VO 1: THIS IS NOT AN OPINION PIECE, THIS IS A RECOUNT OF SOMEONE’S OPINIONS AND THE EVENTS HAPPENING OVERSEAS. THIS IS A WAY TO ALLOW OTHERS TO SHARE THEIR STORY WITH THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON THROUGH YOU ARE HERE. I AM NOT HERE TO BE THEIR VOICE BUT TO PROJECT THEIR VOICE FROM A PLATFORM SO OTHERS MAY HEAR IT.

VO 2: ACCORDING TO REUTERS, ONE OF THE LARGEST NEWS AGENCIES IN THE WORLD, THE ORIGIN OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR IS ROOTED IN ISRAELI DEMANDS FOR SECURITY IN WHAT HAS BEEN LONG REGARDED AS A HOSTILE MIDDLE EAST AGAINST PALESTINIAN ASPIRATIONS FOR A STATE OF THEIR OWN. IN 1947, THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGREED ON A PLAN TO PARTITION PALESTINE INTO ARAB AND JEWISH STATES. THIS WAS FOR THE SAKE OF INTERNATIONAL RULE OVER JERUSALEM. JEWISH LEADERS ACCEPTED THE PLAN GIVING THEM 56 PERCENT OF PALESTINE'S LAND. THE ARAB LEAGUE REJECTED THE PROPOSAL.

VO 3: DAVID BEN-GURION, THE PRIMARY NATIONAL FOUNDER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND THE STATE’S FIRST PRIME MINISTER, MADE THE MODERN STATE OF ISRAEL ON MAY 14, 1948. A DAY AFTER ISRAEL WAS CREATED, TROOPS FROM FIVE ARAB STATES ATTACKED. 700,000 PALESTINIANS, HALF THE ARAB POPULATION, FLED THEIR HOMES OR WERE DRIVEN OUT. IT WAS KNOWN BY PALESTINIANS AS THE ‘NAKBA’, OR CATASTROPHE. THE FIGHTING STOPPED IN 1949 BUT THERE WAS NO FORMAL PEACE.

VO 4: THE MASSACHUSETTS PEACE ACTION IS A STATEWIDE AFFILIATE THAT BEGAN IN THE 1980S AS MASSACHUSETTS FREEZE, AN AFFILIATE OF THE NATIONWIDE NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREEZE CAMPAIGN. SINCE THEN, THE ORGANIZATION HAS NOT ONLY CONTINUED ITS DISARMAMENT WORK BUT HAS ALSO EXPANDED ITS FOCUS TO ACHIEVE AN END TO UNITED STATES WARS, INTERVENTIONS, OCCUPATIONS, AND SANCTIONS.

VO 5: IN 2023, MASSACHUSETTS PEACE ACTION RECOGNIZED THREE CAMPAIGNS AS THEIR UTMOST CONCERNS– UKRAINE: A TIME FOR PEACE, WARNING OF THE TWIN EXISTENTIAL THREATS OF NUCLEAR WAR AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AND FUND THE PEOPLE, NOT THE PENTAGON. IN OCTOBER OF 2023, IT ADDED THE GAZA-ISRAEL PEACE CAMPAIGN.

VO 6: ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, AT THE FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS PEACE ACTION HELPED HOLD AN EVENT CALLED ART AND ACTIVISM FOR PALESTINE. IT WAS LABELED AS A WORKSHOP MEANT TO UTILIZE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND RESISTANCE THAT WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN SUPPORT OF A FREE AND LIBERATED PALESTINE.

VO 7: AT THE EVENT, ATTENDEES CREATED LINO STAMPS THAT COULD BE TAKEN HOME AND USED ON DIFFERENT ARTISTIC MEDIUMS AS WELL AS EVERYDAY MEDIUMS, LIKE SHIRTS, BAGS, AND POSTCARDS. ALL SUPPLIES WERE ALREADY PROVIDED FOR THOSE WHO CAME.

VO 8: JEAN, AN ATTENDEE OF THE EVENT, WAS CREATING THEIR OWN LINO STAMP TO HELP SHOW AWARENESS FOR THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

SOT 1: I THINK WITH THE ONGOING GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE, AND HOW DO YOU WHAT, WHAT ARE THE ACTIONS THAT YOU TAKE TO KIND OF SHOW AWARENESS. SO I FELT LIKE THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND DO SOMETHING. I THINK IT’S ALSO LIKE AN OUTLET. YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT YOU’RE FEELING ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

VO 9: JEAN DECIDED TO ATTEND TO HELP ADD TO THE VOICES ADVOCATING FOR PALESTINE AND NOTED HOW THEIR REALITY HAS SHIFTED SINCE THE CONFLICT BEGAN.

SOT 2: I MEAN, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S JUST A VERY CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT TIME. I FEEL LIKE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE SAYING SOMETHING. SO IT'S, IT'S IT'S IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE LIKE CERTAIN POCKETS OF MY FRIENDS, LIKE, VERY CONSCIOUS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THE OTHER GROUPS. IT'S LIKE, THERE'S LIKE NOTHING LIKE NO OUTREACH. SO IT'S LIKE VERY, OKAY. IT SEEMS LIKE, LIKE ALMOST LIKE LIVING IN TWO DIFFERENT REALITIES.

SOT 3: YEAH. BUT AS I THINK WE WERE ALL GLOBAL CITIZENS, AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET THE BOSS'S ACTIVITIES ENGAGED AND YOU CAN BE SILENT AND AGAINST IT.

VO 10: JEAN ALSO BELIEVED THAT ART AND ACTIVISM FOR PALESTINE WERE EDUCATIONAL IN HOW THEY ADVOCATED FOR INCREASED AWARENESS THROUGH THE ARTS.

SOT 4: I THINK SO I THINK IT'S ALSO LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAT LIKE UNDER, LIKE, KNOW AND ARE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? LIKE, I DON'T THINK LIKE, ESPECIALLY IN BOSTON, I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN AND LIKE OTHER POCKETS OF THE WORLD AND THE US HAVE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, MORE SORT OF PUBLIC PROTESTS. SO I THINK IT'S ALSO THE BOSTON CAMBRIDGE AREA THAT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON?

VO 11: DESPITE THIS EFFORT FOR HEIGHTENED AWARENESS, JEAN NOTED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS ADVOCATED FOR PALESTINE VERSUS OTHER CONFLICTS THAT THE UNITED STATES IS INVOLVED IN.

SOT 5: I MEAN, LIKE YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE PUBLIC HEALTH WE SELL FOR UKRAINE VERSUS PALESTINE. STARK CONTRAST TODAY, LIKE PEOPLE PUTTING FLAGS IN THEIR WINDOWS, BUT LIKE, THERE'S LIKE NOT LIKE, THERE'S NOT THAT SAME LEVEL.

VO 12: FOR YOU ARE HERE, I’M BIRDI DIEHL.