe, with Palestine solidarity protests in Morocco delaying a Maersk ship reportedly bound for Israel back in April. In February, activists shut down Maersk headquarters in Copenhagen through a demonstration of nearly 1,000 people. Last fall, the Spanish government decided to block Maersk ships bound to Israel following pressure from activists.

Original article by Peoples Dispatch republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingPro-Palestine activists declare victory after shipping giant Maersk divests from Israeli settlements

Spain to block Maersk ships bound to Israel after pressure from activists

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Original article by Ana Vračar republished form peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Mask off Maersk campaign exposes shipping giant’s use of Algeciras Port for transporting military cargo to Israel despite Spain’s stated arms embargo

The Spanish government has announced it will block two ships—Denver and Seletar—operated by shipping giant Maersk and carrying military cargo bound for Israel, from docking at the port of Algeciras. This decision comes just days after the Mask off Maersk campaign released a report exposing the company’s regular use of the Spanish port for transferring cargo that enables the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, despite Spain’s stated arms embargo.

Researchers from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Progressive International (PI), who contributed to the report, told Peoples Dispatch that it is unclear whether Pedro Sánchez’s administration was genuinely unaware of the shipments or deliberately chose to look the other way. What is clear, however, is that since Sánchez announced the embargo in May, Maersk has succeeded in delivering thousands of tons of military cargo to Israel. It appears that Maersk typically sends one ship per week from New Jersey to Spain, carrying around 1,000 tons of military cargo destined for the Israeli military, the report states.

These shipments end up being used in Gaza, facilitating the killing, torture, and kidnapping of Palestinians. In recent months, Maersk has transported aircraft parts, armored vehicles, and projectile bodies—much of which has been essentially subsidized by US tax dollars. The shipments also included nearly 300 tons of goods labeled as “diplomatic cargo,” a classification that, according to PYM and PI researchers, is undoubtedly being used to obscure the true nature of the containers. This is one of several strategies used to evade oversight over shipments bound for Israel; others include submitting blank designations and relying on freight forwarders to mask the trace of what is being transported.

These entities, including Interglobal Forwarding Services (IFS) used by Israel, can get very creative in how they describe cargo. The Mask off Maersk report documents such practices and makes it clear that shipments bound for Israel should undergo regular oversight and inspection in order to stop ammunition and other military cargo being transported there. Between 2011 and 2014, for example, IFS managed to transport over 16,000 tons of “diplomatic” cargo on Maersk ships, according to the report. This designation appears to establish a stable supply chain of goods whose true nature remains concealed from customs authorities and the public, PYM and PI warn.

Read more: Mask off Maersk targets the suppliers of Israel’s genocide in Gaza

Maersk is fully aware of these operations, as well as of the nature of the cargo its ships transport, and could halt them immediately if it chose to, the report’s authors told Peoples Dispatch. However, it continues to enable this flow of deadly cargo, fueling the genocide. As a result, responsibility to block these shipments now lies with the governments of the countries whose ports are used in the transfers. Researchers noted that Morocco, Egypt, Italy, and Turkey must all be held to the same scrutiny as Spanish authorities. For instance, after being denied access to Spanish ports, the Maersk Denver sought permission to dock in Tangier, Morocco, sparking a BDS call urging local activists to mobilize and prevent this. Reports that Mediterranean ports might allow these ships to dock are deeply troubling and, moreover, stand in violation of several UN resolutions and recommendations.

The researchers emphasize that pressure must continue on the Sánchez administration until it commits to inspect every Maersk vessel originating from the US and carrying cargo to Israel, given the practices highlighted in the report. “These vessels must be blocked from docking—nothing more and nothing less,” stated PYM and PI activists.

Without grassroots pressure, governments are likely to ignore public opposition and continue allowing military cargo to flow to Israel through their logistical hubs. What’s needed now, according to the researchers, is a stronger mobilization of trade unions and workers’ actions against these shipments. For example, in October, dockworkers at Athens’ Piraeus port successfully blocked a shipment of ammunition destined for Israel.

Though such direct action triggers government repression, PYM and PI researchers argue that it remains one of the few effective ways to disrupt and halt Israel’s arms supply chain. The two Maersk ships Spain decided to block are not the only ones expected to bring more weapons to Israel—but the full list can be stopped through strong workplace mobilizations. Advocacy alone will not be enough to get the governments to act against the genocide in Palestine; only a people-led strategy, with trade unions playing a central role, can accomplish this goal.

Original article by Ana Vračar republished form peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingSpain to block Maersk ships bound to Israel after pressure from activists

Beyond a ceasefire: The Palestinian Youth Movement’s demands for liberation

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Original article republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Peoples Dispatch speaks to Munir Marwan, a longtime Palestine solidarity organizer and PYM member about PYM’s latest demands, which include an end to occupation, the release of all Palestinian political prisoners, and ending Western complicity in Zionism

The entire Palestine solidarity movement in North America has united behind the demand of a ceasefire in Gaza. For the first time in years, organizations of the working class such as labor unions have been united against the status quo of Western foreign policy and taken an unprecedented stance against Israeli violence.

At the same time, important sectors in the movement have been trying to push the demands even further. The Palestinian Youth Movement, a major international formation of Palestinian youth with significant presence across North America, has been working to push the movement beyond dreaming of an end to current aggression, and into demanding full liberation from Israeli occupation.

To talk about PYM’s latest demands, which include an end to occupation, the release of all Palestinian political prisoners, and ending Western complicity in Zionism, Peoples Dispatch speaks to Munir Marwan, a longtime Palestine solidarity organizer and PYM member.

Original article republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingBeyond a ceasefire: The Palestinian Youth Movement’s demands for liberation