Stylized version of “He Who Plunders Others Always Lives in Terror,” a poster by OSPAAAL. See original at palarchive.org.
DAWA Updates
DAWA’s Most Recent Events Include
- 5/8 – Anti War Poetry Against Lockheed Martin: In a synchronized action with JVP (Jewish Voices for Peace) Hawaii, members of DAWA and the community gathered at Lockheed Martin’s Human Space Flight Center in Highlands Ranch for “art”-ivism. For months, JVP Hawaii has put pressure on Lum Yip Kee, the Honolulu-based landlord of Lockheed Martin’s Highland Ranch location.
- 5/23 – Nakba Day Vigil: DAWA and GIFT gathered at City of Karmiel Park to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba as well as the ongoing Nakba that continues in Gaza, the West Bank, and Occupied Palestine. The park is named for Denver’s sister city, Karmiel, a settler city in northern Occupied Palestine. Attendees held candles, wrote names of child martyrs in chalk, and posted fliers, using the park to honor the victims of apartheid and genocide, rather than celebrating the perpetrators.
- 5/24 – Impeach Jared Polis DenCAT Picket: DAWA joined other DenCAT member organizations for a picket at Governor’s Park, demanding that Jared Polis be impeached for his pardoning of election denier Tina Peters.
- 5/26 – Fort Collins Commemoration of 2nd Anniversary of the Rafah Tent Massacre: Denver joined with organizers in Fort Collins to protest Woodward, the company responsible for making the bombs used in the Rafah Tent Massacre in May 2024. 45 Palestinians were martyred using bomb parts made by the Woodward factory in Fort Collins, CO.
Upcoming Events
- 6/13 – AWAN Conference Fundraiser: Join DAWA to fundraise to send its members to the Anti-War Action Network’s second conference. AWAN has 27 affiliates who all organize against war across the country. On July 11 and 12, anti-war activists will gather in Chicago for workshops and panels. Enjoy food and fun at our June 13th fundraiser (time TBA) to help DAWA members cover housing and transportation costs.
- 7/1 – GEO Detention Center Vigil: DAWA will take its turn hosting the weekly GEO detention center vigil at 6 PM. Show up to show solidarity with the political prisoners held inside GEO in deplorable conditions and learn about the connections between the anti-war movement and the movement for immigrants’ rights.
Stay tuned for more events and actions coming soon!
The front page of the Sunday May 10, 2026, edition of Iranian newspaper, Jamejam, is seen with a cartoon satirizing the U.S. President Donald Trump that asks: “Open the the Strait of Hormuz” on a news stand in northern Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi). apnews.com
Iran
On May 4th, the US launched Operation Project Freedom, a short-lived attempt to escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz despite the lack of a clear plan for how this might be done beyond a proposed new route following the shore, which brought up concerns from insurers and surrounding countries. Tensions rose as the US ignored Iranian warnings that entering or leaving the strait without Iranian authorization would violate the ceasefire and result in a “decisive response.” In response Trump threatened to blow Iran “off the face of the earth” if they strike a US ship. Operation Project Freedom was temporarily halted after one day and mediator Pakistan cited concerns that the escalations could lead towards a resumption of the war.
On May 13th Trump visited China to discuss many topics with President Xi Jinping, including the war with Iran. China stated that the conflict should have never begun and that there was no reason for it to continue. However, Beijing has made no commitments in regards to Iran while Trump has stated that he wasn’t “asking for any favors.”
Recently Iran created the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to allow passage of authorized ships through the Strait. So far they have let through some vessels to mostly Asian markets.
Marco Rubio has stated that peace talks with Iran are showing “some good signs” whereas Trump has threatened to prolong the conflict if Iran doesn’t sign deals that have “excessive demands.”
On May 25th, the United States carried out several strikes on Iranian missile sites and boats supposedly in “self-defense.” This blatant violation of the ceasefire comes as talks to end the war are ongoing.
Israeli forces demolish a house near the “Yellow Line,” dropping leaflets for residents to leave the al-Raqab al-Gharbi neighborhood, adjacent to Salah al-Din Street in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Photo: Tariq Mohammad/APA Images). mondoweiss.net
Gaza
On May 13th, Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian child in the town of Jiljilyya. Just two days later, they also shot and killed 15-year-old Fahd Aidan Owais near the village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya south of Nablus.
