This is one of six blogs highlighting themes in activism and backlash in May and June 2021.

Recent developments demonstrate that the pro-Israel narrative is losing support in many sectors in society. Around the world, #BlockTheBoat protests have stood in solidarity with Palestinian workers.

Labor unions, tech workers, and celebrities have also taken action in support of Palestinian freedom. A recent survey of American Jews found that one quarter regard Israel as an apartheid state.

Block the Boat protesters in Seattle prevented an Israeli-owned cargo ship from unloading for 11 days before being a violent crackdown by police ended the blockade. (Credit: Kshama Sawant / Twitter)

Labor Solidarity

Block the Boat Violently Disbanded

The Palestinian feminist collective Falastiniyat and other organizers in Seattle delayed Israeli-operated cargo ship Zim San Diego from docking at the city’s port for nearly two weeks, organizing a #BlockTheBoat solidarity picket line that ILWU 19 workers refused to cross to unload the ship.

The ship was only offloaded after a violent police crackdown and the arrest of 11 protestors. Guy Oron, a freelance journalist in Seattle reporting on the crackdown, was slandered by an online newspaper, which questioned his Jewish and Israeli background and falsely accused him of misreporting the solidarity actions.

Teachers Unions Take On Palestinian Rights

Labor unions—particularly teachers' unions—have also taken action in support of Palestinians. In May, United Educators of San Francisco became the first teachers’ union in the United States to support the movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) the state of Israel, passing a resolution that also called for an end to the bombardment of Gaza, displacement in Sheikh Jarrah and U.S. aid to Israel.

Efforts to derail the resolution failed, including an alternative resolution that tried to shift the focus to “families in San Francisco who are worried for the safety and security of their friends and relatives in the region” and removed references to BDS.

Also in May, chapter chairs of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the nation’s second largest teachers’ union, voted in favor of a resolution supporting BDS and calling for an end to forced displacement of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, the bombing of Gaza, and all U.S. aid to Israel.

The resolution will be raised for a full vote at the September meeting of the UTLA House of Representatives. The resolution was supported by a diverse range of LA teachers, but Soni Lloyd, a Black teacher at Venice High School, was singled out for attack in right-wing publications intimidated by the show of solidarity.

The Seattle teacher’s union endorsed BDS and called to end exchanges between U.S. police and the Israeli military by a 90% margin. The statewide teacher’s union in Vermont also endorsed boycotts for Palestinian freedom.

Big Tech Speaks Up

Big Tech workers took unprecedented action to demand that Google, Apple, and Amazon honor Palestinian rights.

Employees at all three companies issued letters to their management in the midst of Israel’s attacks.

The Google letter, drafted by Jewish employees, called for “direct recognition of the harm done to Palestinians by Israeli military and gang violence,” the protection of anti-Zionist speech and rejection of “any definition of antisemitism that holds that criticism of Israel or Zionism is antisemitic,” and “the termination of contracts with institutions that support Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, such as the Israeli Defense Forces."

The Apple letter, drafted by members of the Apple Muslim Association, asked the company to acknowledge that “millions of Palestinian people currently suffer under an illegal occupation” and to refrain from using language that obscures the power asymmetry between an occupying military power and an occupied people such as “conflict" or “clash.”

The Amazon letter echoed similar demands around protecting freedom and speech and not conflating anti-Zionism and antisemitism, acknowledging Palestinian suffering and providing relief funds, and severing contracts with the Israeli military and other entities that violate international law. “As Amazonians, we believe it is our moral responsibility to stand in solidarity with and speak out on behalf of the millions of Palestinians who, for decades, have not only been dispossessed of their voices and victimhood, but, in essence, their humanity,” the statement said.

The Intercept published a breaking story in may about guidelines Facebook has been employing since 2019 to moderate posts about “Zionists” as hate speech. — *The Intercept* published a breaking story in may about guidelines Facebook has been employing since 2019 to moderate posts about “Zionists” as hate speech.

