Israel and Palestine: In the claws of violence

Over 700 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7. There are no attacks on “military facilities”, all of Gaza is a target

A few days ago, the world finally turned its head to the events in Israel and Palestine. This happened after the attack of the extremist Islamic group Hamas on Israeli civilians. No doubt, the militancy and brutality displayed by Hamas has driven many people beyond all bounds of disgust.

What is worth noting is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict happens on a daily basis. Only the mainstream media does not report the murders of non-white people. The Zionists, who advocate the return of the Jews to this land, have made Palestine a minor ghetto in the middle of an apartheid state. In the picture below, you can see how the borders of Israel and Palestine changed during the indicated time.

Al Jazeera

Meanwhile, the Zionist Israeli authorities control electricity, water, movement and all other basic needs of Palestinians living inside Gaza. Let me remind you that Gaza is slightly larger than Kotor, and over 2.3 million people live in that area. More precisely, they do not even live, but rather barely survive and often die due to the lack of basic things that are still controlled by the Zionists. The fear of constant bombardment, of white phosphorus (a weapon prohibited in warfare by the UN Charter), of beatings and torture by Israeli soldiers is an omnipresent reality for these Palestinians. Over 700 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7. There are no attacks on “military facilities”, all of Gaza is a target.

After the transgenerational trauma that Jews carry with them after all the horrors and genocides of World War II, the Zionists are reproducing similar methods as their former executioners. Yanis Varoufakis wrote :

“I condemn the killing of every person, let alone 40. I also condemn the notion that Israel is imposing Apartheid and war crimes for decades in… self-defence. Foisting Apartheid/Occupation on a whole people for decades can NEVER be self-defence.”

Of course, here we are not talking about Jews, nor ‘ordinary’ Israelis, but ideologues – Zionists who are in power; they are opposed by many members of this religion and nation, including Yuval Noah Harari, one of the greatest living intellectuals.

Among other things, it was precisely because of this strong opposition that Benjamin Netanyahu‘s regime faltered even before all of this. The Prime Minister of Israel causes fear among the Israelis themselves with his aggressive policy towards the Palestinians. Look at the Gaza Strip and the West Bank: Palestinians live in overpopulated places with nets above their heads where part of the Israelis throw and store garbage, the same nets through which thrown stones are regularly ‘passed’, and the occasional angry kid who, out of anger, hits a member of one of the of the strongest armies in the world – can expect a bullet. Israeli organisations such as B’Tselem: the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories regularly write about this.

When I’m talking strictly about numbers, according to UN data, it is estimated that 5,590 Palestinians and 251 Israelis were killed in the conflicts between Israel and Palestine from 2008 to 2020. As for the injured, 31,558 Palestinians and 130 Israelis were injured in 2018 alone. Millions of Palestinians have been driven from their homes without a legally guaranteed right of return.

United Nations

So where does Hamas come from in all the media? This clero-fascist group is just one of many fighting for the national liberation of the Palestinians. Of course, with horrible methods, which any normal person will condemn. Hamas has also kidnapped and brutally killed many liberal and opposition-minded Israelis.

But this very Hamas was financed by the Israeli authorities in order to suppress the left forces of national liberation and shift the focus to Islamic fundamentalists. Because that serves as better propaganda.

And it worked. This group, with poor weaponry compared to the Israeli forces, broke through the barricades of some parts of the segregation, but in the process committed terrible crimes. This prompted the Israeli defense minister to say the following sentence, which the international community will be shamefully silent, while hanging Israeli flags outside its embassies:

“I have ordered a complete siege of the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, food, fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we will act accordingly.”

What kind of “war” is this between “two states” when one side can turn off the other’s electricity, and cut off food and fuel? How can one side be called “human animals” and be dehumanised to dull any empathy?

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, recently strongly condemned similar rhetoric of Russia towards the Ukrainians, but now…. silence. Silence has led to this. When the silence fills the ears and the horrors reverberate, all that remains is suffering.

How to proceed?

It has been clear for decades that the two-state project based on occupation and segregation, as well as mutual hatred “for the other”, is not a solution, but that one state is needed, one that will be:

Democratic: all citizens would be equal in the eyes of the state, including its laws, institutions and policies, regardless of identity. This includes the right of those expelled from Palestine to return and enjoy full citizenship.

Secular: freedom of religion would be guaranteed, and one’s religion or identity would not be a factor in granting or denying rights to citizens. Radical measures would be taken to protect society from religious-extremist or racist ideologies, individuals and movements.

Socially just: stolen land, homes and property would be returned to all victims of dispossession. Resources and social welfare would be fairly distributed to all citizens. Differences in income, poverty and education would be bridged.

In order to achieve that, first of all, an immediate cessation of the war and the beginning of peace negotiations are needed. This is not just an Israel-Palestine issue. Just as the issues of Bosnia or Ukraine are not strictly national. All citizens of the world must pressure their governments to influence the start of peace talks. Endless war is never a solution.


The article was originally published by CdM and has been republished with permission

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