A Summon, A Call To One’s Aid
For me, advocacy is an act of love for the Palestinians. It is how I can be with them.
I’ve spent over two decades advocating and serving Palestinian refugees. In many ways, being brokenhearted and disillusioned by their situation and the Palestinians themselves strengthened my commitment to them. Does that seem counter-intuitive? Maybe, but it keeps me honest about my relationships with Palestinians and builds authenticity.
We want to feel good about helping and advocating for people. As a result, we need pristine marginalized groups to feel good about, worthy of our support. For me, advocacy is a commitment to securing the rights of people you see realistically. You are under no illusion of who they are, the good and the bad. You’ve been through the worst together, been wounded, made wrong decisions, misunderstood situations, and are continually confused. Like you, they are people; they deserve the same rights and freedoms, neither better nor worse. Love drives your advocacy.
Our liberation is bound together.
“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” ~Thomas Merton
Originating from Latin, “advocacy” means to summon, call to one’s aid.
You can’t have one without the other: aid and advocacy work together. Addressing the material needs of those you advocate for is critical. This holistic approach to advocacy addresses both their rights and their physical and emotional well-being. We need to learn from and follow the guidance of those we support, while connecting them with the resources available to us. Resources we take for granted. This ensures everyone has an equal and dignified seat at the table.
In my honest opinion, people desire to be involved in something larger than their own lives, something genuine and truthful.
As previously mentioned, pure advocacy is an act of love for me. My advocacy for Palestinians must not be driven by hatred, especially antisemitism. In reality, antisemitism is incompatible with Palestinian liberation.
On June 1st, a man attacked Jewish protestors in Colorado who were calling for the return of the hostages. My heart sank when I saw the news. It is beyond my comprehension that you would harm others while supporting another group. People were badly burned. The impact extended beyond the Jewish protestors; it stirred global pain by bringing back the trauma of past oppression of Jewish communities.
It also inflicted damage on Palestinians. It shifted attention away from the genocide and those who are perpetrating the killing of innocent men, women, and children. The hard truth is Jews have suffered atrocities for centuries and antisemitism is prevalent right now. It is also true that Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in The West Bank, and denying the right of return to Palestinian refugees living in exile.
Denying Palestinian human rights invalidates any advocacy you do for the Jewish community. Wishing harm on Jewish people is not a path to Palestinian liberation. I’ve seen this repeatedly. To be an advocate, you needn’t hate the opposing side or the oppressor. An advocate does demand accountability for past injustices and a pursuit of justice for those wronged. This is messy and tough work; it requires you to examine your own prejudices. While you commit to standing with them, no matter what the cost is to you. And there will be cost to you personally.
What price are you willing to pay for someone else?
Hate cannot sustain a movement long-term. Advocacy is a loving fight born from recognizing ourselves in others and yearning for collective liberation.
You can’t advocate for freedom and rights for some while denying them to others.
That’s not what love is.
That is not liberation for any of us.
A chapter titled “Advocacy And The Underbelly” in my memoir (still being written) is excerpted in this blog.