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On April 8, 2023, a rally titled "Hands Off Al-Aqsa" was held by several pro-Palestinian organizations in New York City. At the rally, footage of which was posted to the Christopher Leon Johnson YouTube channel on April 8, 2023, speakers praised the Palestinian "resistance" and its "martyrs."
American-Palestinian activist Sireen Sawalha, the sister of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Iyad Sawalha, praised her brother, saying he had been a "hero" and a "freedom-fighter". Iyad Sawalha, killed by Israeli security forces in 2002, had been responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in several terrorist attacks, including two bus bombings. Sireen Sawalha led the crowd in the chant: "With our spirit and our blood, we will redeem you, oh Palestine!"
An American activist named "Ruqayya" from Al-Awda NY praised "martyrs" and "heroes" Bassel al-Araj (killed in gunfight with Israeli forces in 2017), Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi (killed by Israeli forces in August 2022), and Iyad Sawalha. She said: "We will continue to applaud the bravery and the resilience of the resistance and freedom fighters." She added that there will never be peace until the Palestinian people have the right to "return to their homes and lands […] in every corner of the land of Palestine from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea." An activist named "Nay" from the Palestinian Youth Movement said: "We proudly uplift our people's resistance and commend their steadfastness […] until every inch of the colonized land is liberated."
The rally was endorsed by several organizations, including NY4Palestine, Palestinian American CC, Within Our Lifetime, Samidoun, CAIR NY, CAIR NJ, ICNA CSJ, Jewish Voices for Peace NYC, Jews for Palestine Right of Return, MAS NY, NNJ DSA BDS & Palestine Sol. WG, and United American Indians of New England.
Sireen Sawalha: "I want you to know Iyad Sawalha from Jenin, this was my brother.
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"I want to condemn the media when they say he was a terrorist – he was a freedom fighter.
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"He was a hero, he lived all his life to see his country free. So, free, free Palestine!"
Crowd: "Free, free Palestine!"
Sireen Sawalha: "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, oh Palestine!"
Crowd: "With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, oh Palestine!"
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Ruqayya: "It is the Palestinian vanguard, which are our freedom fighters and political prisoners, who are the future of a liberated Palestine. This also [includes] our martyrs, who are honored every day. We remember our heroes, Bassel Al-Araj, Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, also Sireen's brother Iyad, and countless others, for their bravery, resistance, and resilience.
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"We will continue to applaud their bravery and the resilience of our resistance and freedom fighters who are on the frontlines, facing the brutal violence committed by the paramilitary colonial forces. While they are resisting in Palestine, we must resist and do our part here.
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"There will never be peace in the region until that injustice is ended, until the Palestinian people have the right to return to their homes and lands and live safe in freedom in every corner of the land of Palestine from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea!"
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Nay: "How much violence are Palestinians expected to endure before their right to resist is acknowledged? Their right to resist – again – by any means necessary. Why are Palestinians expected to take their oppression in silence, and why do some people only speak of Palestinians' oppression, but denounce or stay silent when it comes to their resistance? We are witnessing a shift in the regional orientation to Palestinian resistance. The legacy of the May 2021 uprising has shifted the equation from one isolated Palestinian faction versus the Zionist forces, to multiple unified fronts confronting a broken and internally fragmented entity. Once again, we cannot shout: 'Free Palestine,' and then fall silent when it comes to uplifting resistance and acts of decolonization. We proudly uplift our people's resistance and commend their steadfastness in the face of colonial aggression, until every inch of colonized land is liberated. From the water [of the Jordan River] to the water [of the Mediterranean Sea] Palestine is Arab!"
Crowd: "Palestine is Arab!"
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