On being Palestinian in Oakland during the war

A poem by the Palestinian American poet Lisa Suhair Majaj, published a number of weeks into Israel’s conflict on Gaza, reads partially “we wake Palestinian, breathe Palestinian, sleep / and dream Palestine, contact Palestine to the foreheads / of our kids, die Palestinian.”

As a tenuous ceasefire was taking maintain in mid-October, The Oaklandside sat down with Lujain Al-Saleh, an Oakland resident with household in Gaza, to search out out what it’s been like as a Palestinian American to witness so intimately the lengthy two years of conflict in Gaza, which the United Nations determined, in September, was a genocide. After we spoke, Israel violated the ceasefire with airstrikes throughout Gaza that killed greater than 100 folks, including at least 46 children, based on the Palestinian Ministry of Well being. One other 253 had been injured within the strikes, together with 20 kids who had been in essential situation at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza Metropolis. Israel mentioned the bombardment was in response to gunfire geared toward some Israeli military vehicles in the West Bank, which killed one soldier; Hamas mentioned it had no connection to the assault.

Al-Saleh has lived within the Bay Space for a decade and in Oakland for six years, a part of an Arab-American neighborhood in California that’s bigger than that of another state. She has studied environmental science and has a grasp’s diploma in public well being; she now works at a statewide environmental justice group known as Communities for a Better Environment, specializing in air pollution in Richmond, particularly from the Chevron refinery. And he or she’s been a member of the Arab Useful resource and Organizing Heart, or AROC, for eight years.

We spoke about what it was like being glued to her household’s WhatsApp group, how she dealt with waking up every single day to photographs of destruction, and the way she was heartened by efforts to arrange for ceasefire resolutions and an arms embargo right here within the Bay Space.

This interview has been edited for size and readability.

Inform me a bit bit about your loved ones. When and why did your loved ones to migrate from Palestine? And the place else does your prolonged household from Palestine dwell?

I’m Palestinian on my father’s facet. My father was born in Gaza, in 1964. My grandfather, my father’s father, was born in Jerusalem earlier than the state of Israel was established in 1948. My grandmother was from Gaza. Finally, they had been displaced and ended up in Jordan, the place my grandfather was in a position to get work — he’s a lawyer — after which ultimately received a job in Saudi Arabia. 

My father principally grew up in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, in between the 2. They had been by no means in a position to acquire Saudi citizenship, and so they weren’t in a position to return to Palestine. Most of my rapid cousins, my uncle’s kids — the youngsters of my father’s brothers — dwell in Kuwait, Dubai, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

After which I’ve my prolonged household who, sadly, I don’t know very properly, who’re both in Gaza or in East Jerusalem. These are my household on my grandmother’s facet. Sadly, I’ve not been in a position to meet my household in Palestine. I’ve by no means been to Palestine myself.

In fact only a few persons are permitted to depart or enter Gaza. Have been there relations in Gaza you or your father or uncle had been in contact with over these previous two years?

My eldest uncle, who lives in Kuwait, was in contact with our household in Gaza and our household within the West Financial institution — he was in direct contact with most of them. I used to be solely in contact with one particular person, my late cousin’s spouse. 

And your cousin and his spouse, the place in Gaza had been they residing earlier than the conflict started?

Most of my prolonged household was in Gaza Metropolis, in central Gaza. That’s the household that comes immediately from my grandmother’s facet of the household.

Carry us again to Oct. 7, 2023. What went by means of your thoughts? What had been you nervous would occur?

I feel, first, I used to be in a state of shock. After which, after popping out of that state of shock, I used to be actually scared about what was going to occur subsequent. I knew, given what I’d seen as a child on the information, that the response was going to be brutal. I didn’t have any doubts about that. I used to be actually scared about what would occur to Gaza since, as , earlier than Oct. 7, Gaza had been repeatedly bombed and underneath siege for 17 years.

So I had this intense concern about what would occur subsequent.

And people fears had been realized in a short time.

My late cousin, Roshdi Al Sarraj, was a journalist. He was a co-founder of a media group known as Ain Media, alongside along with his childhood pal, Yaser Murtaja, who was killed throughout the Great March of Return protests in 2018.

