Bystanders No More

@bystandersnomore

We offer empowering education and actionable guidance for those ready - or nearly ready - to take a public stand for Palestinian human rights. As more bystanders speak up, governments will be forced to listen.

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Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· 19d

Avi Shlaim’s call for Burnham to name genocide & ban arms aligns perfectly with CAABU/BPP’s 5 pledges. Naming the crime is the moral imperative; banning trade/settlements & ending protest bans are the legal mechanisms. Time for substantive action, not just tonal shifts. #BanSettlementTrade

Ban trade with illegal settlements: Prohibit all UK trade of goods and services with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including making it a criminal offense for British nationals to purchase property there.
Enforce international law: Hold Israel accountable by enforcing existing international legal rulings, including those from the ICJ and ICC.
Ensure unrestricted humanitarian access: Guarantee unfettered access for UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to provide aid and support reconstruction in Gaza and the West Bank.
Open occupied territories to scrutiny: Require Israel to open Gaza and the West Bank to journalists, politicians, and independent investigators, ensuring their safety under the Geneva Conventions.
End unlawful occupations: Work with allies to bring an end to all unlawful Israeli occupations in the Middle East, including in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestinian territory.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jun 8

Desmond Tutu's daughter, Revd Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth: "So why aren't our govts publicly supporting The Elders' call for Marwan Barghouti’s release? We call on international governments to do so now. Not as an act of charity. As proof that their support for a negotiated solution means something."

My father, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, wept when he visited Palestine. He never let an opportunity to speak up for its people go by. In 2013, standing in Nelson Mandela's former cell on Robben Island, he launched the campaign for Marwan Barghouti's release. I am writing today to say that call is more urgent than ever.

The Elders -- established by Nelson Mandela, of which my father was founding Chair -- called last October for Barghouti's immediate release as a necessary step toward a negotiated peace and condemned what they describe as his torture. The Inter-Parliamentary Union found that the 2004 trial which convicted him contained numerous breaches of due process and international law. And this month, on the 24th anniversary of his imprisonment, his lawyer reported three violent assaults by Israeli security forces in under a month -- guards setting a dog on him in his cell, a beating during prison transfer, and a severe assault at Ganot Prison on 8 April that left him bleeding for more than two hours with medical treatment denied. His lawyer described this as "a clear pattern of escalating abuse" placing him at immediate risk.

My father used to say: if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank -- including the ongoing genocide and illegal military occupation -- is beyond anything he witnessed in apartheid South Africa. Western governments all say they want a negotiated solution. Some underwrite the need for a solution to meet applicable parameters of international law. Marwan Barghouti is a key Palestinian leader who has demonstrated a consistent commitment to peace and commands respect across Palestinian political life. Keeping him imprisoned and isolated serves one purpose: it allows Israel to claim there is no Palestinian partner for peace. His detention does not reflect the failure of negotiations. It prevents negotiations.

So why aren't our governments publicly supporting…

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· May 6

An important statement by hundreds of former EU ambassadors & senior officials about the E1 annexation by Israel.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Apr 12

Why is Netanyahu's strong support for Orban ignored by otherwise well informed commentators? Will a change in leadership in Hungary affect the knee jerk pro Israeli policy or will that continue even with a new government?

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Apr 11

Among Democrats, Palestinian sympathy now leads Israeli sympathy 65% to 17%. Overall, Israeli sympathy fell behind Palestinian sympathy for the first time since Gallup started tracking in 2001. The base didn't just shift. It pulled the leadership with it. That's how permission structures collapse.

Gallup’s February 2026 poll: 41% of U.S. adults sympathized more with Palestinians, 36% with Israelis, and 23% with neither/no opinion; Gallup also says this is the first time since tracking began in 2001 that Palestinians have led overall sympathy.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Apr 11

In Aug 2025 J Street's president wrote he'd been "persuaded" that international courts will one day find Israel broke the genocide convention. The head of a pro-Israel organisation. In writing. On his Substack. Once you're there, defending weapons transfers - even defensive ones - becomes untenable

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Apr 11

J Street's spokesperson: "Israel is capable of paying for its own military equipment, including supplies for its missile defense systems." Reported by Jewish Insider - impossible to dismiss as hostile framing. This isn't vindication. It's a data point about where institutional pressure is landing.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Mar 13

Exactly this. And Gaza and Iran show what oligarchic foreign policy capture actually looks like. @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com's Crossing The Red Line documents how Biden paved the way for Trump's darker path — 150+ interviews. Essential if you think the problem started in January 2025.

The U.S. is helping Israel bomb multiple countries. Millions of civilians are living in terror and chaos; many have been killed, including hundreds of children, as war spreads regionally. And a change in Washington’s policy is deeply unlikely, despite signs of war crimes, little strategic gain, and global backlash.

