STANDING WITH THE PALESTINIAN  PEOPLE  

The United Nations takes out November 29 annually to celebrate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

It is indeed providential that the day set aside by the UN to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine comes around just about the time Israel is showing no willingness to let up in its attacks on a territory which it has bombarded intensively and extensively in the last one year but has not been able to break.

For those who would commandeer every opportunity to channel their defense of oppression, these attacks which have crushed the bodies of children and women, especially spring from Hamas attacks on Israelis on 7th October 2024. The attack was absolutely shocking, heinous, and  condemnable. There was and there can never be any justification for the mindless attacks which killed over a thousand Israelis in cold blood, and taking dozens hostage. That some hostages remain in the captivity of their captors casts Hamas as a terrorist organization bent of achieving its goals through fair and foul.

The origin of the tragedy unfolding in the region at the end of Israeli rocket launchers hack back into history, and especially the period immediately after World War II. It traces its provenance to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands which they still occupy with the active support of the United States and the United Kingdom. The roots of what has quickly become the bloodiest conflict of the last ten years lie in the mass and forcible displacement of Palestinians and their resistance, rebellion, and resilience in the face of unprecedented adversity.

How and why Palestinians have chosen to prosecute this war remains a favourite inquiry for historians, economists, policymakers, activists, writers and all those who make the pain of others the bitter pill they swallow in their quest to reimagine a better world.

This year’s day of solidarity with Palestinians offers a poignant opportunity to reflect on the fate of all those suffering one form of injustice or the other, and the incredible fortitude they have continued to show in the face of unbearable pain.

Generations of Palestinians have passed through the Israeli guillotine grounded by the United Kingdom and United States, yet, somehow, improbably, their heads have remained on their shoulders.

The Palestinian story is also one of extraordinary resilience and defiance in the face of extraordinary injustice. The dying breath of every Palestinian child killed since this struggle started decades ago have somebody served to inflate the cyclone that will one day bring down an extraordinary conspiracy against people who have only ever desired peace.

In a world where there is so much suffering, what does solidarity mean? It means sharing the pain of others and speaking out against it. It also means sharing values that are universal and speaking out about issues that affect people all over the world.

It is not just Palestine and Palestinians. But may solidarity with Palestinians the world over lead to solidarity with all those who suffer discrimination of any form.

Peace and prosperity will continue to elude the world until equality and equity are achieved for people everywhere.

 Kene Obiezu,

keneobiezu@gmail.com