Last week, six courageous Palestinians attempted to defy racism, segregation and apartheid by boarding Jewish settler-only buses in the hopes of reaching Jerusalem, a city off limits to Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the symbolic, media-friendly act — and its debatable relevance to the average Palestinian — begs some important questions. Read more about Are the Freedom Rides a detour for the struggle?
“It’s just because I’m Palestinian” shouts a young woman toward the Israeli soldiers dragging her from a bus that serves Israel’s settler population and travels its segregated roads.
Video shot by Anne Paq with the ActiveStills collective shows activists boarding the bus and Israeli forces asking them in broken Arabic for their travel permits. The soldiers then drag the activists from their seats. Read more about New video shows Israeli forces dragging Palestinian Freedom Riders from settler bus
The Palestinian Freedom Rides will highlight the apartheid laws of Israel which govern the Palestinians, the same laws that Judge Richard Goldstone so readily dismissed in his latest op-ed for the New York Times. Read more about Freedom Rides in the 21st Century