Archives: Articles

By Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh

Both Netanyahu and Trump have visions of building empires and discarding the remnants of international law and the UN. Will they succeed to lead us to a World War or will we have peace? Trump immediately acted with executive orders to dismantle the US’s connection to the world with a triumphalist inaugural speech full of classic colonialist language of manifest destiny, frontiers, pioneers and so on. But this is only more open empire building that was happening under his predecessors. His fascist billionaire supporters are pardoned or even give Nazi Salute (lie Elon Musk) while common people (including Jews) who speak for Palestinian human rights are dubbed “anti-semitic” by Zionist groups like the ADL. The US is completing its second largest so-called “embassy” (in Beirut, the first in Baghdad). Each accommodates tens of thousands of personnel and the world is bullied to submission. See https://x.com/sahouraxo/status/1880757780958924938.

The neoconservative zionist plan of toppling seven countries in the Arab world has materialized albeit was delayed a bit because of the resistance. Trump is only verbally more crude as than other “presidents” so he insulted people around the world from Alaskan natives to the Dutch (over Greenland) to Panamanians (wants to take Panama Canal) etc. Even his nearest neighbors (Canada and Mexico) and closest allies in Europe all are in his crosshairs.

The world all looks at this stronger push to expand the big genocidal empire (USA) and the small genocidal empire (Israel) with trepidations. But the reaction has been an expansion of the BRICS group of nations and the lineup for a global war is becoming clearer. We in the global South were never in doubt that imperialism is deep state and that the only difference between Genocide Joe and lunatic Trump is style of bluster of character.

But since the 1962 assassination of John Kennedy, the transfer power in the USA was from one Zionist puppet to another Zionist puppet. The US system of federal elections has slowly and methodically been consumed by moneyed interests of the billionaires. The democrats and republicans become two sides of the same coin which is a Public Relations campaign to give the illusion of democracy while dragging the world to the abyss in service of moneys interests. Different faces but the essence is the same: making the rich richer and the poor poorer and pardoning criminals wearing different masks. Money flows whether from Edelson and Musk to republicans or Saban, Soros and Streyer to democrats (https://www.timesofisrael.com/meet-the-leading-jewish-political-donors-in-this-us-election-cycle/).

In all cases indigenous people and people of color are sacrificed on the altar the new Golden calves (and the chief being the Zionist sacred cow). Here in the occupied Palestinian territories, pogroms by Jewish colonial settlers and soldiers accelerated after the “ceasefire” agreements in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. (see https://www.middleeasteye.net/live/live-wave-israeli-settler-attacks-injure-palestinians-destroy-property-west-bank-villages).

The apartheid regime only intensified: lockdown of the cantons/bantustans that we are restricted in. Home demolitions and confiscation of more Palestinian lands, and increase in Jewish colonial settler buildings (squatters on our land).Torching vehicles and homes is now almost a daily occurence supported by the fascist Netanyahu government (a government of settlers). Without going into a detailed analysis, the trends are clear and could lead to catastrophic outcomes (global war combined with climate change). To reverse this direction requires a global uprising, a global unity of all affected people. What the global imperialist elites want us to think is that our interests and causes are separate or even contradictory.

But the struggles of immigrants in the US, of Alaskans, of Californians, of Panamanians, of Syrians, of Palestinians of hundreds of other people are all one struggle against those elites profiting from their hegemony whether they are called Biden, Trump, Modi, or Neneyahu. By realizing the unity of our struggle can we defeat the greed that causes millions misery and that leads us to mass extinction. For all with eyes to see and brains to examine, the data is now available and the choice is clear. We either allow them to destroy humanity and the environment or we reclaim our humanity and our earth. The choice is ours.

Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Bethlehem University (palestinenature.org).

24 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Veterans For Peace joins the people of Gaza in rejoicing at the Ceasefire that has brought a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Palestinian children, women and men, and their churches, their mosques, their schools and hospitals. At least 50,000 have been killed in a cold-blooded massacre and over 100,000 injured, many losing their limbs. But the huge smiles on the faces of the children of Gaza and their shouts of joy since the ceasefire went into effect were a deeply profound thing to witness.

But just how real is the Gaza ceasefire?  How enduring will it be?  Many close observers of Israel are skeptical.  In his recent article, The Ceasefire Charade, Chris Hedges, renowned war correspondent and VFP Advisory Board member writes:

“Israel, going back decades, has played a duplicitous game. It signs a deal with the Palestinians that is to be implemented in phases. The first phase gives Israel what it wants — in this case the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza — but Israel habitually fails to implement subsequent phases that would lead to a just and equitable peace. It eventually provokes the Palestinians with indiscriminate armed assaults to retaliate, defines a Palestinian response as a provocation and abrogates the ceasefire deal to reignite the slaughter. If this latest three-phase ceasefire deal is ratified it will, I expect, be little more than a presidential inauguration bombing pause. Israel has no intention of halting its merry-go-round of death.”

