Rage Against the Machine Share Support for Palestinian People in Conflict With Israel

Rage Against the Machine may not have a stage and mic at the moment to speak out on the woes of the world, but they do have social media and they’ve used it to express their support for the people of Palestine in their ongoing conflict with Israel.

The ongoing showdown between the Israeli Army and Palestinian militants in Gaza recently escalated with rockets and missiles being launched into civilian areas. According to the New York Times, more than 1,000 rockets had been fired from Gaza by Wednesday night (May 12) after violence erupted on Monday (May 10).

Speaking out on the ongoing violence in the country, the band stated via Twitter, “The violence and atrocities we are witnessing in Sheikh Jarrah, the Al Aqsa compound and Gaza are a continuation of decades of Israel’s brutal apartheid and violent occupation of Palestine. We stand with the Palestinian people as they resist this colonial terror in all its forms.” #FreePalestine

Tensions had been rising in Jerusalem, the city in the center of the conflict. The latest clashes began a month ago with an Israeli move to block some Palestinian gatherings at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The already strained relationship between the two sides recently became more fraught when an attempt to evict six Arab families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem led to more confrontations.

Violence then erupted earlier this week when police raided the Asqa mosque in Jerusalem, which they claimed was in response to being attacked with thrown stones by Palestinian demonstrators.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 43 Palestinians, including 13 children and three women, according to the Health Ministry. Israeli airstrikes have leveled two multistory apartment towers in the Gaza Strip, where two million Palestinians have lived.