Written in 2026, under President Donald Trump, that paragraph could have been published in 2023 or 2024 under President Joe Biden. The roots of today’s crisis run back decades, but many of the decisions and patterns that now shape U.S. policy toward Israel were made in one key period: in the Biden era, during the war following October 7, 2023.

CROSSING THE RED LINE, the book I have been working on for more than two years, documents the Biden administration’s failures in Gaza and beyond. I conducted more than 150 interviews to detail why the U.S. enabled unimaginable violence against Palestinians and Lebanese, and ignored off-ramps toward peace – with Biden drawing a red line, yet still rushing weapons to Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu crossed it. He sent Israel a message of impunity and sent Americans a message of disdain and incompetence, helping Trump win back power.

Writing CROSSING THE RED LINE has been wrenching and often overwhelming, but it’s been ultimately clarifying to develop a historical record and context for today. Today, I’m thrilled to share that the book is available for pre-order: https://lnkd.in/eYS2SBDW

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Feb 20

Who cares about international law? We should! Listen to ex State Department official Josh Paul m.youtube.com/watch?v=uCwh...

We rely on international law in a lot more ways than we realize. When we think about international aviation, international patent law, contract law. There is very clearly an effort to pull down those frameworks.

So, while so far the people who are suffering from this most are the Palestinians and people in foreign countries around the world, once you start pulling away the thread and the basis for all of these international agreements that shape and guide our world, you will eventually see those impacts everywhere else throughout the system, and we will be impacted.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Feb 17

x.com/DalrympleWil...

I've just been chatting with Nick Cullinan, the excellent new director of the British Museum, and I'm very relieved to say that the story put by the Daily Telegraph about the BM cancelling the name Palestine is a complete misrepresentation of the facts:

"To reassure you we are not removing mention from Palestine from our labels," Nick told me. "Indeed, we have a display on at the moment about Palestine and Gaza.

"I know this is something our curators have thought long and hard about - as you can imagine. We amended two panels in our ancient Levant gallery last year during a regular gallery refresh, when some wording was amended to reflect historical terms.

"To be honest, the even more frustrating and concerning thing is that I knew nothing about this until yesterday and has only been explained to me this morning. I hadn’t even seen that [UK Lawyers for Israel] letter despite asking for it until this morning. I’m disgusted by the whole thing."

The question remains why the Daily Telegraph would put out such a mischief-making story without first fact checking it with the Directors office.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Feb 12

At least cartoonists aren't self censoring

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jan 26

@msf.ca @msfespana.bsky.social Are you really going to hand over staff data to a a regime that has actively targeted healthcare professionals?

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jan 25

This well known anti Israel extremist seems to agree

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jan 24

Watching Dutch pension giant ABP squirm over Palantir divestment demands. Their members organising. Their lawyers flagging ICJ exposure. Their risk teams running scenarios. Sometimes pressure from below meets risk assessment from within. That's when things move.

🔉Call on your bank, insurer or pension fund Step 👉🏼 out of companies like Palantir!

Follow the Money reported on Wednesday about the fact that ABP is investing hundreds of millions in the controversial American tech company Palantir. As described in our Don't Buy Into Occupation report, Palantir has been supplying AI software to the Israeli army since 2014, which uses this software as part of a surveillance system in which Palestinians can be constantly monitored. The software would also be used for target selection in the Israeli bombing of Gaza.

The collaboration between the Israeli army and the company has only scaled up further since October 2023. By continuing to invest in a company like Palantir, ABP runs a high risk of contributing to ongoing, serious human rights violations.

Our report also shows that, in addition to ABP, a large number of other Dutch financial institutions invest in Palantir, as well as in other companies whose products or services contribute to the Israeli occupation, apartheid and/or genocide.

Link to the report: https://lnkd.in/eufYfJrt

✊🏼 What can you do? Call on your bank, insurer or pension fund to take action and get out of these types of companies, for example by sending a complaint to eerlijkegeldwijzer.nl

🔉Roep jouw bank, verzekeraar of pensioenfonds op 👉🏼 Stap uit bedrijven als Palantir!

Follow the Money berichtte woensdag over het feit dat ABP honderden miljoenen investeert in het omstreden Amerikaanse techbedrijf Palantir. Zoals ook in ons Don’t Buy Into Occupation rapport beschreven staat, levert Palantir al sinds 2014 AI-software aan het Israëlische leger, die deze software inzet als onderdeel van een surveillance-systeem waarin Palestijnen voortdurend in de gaten gehouden kunnen worden. Ook zou de software worden ingezet voor doelwitselectie bij de Israëlische bombardementen op Gaza.

