On October 18, the Korean Council participated in the nationwide action condemning two years since Israel’s genocide in Gaza, held under the slogan “We Are All Palestine.” Two years have passed since October 7, 2023, when Israel escalated its illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip into full-scale genocide against the Palestinian people. Over the past two years, tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them children, have been killed, and Gaza’s land, infrastructure, and all forms of life have been systematically destroyed by Israel.
The Korean Council participated in the action as a member organization of the Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society in Solidarity with Palestine, strongly condemning Israel’s genocide, wartime sexual violence, and other war crimes. While the scale and intensity of the violence have escalated since 2023, Israel’s occupation, violence, and massacres have, in fact, continued for decades.
In solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Korean Council has supported a Palestinian women’s trauma healing center through the Butterfly Fund since 2021, two years prior to the latest escalation. Through this support, the Korean Council stands with Palestinian women who endure multiple layers of oppression under occupation, including systemic violence against women. The Korean Council holds regular monthly meetings with local Palestinian activists to share updates on the situation and to explore meaningful ways to provide solidarity and support through the Butterfly Fund.
Contrary to Israel’s attempts to obscure its genocide by stigmatizing Palestinian society as “misogynistic,” Palestinian women’s rights activists have long been at the forefront of struggles for women’s rights. When activists are blocked at checkpoints and prevented from commuting, they take long detours, cross mountains, and evade soldiers to reach the center. Others carry out mobile workshops for women in camps whose movement has been severely restricted, at times narrowly escaping airstrikes and bombardment.
The Korean Council joined the nationwide action in solidarity with the Palestinian people, to demand an end to genocide, sexual violence, and all forms of violence against women and children, and in remembrance of the survivors who have repeatedly told us, “This must never happen to children again.”
Listening to reports from the event, participants reaffirmed that the initial ceasefire must be only a starting point, and that the struggle must continue toward a complete ceasefire and the full liberation of Palestine. The protest featured powerful statements from Palestinian activists and from Korean civil society organizations on various agendas, condemning Israel’s genocide as well as the complicity and inaction of the Korean government and Korean society. Participants also heard testimony from a Korean activist, Haecho, who had recently been detained at sea and later released. Banghak, an activist from the Korean Council, took part in the final reading of the joint statement.
Following the protest, thousands of participants marched with flags past the U.S. Embassy toward the Israeli Embassy, where a die-in performance was held. Chants were raised in Korean, English, and Arabic, uniting voices in solidarity.
The Korean Council will continue to stand in solidarity until the complete liberation of Palestine is realized and until Israel’s genocide, sexual violence, and all war crimes are fully brought to justice.
On October 18, the Korean Council participated in the nationwide action condemning two years since Israel’s genocide in Gaza, held under the slogan “We Are All Palestine.” Two years have passed since October 7, 2023, when Israel escalated its illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip into full-scale genocide against the Palestinian people. Over the past two years, tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them children, have been killed, and Gaza’s land, infrastructure, and all forms of life have been systematically destroyed by Israel.
The Korean Council participated in the action as a member organization of the Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society in Solidarity with Palestine, strongly condemning Israel’s genocide, wartime sexual violence, and other war crimes. While the scale and intensity of the violence have escalated since 2023, Israel’s occupation, violence, and massacres have, in fact, continued for decades.
In solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Korean Council has supported a Palestinian women’s trauma healing center through the Butterfly Fund since 2021, two years prior to the latest escalation. Through this support, the Korean Council stands with Palestinian women who endure multiple layers of oppression under occupation, including systemic violence against women. The Korean Council holds regular monthly meetings with local Palestinian activists to share updates on the situation and to explore meaningful ways to provide solidarity and support through the Butterfly Fund.
Contrary to Israel’s attempts to obscure its genocide by stigmatizing Palestinian society as “misogynistic,” Palestinian women’s rights activists have long been at the forefront of struggles for women’s rights. When activists are blocked at checkpoints and prevented from commuting, they take long detours, cross mountains, and evade soldiers to reach the center. Others carry out mobile workshops for women in camps whose movement has been severely restricted, at times narrowly escaping airstrikes and bombardment.
The Korean Council joined the nationwide action in solidarity with the Palestinian people, to demand an end to genocide, sexual violence, and all forms of violence against women and children, and in remembrance of the survivors who have repeatedly told us, “This must never happen to children again.”
Listening to reports from the event, participants reaffirmed that the initial ceasefire must be only a starting point, and that the struggle must continue toward a complete ceasefire and the full liberation of Palestine. The protest featured powerful statements from Palestinian activists and from Korean civil society organizations on various agendas, condemning Israel’s genocide as well as the complicity and inaction of the Korean government and Korean society. Participants also heard testimony from a Korean activist, Haecho, who had recently been detained at sea and later released. Banghak, an activist from the Korean Council, took part in the final reading of the joint statement.
The Korean Council will continue to stand in solidarity until the complete liberation of Palestine is realized and until Israel’s genocide, sexual violence, and all war crimes are fully brought to justice.