Operation al-Aqsa Flood

Did you know that it is not illegal to escape prison in Germany? They reason that wanting to be free is not a criminal impulse but a normal human response. For nearly sixty years, Palestinians have lived under a brutal military occupation. Generations have been born into captivity, never having access to rights most of us in the West take for granted. They have no freedom of movement, their electricity and water are controlled by their occupiers, and the only water Israel allows them to drink and bathe in is toxic and unsafe for human consumption. The limited access to health care becomes especially problematic if you live in a small area you can’t leave, that is being bombed regularly by Israeli forces. Scarcely anyone could imagine what growing up under such conditions truly feels like, and I hope most never experience it, because the stories told by those who have are horrifying. In May of last year, prominent Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). Initially, the Israelis claimed she was caught in the crossfire, and was accidentally shot by Hamas. Later, it was revealed that she was several blocks away from the incident, standing in a quiet alley with several colleagues—to stay out of danger—and was hit in the neck with a single shot from an IDF sniper, between her helmet and protective vest, clearly labeled, “Press.” Subsequently, the Israelis raided her  home, further traumatizing her family, confiscated Palestinian flags, and warned against playing “nationalistic songs.” This all raised some eyebrows in the West, due to Abu Akleh being a respected journalist with an international following, but in the West Bank, nobody was remotely surprised. This is common life for them; bombing of refugee camps, assassinations, beatings, and forcible evictions are part of being a Palestinian, and for no other crime than being a Palestinian. Now… Israel has some of the most fanatic supporters, rivaling that of English soccer fans, and whenever anyone critiques Israel’s human rights abuses (including Jewish people), they start frothing at the mouth and haranguing endlessly about anti-Semitism, and they’ll mention what was done to the Jews in the holocaust. While anti-Semitism remains a very serious and dangerous, terrible evil in the world (adding to the long list of reasons for wanting to curl up into a ball and give up on this sordid species), it does not justify behaving like the fascists you rightfully hate. If anything, that is more anti-Semitic; breaking the Geneva Convention, laws that were created to criminalize the acts of the Nazis in occupied territories, in the name of the Jewish people. Under the Geneva Conventions, the settlement is illegal: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. [. . .] Any destruction by the occupying power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons [. . . ] is prohibited, except where such is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.” It will continue to blow my mind how so many in the West can hear phrases in the news like, “Human rights groups condemn Israel,” or “Israel is being accused of human rights violations,” and in response just casually shrug and say, “Oh well, what a mess over there.” Palestinians are drowning in misery every day due to this harsh and brutal regime, and it’s almost impossible to find anyone who cares less than Western media outlets. Deaths of Palestinian children reached a record high last year, virtually without comment, but a Palestinian sneezes on an Israeli and there is a queue the length of Nazareth to Bethlehem to reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself against unprovoked attacks. And when there is another habitual flareup, like there was two years ago, Israel bombed the Associated Press office building without any explanation as to why (although I’m sure we both know the reason). Years of this violent nonsense culminated in this weekend’s attack. Hamas launched a massive counter-offensive into Israel, which has killed more than 800 Israelis at the time of writing. Seething world leaders stomped to their public relations people to put out statements harshly condemning this “unprovoked” attack and senseless violence for no clear reason other than “terrorists just like terrorism.” As if Palestinians are to just acquiesce all their rights—rights to clean water, to vote, to have freedom of movement, and to live peacefully—without any protest. They’re under military occupation and our response is “Yeah, what’s the problem?” It’s absurd. I’ve heard many pundits argue that this is terrorism because these are not two armies fighting, rather it’s an insurgency. Simple fix: give the Palestinians an air force, navy, and a couple of tanks—there, you’re welcome. The other, more legitimate critique I’ve heard, concerns the killings and kidnappings of civilians. Unquestionably, the killing of civilians is inexcusable and shouldn’t happen. However, putting the blame for those deaths solely on Palestinians, and especially, using these civilian deaths to justify greater carnage and oppression of Palestinians is nothing short of evil. Six hours ago (at the time of writing), Israel’s defense minister tweeted about a “complete siege” on Gaza; “There is no electricity, there is no food, there is no water, there is no fuel,” he said. I remember reading about the town of Sderot where, on a hill overlooking Gaza, Israelis would gather and cheer at the sight and sound of bombs falling. Almost half of Gaza’s population are children. And currently, hospitals are being bombed. Remember, these are people. This is what happens when you push people to their limit, eventually, they can’t take it anymore. Some Palestinians have given Israel the same choice articulated by Patrick Henry in 1775: “Give me liberty, or give me death.” (Considering how much Americans love their own founders and history, I’m surprised they’re not more sympathetic.) Imagine if Russia won in Ukraine (they won't, but