Yaser was killed by a sniper whereas masking the marches. After which my cousin Roshdi’s brother Mahmoud Al Sarraj, who was additionally a journalist, was killed earlier this 12 months whereas masking help aid efforts throughout the interval of first ceasefire settlement. They had been very linked to journalists on the bottom, to artists and writers.

Roshdi was killed on October 22, 2023, on the very starting of the conflict. It’s unimaginable to see all the articles about Roshdi and the work that he did.

What a horrible loss, Lujain. How did the information of Roshdi’s loss of life attain you?

It was in my household WhatsApp group with my uncles, together with my uncle who’s most linked to our household in Gaza. They’d shared an Instagram put up from certainly one of Roshdi’s colleagues, who confirmed that he had been killed.

From my understanding, he had truly simply come again to Gaza. He had been on the best way to Mecca along with his spouse and his daughter, she wasn’t even one 12 months previous but, and so they got here again to Gaza, to their household dwelling. It was the morning, and, from what I’ve learn and talked about with my household, he and his spouse and daughter had been at dwelling consuming breakfast when the airstrike occurred.

Understanding the precision of the Israeli air strikes and the flexibility of the navy to know who they’re concentrating on, I consider it was a focused air strike. I don’t know if it was an F-35, however given the analysis on Israeli airstrikes, it was doubtless an F-35 jet fighter jet. Different relations had been injured and traumatized, however fortuitously nobody else was killed.

What occurred to Roshdi’s spouse and their child daughter after he was killed?

My understanding is that they needed to evacuate instantly, for security.

I don’t know what number of occasions they needed to relocate after that, however I’m positive they needed to a number of occasions, given the fixed bombardment and day by day assaults.

And Roshdi had returned to Gaza so as to cowl the conflict?

I feel so. There’s this quote by him, from per week or so earlier than he died, the place he says, “We received’t depart. We’ll exit Gaza to the heavens, the heavens solely.” 

He was very rooted there and he didn’t wish to abandon his dwelling, his family members, and his neighborhood. My understanding is he additionally would have needed to cowl the conflict. His brother, Mahmoud, was masking it over the previous two years.

Was Mahmoud masking it with the group that Roshdi cofounded, Ain Media?

Mahmoud was a contributor to a number of information retailers, together with Ain Media. He labored with a gaggle of journalists. I feel that it was him, a video editor, two different cameramen, and several other help volunteers. They had been on their option to ship help, and he was among the many journalists masking it. This bloodbath occurred on March 15 of this 12 months, in northern Gaza.

I’m sorry, he was additionally killed?

Sure, Mahmoud was killed on March 15, 2025. This was simply on the finish of the primary ceasefire settlement that started in January. It was basically a gaggle of volunteers working with the UK-based Al Khair Basis and journalists who had been documenting their help efforts. They had been in a van and that van was focused, and everyone was killed. There have been a collection of drone strikes.

He had lived in Gaza Metropolis however he was within the north, in Beit Lahia, when their car was focused.

Lujain, you misplaced two of your cousins! I’m so deeply sorry. I’m attempting to think about what it has been like over these two lengthy years, being glued to this household WhatsApp the place you’ll obtain such horrible information. After which Israel would impose telecom blackouts if you would get no info in any respect.

It’s been actually devastating. Each day there’s a bloodbath in Gaza. There’s this sense that issues are simply occurring as common, simply enterprise as common, right here, when each single day in Gaza there are massacres and whole household lineages are destroyed.

I feel, additionally, I expertise loads of grief. Grieving not understanding my circle of relatives, ? I feel rather a lot about how completely different {our relationships} can be if that they had the flexibility to journey and I had the flexibility to go to Gaza. There may be additionally a lot guilt understanding that my tax {dollars} and the tax {dollars} of my household who dwell in the USA are going towards the genocide of not simply our household, however hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

After which lastly listening to the information in regards to the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport having a direct connection to the genocide. The airport is sending F-35 elements on to the Israeli navy, and we’ve had relations who had been killed by airstrikes the place F-35 fighter jets had been doubtless concerned. I really feel loads of disgust and disgrace understanding that that is what our cash goes to. 

