The International Day for Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed on November 29. The UN voted to divide the Palestinian territories into a “Jewish state” and a “Arab state” on this date in 1947. Since then, only the former has emerged, and the purpose of the solidarity day is to bring attention to the Palestinian people’s dispossession on a global scale. Sadly, this day also signifies another year in which the Palestinian people have been denied their acknowledged fundamental right to self-determination by the same international community. The UN stated that this year’s observance was held under a precarious ceasefire in Gaza, following severe violence and a humanitarian crisis that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes. The UN secretary general’s official statement for the day sadly omitted the word “genocide.” Fortunately, Pakistan’s leadership was much more forthright, with both the president and the prime minister reiterating the nation’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination. Sadly, despite the “fragile ceasefire,” atrocities still take place. More than a month after the continuing truce was declared, Amnesty International claimed in a briefing on Thursday that Israeli authorities are still committing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. There cannot be a truce if the genocide continues.
The Israelis had breached the truce at least 497 times in 44 days, killing about 343 Palestinians, according to information released earlier this week by the Gaza Government Media Office. Israel currently controls around 58% of the Gaza Strip, and it continues to deny Gazans access to full aid and the opportunity to return to their homes. What type of ceasefire permits an unlawful occupying force to expand the territory it occupied, carry on killing occupied people without consequence, and deny them assistance? Furthermore, the Zionist occupation seems to have gained confidence outside of Gaza. Israel has increased its settler aggression in the West Bank, bombed Lebanon, and invaded Syria in recent days. Since October 2023, more than a thousand Palestinians have died in the West Bank. A video that surfaced this week showing Israeli troops shooting and killing two Palestinian men who had turned themselves in to them suggests that the violence is just becoming more heinous. Following the video, Germany, Italy, the UK, and France jointly condemned the escalating settler violence, and the UN asked for an impartial investigation. Israel mocks these kinds of demands and denunciations.
So far, the ceasefire appears to be more of an occupation consolidation strategy than a peace plan, and only the United States can make a difference in this regard. Israel now controls more Palestinian territory, and the occupied people are still treated like spectators while others decide what will happen to them. This casts serious doubt on future plans, especially the International Stabilization Force. Given the current situation, it wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that such a force might ultimately serve as a stand-in for Zionist objectives. For the time being, any acknowledgment of the concept of an independent Palestine seems to be mainly symbolic, with the reality on the ground suggesting otherwise. Anyone claiming to support the Palestinian people ought to oppose this or at the very least decline to participate.