About 60 people came out to learn more about the plight of Palestine at the screening of Palestinians Don’t Need Sidewalks in Bathurst on April 5.
The event was hosted by Central West NSW for Palestine, a group that supports Palestinians’ fight for self-determination and justice.
The new documentary by Dare to Struggle Films gave powerful and harrowing insights into the genocide unfolding in Palestine, now for more than 70 years. It chronicles Palestinian resistance to Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank long before the October 2023 uprising by Hamas.
It highlights ongoing apartheid and oppression, including the well-documented practice of Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian families’ homes and Israeli soldiers persecuting and killing Palestinian children.
The also examines Labor’s complicity in Israel’s occupation and its ties to arms manufacturing industries.
In the question-and-answer session, Shadiya Sakkouri, a Palestinian activist and acting president of Mountains for Palestine, and Ronit Lentin, a Palestinian-born Jewish anti-Zionist writer, gave insights into the long history of the Palestinian struggle. Former NSW Greens senator Lee Rhiannon, who appeared in the film, was also part of the panel.
While all candidates for the federal seat of Calare were invited, only Ben Parker from the Greens and Independent candidate Kate Hook took part.
Homemade baked goods and crafts raised more than $750 for the Human Rights Defenders coalition of Hebron and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society.
A Kites for Gaza event was organised at Learmonth Park in Bathurst the next morning to honour the children and families of Palestine. Kites for Gaza has become a global movement to remember and celebrate the lives of all children.
[To get involved in Central West NSW for Palestine, message the Facebook page or Instagram.]