We’re residing in Oakland the place there are such a lot of folks with out properties and locations to go to, the place we see the disinvestment in colleges, and all of this stuff that folks deeply want in Oakland — after which understanding that a lot of our cash goes towards the US navy and towards sending weapons to the Israeli navy.

What was it like to look at the information feeds? Even for these of us who don’t have household there it was overwhelming. Have been you staying up all night time scrolling? Did you simply need to cease generally? 

It was, and it nonetheless continues to be, powerful. As a result of I wish to know what’s occurring every single day. I wish to know as a lot as I can. I wish to know what’s occurring on the bottom. And repeatedly studying in regards to the massacres — massacres not simply in Gaza but additionally within the West Financial institution and the escalation of violence in different nations, too, like Lebanon, Syria, Iran — it turns into so overwhelming. I positively have needed to take breaks over the previous couple of years, only for my very own psychological well being.

On the similar time, there’s loads of disgrace in taking breaks as a result of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Financial institution don’t get a break, they’re consistently being bombarded. So it’s actually been a mixture for me, the place there are some days which can be particularly exhausting and it’s exhausting to look. I feel lots of people really feel this aspect of virtually desensitizing your self if you’re studying about and seeing a lot of this violence — after which, , you’re nonetheless residing your life. Like every little thing is ok, nevertheless it’s not. Nonetheless, as a lot as I can, I attempt to keep up to date every single day. I’ve been carefully following Democracy Now!’s day by day reviews. They’ve been doing a extremely good job of reporting on Palestine over the previous couple of years.

I’d wish to ask about your public well being coaching. Via that lens, what was regarding you most as you watched the conflict unfold, the destruction of sanitation, of housing, of hospitals?

I feel being Palestinian has formed why I studied environmental science and public well being. From each single degree, from the soil to the water to the air, to, as you mentioned, the healthcare infrastructure, every little thing is being destroyed, and destroyed deliberately. Not too long ago, there’s been loads of motion when it comes to environmental justice organizations saying issues about what’s occurring, making robust statements in regards to the genocide.

And on the similar time, loads of US and worldwide public well being and environmental justice organizations really feel like saying one thing in regards to the genocide is by some means political. And so I’ve felt loads of frustration, and I’ve positively felt dissatisfied — particularly in the beginning of the genocide when loads of organizations refused to say something or made statements to workers like, “Hey, we’re not going to speak about this.”

I feel for anybody who cares about public well being and addressing well being disparities or well being justice, they need to care about what’s occurring. It’s an entire disaster on each degree — on a well being degree, on an environmental degree, on a human rights degree. There was loads of motion, and organizations have finally proven their solidarity and help, however I positively noticed a hesitancy.

Have been you and your loved ones at any level attempting to assist get family members out of Gaza or attempting to get cash into Gaza to help them?

Undoubtedly. My household arrange GoFundMe’s for relations to attempt to get them out of Gaza and in addition to assist with meals. However on the finish of the day, so many GoFundMe’s had been shut down and getting the cash on to relations may be very tough. On high of that, flour, fundamental meals provides had been extremely costly. Folks couldn’t afford what they wanted for his or her day by day survival.

And it’s very tough for Palestinians in Gaza to depart. The US suspended visitor visas for folks from Gaza that had been utilized by Palestinians searching for medical help in the USA, and by help organizations serving to to get Palestinian kids right here for medical care, kids who’ve had amputations, who want rapid medical consideration. It has been actually difficult to each get cash in and to get relations out of Gaza.

After which, additionally, within the case of Roshdi, he didn’t wish to depart — he needed to return again. You already know, persons are actually scared and on the similar time they don’t wish to depart their properties as a result of deep down they know that in the event that they depart, they’re doubtless not going to return again, or they received’t have properties to go to — their properties are fully destroyed. It’s a horrible state of affairs both manner. Leaving is extremely painful and staying is, too, so persons are simply caught within the in-between of immense loss and ache.