Israeli settlers, protected by the military, forced a Palestinian family in Asana near Jenin to dig up their father Hussein Asana‘s body and rebury him elsewhere. His family coordinated the burial in advance with the Israeli security forces, despite this, settlers claimed the grave in the village cemetery was in a settlement and threatened to exhume the recently buried body themselves with a bulldozer.
Settlers committed arson attacks across the occupied West Bank including near al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah and in Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron. Late at night on May 18th, Israeli forces fired live ammunition at Palestinian residents to prevent them from extinguishing the burning agricultural land. This was just 4 days after settlers set fire to the land and used illumination bombs and tear gas on Palestinian homes to keep residents from putting out the fire in al-Mughayyir.
On May 15th, a settler brutally beat a dog with a club-like object and 3 days later is caught on film again, this time throwing a concrete block at two cats in the central West Bank village of Atara.
The UN has released a report that details the accelerated violence done by Israelis in Palestine from 7 October 2023 – 31 May 2025. Sections focusing specifically on the West Bank outline killings, forced displacement, movement restrictions, detention and ill-treatment, repression of rights, and damage to cultural facilities.
People march with a giant Palestinian flag during a demonstration commemorating the 78th anniversary of the Nakba in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on May 12, 2026. Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images. dropsitenews.com
West Bank
On May 13th, Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian child in the town of Jiljilyya. Just two days later, they also shot and killed 15-year-old Fahd Aidan Owais near the village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya south of Nablus.
Israeli settlers, protected by the military, forced a Palestinian family in Asana near Jenin to dig up their father Hussein Asana‘s body and rebury him elsewhere. His family coordinated the burial in advance with the Israeli security forces, despite this, settlers claimed the grave in the village cemetery was in a settlement and threatened to exhume the recently buried body themselves with a bulldozer.
Settlers committed arson attacks across the occupied West Bank including near al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah and in Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron. Late at night on May 18th, Israeli forces fired live ammunition at Palestinian residents to prevent them from extinguishing the burning agricultural land. This was just 4 days after settlers set fire to the land and used illumination bombs and tear gas on Palestinian homes to keep residents from putting out the fire in al-Mughayyir.
On May 15th, a settler brutally beat a dog with a club-like object and 3 days later is caught on film again, this time throwing a concrete block at two cats in the central West Bank village of Atara.
The UN has released a report that details the accelerated violence done by Israelis in Palestine from 7 October 2023 – 31 May 2025. Sections focusing specifically on the West Bank outline killings, forced displacement, movement restrictions, detention and ill-treatment, repression of rights, and damage to cultural facilities.
Cuba
This month has seen the US escalate its pressure both economically and militarily to threaten the sovereignty of Cuba. On May 1st, while many of the citizens of Cuba were participating in International Worker’s Day festivities, a US executive order expanded sanctions targeting any foreign person operating in any sector of the Cuban economy. As a result, multiple companies announced suspension of operations with Cuba, including Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM which represent up to 60% of Cuba’s shipping by volume.
The UN released a statement on May 7th condemning the ongoing fuel blockade by the US on the basis of undermining the human rights and development of the people of Cuba. Hours after the UN press release, the US administration announced additional sanctions on Cuba targeting multiple conglomerates that are part of all segments of the Cuban economy. In a US statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the Cuban “communist threat” to national security.
An article summarizing the spike in US intelligence flights over Cuba, a behavior seen in the leadup to the military action in both Venezuela and Iran was released by CNN using open-source data.
CIA director John Ratcliffe met with top Cuban officials in Havana on May 14th to deliver Trump’s message that fundamental regime change must happen. Cuba released a statement describing the meeting, noting that both sides have interest in cooperation and the Cuban stance that it poses no threat to US security.
On May 20th the US Department of Justice indicted former Cuban president Raul Castro. The 94-year-old is being charged in connection to an incident in 1996 where two planes carrying Cuban exiles were shot down after months of provoking and intruding on Cuban airspace.
Oracle building in Denver Tech Center (Google Maps Street View).
