Damascus, Syria – On Wednesday, May 26, election day in Syria, crowds flocked to polling places to cast their votes. A delegation of observers from the U.S., South Africa, France and Palestine visited polling locations east of Damascus in the war-torn Ghouta region to witness the voting and celebrations taking place. Occupied by U.S. and Saudi-backed contras for over six years, civilians there were unable to vote in the last presidential election, and many more have only recently returned to finally rebuild their homes. Within Ghouta, the delegation observed voting in the town of Arbin and the city of Douma.

San Francisco, CA – On May 13, over 9000 people gathered at the intersection of Valencia and 16th Streets to rally and march in solidarity with Palestine, demanding an end to Israel’s collective punishment and ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The protest was organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center along with the Bay Area chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement.

Plymouth, MN – On May 27, Minnesotans protested at Northrup Grumman, the fifth largest arms-producing and military services company in the world, to draw attention to their manufacturing and selling of the Longbow system for Apache AH64D helicopters which is used by the Israeli military to attack Gaza. In this month’s 11-day assault on Gaza the Israeli military killed nearly 250 Palestinians, including 66 children. The protest was the fifth Palestine solidarity protest in the Twin Cities area in the past three weeks.

On May 17, a U.S.-backed Colombian commando unit, acting like bounty hunters, illegally crossed into the Venezuelan state of Zulia to murder Colombian rebel leader Jesus Santrich. Like the criminal gangsters they are, the commandos cut off his left finger to verify his identity to claim the $1 million bounty cosponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Colombian President Ivan Duque.

Douma, Syria – On Tuesday, May 25, one day before the Syrian election, an international delegation, which includes a number of observers from the U.S., visited the war-torn cities of Douma and Jobar just outside Damascus. The observers viewed tunnel networks used by terrorists during the six-year occupation of the city and spoke to residents who had returned after the city was liberated in 2018 by the Syrian Arab Army.

Tampa, Fl – After weeks of protests all over the world, the large Palestinian American community and activists within Tampa continued to protest on Saturday, May 22, in downtown Tampa. Approximately 300 supporters and community members rallied to demand freedom for those living in Gaza and an end to the Israeli occupation over all of Palestine.

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, May 21, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota held a protest calling for university divestment from companies funding the Israeli apartheid.

Grand Rapids, MI – 200 protesters, primarily Palestinians and Arab Americans, took to the streets of Grand Rapids, May 22, in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance movement and demanding an end to U.S. support for the state of Israel. This is the second “Free Palestine” protest organized by local activists.

Damascus, Syria – On May 23, an international solidarity delegation arrived in Syria to observe elections set to take place on Wednesday, May 26, when voters will decide the next president of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Minneapolis, MN – On May 22, 4000 people gathered at Bryant Square Park in South Minneapolis to protest the recent escalation in attacks on Gaza and the West Bank. The protesters then marched through the Uptown neighborhood and took major intersections to get visibility for the rights of Palestinians.