let's pretend), and subjected them to this Gaza-style occupation for over 70 years, eventually, it boils over into violence; would the American government consider them terrorists? So these civilian deaths, inexcusable as they are, were in part killed by the occupation. Israeli jingoism and apartheid ultimately, tragically ended their lives, like so many others; it’s just not Palestinians this time. As for the kidnappings, we should understand that it was unfortunately necessary to prevent Israel from outright melting Gaza. And secondly, in 2011 Israel exchanged 1,027 prisoners for the safe return of 1. Hamas reportedly has around a hundred hostages now… you figure out why. Finally, the last noteworthy criticism I’ve heard, is that Hamas just screwed over all the Palestinian people by doing this. If I’m thinking about this rationally (and I like to think that I am), from the comfort of my safe and cozy home: you’re right, it’s not a good chess move. However, it is insane to put that on the Palestinians. Israel’s government will ultimately be responsible for the horrific carnage and violence, as they already are. There is an easy way to save and defend the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians: end the occupation. Not that I think this matters, but just in case you care, what Palestinians are doing is (supposed to be) protected under international law; a UN National Assembly resolution “reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle.” The Jewish progressive organization IfNotNow released this statement: “We watch the unfolding horrors with heartbreak and dread for our loved ones—Israelis and Palestinians alike. [But] we cannot and will not say today’s actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked. Every day under Israel’s system of apartheid is a provocation. The strangling siege on Gaza is a provocation. Settlers terrorizing entire Palestinian villages, soldiers raiding and demolishing Palestinian homes, murdering Palestinians in the streets, Israeli ministers calling for genocide and expulsion. These are the provocations of the most extremist right wing government in Israel’s history and an emboldened fascist movement escalating this crisis across the land.” Echoing that statement, Jewish Voice for Peace said: “Right now, Palestinians, Israelis and all of us with family on the ground are terrified for loved ones. We grieve the lives of those already lost and remain committed to a future where every life is precious, and all people live in freedom and safety. [. . . ] For 16 years, the Israeli government has suffocated the Palestinians in Gaza under a draconian air, sea and land military blockade, imprisoning and starving two million people and denying them medical aid. The Israeli government routinely massacres Palestinians in Gaza; ten- year-olds who live in Gaza have already been traumatized by seven major bombing campaigns in their short lives. [. . .] The bloodshed of today and the past 75 years traces back directly to U.S. complicity in the oppression and horror caused by Israel’s military occupation. The U.S. government consistently enables Israeli violence and bears blame for this moment. The unchecked military funding, diplomatic cover, and billions of dollars of private money flowing from the U.S. enables and empowers Israel’s apartheid regime. Those who continue calling for “ironclad” U.S. support for the Israeli military are only paving the path to more violence. [. . .] The Israeli government may have just declared war, but its war on Palestinians started over 75 years ago. Israeli apartheid and occupation—and United States complicity in that oppression—are the source of all this violence. Reality is shaped by when you start the clock.”

Part Two

It’s often a good idea, after writing something, to return to it and add some more thoughts and clarify some perspective. Yesterday, I initially wanted to add some stronger words of condemnation of Hamas and the killing of innocent civilians, and perhaps make my perspective a little clearer—something I’m always mindful to do—because I realize the only way for Israel’s defenders to justify carpet bombing Gaza is to paint all people living there as radical Islamic extremists. Something I was reminded of when I saw a tweet from Haaretz—Israel’s equivalent of the New York Times—quoting Benjamin Netanyahu:  “‘Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas,’ Netanyahu told his Likud party’s Knesset members in March 2019. ‘ This is part of our strategy.’” As usual, where there are terrorists, there is Western money backing them. In fact, Hamas was funded in its early stages by Israel, because an extremist anti-Israel Muslim sect would oppose more secular Palestinian peace advocate groups. By having the extremists fight the moderates, they thought they could divide and conquer Palestinians forever. Unfortunately, Hamas won, leaving it the only resistance group that oppressed and hopeless Palestinians could turn to. But I think it’s absurd that I have to expressly state I do not condone the killings of civilians, or even the brutal executions of soldiers and parading them through the streets; of course, I don’t support that. What bothers me is that Israel bullies, tortures, maims, displaces, and kills Palestinian civilians regularly, virtually without comment or condemnation. But only the reaction (I’ll repeat and underline, reaction) to that violence is insisted we condemn in the strongest terms. My mom put this beautifully yesterday, in reaction to many countries displaying the Israeli flag in a show of support she said, “If you want to fly the Israeli flag today, you have to fly the Palestinian flag every day.” The problem is that the far-right fascist Israeli apartheid state, with Western support, has created such a hell in Gaza, and also the West Bank, that people would rather die and use violence than continue suffering. I think Yanis Varoufakis—a Greek economist—nailed it recently when he told the