Teachers and School Staff for Palestine would like to make it clear that we are:

Pro-human Rights
Anti-terrorist
Against Antisemitism

Pro-Human Rights

We believe in upholding human rights for everyone, not a select few – as is outlined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We believe everyone on Earth has the right to safety, essentials for life and the ability to thrive and be free. We believe in the liberation of all people from systems of oppression and violence. We uphold the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, as well as the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Anti-terrorist

Let us be very clear: we are against terrorism. We are also against resistance to oppression and apartheid being labelled ‘terrorism.’ There is no legal or scientific definition consensus of terrorism; we go by the definition of terrorism as follows: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Under International Law, Israel is an unlawful occupation, perpetrating violence, intimidation, and restriction or outright denial of essentials for life to the Palestinian people. We therefore believe that Israel is a terrorist state, and that any and all forms of resistance against that oppression – as outlined by the ICJ – is not terrorism. It is resistance to oppression and is legal under International Law.

Against Antisemitism

First and foremost, we are anti-Zionist. This does not directly or indirectly translate to being antisemitic. We denounce any hatred or bigotry aimed at Jewish people as a religious group. Jewish people, however, are not of a specific land or ethnicity; they are of a specific religion. A religion is not limited to living in or belonging to one region. It is a belief system one is born into or adopts. Arab people are Semites - a term invented by a German historian - linked through language, culture, and ancestry. Therefore, anything said or done against Arab people is, by definition, antisemitism. Further to this, no religious text can claim to be a legitimate real estate document which guarantees claims to a land through heinous acts of violence and displacement. The term ‘antisemitism’ has been hijacked and weaponised. Antisemitism and antizionism have been falsely conflated so that any criticism of Zionism is being labelled antisemitism, and criticisms can be silenced. Some Zionists are Christian, others are atheists. When we criticise Zionism, we are not criticising Judaism. Judaism is a religion and should be respected as such; Zionism is a settler colonial project created by an atheist and rooted in violence, oppression and apartheid and must be dismantled so Palestine can be free.

Nothing can justify genocide.

No one is free until we are all free.

All children are our children.

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