By Sahar Moussa

 

A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: In exile and in prison, and in a homeland transformed by occupation and oppression into a nightmare. —Mahmoud Darwish

Gaza. No more words to write or describe the situation in the presence of the powerful images of shattered bodies of children, women and men under the debris. Let’s go back in time and ask ourselves what led to the massacre that we are witnessing today. It all started on Nov 2, 1917, when the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour promised the leaders of the Zionist movement they could establish their national homeland in Palestine, violating Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Balfour laid the foundation for the conspiracy launched against the people of Palestine, which later led to the Palestinian catastrophe in 1948 called the “Nakba”.

The Nakba is one of the darkest periods in Palestine’s history. Zionist forces supported by the British attacked and ransacked more than 500 towns and cities throughout Palestine. More than 700,000 Palestinians fled the rampaging Zionists forces, fleeing their homes to save their lives. The Zionists intended ethnic cleansing, to steal the land and make way for their own people by open dispossession, mass killing and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians living there.

Today in 2021, history is repeating itself with another Nakba in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Zionists continue their policy of ruthless ethnic cleansing – stealing homes and building settlements on Palestinian land. That is what they are attempting in Sheikh Jarrah – ethnic cleansing and land theft.

Sometimes I wonder if the Zionist government wants to avenge the Holocaust — where six million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany — by ethnically cleansing the Palestinians. Nazi Germany argued that it was “racially superior” and that Jews were “inferior” and thus tried to justify their ethnic cleansing. Zionists argue they are the “chosen people” and they are justified in the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians. ‘Holocaust ’is a word of Greek origin meaning ‘sacrifice by fire’, and by fire and blood, Zionists are sacrificing innocent Palestinians.

Palestinian demonstrators chant slogans and wave their national flags during protests against Israel's occupation and its air campaign on the Gaza strip, in the occupied West Bank town of Hebron. - AFP 

Strong political stand needed

I can’t understand why some nations like the US and some Arab countries continue to support what is clearly genocide and ethnic cleansing. I don’t think you need to side with any political or religious party to stand up against what is taking place in Palestine. Just be human, and realize that this violence must stop.

How can they blind themselves to what is happening in Palestine, with the killing of Muslim and Christian Palestinians in the name of an apartheid regime? The Zionists are committing genocide and getting stronger because no one is stopping them. Zionists have an extremist agenda that justifies the theft of Palestinian homes and the murder of Palestinian children. Why is that? Is it because of Arab silence? People in Palestine don’t need money or food donations. They don’t need silence. They need a strong political stand against violence and genocide before a whole generation, ethnicity and civilization disappears.

Another brick in the wall?

Now with the power of social media, we can’t hide the truth. We can’t keep blaming Palestinians, assuming that they sold their houses to the Zionists willingly in 1948 without being forced to, just because there were no witnesses — which gave them the chance to fabricate their own stories throughout history.

New history books must be written about what is happening in Palestine now, what is happening in Gaza now, what is happening in Jerusalem now and how nations reacted, so that future generations can learn from history and avoid repeating the same injustice and violence.

We need books to be incorporated in schools and universities that will inform people about the siege. We need to talk about the wall that was built to shatter Palestinians’ dreams and hopes and about the gates and fortresses that the Zionists use to suffocate Palestinians.

Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis have protested in Irada Square, although it is illegal for non-Kuwaitis to protest — unless they want to be deported. Despite this risk, many expats took a stand against violence and the horrifying massacre taking place. Kuwaitis already know what it feels like to be invaded and deported from their homes, which is why they have always supported unfortunate countries like Lebanon and Palestine.

‘Neither death nor suicide’

I have a dream that someday all nations, especially Arab nations, will stand united against violence in the name of humanity, because bloodshed and mass destruction is not the solution. There is no doubt that the Zionist entity is considered to be one of the most powerful countries, hiding behind its walls, fortresses and advanced internationally-banned weapons which it uses liberally against Palestinians. However, nowadays people’s views are shifting thanks to the power of social media. People are expressing their views, and we are seeing that governments’ statements do not necessarily represent their people’s opinions.

Last but not least, we are responsible for impacting the Palestinian children’s future by the decisions we take today. What are we going to answer them when they ask about all the violence? What are we going to tell them when they ask why a six-year-old child is lying with a blood-covered cloth covering its face in a morgue instead of being in school with friends? We need to use social media’s power to educate people about Naji Al-Ali, Ghassan Kanafani, Souha Bechara, Muhammad Al-Durrah and Mahmoud Darwish to teach them about resistance, sacrifice and justice.

As for Palestinians, who despite being trapped and pushed each and every day to drown in the sea, get swallowed by walls and be killed like flies, have always managed to survive and rise with every dawn like phoenixes. They draw doors on the walls to cross to the other side simply armed with faith and hope, which is the strongest weapon of them all.

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