On International Working Women’s Day, we honor Razan al-Najjar, a 21-year old Palestinian medic who was martyred in Gaza on June 1, 2018 when she was shot in cold blood by an israeli sniper while providing emergency care to wounded protesters taking part in the Great Return March. Allah Yerhama! As long as Palestinians have been struggling for national liberation, Palestinian women have been on the front lines of the intifada while holding up half the sky. Razan embodied this legacy and while we mourn her death, we celebrate her memory, her revolutionary spirit and her service to our people’s struggle up until her last breath.
We also honor 18-year old Palestinian freedom fighter and former political prisoner Ahed Tamimi. After video footage of Ahed slapping an israeli soldier who was trying to forcibly enter her family’s compound went viral in December 2017, Ahed was arrested and imprisoned alongside her mother Nariman for nearly 8 months on trumped up charges. Since Ahed was released from prison last July, she has used her platform to uplift the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners, especially women and girls. As long as Palestinians have been struggling for national liberation, Palestinian women have been on the front lines of the intifada while holding up half the sky. Ahed, Nariman and all of the Tamimi women embody this legacy and today we celebrate their revolutionary spirit and ongoing resistance to the occupation.