Due to the United Nations declaring the 1967 occupation of Palestine by Israel an illegal act, it's deeply disturbing to see Etsy facilitating the sale of T-shirts that bear the words “Occupy Palestine”. This is tantamount to the endorsement of a state illegally occupying another state, threatening not only territorial integrity but also life, culture, and livelihoods of those occupied.

Etsy, a renowned online marketplace, claims to pride itself on providing an outlet for artisans and creators to share their creative products. However, the sale of T-shirts promoting an illegal occupation is far from fostering creativity and harmony. Instead, it propagates an illegal action and inflames an already precarious situation.

Indeed, this goes beyond the confines of supporting freedom of expression. It dwells on the wrong side of encouraging a territory's unlawful occupation, an act that's been condemned globally. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power must respect the laws in force in the occupied territory (Article 43). When they violate this, it becomes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 8).

It is against this backdrop that we call on Etsy to wake up to its social accountability. We demand that the marketplace should immediately stop the sale of T-shirts bearing the slogan “Occupy Palestine.”

Please stand with us in preventing further propagation of an illegal and harmful slogan. We urge you to sign this petition.