Linda Sarsour on the Fight for Palestinian Existence

FEATURING LINDA SARSOUR - Israel is continuing to terrorize Palestinians, dropping bombs on a Gaza city hospital on August 16, and continuing its policy of forced starvation.

While news of mass Israeli protests against the war have captured news headlines, what has garnered less attention is a series of leaked recordings showing a former Israeli military intelligence chief praising the genocide as “necessary.” Former Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva was heard on tape saying, “The fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations.” He went on to add that for every Israeli killed on October 7, 2023, “50 Palestinians had to die.”

At the Netroots Nation conference in early August, well-known Palestinian American activist Linda Sarsour spoke about the state of protest against Israel’s on-going genocide in Gaza. 

Sarsour is author of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance. She’s a well-known Palestinian Muslim American, racial justice and civil rights activist, and seasoned community organizer and calls herself "every Islamophobe’s worst nightmare." She spoke with Sonali Kolhatkar at Netroots.

SPECIAL THANKS TO FREE SPEECH TV FOR SPONSORING SONALI'S TRAVEL AND RECORDING THIS INTERVIEW.

ROUGH TRANSCRIPT:

Linda Sarsour: Thank you so much for having me, Sonali. 

Sonali Kolhatkar: So, this is a moment that's nearly two years into the worst chapter of Israel's genocide against Palestinians. This should have been, and should be, the biggest topic of concern at Netroots and anywhere in the nation, and yet in Congress, we can't even get enough members of the house to vote to stop arms sales to Israel. How do you feel about how far, or not far enough, congressional and legislative proposals and policies have come to holding Israel accountable in any way?

Sarsour: Unfortunately, we haven't come far enough, but I also don't wanna take away the power of movement and the power of individuals who have been sitting at members of Congress's offices. They've been showing up to local districts, but also going to Washington, DC and calling their members of Congress.

I think a lot of members have told me that they've never, in history of being in office, have ever received this many calls that are in support of, in solidarity with the Palestinian people.