De samenwerking tussen het Israëlische leger en het bedrijf is sinds oktober 2023 alleen maar verder opgeschaald. Door in een bedrijf als Palantir te blijven investeren, loopt ABP een hoog risico zelf bij te dragen aan voortgaande, ernstige mensenrechtenschendingen.

Uit ons rapport blijkt ook dat, naast ABP, een heel aantal andere Nederlandse financiële instellingen in Palantir investeren, alsook in andere bedrijven wiens producten of diensten bijdragen aan de Israëlische bezetting, apartheid en/of genocide.

Link naar het rapport: https://lnkd.in/eufYfJrt

✊🏼 Wat kan jij doen? Roep jouw bank, verzekeraar of pensioenfonds op om actie te ondernemen en uit dit soort bedrijven te stappen, bijvoorbeeld door een klacht te sturen op eerlijkegeldwijzer.nl

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jan 21

"...we knew that international law applied with varying rigor, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim" Does this include Israel & Palestinians or is that sign still up in Canada?

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jan 17

From Nicola Perugini about Italy & the IHRA

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 22

Politicians have concluded they can safely ignore progressive activists given a very vocal pro-Israel lobby, a third fully disengaged, and half the public probably opposing Israel's Gaza actions in private but inactive politically.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 12

No one can make you watch Eurovision 2026! If you are frightened about talking about it, boycott it privately. A majority of Britons think Israel should be excluded. Netherlands, Sweden & France also appear to have majorities favoring exclusion. A majority of Germans support Israel's inclusion.

• 82% of British people believe Israel should be excluded from Eurovision 2026

• 69% believe the UK should withdraw from the contest if Israel is allowed to participate

• 75% say banning Russia but not Israel is inconsistent

Poll commissioned by Pablo O'Hana, nationally representative sample of 1,093 respondents. Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/70-percent-britons-say-uk-should-boycott-eurovision-over-israels-involvement

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Nov 17

Thank you @somoamsterdam.bsky.social for highlighting Dutch government complicity. This is invaluable work. What's the current status about export of police dogs to Israel? Is anyone close to Hanan Ashrawi? Please ask her to at least cross post on here x.com/drhananashra...

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Nov 6

Here's the challenge: Realpolitik framing→ fails to mobilise bystanders, esp passive allies→ weak political pressure→ can’t overcome entrenched lobbying power→ good policies don’t happen. 60% of Britons & most Labour voters already support key pro-Palestine policies. Justice framing engages us.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Sep 24

Don't look away. Make something powerful happen. Your not alone. We're here to help you. 👉 Subscribe to our newsletter for simple tools to make a real impact

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jul 31

Is this accurate? If so, what's the fuss about?!

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jul 20

What do Marlene Engelhorn and Rev Mpho Tutu (Archbishop Desmond Tutu's daughter) share? A moral clarity many leaders lack.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Jul 12

The graphic shows EU countries’ stances on Israel/Palestine. Our focus: countries in yellow (the fence sitters) & orange (too big to ignore) — key to building pressure at the July 15 meeting. If you know influencers in these countries, please connect us!

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 18

On December 21, 2023, a group of brave civil servants held their first sit-in outside the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to challenge their government's unwavering support to the Israeli regime. Taking this stand, often in front of supervisors and colleagues, required courage.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 12

Globally, platforms like Wikipedia added "Gaza genocide" to their List of Genocides page, reflecting evolving documentation. Even Israel’s Haaretz, its oldest progressive newspaper, has used "genocide" in analyses discussing international accusations. www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024...

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 12

In the USA, MSNBC’s @chrislhayes.bsky.social aired discussions about the report from @amnesty.org on Israel’s genocidal actions: bsky.app/profile/chri... In November, a powerful Guardian column cited Holocaust scholar Omer Bartov on the term’s applicability.

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Dec 12

Slowly but surely the media is shifting, and the message is clear: we cannot stay silent. Across the globe, journalists are now calling out the atrocities in Gaza for what they are: genocide. Trouw, NRC, de Volkskrant & Nu.nl have all used the "G-word". www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-...

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Nov 29

"But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians." This is what Nelson Mandela said twenty-seven years ago on this day, the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People.

B&W photo of Nelson Mandela with his statement: "But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians..."

Bystanders No More@bystandersnomore· Nov 26

Also inside 🇮🇱 there is a war against the media. On Sunday, Israel’s cabinet voted to sanction @haaretzcom.bsky.social, the nation’s oldest & widely respected newspaper, over its critical war coverage and its publisher's call for sanctions on government officials after the October 7 Hamas attacks.