Anti-War
Unfortunately, a machine has not yet been developed that can take one back in time and undo terrible mistakes being made due to lack of appreciation of possible downstream consequences of certain actions. If Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary had been somewhere else other than in Sarajevo back in June 1914 Serbian Gavrilo Princip might never have been able to assassinate him and the European system of military alliances might never have been triggered to start World War I. Going through the subsequent history of wars since the Great War, there are certainly any number of historical mistakes or omissions that might have been rectified to stop those wars from starting in the first place.
The paradoxical phrase “running away forward” is one of the most apt descriptions that illustrates the state of affairs in Israel right now. It seems that everything that the Zionist state has done in the past year or so is a mere attempt to deny, distract from or escape imminent future scenarios, all of which are bleak. Indeed, the past year has proven repeatedly that Israel’s military supremacy is no longer able to win wars or decide political outcomes.
Moreover, the genocide in Gaza and the rapid theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank have exposed, like never before, the ugly face of Zionist settler-colonialism. Only those who are wholly indoctrinated or are paying no attention still argue that Israel stands for any kind of moral ideals or is a “light unto the nations”.
* First of all, most of Nikki Haley's campaign funds came from the defense industry and the pro-Israeli lobby. * During her campaign for President, Nikki Haley was willing to go on her hands & knees for the Jewish vote and money by pledging to cut all US aid to foreign nations that are Israel-unfriendly. * Haley spent her tenure at the UN Assembly passing the anti-Palestinian and anti-Iranian resolutions where Israel has been condemned more than 400 times against the US wishes. * Miss Nikki urged Americans to spy on their fellow American citizens by publishing every name and picture of the pro-Palestinian protesters in cities and universities across America. Reason?
In a gripping, real-life moment, the world watched as a man stood alone, his fatigues worn, his face covered with a keffiyeh, his arm severed. Armed only with a wooden stick, he raised it against a drone hovering above, defiant even in his vulnerability. It wasn’t long before a tank responded, firing a shell to silence him. This was not a Hollywood scene; it was a raw, viral image that exposed the brutal reality of Gaza.
Watching this scene unfold, I thought of the ancient story of David and Goliath, a tale passed down through centuries. In the biblical story, David, a young shepherd, faces a Philistine giant who terrorizes his people. Armed with nothing but a sling and a few stones, David steps forward alone, facing a foe who had crossed battle lines unchallenged for 40 days. But in one brave strike, he overcomes the seemingly invincible Goliath.
"Your lives will continue. With new events and new faces. They are the faces of your children, who will fill your homes with noise and laughter."
These were the last words written by my sister in a text message to one of her daughters.
Dr. Soma Baroud was murdered on October 9 when Israeli warplanes bombed a taxi that carried her and other tired Gazans somewhere near the Bani Suhaila roundabout near Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
I am still unable to understand whether she was on her way to the hospital, where she worked, or leaving the hospital to go home. Does it even matter?
No one had expected that one year would be enough to recenter the Palestinian cause as the world’s most pressing issue, and that millions of people across the globe, would, once again rally for Palestinian freedom.
The last year witnessed an Israeli genocide in Gaza, unprecedented violence in the West Bank, but also legendary expressions of Palestinian sumud, or steadfastness.
It is not the enormity of the Israeli war, but the degree of the Palestinian sumud that has challenged what once seemed to be a foregone conclusion to the Palestinian struggle.
