[News] No matter the cost: Things that the Israeli genocide in Gaza taught us about Palestine and the world

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 No matter the cost: Things that the Israeli genocide in Gaza taught us
about Palestine and the world
By Ramzy Baroud <https://english.palinfo.com/?p=250012>

Friday 11-October-2024 -
https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/no-matter-the-cost-things-that-the-israeli-genocide-in-gaza-taught-us-about-palestine-and-the-world/

The past year of the relentless Israeli genocide against the Palestinians
in Gaza, and bloody raids and violence in the West Bank, has been viewed
largely in terms of the horrific humanitarian outcomes: the unequalled
killing of tens of thousands of children, women and men; the obliteration
of Gaza; and demolitions and destruction in the occupied West Bank.

While humanitarian urgency must indeed be a priority, other factors are
also deserving of consideration, especially as we mark the first
anniversary of the ongoing genocide. Even though the mass killing is yet to
end, there are several conclusions that can already be drawn about its
long-term consequences.

For a start, the Palestinians, despite the military occupation, the siege
and the numerous failures of their leadership, remain political actors,
with powerful agency. This agency does not stem from any superficial
achievements of their autocratic leadership or the still symbolic
recognition of the state of Palestine, but the collective resilience and
power of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza and throughout Occupied Palestine.

The war in Gaza would have looked different if Palestinian society had
broken down in the face of the war machine, fragmented into fighting
factions or grown desperate in the face of impossible pressures, including
war, unprecedented destruction and acute famine. This fact alone is
reassuring.

The Palestinian people’s destiny will not be that of erasure or even
marginalization, but of continuity and even prosperity.

Moreover, Arab societies, however consumed with their own struggles, and
social and political challenges, remain united in perceiving the
Palestinian cause as a top Arab priority. This has allowed many Arab
governments to reiterate their position regarding the centrality of the
Palestinian cause.

Although current circumstances may, for now, prevent some Arab societies
from being direct participants in turning their devotion to Palestine into
tangible and practical support, the future shall prove that the renewed
centrality of Palestine in Arab political and popular discourses will have
its own weight and value.

The same logic applies to the Muslim Ummah, which has never been so united
around a cause in decades as it is now united around Palestine. This can be
felt in all Muslim countries, and among Muslim communities around the
world, especially in the West.

The future shall reveal more regarding the meaning of the return of
Palestine to the embrace of Arabs and Muslims. However, one can already
conclude that the resilience of the Palestinian people has, once more,
refocused the attention on Palestine as the leading cause of all Arabs and
Muslims.

While some Arab states are desperately trying to find a safe distance, and
to play no part in the Gaza-centered regional conflict, non-state actors in
Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere are challenging the traditional rules of
Middle East politics. Arab masses are no longer beseeching Arab armies to
save the Palestinians, as has been the case in previous wars, conflicts and
massacres.

The roles being played by Ansarallah — the Houthis — in Yemen and Hezbollah
in Lebanon seem to have filled the roles that should have, in theory, been
played by traditional armies. This is no longer expected, or frankly, even
required.

Official Arab armies have historically proven to be ineffective and corrupt.

Now, they are mere spectators as powerful armed groups have moved in to
fill the gaps, showing solidarity with Palestinians in word and deed.

Historically, this is unprecedented. This change shall further undercut
whatever legitimacy still attaches to Arab regimes, especially those in the
immediate proximity of Palestine.

We can also see that, although international law remains as ineffective as
ever, the bloody war in Palestine is creating rifts between the Global
South and the Global North. The latter, with a few exceptions, remains
adamant in repeating tired, old mantras about Israel’s “right to defend
itself”, while disregarding all Palestinian rights. However, many countries
in Africa, the Middle East, South America and elsewhere are becoming louder
and bolder in their demands for justice for Palestinians, and for the equal
application of international law.

The Global South’s political revolt has already resulted in slow, but
serious actions taken by the International Court of Justice, the
International Criminal Court and, as of late, the UN General Assembly. The
UNGA passed a resolution on 17 September that assigned an actual deadline
for when the Israeli occupation of Palestine must end. Resolution
A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1, and its “no later than 12 months” deadline essentially
declared null and void all actions that Israel has illegally carried out in
the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including all settlements and
annexation of Palestinian land.

In addition, a whole generation of people around the world has been
affected by the horror show in Gaza. The gory images, the desperate pleas
of children who have lost their parents, the unbelievable destruction and
the failure of the international system to stop any of this, will be etched
in the collective memory of the world for many years to come.

This means that the boundaries of global solidarity with Palestine will
finally break the confines of the Middle East into new and growing
geographic and cultural spaces. At least in the West, Palestine will no
longer be simply a political discussion or subject of academic interest.

The new global consciousness that has developed around the Palestinian
struggle may have already achieved the required critical mass which will,
with time, result in the much-coveted paradigm shift: justice for the
Palestinian people.

Finally, one year of war has taught us that, while superior firepower may
determine political outcomes in the short run, no weapons and munitions can
possibly break the will of a nation that has vowed to restore its dignity
and win its freedom, no matter the cost.

*-Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle.
He is the author of five books. His latest is ‘These Chains Will Be Broken:
Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons’. Baroud is
a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global
Affairs (CIGA) and also at the Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC).*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20241011/89d7b88f/attachment.htm>