We are supposed to be outraged that the Palestinian people have attacked the occupying power that is Israel. But, around the world, people are gathering in the streets to express their solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. Former rugby and rugby leader star Sonny Bill Williams is right: Palestinians are fighting for their freedom.
WHENEVER RUSSIAN missiles have hit residential buildings in Ukraine, there has been near universal outrage. Western Governments, including New Zealand's, have joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in condemning Russia for deliberately targeting civilians. In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding him responsible for a myriad of alleged war crimes.
Some 2000 kilometres away, in Gaza, the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu is committing the same crimes that Russia and Vladmir Putin have been charged with. Apartment buildings have been completely destroyed by Israeli jets. At the time of writing Palestinian authorities say that some 700 Palestinians have been killed. A Palestinian news agency puts that figure closer to 1000 fatalities. And we know there will be many more deaths as Israel continues to wreak carnage in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
According to Israel's Defence Minister Israel is fighting ‘human animals’. The dehumanisation of the Palestinian people has parallels to Nazi Germany's dehumanisation of the Jewish people.
The cable news channel Al Jazeera has asked whether we are now witnessing genocide in Gaza. Yet there has been no condemnation of Israel by Western governments. Indeed, the United States has rushed to send it further weapons. We are told that Israel is legitimately 'defending itself'. That's right. Israel, with one of largest military forces in the world and possessing nuclear weapons, is defending itself from the threat represented by two million people confined to 362 square kilometres (140 square miles) of land.
One of the supreme ironies is that is Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared his support for Israel. Since he is registered as an Israeli citizen, that's not surprising. But the hypocrisy is breathtaking. While Ukraine claims the right to defend itself from the Russian invader, Palestinians have no right to resist the occupying power that is Israel. Zelenskyy has described the Palestinian resistance fighters as 'terrorists'.
But, of course, Israel has been 'defending itself' for decades. Yet the thousands of Palestinians that have died at the hands of the Israeli military have largely been ignored by Western governments and elicited even less sympathy. We should remember that Palestinians have been trapped within Gaza ever since Israel began its blockade in 2007.
The issue remains - and will always remain - the murderous occupation that Israel has been allowed to impose for over seventy years. The West, led by the United States and claiming to be a beacon for 'freedom', has supported Israel, both in financial and military terms, while it has waged a relentless war against the Palestinian people. What has shocked Western governments today is that the Palestinian people have dramatically risen up against their oppressors and have taken the war to Israel itself. We are supposed to be outraged but, around the world, people are gathering in the streets to express their solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. Our politicians need to be told that Palestinian lives matter.