While we rejoice at the pause in the US/Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people, we recognize that the following underpinnings of the genocide remain unchanged:

1. U.S. provision of weapons and services for those weapons to Israel in violation of a variety of U.S. laws, including the Leahy Law;

2. U.S. deployment of military personnel in support of the genocide through servicing weapons provided to Israel, flying air attacks against Yemeni and Syrian people; flying MQ-9 Reaper drone surveillance missions to aid Israeli air attacks against Palestinians, Yemenis and, likely, Lebanese;

3. Repression by US colleges and universities against students and faculty who have acted so courageously and effectively to educate the US public about the US/Israeli genocide and have led in calling for divestment from Israel and from US weapons makers who have been making billions in supporting the genocide;

4. The silence of US hospital systems about the genocide and repression of their staff members who are speaking out in solidarity with their sister and brother Palestinian medical workers who have been killed, jailed, humiliated and whose hospitals have been destroyed and deprived of fuel, medicine, food and safety. Evidence of this silence is the formation and growing popularity of Doctors Against Genocide; and

5. The cooperation of major US press organizations with genocide in failing to report fully on the suffering of the Palestinian people and accepting without significant critique the narrative of the Israeli government.

6. The constitutionally-protected ability of weapons makers and other corporations to exercise dangerous influence in every segment of society and public opinion by lobbying legislators at every level of government, writing legislation, advertising, plying educational institutions with desperately needed funding, contributing to community events, keeping information hidden from the public and investing in electoral campaigns.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is not rejoicing at the ceasefire agreement.  He immediately declared that Biden and Trump both told him he will have their support whenever he decides to resume the Gaza onslaught.

Fueling concerns about the durability of the Gaza ceasefire are Israel’s escalating attacks on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, its daily violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, and its continuing efforts to draw the US into a war against Iran.

Ominously, on his first day in office, President Trump removed the sanctions on West Bank settlers who have attacked Palestinian civilians, and reversed Biden’s “pause” of sending 2,000 lb. bombs to Israel. And then there are these recent statements from Trump’s inner circle:

During his confirmation hearing for U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio strongly defended Israel’s conduct in Gaza while sharply condemning the International Criminal Court (ICC). As a Senator, Rubio was a strong supporter of the criminal actions of Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
During her confirmation hearing on January 22, 2025, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Elise Stefanik that while Palestinian people deserve human rights, Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank. She would not answer whether the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination.

“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” testified Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, at his Senate confirmation hearing.  And Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz declared that he is committed to the complete defeat of Hamas. That sounds very much like the failed logic of the Biden Administration and Israel’s war on Gaza. When will they ever learn?

Despite its uncertain fate, the Gaza ceasefire is nonetheless a precious victory for the Palestinian people, and must be defended. Just look again at the joyous faces of the Palestinian children. This is another stage in the Palestinian struggle for liberation from colonial oppression and genocide. Peace-loving people everywhere must therefore remain vigilant. We must push for successful completion of all three phases of the ceasefire agreement. We must remove conditions within the U.S. that have enabled the genocide.

Veterans For Peace has consistently called on the US government to stop sending US bombs and war materials to Israel. We have encouraged legal action against the Biden administration for violating US and international laws when it sends weapons to a country that is committing gross human rights violations. We believe that the quickest, most effective way to stop the genocide in Gaza – and to preserve the ceasefire — is to cut off the flow of US weapons to Israel.

Furthermore, we stand ready to give our full support to U.S. military personnel who choose not to be party to genocide. We will continue to support students, teachers, medical workers and others who are compelled by their consciences to take stands against genocide and for freedom for the Palestinian people. We call on all reporters and editors to report fully on the experience of the Palestinian people.

We demand that the Trump administration and the Israeli government respect the hard-won Gaza ceasefire, that they permanently end the carnage in Gaza and the West Bank, that they cease the occupation of Palestinian land, and that they end the oppression of the Palestinian people. We call on all peace-loving people to join us in defending the righteous struggle of the Palestinian people for their freedom and sovereignty.

Never Again Genocide!  Free, Free Palestine!

24 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Jessica Corbett

The Palestinian group Al-Haq outlined the “targeting of hospitals and health centers, the denial of adequate medical provisions into and around the Gaza Strip, and the abduction, torture, and killing of medical personnel.”