Let’s flip to what it has been like contained in the Palestinian or broader Arab-American neighborhood in Oakland and the East Bay throughout this era. You talked about your personal household’s GoFundMe, and it did really feel like everybody was racing to boost funds to help folks. What was occurring in your neighborhood?

There’s positively a robust sense of Arab neighborhood and Palestinian neighborhood within the Bay Space, and loads of organizations have mobilized round stopping the genocide. Particularly to start with, there have been weekly mobilizations and folks working with native elected officers to go ceasefire resolutions. Extra not too long ago, there’s been the Alameda County moral funding coverage and divesting from corporations which have a direct tie to the genocide or to human rights violations. There’s been a lot mobilization and in addition strategizing round how can we transcend a ceasefire and implement a full arms embargo to finish Oakland’s complicity in Israel’s conflict crimes and violations of worldwide legislation. We’ve actually grown when it comes to our coalitions and organizing.

I feel it’s necessary that persons are out within the streets, however that may solely accomplish that a lot. You already know, we exit, we mobilize, nothing occurs, nothing adjustments. Folks have gotten actually sick of it. And so we’ve been pushing to transcend that. 

The Palestinian Youth Motion not too long ago performed analysis and located that the Oakland Airport has been sending out these F-35 weapons elements and detailed how the Bay Space is supplying this genocide. We’ve been shifting to how we will implement an arms embargo on an area degree, finally with the objective of increasing that to different cities throughout the USA.

Oakland was one of many very early cities to go a ceasefire decision, again in November 2023. Have been you concerned in that effort?

Yeah, I used to be there and gave public remark. AROC met with Councilmember Carroll Fife and Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas to draft the language across the ceasefire decision. Undoubtedly to start with it was gradual to maneuver ahead. I feel on the time, there was a concern amongst elected officers that this was by some means a controversial difficulty and, on the finish of the day, they’re additionally nervous about reelection.

I work rather a lot with the Richmond Metropolis Council, and Richmond was truly the first city council to go a ceasefire decision. I feel Richmond’s choice influenced Oakland’s motion. Tons of of Oakland residents got here out in help of it.

Finally, the basis of the ceasefire decision was Oakland’s love of life, the love of life and the significance of not simply recognizing Oakland’s historical past of social actions, however actively honoring that. Oakland divested from South Africa throughout apartheid within the Eighties, and the town has an extended legacy of social justice. So actually honoring that historical past by passing the ceasefire decision.

What in regards to the retaliation and the backlash? From very early on, journalists had been being fired for utilizing the time period genocide, lecturers had been dropping their jobs, college students had been being suspended, immigrants had been being detained, all for his or her speech on Gaza. How did that contact your neighborhood right here in Oakland, within the Bay Space?

I do know many individuals who’ve been let go from their jobs for being express about supporting Palestine and being towards the genocide. I even have family and friends mates who’re college college students, a few of whom had been college students throughout the encampments, who had been focused or placed on this web site known as Canary Mission, which is a doxxing web site. I’ve a pal who was suspended from Columbia College for her involvement within the encampment motion, and we’ve seen circumstances like Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained in Louisiana for months for his activism and was not too long ago issued deportation orders — regardless that he has a inexperienced card. We’ve seen the concentrating on of scholars who’re vocal of their help. There was loads of backlash.

There has additionally been loads of help and, I feel, rising help. I don’t assume I’ve ever seen this variety of folks popping out to protest, giving public remark, and doing no matter they will to cease this genocide.

Polling on how Individuals take into consideration Israel and Palestine has really shifted  over the course of the conflict, proper?

Yeah, it has.

Simply utilizing the time period genocide in regards to the conflict on Gaza was a fireable offense in lots of industries. Then, virtually a 12 months in the past, Amnesty Worldwide concludes that Israel’s actions are tantamount to genocide. And now current polling exhibits that 39% of Americans see the war that way. What has it been wish to expertise that dramatic shift?

It has been actually highly effective to see the quantity of people that have realized, who didn’t possibly know a lot about Palestine earlier than, who’ve been popping out to protest, attending metropolis council conferences, and educating their household and mates.