Social Media Censorship Continued

And as 7amleh and Access Now documented, hundreds of people around the world experienced censorship by social media companies including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Incidents included blanket removal of content about ethnic cleansing in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, removing archived content from Instagram stories, account suspensions and shadow bans.

Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd, whose on the ground reporting was followed by hundreds of thousands of people around the world, reported in June that for months every video or picture showing Israeli military brutality had been censored or completely removed from his Instagram account.

Celebrities Speak Out Despite the Backlash

Celebrities seemed more unabashed in calling out Israel’s military and colonial violence.

Singers including Dua Lipa, The Weeknd and Chance the Rapper, and actors including Viola Davis, Indya Moore and Michael B Jordan all posted or shared social media messages condemning Israel’s violence and supporting Palestinian rights.

Palestinian-American supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid faced particularly strong attacks. Israel used its official Twitter account to outrageously target Bella for attending a protest in Brooklyn alongside her Palestinian community.

And a right-wing Zionist group attacked the Hadids and Dua Lipa in a full page ad in the New York Times.

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Dua Lipa responded on social media: “I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations...This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination. I take this stance because I believe that everyone — Jews, Muslims, and Christians — have the right to live in peace as equal citizens of a state they choose.”

Palestine Legal will continue to monitor, track, and respond to incidents of repression. Contact us if you would like to report on these issues, request legal and advocacy assistance, or document incidents of suppression.

A Significant Uptick in Backlash

As people of conscience around the world reacted to Israel’s intensified military and colonial violence against Palestinians this spring, voices rang out from new corners in support of the Palestinian uprising.

In response, Palestine Legal witnessed a significant uptick in the amount and severity of backlash against Palestine advocates by Israel and its allies in the U.S.

Click through to explore the following themes in activism and backlash we witnessed between May and June 2021:

News & Updates

Palestine Legal Publishes Report on Trends in Palestine Advocacy and Backlash in 2021

This week, Palestine Legal published our 2021 Year-in-Review documenting trends in backlash facing the movement for Palestinian rights in the U.S. and the movement’s resilience against them. As people rose up in solidarity with Palestinians, Palestine Legal witnessed an intensification of repression strategies by Israel and its allies in the United States as they attempted to thwart a shift in public opinion in favor of Palestinian rights.

Palestine Protests: Palestine Is Still An Exception—Especially At Universities

Individuals, administrators, and organizations who had put out strong statements of support for Black and Asian lives and against state violence and racism in a domestic context suddenly came under fire for applying a similar logic to Palestinian rights and freedom.

Palestine Protests: Attempts To Get Palestine Advocates Fired

Some complaints about messages of support for Palestinian freedom focused on getting workers or students fired from their jobs or expelled from school. Most of these efforts failed, but still caused harm to those impacted, and have a chilling impact on speech in support of Palestinians.

Palestine Protests: Medical Workers & Students Targeted For Attacks

Doctors, medical students and workers all faced attacks for Palestine advocacy, including pressure not to speak out, the removal of a piece on Palestinian health from a well-known scientific magazine, and a campaign to remove a Palestinian doctor from her post at a hospital.

Palestine Protests: Graduation Ceremonies Censor Palestinian Students

Palestinian students wishing to honor and celebrate their heritage were censored, threatened, or otherwise targeted by their administrations at both high school and college graduation ceremonies.

Palestine Protests: Weaponized Accusations of Antisemitism Distract from Palestinian Rights

Widespread media reports of a rise in antisemitism as protests for Palestinian rights peaked in May relied on often false, misleading, decontextualized, and distorted information. The narratives were largely based on data from the ADL and other Israel advocacy groups, whose methodology has been called out as politically biased.

Palestine Protests: Solidarity Actions Signal a Shift Among Unions, Big Tech, Celebs & More

Recent developments demonstrate that the pro-Israel narrative is losing support in many sectors in society. Around the world, #BlockTheBoat protests have stood in solidarity with Palestinian workers. Labor unions, tech workers, and celebrities have also taken action in support of Palestinian freedom.