Big Tech in Your Backyard
Oracle
Oracle is a massive tech conglomerate focusing on cloud infrastructure and enterprise software. Oracle’s software is used at some level by most major corporations on the planet. Readers may already be familiar with notorious Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who owns 98% of Hawai’i’s sixth-largest island and whose son David Ellison acquired CBS News last year. Despite Oracle’s position as the software engine behind countless “benign” companies in industries like retail, Oracle has had ties to militarism since day one.
Oracle’s name comes from the code name of a 1977 project for the CIA, which was the company’s first customer. Today, Oracle provides a significant chunk of the US Department of Defense’s digital framework through services like US Government Cloud and Oracle National Security Regions.
Locally, Oracle has two buildings in Denver Tech Center (DTC) and one in Broomfield. In DTC, Oracle develops JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP (Enterprise Resource Management) software. Although JD Edwards ERP is designed for resource management in mid-size companies as opposed to defense giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, it is widely used in Tier-2 military contractors like Collins and Howmet Aerospace. These contractors supply parts directly to the aforementioned Tier-1 giants.
Oracle has deep ties to Israel and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Larry Ellison has given massive donations to the IOF, including the largest single gift to “Friends of the IDF” ($16.6 million) in the organization’s history. Through a partnership with Israeli defense contractor RAFAEL, Oracle’s cloud infrastructure hosts RAFAEL’s Fire Weaver—software that coordinates sensors and weapons in real time. This positions Oracle as key infrastructure within the IOF’s “kill chain,” making the company indispensable for carrying out Israeli airstrikes. Oracle Israel’s head Eran Feigenbaum said in a 2023 interview “I couldn’t fathom a global company offering more support to Israel than Oracle.”
The only way to guarantee that Google does not become associated with such harms is to reject any classified workloads. Otherwise, such uses may occur without our knowledge or the power to stop them.
– open letter to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
Google has become one of several companies seeking a contract with the Pentagon in the wake of the defense department severing its relationship with Anthropic. This is notable because the partnership signals Google’s willingness to allow their AI model’s to be used by the same entity that demanded the lifting of restrictions on “autonomous weapons” and “surveillance of the American public” from Anthropic. As one of the original architects of Project Maven, this pivot back to security work despite nearly 600 employees signing a letter of opposition is a vulgar display of prioritizing profit above all else. Key here is Google’s own AI model, Gemini, which they have agreed to allow the department of defense to use under the condition that its usage be limited to “any lawful government purpose.” With the Trump Administration’s common practice of bending the law to conform to their acts of terror both here and abroad, such vague restrictions are hardly comforting.
Unlike 2018, where employee dissent and walkouts were enough to pressure the company into terminating their Pentagon contract, the encroachment of AI into the tech industry has left worker’s at the company with significantly less power than they were once afforded. As collective action within the company is only able to provide limited pressure, it is imperative that the demands come from outside the workplace as well. Just as Palantir once called Denver home, Boulder has hosted a Google “campus” since 2018.
Wins
Richmond, CA city council has passed a resolution blocking military aid and weapons transfers to Israel. They are the third US city to do so, following in the footsteps of Hayward, CA, and Somerville, Massachusetts.
After sustained public pressure from labor groups and organizers, NYC public hospitals have ended their contract with Palantir over its role in the Gaza genocide. They are the biggest public hospital group in the country.
In March, Washington began divestment after sellingoff $62 million in Caterpillar bonds. Caterpillar is a primary target of the BDS movement, as their armored bulldozers are sold in mass for deconstruction and illegal expansion in Gaza and the West Bank.
Negative views on Israel in the US continue to rise. From a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March, 6 in 10 American adults have negative views of Israel and Netanyahu.
The New School, a private research university in New York City, has become the first of its kind in the passing of a resolution that will hold Hillels accountable for supporting violations of international humanitarian law. This resolution prohibits the school from receiving any student government funds, co-sponsorship for events, or logistical support until such time as The New School Hillel disaffiliate from Hillel International and ends its promotion of programs that promote violations of international law.
Gaza’s first public library has opened. With over 1,000 books recovered from under the rubble, the founders hope that the library will serve as a haven for Palestinian writers and poets, and for the students who have lost years of their education to genocide.