Israeli Brutality on Nakba Day
Yet another act of Zionist cowardice
Yet another act of resilience by Gaza
Anand Singh
On the last 14 May during the inauguration of American embassy in Jerusalem when Israel’s bloodthirsty prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was terming the day as a ‘glorious day’, the Israeli snipers were carrying out indiscriminate firing on the Palestinian protestors along the Gaza border and tear gas canisters were being fired via drones. Like its entire history this ‘glorious day’ got immersed with the blood of innocent Palestinians because on that very day more than 60 Palestinians including children were martyred and around 3000 people got injured. The attack was so indiscriminate that even the team of doctors and para medic staff and the press reporters came under fire.
The barbaric Zionists deliberately kept the inauguration of American embassy on a day when which the Palestinian people mournfully remember as ‘al Naqba’ (the catastrophe) because this was the day when Israel was born after which more than 7.5 lakh Palestinians were uprooted from their land. In subsequent years, the Zionists have carried out innumerable acts of genocide and mass murders. The brutal killings of Palestinian protestors on 14 May are in continuity with these Israeli crimes against humanity.
However, if Zionists believe that by carrying out such acts of mass murder they would succeed in crushing the courageous resistance of Gaza, they are completely mistaken. Despite all the conspiracies of immersing this resistance into the pool of blood, it continues unabated and the justice loving people throughout the world are gathering in its support.
It is to be noted that people of Gaza were holding a ‘Great March of Return’ demonstration since 30 March along the Gaza border to demand the return of Palestinian refugees, to end the siege of Gaza and to oppose the shifting of US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In all more than 100 protestors were killed in the Zionist attacks on this just protest. This was the most brutal Zionist attack after the aerial bombardment on Gaza in 2014. But as always this cowardice attack could not deter the militant spirit of the people of Gaza. The Gazans responded the state of art weapons with slingshot and stones and in the process the Zionist cowardice and the bravery of Gaza both became part of history.
After the Trump administration’s declaration last year of shifting the Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, vocal protests have been witnessed throughout the world against these bullying acts of US and Israel. While the Palestinians are leading this protest, justice loving and conscientious people all over the world are holding demonstrations in their countries in solidarity with Palestinians’ just struggle.
Jerusalem controversy: In the mirror of history
It needs to be noted that the dispute regarding the status of Jerusalem has remained an important aspect of the Palestinian question ever since the birth of the nation called Israel in 1948. Even in the United Nation’s plan in 1947, there was a provision to handover the administration of Jerusalem to a special international authority which was rejected by Arab countries. Just after the establishment of Israel in 1948, there was a situation of war between Israel and Arab countries for almost 10 months, after which, under the mediation of United Nations, a ceasefire agreement was signed, according to which Israel gained the rights over the western part of Jerusalem, while the eastern part was to be under the control of Jordan.
It needs to be noted that the followers of the three religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity consider East Jerusalem as their holy land. It is in the older city in East Jerusalem where the ‘Haram-Al-Sharif’ mosque is located which is considered as one of the most sacred places by Arabs. Jewish people call this place as ‘Temple Mount’. The ‘Al Aqsa’ mosque is also located here, which is considered to be the third most sacred mosque in Islam. After the Arab-Israel war in 1967, even the eastern part of Jerusalem came under Israeli occupation. However, this occupation has still not got international recognition since according to the Geneva Convention; a territory occupied through war is considered to be militarily occupied. As recent as in December 2016, a resolution was passed in United Nations clearly stating that the Palestinian territory is under Israeli military occupation. The people of Palestine have a deep emotional attachment with Eastern Jerusalem, and they see it as the capital of the future independent and unified Palestine. In the wake of the disputed status of Jerusalem, both in the ‘Camp-David Accord’ in 1978 and ‘Oslo Accord’ in 1993, the decision regarding the status of Jerusalem was postponed for decisive negotiation in future. It is noteworthy that in the year 2000, the second intifada was triggered after the entry of the then Israeli opposition leader and former president Ariel Sharon into the ‘Temple Mount’ premises. It is also worth noting that in 1995, after passing the ‘Jerusalem Embassy Act’, US Congress again passed a bill in 2002 related to shifting the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and putting the name of Israel as the birthplace on the passports of Americans born in Jerusalem. However, even the hawkish American President George W. Bush could not put this into action. Before the current decision by Trump, the US’s official stand was that the status of Jerusalem should be decided through peaceful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Hence this is indeed a big shift in the US foreign policy, after which all of its lofty claims of establishing peace in Middle East stands thoroughly exposed.
The US imperialism is acting like a mad elephant
In recent months Trump administration has taken some aggressive steps which show that the elephant of US imperialism has got stuck in the mire of middle-east. These apparent offensives are in reality reflection of the desperation of US imperialism. As explained in the last issue of ‘The Anvil’ the move to recognize Jerusalem as a capital of Israel is an act of desperation of the Trump administration. The decision of direct intervention in Syria and doing away with the nuclear deal with Iran must also be seen in this light only.
The main reason behind this is that in recent times the balance of power in the middle-east is has shifted in favour of Russia-Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis vis-a-viz US-Israel-Saudi Arab axis. Turkey’s ambivalence in the middle-east and its open support to the Palestinians has also disturbed the game plan of US imperialism.
Gaza will never die
The people of Gaza are forced to live under the suffocation of open-air prison for years. After a gap of a few years, Israel with the help of its state of art weaponry and trained army carries out barbaric acts of genocide on big or small scale. The intervening years between two genocides is also no less than a hell for an ordinary citizen of Gaza.
Israel has laid siege to Gaze from all the three routes: land, air and sea routes due to which even the basic necessities of life such as food and medicines do not reach Gaza easily. 95 percent of water in Gaza is not potable and on an average the people of Gaza get power supply for 4 hour a day only. 45 percent youth in Gaza are unemployed. About half of Children over there suffer from anemia and half of the children do not wish to live.
These are the circumstances that are pushing the people of Gaza towards revolt. They are responding the state of art weaponry with their slingshot and stone and in the process presenting an amazingly heroic example of resilient resistance. This resistance is getting support from people from different parts of the world. From America to Europe and from Asia to Africa protest demonstrations are taking place in solidarity with Gaza and against the Israeli atrocities. Thus the struggle of Palestinians does not remain a local struggle; rather it has adopted a global form. In many countries the boycott, divest and Sanction (BDS) movement against Israel is picking up pace which is adversely affecting Israeli economy and diplomacy. The more force the Israeli will use on the Palestinians, the more widespread would be the demand for boycotting Israel.
The shift in the balance of power away from the US led axis in the Middle East and the anger of Arab people against their rulers due to their betrayal on the Palestinian question will help the Palestinian struggle. The future looks uncertain, but what can be said with certainty that the militant spirit of Gaza cannot be overpowered.
