The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL) is an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian advocacy organization that calls for the “decolonization of Palestine” from Israeli control and argues that Israel is conducting “genocide” against the Palestinian people. In October 2023, PAL endorsed an anti-Israel protest led by the People’s Forum conducted in Times Square the day after Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. ^{1 2 3}

History and Activities

The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation was launched on October 1, 2021, on a YouTube video emceed by a man named Tarek Khalil. As of August 2024, PAL’s launch video had been viewed 43 times. The video was published on the YouTube channel of a man named Haithem El-Zabri. ⁴

The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation is a network of activists, Palestinians, and allied organizations in North America devoted to the “indigenous liberation and decolonization of Palestine” from the state of Israel. The organization advocates for self-determination for the Palestinian people and the “right to return, along with reparations,” meaning the right for the Palestinian people to return to the territory they controlled before being displaced following Arab military defeats while being paid restitution for the loss of that land and property. ⁵

PAL also advocates for Palestine to be united by the left-wing concepts of inclusivity, decolonization, and equity. ⁶

PAL is guided by several founding principles. Among these principles are the reunification of all Palestinians living abroad, those in the West Bank, in Gaza, in refugee camps, and those within the modern state of Israel to “defeat Zionist and Israeli colonization and subjugation of our land and people.” PAL also argues against any normalization of political, diplomatic, academic, or cultural relations with any institutions or organizations that “protect Zionist/Irael supremacy.” ⁷

Despite being formally founded in October 2021, PAL promotes news and activities on its website that precede the organization’s launch. In April 2021, PAL commemorated the Palestinian General Strike of 1936, in which Palestinian Arabs conducted a strike against the then-ruling British and Jewish residents of what was then Mandatory Palestine, by calling on all Palestinians to “renew and coordinate their efforts for liberation from Zionist violence, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and settler-colonization.” ⁸

In June 2021, PAL called for a boycott of the Palestinian National Authority until free and fair elections could be held. ⁹

In October 2023, PAL endorsed a protest led by the People’s Forum and conducted in Times Square the day after Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. PAL endorsed a protest statement that said the terrorist attack was part of a “fundamental right to resist an illegal occupation, break out of their concentration camp, and defy the cruelty of the sixteen-year Zionist blockade.” The statement also said that “the obscenity of the [Israeli] occupation will always be met with resistance.” The People’s Forum is a socialist organization that incubates radical-left projects. ¹⁰

As of August 2024, PAL’s X (formerly known as Twitter) account and Instagram had been removed. The organization’s Facebook page, however, remained active, with a post claiming the Palestinian people were enduring a “genocide”; a post praising the flying of a Palestinian flag at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and calling the United States “turtle island”; and a post calling for a “mass mobilization” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his 2024 visit to the United States. ^{11 12 13}

Committees

The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation is guided by five committees: Unity, Hiwar, Self-Determined Micro-Economies and Support, Reps/Policy, and Advancing Return. ¹⁴

The Unity committee studies and develops mechanism to rebuilt social, economic, and political relationships among Palestinians. ¹⁵

The Hiwar committee engages with PAL members and the broader community about the goals and principles of PAL. ¹⁶

The Self-Determined Micro-Economies and Support committee, also known as the Palworks committee, helps Palestinian microeconomies to reduce dependency on foreign aid. ¹⁷

PAL provides no publicly available information on the Reps/Policy or Advancing Return committees. ¹⁸

Membership

Voting membership within the Palestinian Liberation Authority is provided to those who pay an annual membership fee. Students must pay $15 a year and all others $25 a year to join the PAL and vote in the organization’s General Assembly.  Non-dues-paying members can receive correspondence from the group but are not able to vote in the General Assembly. ¹⁹

1. About PAL. Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/about-p-a-l/.
2. Launch on the Anniversary of the Palestinian General Strike.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. April 2021. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Pal-April-Launch.pdf.
3. “Statement on Times Square Palestine Protest Held On October 8, 2024.” The People’s Forum. October 11, 2023. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://peoplesforum.org/blog_post/statement-on-times-square-palestine-protest-held-on-october-8-2023/.
4. “Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Launch event featuring Ubai Aboudi.” YouTube. October 1, 2021. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T8xBEyxL5w.
5. About PAL. Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/about-p-a-l/.
6. About PAL. Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/about-p-a-l/.
7. ^[1] “Declaration of Founding Principles.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/declaration-of-founding-principles/.
8. Launch on the Anniversary of the Palestinian General Strike.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. April 2021. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Pal-April-Launch.pdf.
9. “The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Demands Accountability for the Assassination of Nizar Banat and a Boycott of the PNA until Free and Fair Elections are Held.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. June 31, 2021. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/resources/.
10.  “Statement on Times Square Palestine Protest Held On October 8, 2024.” The People’s Forum. October 11, 2023. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://peoplesforum.org/blog_post/statement-on-times-square-palestine-protest-held-on-october-8-2023/.
11. “@Palestinianassembly4liberation.” Instagram. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/palestinianassembly4liberation/.
12. “@palassembly4lib.” Twitter/X. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://twitter.com/palassembly4lib.
13. “Palestinian Assembly for Liberation.” Facebook. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/people/Palestinian-Assembly-for-Liberation/100077688844950/.
14. “What We Do.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/what-we-do/
15. “Unity.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/unity-committee/.
16. “Hiwar.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/hiwar-discourse-debate-committee/.
17. “Palworks Committee.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/palworks-committee/.
18.  “What We Do.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/what-we-do/.
19. “Join Us.” Palestinian Assembly for Liberation. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.palassembly.org/membership-join/.