And in Oakland, I really feel like at any time when I am going outdoors I see folks carrying keffiyehs, the Palestinian scarf; I see indicators in folks’s home windows. There’s loads of solidarity, particularly at native companies. Both they’ve a Palestine flag or a Free Palestine signal. In my life, I haven’t seen this quantity of help in every single place. That’s inspiring, too. And studying of all of the nations which were — extra not too long ago — recognizing a Palestinian state. That’s additionally actually big.

Lots of people are actually seeing ties between US-based companies and different worldwide companies, and the way they hook up with their very own communities and Palestine. Particularly with Chevron — Chevron has a large refinery in Richmond and it additionally immediately fuels Israel’s navy. There’s a direct tie to the genocide. Individuals are making these connections and doing every little thing they will to place stress on their native governments to cease investing in these companies.

Carry me again to that second when Amnesty and Human Rights Look ahead to the primary time known as Israel’s conflict on Gaza a genocide. How did you wrap your head round the concept that specialists in worldwide legislation had been saying, Sure, it is a genocide?

It felt like lastly — lastly — there’s a recognition that it is a genocide and folks aren’t moving into semantics or making excuses. 

I felt like, I’m glad that establishments are actually recognizing it as genocide. That was necessary. However on the similar time it’s actually irritating that it’s taken so lengthy for sure nations or organizations or media to acknowledge it as such. It’s necessary that we identify it for what it’s. And but I felt like, Why has it taken so lengthy?

You talked about US weapons shipments earlier. Clearly there have been many months whereas Joe Biden was president when he was speaking about attempting to realize a ceasefire or a decision, however in the meantime he was persevering with to ship weapons to Israel. What was your expertise of that complete extended interval, when the conflict had been declared a genocide and the weapons saved going?

I imply, the dissonance was so irritating. It’s additionally change into actually clear to not simply Palestinians, however I feel to Individuals who see what’s occurring and see it as a genocide, that each events — each the Democratic Celebration and the Republican Celebration — are invested in supporting Israel with weapons and with cash.

There’s this facade of wanting it to cease, eager to be anti-war. That is one thing Donald Trump mentioned, too; he mentioned, I’m the anti-war candidate! And we shortly noticed that’s clearly not the case. 

There may be the energetic prolonging of the genocide, whereas concurrently saying issues like, We care about peace, we care about human life, whereas signing payments that immediately provide Israel with extra weapons. That is extremely contradictory and I feel that it’s change into clear to the lots that each events have been complicit on this genocide, different genocides, and different human rights violations all over the world. Each events have actively provided our navy and different militaries to kill folks. I feel that’s been extra clear than ever for almost all of Individuals.

That’s a robust phrase you used, dissonance. How have you ever lived with that dissonance?

That’s an awesome query. I imply, realizing that our political events should not actually serving us. They’re not listening to us. And, on condition that, we’ve to do every little thing that we will to cease this.

There have been large protests in New York and Washington, DC, the place persons are occupying the Capitol halls, disrupting conferences. That’s only one technique. However actually fascinated about if our flesh pressers and political events should not listening to us, then what’s our leverage? Going again to this native marketing campaign, this analysis in regards to the F-35 weapons elements and studying that it’s being despatched by FedEx immediately out of the Oakland Airport — this is a chance for on a regular basis folks to place stress on our native authorities to cease this, as a result of they’ve the ability to take action.

There’s loads of energy in having the ability to develop social actions regionally. We’ve seen this with so many social actions, the place they began regionally, like Ferguson with Black Lives Matter, the Civil Rights motion. There may be energy in native campaigns and there will be actual wins. In order that’s a part of our objective is advancing this arms embargo and increasing it to different cities.

Let’s come as much as March of this 12 months, when Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza and hunger started to set in. What was on that household WhatsApp group at the moment? What was rippling by means of your neighborhood right here, and what was it like to absorb these photos? What was everybody scrambling to do?

Finally, we had been scrambling to finish the blockade. No help was coming in. There have been photos of vehicles, help vehicles, simply ready. And we’ve seen the assaults on boats. Activists from all over the world actually shopping for boats and attempting to go to Gaza with help, which can be being actively focused. The Handala is without doubt one of the ships that was focused a number of months in the past. Finally, the image of the flotilla motion is our governments should not stopping this, so we’re going to cease this. We’re going to go and ship help immediately since our nations aren’t doing something about it.

