Written by: Rtr. Aaysha Sufran
When I volunteered to pen down this article, I wasn’t prepared to be splashed with a dose of reality on my own home front. Fresh from logging off social media and seeing the passionate response of millions worldwide to what is essentially, one of the ugliest chapters in human history, my belief in concepts like compassion and humanity were burning bright. Then I made the ‘mistake’ of reaching out to my social circle to see what they thought on the matter and lo and behold, apparently weightier matters took up most of their times. They had ‘heard’ about the genocide in Palestine in passing apparently but they had decided to chalk it down, like so many others as another event beyond our control. This made me pause for a moment to reflect on what our generation had become and what this foretold for the future of the world. After hours of contemplation, the only conclusion I could reach was, as is usually the case in most matters; The pen is mightier than the sword. The root of the matter being, it is ultimately the direction in which the pen nudges you, that you choose to look at the world. So, I picked up my own pen, hoping to lay down a trail that will ultimately lead to illumination, from this tunnel of ignorance.
The history of the Israel- Palestine conflict dates back to the time of the second world war, although from religious perspectives, it has been an issue dating back many centuries. The horrors inflicted by Hitler’s Nazis on the Jewish population chill our hearts even today. Interestingly, it was this experience that caused Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin to coin the term ‘’Genocide’’ (Greek for Race ‘Genos’ and Latin for killing ‘Cide’). Historically mass killings have been an inexorable part of mankind and despite that, it shows the depths to which the horrors of this particular war must have impacted us, if a word had to be coined separately to sum up the agonies inflicted by it. Lemkin was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the UN convention on the prevention and punishment of Genocide. Since most of our higher ups are alumni from notable educational institutions around the globe and still seem to have trouble identifying a genocide when they see one, I took the liberty of defining it according to the definition given by the United Nations itself, for the benefit of all.
The convention defines genocide as any act that has as it’s intent the destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
United Nations
There’s an Arab proverb that says, “He kills the victim and then walks in his funeral’’. I remembered this when I came across a very absurd statement by none other than the US National Security Advisor Sullivan as early as June 10th 2024, in the Global Eye News where he says, “Our hearts are saddened for the victims in the Gaza strip, BUT Israel has committed no crime.’’ I know beyond a doubt that this sentiment is not echoed by the millions of civilians in that country as evidenced by the continuing protests all over the region (Kudos to the students at Columbia University in NYC for this domino effect!). I am also aware that when it comes to politicians, the public usually does not harbor warm sentiments towards them. But this is taking things to a whole new level I must say. History will remember this as the most documented and most denied genocide in the history of mankind.
If I were to pen down each and every ‘situation’ that arose since October 07, 2023, I would most likely be writing till the end of my days, so let me just touch on the most recent incident, hoping that its horrors would be fresh on the minds of the audience. The people of Palestine have been pushed to the brink of destruction, starting from Jabalia in the north, passing Gaza, Khan Younis (which have been reduced to rubble) and are now left with Rafah which was demarcated as a ‘safe zone’. I’m sure none of us are new to the ‘All eyes on Rafah’ posts that have been circulated widely, because honestly all eyes are on Rafah at this point. They have been pushed to their limits and beyond Rafah there is only the sea, which is again under major siege.
On June 8th, 2024, Israeli soldiers hid inside humanitarian aid trucks to lure innocent civilians to gather around before carrying out a massacre of more than 200 Palestinians with the death toll continuing to be on the rise. They literally pulled a Trojan Horse on them.
Why you may as well ask?
To free hostages they say.
In the process of saving four lives, they were eager to sacrifice hundreds more. This includes not just innocent Palestinians, but their own Israeli soldiers as well. Talk about irony.
World peace will continue to remain an alien concept as long as veto power exists in the hands of the so called ‘World Powers’. With the US regularly shooting down calls for a ceasefire using this privilege, where is the end to all this?
Israel is now on the same list with entities such as the ISIS, Boko Haram, Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Many say this is where it rightfully belongs.
With the International Court of Justice issuing interim orders to Israel to halt its genocide and stop interfering with the delivery of aid to starving Palestinians and simultaneously, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against leaders of both Israel and Hamas, one would think that some semblance of peace would be established. But Israel has displayed it’s flagrant disregard for such orders and continued its murderous intents with such doggedness that Gaza currently has the largest population of child amputees in the world.
Life, my dear reader is a tapestry of emotions. A weaving together of the dreams and hopes of millions. Sometimes our very existence can be difficult, and our losses unbearable. We grieve and we struggle. That’s what makes us human. What then, does it say about creatures who capitalize on that suffering to wreak more havoc? Note that I have given up calling them ‘humans,’ for to be human is to live and love and struggle and grieve, to feel the pain of another as acutely as if it were your own. These victims, they once built their own castles in the clouds, just like you and I. Currently they have been reduced to mere headlines on our screens, fighting to be heard. Has the word JUSTICE been erased from our dictionaries altogether?
As humans, we are weak. We falter. We are never quite ready, ever. Perhaps, the courage to stand up for what’s right is a slow process. Perhaps all we need is a slight nudge in the right direction. If my dictionary were larger or more comprehensive, I would likely be able to come up with words to describe these killers. But then again, would words ever suffice to describe those who blatantly ignore the sanctity of life, who fool themselves into thinking they have the right to a life that is not their own?
I wonder very much…
Oh, you who commit the worst of evils on this earth, do you really think you will not be held accountable for all that you do?
Do you think you will ever be able to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep ever again, with the blood of so many to haunt you?
You might think you are winning, but you see, us rebels, we have a voice. You can keep trying to crush us and like a phoenix we will keep rising… We will keep shouting until the world will be forced to drop what they’re doing and just listen.
We have something which you lost long ago in your chase of power. We have our conscience intact you see. We cradle each other in the palms of our hands… we have been cracked enough by your propaganda. Now, we can manipulate these very same cracks to let the light shine through. We may not face glorious victories immediately, but we will continue to struggle for our cause. At the end of the day, it is our struggle that counts, and that in itself is our victory.
When we fight, we do so with every atom of our being.
From the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free…
Graphic Design: Rtr. Sandali Mendis
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