For nearly a year now, the Zionist state of Israel has ruthlessly massacred the Palestinian people. The current atrocities are merely the latest chapter in a continuous campaign of genocide that has spanned 75 years, beginning with the Nakba, the catastrophe of 1948, when over 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homeland. Since then, the Palestinian people have been relentlessly oppressed, facing waves of genocidal purges by their Zionist occupiers. The Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982 remains etched in history, when thousands of Palestinians were slaughtered and dispossessed. Illegal settlements and forced evictions have become a daily reality for Palestinians, who endure harassment, arbitrary arrests, and inhumane treatment in detention, where reports of sexual abuse are rampant.
Deprived of their humanity, rights, and dignity, Palestinians have been subjected to the terror inflicted by the Israeli Defense Forces (better understood as the Israeli Occupying Forces), a tool of oppression wielded to intimidate and subjugate both Palestinians and neighbouring countries.
For 75 years, this systematic genocide of Palestinians has largely gone unnoticed by the international community. However, since October 7, the brutal actions of the Israeli Occupying Forces have thrust the Palestinian plight into global consciousness, thanks to social media, where Palestinians have shared the horrors they endure: the destruction of their homes, the ceaseless drone of jets overhead, bombs raining down, and the agonised screams of women and children amid the devastation. This suffering has galvanised public opinion in the West, sparking pro-Palestinian rallies across major cities. Even prestigious universities have become centres of support for Palestine, reminiscent of the student movements during the Vietnam War.
Once again, the UN has issued its standard call for a two-state solution, the cessation of illegal settlements, and an end to violence by Zionist settlers. Yet, it has failed to hold the Zionist state accountable for its atrocities, hindered by the US’s consistent use of its veto power—a reflection of the influence wielded by the Zionist American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over US politics. The most disappointing responses, however, come from the Arab League (AL) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). While public sentiment in the Muslim world is overwhelmingly in favour of supporting the Palestinian cause, their leaders have achieved little beyond calling for a ceasefire.
The real question remains: what about the war crimes and atrocities committed against Palestinians over the past 75 years? Will there be any justice for the innocent blood spilled? Or is it the fault of their stars that they were born Palestinian, deprived of basic rights? In a recent UN General Assembly session, it was noted that even squirrels have rights, during a debate on Afghan women’s rights. Yet no one seems to ask whether Palestinian women have any rights—women giving birth amidst rubble, undergoing cesarean sections without anaesthesia, their children torn from them or killed by the IOF. While the Zionist state is allowed to commit genocide with impunity, Palestinians are denied even the right to arms for self-defence. To add insult to injury, Zionist aggression is euphemistically labelled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when in reality, it is not a conflict but a brutal occupation and ethnic cleansing.
Amidst this bleak landscape, there are rays of hope. The people of South Africa, having endured apartheid and genocide themselves, have taken Israel to the International Court of Justice for its genocidal actions in Gaza. History will also remember the steadfast support of the Irish people for the Palestinian cause, as well as recent moves by Norway, Spain, and Slovenia to recognise Palestinian statehood and express their solidarity. Yet the irony persists: while 146 of the 193 UN member states recognise the State of Palestine, it remains only a non-member observer at the United Nations General Assembly.
In the face of all this, the most remarkable trait of the Palestinian people during this Nakba has been their unwavering faith in Allah, as they continuously chant, “Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal-wakeel”—”Allah (alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.” Their recitation reflects their belief that, while the world may abandon them, their Creator will not. On the Day of Judgment, they will meet Him, and He will grant them Jannah (paradise) for the trials and tribulations they have endured in a world that failed them—through political expediency, the influence of powerful lobbies, a biased media, and the indifference of tyrants and dictators who prioritised their interests over justice for Palestine.
Ahsan Munir
The writer is a freelance columnist.
