Freedom for the Freedom Riders! Write the State Department

On November 15th, a historic group of Palestinian Freedom Riders, inspired by the US Civil Rights movement attempted to board segregated buses serving Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Their attempt to exercise their right to liberty and dignity by disrupting the military regime of the Occupation through peaceful civil disobedience was met with violent arrest. Please write a letter to the State Department demanding an end to Israel's discriminatory restrictions on freedom of movement and allow the next group of Freedom Riders through. This action was coordinated with the Palestinian Freedom Riders and the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.
For background information, click here.

Subject:

Your Letter:

The Freedom Rides of the American Civil Rights Movement are one of the proudest moments in U.S. history. A young, mixed-race group of courageous protesters came together to challenge segregated transit in the U.S. South. 50 years a later, a group of young Palestinians was inspired by their bold example and chose to stand up to segregated transit in the West Bank with nonviolent, civil disobedience.

Like the original protesters, in return for their courageous acts, the Freedom Riders in the West Bank were met by violent arrest. Freedom Riders Fadi Quran, Nadeem Al-Sharbate, Badee' Dwak, Huwaida Arraf, Basel Al-Araj and Mazin Qumsiyeh were arrested and held for hours at the Atarot Prison. All the Freedom Riders did to warrant arrest was to take a bus from one place in the Occupied Territory to another, using public transportation. While Israelis are allowed to come and go as they wish in the Occupied Territory— even to settle in it in contradiction to international law—Palestinians' movement in their own land is severely restricted, even criminalized.

Please do not let U.S. ally Israel get away with behavior that we have rejected in our own history. Call on Israel to ensure the safe passage of all future Freedom Riders, and to end all discriminatory restrictions on freedom of movement in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

Jake Walles

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Paul Sutphin

Director Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs

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