media: “Those who try very hard to extract from people like me […] a condemnation of the attack by the Hamas guerrillas, will never get it. And they will never get it for a very simple reason; those who care about humans without any discrimination, those who care equally about a Jew and an Arab, must ask themselves a very simple question: what exactly is their idea of the cessation of hostilities? That Palestinians are going to lay down their arms and go back into the largest open-air prison in the world? Where they’re constantly suffocated by the apartheid state? “In other words, back in South Africa, in the era of apartheid, what was the problem? Was it that some members of the black resistance, including the ANC, but not only the ANC, took up arms against the South African regime, and sometimes killed innocent people? Was that the problem with apartheid? No. The problem was apartheid. Apartheid, whether it’s practiced in South Africa or in Palestine, or Israel, is always going to procure violence. Because it’s a violent, misanthropic system. Any human being living under apartheid at some point will either die a terrible silent death, or rebel and often take innocent people with them. “ The criminals here are not Hamas. Not even the Israeli settlers who are killing Palestinians. The criminals are Europeans, us, every single member of our German society, our French society, our Greek society, United States society. We have participated in this crime against humanity over the decades by keeping our mouths shut. As long as there is no trouble down there, as long as people are dying outside the reach of cameras, as long as it’s Palestinians who die and not the occupiers. “So this incredible tragedy must be converted into an opportunity for us Europeans to wake up and to redeem ourselves by demanding that collectively we take the first decisive step towards peace. And that is the destruction of the state of apartheid, just like we did in South Africa.” While we’re on the topic of South Africa, you’ll remember that Nelson Mandela was offered freedom multiple times, on the condition that he’d renounce the violence of his supporters, and he said he refused to do so while apartheid still existed. Mandela also said, “We identify with the PLO because, just like ourselves, they are fighting for the right of self-determination.” He said that “Arafat is a comrade in arms,” and that “We know all too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.” I also heard Joe Biden say that the reason Hamas is a terrorist group and does not represent the Palestinian cause, is because they use Palestinians as human shields. Someone should probably tell him that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both reported that Ukraine is breaking the laws of war by doing the same thing. The Ukrainian military is hiding amongst civilians, including setting up command centers in hospitals. The Viet Cong did the same thing, as did the Taliban, and so did the Irish Republican Army—leading to Black Friday. This is an unfortunate part of Guerrilla warfare. I’m not telling you how to feel about it, I’m just saying, that people who live in glass houses… Also, Netanyahu told Palestinians to leave Gaza because they were going to bomb it. Now, you might be wondering: how can they leave a walled-in place, which even Israelis call an open-air prison? They can’t. Many Israelis are leaving—taking a vacation because the climate is getting a little hot—but Palestinians are completely trapped. The only reason Netanyahu is telling them to flee is because he needs to make it look like they’re remotely concerned about human casualties. Egypt, another US client state, is currently refusing to allow Palestinians safe passage out of Gaza, thereby helping Israel and the United States kill as many civilians as possible. It reminds me of Jewish refugees being denied safe harbor anywhere after fleeing Germany in the ‘30s. America sent a ship with German-Jewish refugees back to Europe in 1939—nobody wanted to accept Jewish refugees into their country. The Palestinians are in that same position today. The unpleasant truth is, that the Palestinians have tried and exhausted peaceful means of protest. The Great March of Return was a peaceful protest where thousands of Palestinian civilians tried to walk near the border fence in 2018, there were women, children, doctors, and journalists. Nurses were dressed in their work clothes to let the Israelis know they were not a threat. They were fired upon by IDF snipers and got killed by the hundreds. And all the West could talk about was Israel’s right to defend itself. The elementary fact is, that you can’t be “defending” yourself if you are the military occupier. The Palestinians are hopeless.  And in their hopelessness, many turned to a radical and violent group, funded by Mossad, as their only choice of resistance. My heart truly breaks for the Israeli civilians who are victims of unjustifiable cruelty and their families, and I do not support the killing of civilians. And I do not like Hamas, at all. But the Israeli government (with Western support) has created the conditions that make violent resistance inevitable; it’s no excuse to kill civilians and I do not condone it, but I have picked a side in this conflict, and I support those that want nothing more than their freedom. I am not eight years old, and I can hold those two positions at the same time: opposing the killing of civilians, and supporting Palestinian emancipation. I originally wanted to add a short “post scriptum,” but it’s become longer than I planned.  I don’t know if you can tell by my writing how angry I am. I don’t like writing or feeling like this, I usually pride myself on sounding a little calmer, but I’m desperate. I genuinely walked a hole in my sock yesterday, from pacing around my living room. Anyway, I’m going to sleep, and tomorrow I’ll try and watch a Disney movie or something. What a week, huh? What do you mean it’s only Thursday?