Anti-Israeli activists establish freedom camp

A group of more than 300 Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, and internationals have joined with the families of Sarura to build the Sumud: Freedom Camp.

The camp is located on land belonging to the village of Sarura, whose inhabitants were expelled by Israeli forces between 1980 – 1998.

Through their nonviolent and unarmed act of co-resistance to the Israeli occupation, the coalition is calling for the return of Sarura Village to the homes from which they were forced out, an end to the systematic displacement of Palestinians, and a future of freedom, dignity, and equality for all.

Saturday, 300 people arrived and began working to restore the village: creating welcome signs, cleaning fields, building terraces, transferring construction materials, cleared and lined the road, building a shaded area for meetings and trainings, and clearing caves for restoration.

Contrasting with President Trump’s visit to the region next week and the many failures at the political level, Sumud: Freedom Camp demonstrates the power of grassroots leadership to create nonviolent resistance to discrimination, inequality, and occupation and build a future in which the civil and human rights of all people are recognized unequivocally.

Camp organizers represent a historic coalition comprised of members of the Popular Committee of the South Hebron Hills, Youth Against Settlements, Holy Land Trust, Combatants for Peace, All That’s Left: Anti-Occupation Collective, and the Center for Jewish Nonviolence.