Less than a week into a fragile cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq on Thursday released a report detailing how “Israel has systematically targeted and attacked the healthcare system to the point of its collapse in a campaign of genocide.”

The new report—titled The Systematic Destruction of Gaza’s Healthcare System: A Pattern of Genocide—builds on previous publications, including from United Nations entities, and testimonies from medical professionals who have worked in Gaza since Israel launched its U.S.-backed assault in retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack.

“The Israeli occupying forces’ (IOF) targeting of hospitals and health centers, the denial of adequate medical provisions into and around the Gaza Strip, and the abduction, torture, and killing of medical personnel is evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent to: (i) inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and (ii) impose measures intended to prevent Palestinian births in the Gaza Strip,” states the 116-page report.

“The concerted policy to destroy the healthcare system in Gaza is directly and causally linked to statements made by Israeli officials,” the document continues, offering various examples and highlighting how it wasn’t just hospitals—Israel also attacked “civilian residences, schools, shelters, mosques, churches, and other protected areas under international humanitarian law.”

The report argues that “Israel’s systematic campaign against Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure as a whole is exemplified by the targeted destruction of al-Shifa Hospital,” which is the largest hospital in the occupied Palestinian territory and “older than Israel.” The document also addresses Israel’s attacks on Adwan, al-Amal, al-Aqsa, al-Awda, Indonesian, Kamal, and Nasser hospitals.

[https://twitter.com/alhaq_org/status/1882494195069251799]

Along with offering a summary of facts and legal analysis of “Israel’s systematic attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system as acts of genocide,” war crimes, and violations of international humanitarian law, the publication features recommendations for other countries and blocs, international tribunals, U.N. experts, companies, and healthcare professionals.

Al-Haq called on the international community to “name and condemn Israel’s ongoing genocide,” impose an arms embargo, support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and demand the release of Palestinian political prisoners and those who have been arbitrarily detained by Israel, including healthcare workers.

The report was published as the death toll in Gaza continues to grow, as displaced residents of the Palestinian enclave return to the remnants of their homes and communities decimated by more than 15 months of Israeli bombings and raids.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Thursday that the official death toll rose to 47,283, after 120 bodies “were recovered from under the rubble” in the past 24 hours, and 111,472 people have been injured. Global experts warn the true death toll is likely far higher.

Israel faces a genocide case led by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military assault and restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.

Al-Haq’s report notes both the ICC warrants and the ICJ case, urging other governments to formally support the latter effort.

Throughout the 15-month assault on Gaza, Israeli settlers and troops also targeted Palestinians in the illegally occupied West Bank—where Al-Haq is based. However, since the cease-fire took effect Sunday, attacks in the West Bank have sparked fresh alarm.

In addition to pushing for the investigation of Israel’s assault on Gaza, the new report urges a U.N. commission to probe “genocidal acts in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, including but not limited to killings of Palestinians, causing serious bodily or mental harm to Palestinians, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian people.”

Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.

24 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Quds News Networ

Occupied West Bank (Quds News Network)- On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the launch of a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, amid forced displacement, mass arrests, reports of field executions by Israeli forces, and a siege on the Jenin refugee camp that has caused widespread destruction to infrastructure. The assault is now in its fourth day.

What Happened on Tuesday?

Local sources said Israeli soldiers stormed the city on Tuesday morning from the Jalameh military checkpoint, after a special Israeli force infiltrated the al-Jabariyat neighborhood.

The raid coincided with Israeli drones bombing an empty vehicle near al-Zahraa School in the vicinity of Jenin refugee camp, without any injuries being reported, while Apache helicopters fired into the skies of the camp.

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882716999383719979]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882720986833080811

[]https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882724136927252888]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882734775460671636]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882739072399212757]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882740665723003115]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882741525408596246]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882747290643058909]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1882748257950163434]

[https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1881658408841195610]

https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1881667852652179736

“Iron Wall”

The Israeli military claimed it was conducting a “counterterrorism” operation, without providing details.

Israeli media, citing a military source, reports the Israeli military’s ongoing raid in Jenin is expected to go on for at least several days, mobilising extensive troops, special forces and intelligence personnel.

The operation is codenamed “The Iron Wall”, said Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the operation, saying, “Under the guidance of the Security Cabinet, the IDF, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police launched today a wide-ranging and significant military operation to combat terrorism in Jenin – “Iron Wall.””

[https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1881669696736379144]

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel’s ongoing raid in Jenin is designed to “change the security situation” in the occupied West Bank.

