We similarly require intense economic boycotts, political sanctions, and legal prosecutions to stop Israel’s war on Gaza, writes Talal Abu Rukba. [GETTY]
The birth of the international solidarity movement for Palestine has taken root and expanded after years of watching the humanitarian catastrophe perpetrated by the Israeli occupation. This is a natural consequence and fundamental rejection of Israel’s murderous practices in Gaza, as people watched endless scenes of a cruelty that has surpassed the brutality and barbarity of colonial powers throughout history.
The world has had a front seat to Israel’s genocide, with its daily war crimes and violations of international conventions literally livestreamed. In the face of Israel’s wanton and indiscriminate killing of Palestinians, people from all backgrounds have been moved to speak up and take action.
However, it is probably the ‘soft’ genocide, the deliberate starvation and deprivation of basic needs like medical care to more than two million people, that has led to a surge in international support and organising. With the weaponisation of humanitarian aid – a deadly mechanism employed by Israel to perpetrate the killing of Palestinians – and world governments’ complicity, people have been unable to just sit and do nothing.
Millions have protested, lobbied, taken part in direct action and found so many ways to disrupt the whitewashing of Israel’s killing.
The many faces of solidarity
In Gaza, the relationship to solidarity movements is not understood through the lens of relishing in a resentment to Israel’s actions, but as an act of civil resistance that transcends geography, religion, and political ideology. It is a humane act that reinforces the value of all peoples, as well as justice, fairness, and accountability.
Of course, there are many different views amongst Palestinians in Gaza when it comes to international solidarity. Some consider it a stick to which a drowning person clings to avoid inevitable death, imposed on them because they dare to struggle for their right to a dignified life, to self-determination, and an end to their colonial oppression.
Those who share this perspective are armed with the resolutions of international law and the principles of international humanitarian law, which criminalises the systematic genocide they are being subjected to.
Others in Gaza see the international solidarity movement as an opportunity to strengthen the Palestinian narrative in the face of marginalisation, neglect, and deliberate distortion by Israel’s propaganda machine. This is especially important given the weight of powerful institutions across the West that are allied to the occupying force and have spent years putting energy and resources towards smearing those who criticise Israeli policies with accusations of anti-Semitism.
In this context, people view international solidarity as the only means of reclaiming a language that engages the human conscience and reformulates it in accordance to the truth.
After all, many in Gaza, especially younger generations, wish to retell the story of Palestinians, and they cling to their right to be the narrators of their harsh reality. Throughout the course of the genocide the world has been witness to the passion and creativity of these young people through their writing, which has served as a counterweight to the passivity and sense of helplessness that Israel tries to impose on Palestinians.
Messages written to the world from under the rubble and from above the debris, which have connected Palestinians to people from every corner of the earth, have also forged a cultural solidarity. Through this, some in Gaza believe their national liberation may come. It provides a real opportunity to reshape the fabric of global solidarity for Palestine, especially since it largely operates independently of the politics waged by states.
Taking action amidst hopelessness
After twenty-two months of continued suffering and a rising death toll, it is unsurprising that there are also Palestinians who have lost all faith in global solidarity. They believe that the movement is unable to transform solidarity from emotional slogans into cross-border civil resistance that can put an end to the genocide and their continued oppression.
Some Palestinians have concluded that it only serves as formal absolution in the face of the torrent of bloodshed. They are tired of begging and demanding an end to the genocide and siege, to their homeland being turned into a mass grave where no life exists.
But this should not put people off continuing to mobilise for a free Palestine. Instead, this should serve as a call to all those who stand with us around the world to not limit their solidarity to symbolic acts. We require a transformation of the solidarity movement into an on-the-ground resistance movement that supports us, ends our suffering, and halts the historical injustice we have endured.
Much like the end of apartheid in South Africa which was obtained through the isolation imposed by nations around the world, we need the same pressure to be applied on Israel. We similarly require intense economic boycotts, political sanctions, and legal prosecutions to stop Israel’s war on Gaza.
Given the urgent state of things, solidarity must not be limited to statements and donations. Participation in any and all action, from peaceful demonstrations to organising informative events focused on Gaza, to boycotting products or companies that are complicit, and any other means of having a tangible economic impact on Israel, are all necessary.
Writing letters to parliamentarians in Europe to demand a ban on arms sales to Israel and the urgent delivery of humanitarian access to Gaza is another way to show support. Additionally, people always find a way to make their voices heard through writing articles, blog posts, creating or reposting social media content, and publishing videos that show the world Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
As we continue to film, write, draw, and photograph the horror and pain inflicted upon us, we need your humanity to be translated into action. Solidarity is not a symbolic duty or a celebratory ritual, it is a life-saving act, a preservation of dignity, and a lesson in justice that will be marked in history.
Dr. Talal Abu Rukba, a member of the Al-Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network, resides in Gaza and is the editor-in-chief of Tasamuh magazine.
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