About ISM
Who We Are
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the long-entrenched and systematic oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian population, using non-violent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded in August 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by being immediately alongside Palestinians in olive groves, on school runs, at demonstrations, within villages being attacked, by houses being demolished or where Palestinians are subject to consistent harassment or attacks from soldiers and settlers as well as numerous other situations.
All ISM volunteers must agree to work within the three guiding principles that the movement was founded upon, of being:
Palestinian-led in our overall directive;
Non-violent in our actions that affect others;
Consensus based in our decision making;
Anti-oppression in all aspects of our work.
As we demand that Israel acknowledges and respects international law and put an end to apartheid and its occupation, we must also stand firmly against any form of prejudice, regardless of the target. We oppose any form of bigotry directed at people based on ethnicity, physical appearance, origin, gender, sexuality, physical ability, age, religion and are not limited to just these concerns. We support full equality of all people and expect all ISM volunteers to adhere to these beliefs and take a strong stance against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Zionism. In line with a 2012 Palestinian declaration, we object to the baseless use of the term anti-Semitism as a tool for stifling criticism of Israel or opposition to Zionism, partly as this falsely conflates being Jewish with support for an ideology, Zionism, or the colonial and apartheid policies of a state, Israel.