The military raid “will be an intense and ongoing operation”, said Smotrich in a post on X.

He added it would target “terror elements and their enablers” in order to protect Israeli “settlers” and “settlements”, which he described as a “security buffer” for Israel.

Palestinians Killed, Injured

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed so far since the start of the assault and about 50 others injured, according to local and medical sources.

Among the victims was a 16-year-old teenager.

Invasion of Jenin Camp

According to local sources, Israeli forces have imposed a complete siege on the Jenin refugee camp, deploying special units, drones and biometric and facial recognition systems to monitor and control the area.

Palestinians have been forcibly expelled from their homes as Israeli forces order them out via loudspeakers and air-dropped leaflets.

Local residents described the terrifying scene as drones circled above their homes while Israeli troops, using loudspeakers, demanded that people leave.

They mentioned that only one crossing was opened for them to flee, while they were subjected to biometric recognition technology, which was used to target young men for further interrogation and arrest, often without clear suspicion. They also added that those who were arrested were taken to unknown destinations, with no knowledge of what happened to them.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) confirmed that Israeli forces have carried out field executions during the campaign, as a form of “collective punishment” to undermine any form of resistance.

Meanwhile, medical staff attempting to treat the wounded continue to face extreme restrictions by Israeli forces.

The movement of ambulances has been heavily controlled by Israeli forces, and medical personnel are being searched and interrogated before being allowed to bring aid.

Local reports added that residents of the camp have been subjected to mass arrests, strip searches and interrogations.
News coverage of the assault has been severely hampered.

Palestine TV reported that an Israeli soldier forced its crew to shut down live broadcasts, confiscated cameras and phones, and threatened to storm the building where the TV office is located.

Correspondent Amna Bilalo stated that the soldiers pursued them, even after they tried to retreat, making it clear that their reporting was unwelcome.

“We expect our office to be stormed at any moment,” she added.

Meanwhile, there has been widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure in the city. Many homes have been vandalised, and the area has suffered significant damage with the electricity to the camp being cut off.

Yesterday, we did not want to leave, we were at home,” 16-year-old Hussam Saadi told Reuters. “Today, they sent down a drone to our neighbourhood, telling us to leave the camp and that they will blow it up.”

“Relatively Similar:” Israeli Minister Says Forces Applying Gaza Lessons in Occupied West Bank

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that forces were applying lessons learned from Gaza as a deadly assault continued in Jenin for the fourth consecutive day, during which people were forcibly displaced, killed, mass arrested, and subjected to field executions.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the launch of a military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, amid forced displacement, mass arrests, reports of field executions by Israeli forces, and a siege on the Jenin refugee camp that has caused widespread destruction to infrastructure. The assault is now in its fourth day.

Katz said the Jenin assault marked a shift in the military’s security plan in the West Bank and was “the first lesson from the method of repeated raids in Gaza.”

The military has claimed it has refined its urban warfare tactics in light of its offensive in Gaza.

According to Reuters, a military spokesperson declined to give details but said the operation was “relatively similar” to but in a smaller area than one last August, in which hundreds of Israeli troops backed by drones and helicopters raided Jenin and other flashpoint cities in the occupied West Bank.

It was the third major incursion by the Israeli forces in less than two years into Jenin.

Palestinian Authority Attacks

Before the Israeli assault, the Palestinian Authority had been conducting a weeks-long operation, claiming the aim was to reassert control of the city as well as the refugee camp.

The large-scale campaign in Jenin involved besieging the city, shooting at unarmed civilians and clashing with local fighters.

PA forces killed several Palestinians and injured many more for over a month before Israel’s raid began on Tuesday.

24 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Ramzy Baroud

The headline in the Times of Israel says it all: “For the First Time, Israel Just Lost a War.”

Regardless of the reasoning behind this statement, which the article divides into fourteen points, it suggests a shattering and unprecedented event in the 76-year history of the State of Israel. The consequences of this realization will have far-reaching effects on Israelis, impacting both this generation and the next. These repercussions will penetrate all sectors of Israeli society, from the political elite to the collective identity of ordinary Israelis.

Interestingly, and tellingly, the article attributes Israel’s defeat solely to the outcome of the Gaza war, confined to the geographical area of the Gaza Strip. Not a single point addresses the ongoing crisis within Israel itself. Nor does it explore the psychological impact of what is being labeled as Israel’s first-ever defeat.

Unlike previous military campaigns in Gaza—on a much smaller scale compared to the current genocidal war—there is no significant strand of Israeli society claiming victory. The familiar rhetoric of “mowing the lawn”, which Israel often uses to describe its wars, is notably absent. Instead, there is a semi-consensus within Israel that the ceasefire deal was unequivocally bad, even disastrous for the country.

