A Call from Palestine: This Is What Life Is Like Right Now

There is no legitimate reason for what is happening right now.

There is only the unchecked violence of a conqueror who believes in a supreme population of settlers entitled to everything. And that is terrifying. Right now, there is death. There is destruction. Beyond that, there is so much uncertainty. Last Saturday, schools were evacuated. The Israeli army has sealed almost all roads. Some people managed to return home before the closures. Many could not. No one knows when or if the roads will reopen.

This is not an inconvenience. It is a systematic destruction of life. The very apparatus of the Israeli colonial machine.

This is supposed to be a month of spirituality, reflection, and charity. Instead, it is a month of heightened terror and colonial violence. Ramadan—stolen. The life and livelihood of every Palestinian—disrupted. But it is far deeper and far worse than work. It is daily survival itself that remains most uncertain. Palestinians are waiting—here in occupied Palestine and across a region currently engulfed in flames. We are all simply waiting to live our lives. Because everywhere colonial violence exists, there too is the insidiousness of American foreign policy and capitalist interests. People are being killed en masse for this.

The biggest obstacle to overcoming our silent complicity is the quiet convenience of capitalism. It is easier to look away. It is easier to keep scrolling. It is easier to let the machine run. We are asking you to reject that convenience. Hold space for the human impact of all of this. And to our American community especially: please escalate your efforts. Organize. Strike. Boycott. Use your economic power. Use your voice. The world will not change unless you demand it.

Colonial violence anywhere is threat everywhere. The bombs are falling all across the region, the violence is escalating, and the world is watching. The collective work to stop this remains more urgent perhaps than ever before. We hope you’re ready to act.

In Resistance,

The Handmade Palestine team