It is with great anguish that we bear witness to the ongoing cataclysm in Gaza, which can only be described as a genocide in the making. The scenes of devastation and the cries of the innocent are undeniable proof that a cruel occupying force is hell-bent on annihilating what is left of this already shattered piece of land. We are facing a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions, with helpless men, women, and children bearing the brunt of this tragedy.
For far too long, successive Israeli governments, aided by rampaging settler militias, have systematically carried out incremental genocide, inch by inch, with the explicit approval and support of Western nations. These governments, in a pathetic show of solidarity with a ruthless ally, have turned a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians, while conveniently painting their tourist attractions in blue and white.
We implore those who enable this injustice to show their true colors. We will not forget.
Let us not mince words: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his racist cabinet ministers, has long harbored a desire to abandon sporadic bouts of violence in favor of the complete destruction of the Gaza Strip. This monstrous plan is as clear as the Prime Minister’s wretched character: wipe Gaza off the map.
Anyone who denies this fact is either being dishonest, oblivious, or willingly complicit in the face of a mounting genocide. This is not a matter of righteous retribution; it is a genocide, plain and simple.
If my frank condemnation is jarring, I challenge the historically illiterate columnists and TV news celebrities who have flocked to Israel, donning their foreign correspondent hats and bringing with them an entourage of stylists and writers, to disprove my assertions. More importantly, they must disprove the beliefs held by the Palestinian diaspora and their allies, who rightly see a genocidal campaign unfolding before their eyes.
These hypocrites, who shower praise on Israelis as “solicitous saints” and vilify Palestinians as “evil predators,” have likely never set foot within the barbed-wire confines of Gaza. They have never interviewed the millions of Palestinians who have endured generations of loss, theft, deprivation, indignity, and lethal aggression from an apartheid state.
It is a disheartening spectacle that reduces a complex narrative to a simplistic clash between black and white, perpetuating ignorance among many geography-averse Americans who believe that carrying a passport makes them “woke.”
In this narrative, the Israelis are always portrayed as innocent victims, while the Palestinians are cast as guilty perpetrators. Consequently, there is a careless disregard for the devastating human consequences of Israel’s blatant disregard for international law.
They have halted the flow of vital resources, such as food and water, into captive Gaza. They have cut off fuel and electricity to homes and hospitals. They have bombed United Nations schools, serving as shelters for desperate Palestinian families. They have attacked ambulances carrying injured children to darkened hospitals. They have used white phosphorus to burn Palestinians to the bone. They have passed off indiscriminate bombings as “precision strikes” and turned Gaza into a modern-day Fallujah. They have sealed Gaza tighter, crushing any semblance of hope or escape. And now they demand that over a million people either vanish or face certain death.
As expected, presidents and prime ministers have deplored the atrocities committed by the Palestinians while praising the atrocities committed by the Israelis as a necessary response. Their calls for accountability from both parties, including Israel, will fall on deaf ears. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will not act, for it is beholden to the powers that be in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused of multiple corruption charges just weeks ago, has been anointed as the Middle East’s shining beacon of resolve and morality by US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders.
This morally bankrupt endorsement from colonial powers, who have themselves perpetuated countless atrocities in their history, is hardly surprising. However, it does not speak for the millions of citizens who stand in solidarity with the unbowed Palestinians and their just cause.
Despite the empty posturing by the so-called “international community” about resolving the crisis through diplomacy, we must acknowledge that this dystopian horror has always been the endgame: the complete obliteration of Gaza and its people.
We call for urgent action to address this humanitarian crisis. We cannot stand idly by as innocent lives are lost and an entire population is subjected to unimaginable suffering. It will be a long and difficult road, but the Palestinian people will persevere and rebuild. Let us join forces and work towards a future where justice and compassion prevail.