Breaking Free from Propaganda: 10 Insights to Help You Fight for a Free Palestine
For decades, Israel and its allies have invested billions in shaping global narratives that distort history, justify apartheid, and erase Palestinian resistance. Many people who support Israel do so because they have been misled - not because they consciously support genocide and colonization. To fight for a free Palestine, we must break through the propaganda and help others do the same.
Here are ten key realizations that can help people unlearn Zionist lies and take action for liberation.
1. Zionism is not Judaism.
Many people have been conditioned to believe that opposing Israel is antisemitic. Zionism is a political ideology of settler colonialism, not a religion. The Israeli state does not represent all Jewish people, and many Jewish communities actively oppose Israeli apartheid. Breaking this false equivalence is the first step toward seeing Israel for what it truly is: a colonial project.
2. Israel is a settler-colonial state.
Just like the U.S., Canada, and Australia, Israel was built on Indigenous land through ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. The Nakba (1948) was the systematic expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. Understanding Israel as a colonial project exposes its violence as part of a larger global system of white supremacy.
3. The Nakba never ended.
Many people believe that the expulsion of Palestinians was a historical event that ended in 1948. In reality, the process of forced displacement never stopped. From home demolitions in Jerusalem to settler pogroms in the West Bank to the mass slaughter in Gaza, Israel continues to steal land and erase Palestinian presence. Genocide is not an event; it is an ongoing process.
4. “Peace talks” are a tool of oppression.
From the Oslo Accords to U.S.-brokered deals, peace negotiations have consistently favored Israel, enabled more land theft, and neutralized Palestinian resistance. Every so-called “peace deal” has left Palestinians with fewer rights and less land. There is no peace without justice.
5. Israel is an apartheid state.
Israeli law openly discriminates against Palestinians in every aspect of life. Palestinians are subject to different legal systems, segregated roads, and military checkpoints. The Israeli government itself uses the term “Jewish supremacy” to describe its laws. Even South African leaders who lived through apartheid say that Israel’s system is worse than what they experienced.
6. Media lies to protect Israel.
Western media presents Israel as a “democracy” defending itself against terrorists, but it systematically erases Palestinian voices. Every Palestinian act of resistance is framed as aggression, while Israeli war crimes are justified. Learning to read beyond mainstream media is essential to breaking free from propaganda.
7. Resistance is not terrorism.
Palestinians have a legal right to resist occupation, including through armed struggle. Every anti-colonial movement in history - from Algeria to South Africa - was violently repressed and called “terrorism” at the time. Israel wants the world to believe that Palestinians must either accept genocide or be labeled as violent extremists.
8. The U.S. funds and arms Israel’s genocide.
The U.S. gives Israel over $3.8 billion in military aid every year, funding weapons used to bomb Gaza, kill Palestinian children, and enforce apartheid. This is not just a “foreign issue.” Americans are paying for genocide. Fighting for a free Palestine means confronting U.S. imperialism.
9. Palestinian liberation is tied to global struggles.
Israel trains U.S. police forces, sells weapons tested on Palestinians, and funds border surveillance technologies used against migrants. The fight for a free Palestine is inseparable from the fights against U.S. imperialism, Indigenous genocide, and anti-Black racism. Liberation is collective.
10. There is no neutral position.
Many people say they “don’t know enough” or “just want peace.” Neutrality is siding with the oppressor. Israel has counted on silence and confusion to continue its crimes. Breaking free from propaganda means recognizing that we all have a responsibility to act.
What You Can Do
Educate yourself and others. Share Palestinian-led resources like Decolonize Palestine, Mondoweiss, and Electronic Intifada.
Fund direct mutual aid. Donate through Gazafunds, which gets money directly to Palestinians, bypassing bureaucratic NGOs.
Boycott and divest. Stop supporting companies profiting from genocide. Join the BDS Movement to cut off economic support for apartheid.
Disrupt Zionist narratives in your workplace, school, and community. Challenge institutions that stay silent or suppress Palestinian voices.
Get in the streets. Attend protests, block arms shipments, and support direct actions for Palestine.
Breaking free from propaganda is not just about changing your own mind - it is about fighting for a world where truth and liberation win.