It’s very devastating to assume that nations could possibly be stopping this, they could possibly be sending ships to go in and finish the blockade. It’s additionally inspiring to see the variety of folks all over the world sacrificing their very own lives to do one thing.

It’s very scary to take action. People were killed on one of many flotilla ships, the Mavi Marmara, in 2010. We’ve seen folks immediately killed protecting homes.

So it’s throughout this era, throughout the starting of the blockade, that your cousin Mahmoud was masking that help convoy.

Yeah, precisely, it was to start with of the blockade, the place he was masking help aid efforts.

It was by means of a UK-based charity known as the Al-Khair Basis. There have been no less than 9 individuals who had been killed. It’s actually disgusting — in a single information article, they’re mainly being described as terrorists, as in the event that they had been terrorists who had been doing this. And, no, these are journalists, these are help staff. So even the narrative round when we’ve household killed or mates, family members, it’s like, Oh they’re terrorists, or they’re human shields of some form. It’s fully denying their homicide. It’s a option to justify it.

Is that one other horrible piece of stories you bought from the household WhatsApp group?

Yeah, it was, truly. I discovered in my household WhatsApp group.

I feel for us there was a little bit of hope with the primary ceasefire settlement. My late cousin Roshdi’s spouse, Shrouq Aila, who can also be a journalist, was on Democracy Now! speaking about it and the way folks had been feeling aid. And that aid was shortly taken, in a matter of I don’t even know what number of days.

With any sort of pause, there’s this concern that it’s going to shortly occur once more, given how inconsistent it has been and the routine violations of those agreements.

That brings us to the present ceasefire. How did you are feeling when it was introduced? And the way do you are feeling per week later?

All of us welcome it. It provides our households a break. Palestinians in Gaza had been celebrating, and we help them celebrating. They’ve the suitable to have a good time. 

Nonetheless, given the timeline of the genocide over the previous two years and the continual ceasefire violations, we additionally nonetheless really feel actually unsettled. And because the announcement, there have been at least 100 Palestinians who have been killed, and, on high of that, Israel has introduced it’s not going to abide by the humanitarian terms of the ceasefire settlement. Not sufficient help is coming into. It’s only a drop within the ocean of what Gaza wants.

It’s change into so clear to us that there must be an arms embargo. As a result of on the finish of the day, these agreements are repeatedly violated and so they’re violated by means of violence. They’re violated by means of navy weapons, by means of F-35 jets, and the best way to cease that is to cease the shipments and the arms gross sales. That’s the one manner that we will implement a real ceasefire. It’s the one manner we will do it.

Past a weapons embargo, what else is in your thoughts? Individuals are returning north to rubble, rubble which may cover unexploded ordnance. There are, as you talked about earlier, so many individuals with critical accidents, amputations. There are kids who haven’t been in class for 2 years. What’s weighing most in your thoughts proper now?

Together with every little thing you shared, it’s the rebuilding of Gaza. It’s very unclear what is going to occur subsequent, particularly on condition that Trump has repeatedly mentioned, Gaza will probably be this beachside waterfront resort. Seeing his relations with Benjamin Netanyahu and the specter of increasing settlements, it’s actually scary. 

My dream is that we’ll rebuild — that finally Palestinians in Gaza can have the ability to rebuild, to return dwelling, and to return. The place youngsters can return to highschool, the place there’s not a siege, the place folks can dwell their lives.

The place they will doc life in Gaza, not loss of life.

I feel that’s one thing my cousin did, particularly earlier than the genocide: He documented each the struggling, but additionally the fantastic thing about Gaza. It’s a really lovely place, . It’s proper by the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a ravishing place and sadly, there’s a lot struggling.

In order that’s what we hope for and what we’re combating for, is that not solely does this genocide finish, however Palestinians can return and so they can dwell in peace. They’ll transfer freely. And so they not need to dwell in concern of dropping their households and being killed each day.