From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality. The following article was published by Nada Elia in Mondoweiss on June 4, 2020
“When the video of police officer Derek Chauvin choking George Floyd to death first circulated, Palestinians were quick to notice the similarities between law enforcement violence in the US and Palestine. Many seized the opportunity to denounce the training of US law enforcement officers in Israel, so as to foreground Israeli violence. References to the “Deadly Exchange” campaign, which seeks to expose and end the training of US police forces in Israel, popped up on many social media feeds, detracting from the present horror, the here and now of George Floyd’s murder.
This is not OK. Genuine solidarity cannot be self-serving. This moment is not about the oppression of Palestinians, and the racism of the Israeli military and police forces. This is the time when we must reach out to the African American communities devastated by US police violence, offering them the support they need and are asking for. Furthermore, it is absolutely offensive to suggest that the racist US law enforcement violence is a consequence of US forces training in Israel—as if the US police forces have not always been racist. Indeed, it is worth emphasizing that the training of US police forces in Israel did not start until 2002, shortly after the 9/11, 2001 terrorist attacks.”
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.
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