The word “bad” carries broad implications. For Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, it represents a “complete surrender”. For the equally extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, it is a “dangerous deal” that compromises Israel’s “national security”.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog refrained from offering political specifics but addressed the deal in equally strong terms: “Let there be no illusions. This deal—when signed, approved and implemented—will bring with it deeply painful, challenging and harrowing moments.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, along with other Israeli officials, tried to justify the deal by framing Israel’s ultimate goal as the freeing of captives. “If we postpone the decision, who knows how many will remain alive?” he said.

However, many in Israel, along with an increasing number of analysts, are now questioning the government’s narrative. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously rejected similar ceasefire agreements in May and July, impeding any possibility of negotiation.

In the time between those rejections and the eventual acceptance of the deal, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed or wounded. While these tragedies have been entirely disregarded or dismissed in Israel, many Israeli captives were also killed, mostly in Israeli military strikes.

Had Netanyahu accepted the deal earlier, many of these captives would likely still be alive. This fact will linger over whatever remains of Netanyahu’s political career, further defining his already controversial and corruption-riddled legacy.

Ultimately, Netanyahu has failed on multiple fronts. Initially, he wanted to prevent his right-wing, extremist coalition from collapsing, even at the expense of most Israelis. As early as May 2024, many prioritized the return of captives over the continuation of war. Netanyahu’s eventual concession was not driven by internal pressure, but by the stark realization that he could no longer win.

The political crisis that had been brewing in Israel reached a breaking point as Netanyahu’s administration scrambled to navigate the growing discontent. In an article published soon after the ceasefire announcement, Yedioth Ahronoth declared Netanyahu politically defeated, while his Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, was blamed for military failure.

In reality, Netanyahu has failed on both fronts. Military generals repeatedly urged him to end the war, believing Israel had achieved tactical victories in Gaza. During the war, Israel’s political and social crises deepened.

Netanyahu, at the helm, resorted to his old tactics. Instead of demonstrating true leadership, he engaged in political manipulation, lied when it suited him, threatened those who refused to follow his rules and deflected personal responsibility. Meanwhile, the Israeli public became increasingly disillusioned with the war’s direction and frustrated with Netanyahu and his coalition.

In the end, the entire Kafkaesque structure of Israeli governance collapsed. The failure to manage both the political crisis and the military strategy left Israel’s leadership weakened and increasingly isolated from the public.

Of course, Netanyahu will not give up easily. He will likely attempt to satisfy Ben-Gvir by insisting that Israel retains the right to return to war at any time. He will likely enable Smotrich to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and may try to redeem the military’s reputation by escalating operations there.

These actions may buy Netanyahu some time, but they will not last. The majority of Israelis now seek new elections. While previous elections have ignored Palestinians, the next election will be almost entirely defined by the Gaza war and its aftermath.

Israel is now facing the reality of a political and military failure on a scale previously unimaginable. Netanyahu’s handling of the situation will be remembered as a key moment in the country’s history, and its consequences will continue to affect Israeli society for years to come.

Netanyahu’s departure from the political stage seems inevitable—whether because of the war’s outcome, the next elections or simply due to illness and old age. However, the material and psychological impacts of the Gaza war on Israeli society will remain, and they are likely to have irreversible consequences. These effects could potentially threaten the survival of Israel itself.

Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle.

23 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Thomas Scripps

Israel is using the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza as an opportunity to step up its war on the West Bank.

Given the green light by the Trump administration, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and security forces have launched a massive operation centred on Jenin which Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared “will mark a shift in the IDF’s security strategy in Judea and Samaria [the Biblical name used by far-right Zionists to refer to the West Bank].”

Making clear the government’s intentions, fascist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “After Gaza and Lebanon, today, with God’s help, we have begun to change the security concept in Judea and Samaria”.

Several reports suggest Smotrich secured a commitment to include “security” in the West Bank as one of Israel’s official war goals in exchange for his backing the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese warned bluntly, “As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel’s death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank…

“If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words.”

The fear was echoed by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who coupled unfounded optimism for the ceasefire with the observation, “The other possibility is for Israel feeling emboldened by the military successes that it has had to think this is the moment to do the annexation of the West Bank and to keep Gaza in a kind of limbo situation.”

At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin, and 40 wounded. The numbers could be much higher, with ambulances blocked from reaching the wounded. Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, told reporters, “No one can break the siege on the refugee camp and the surrounding area.” The organisation said it was “deeply concerned” about the wellbeing of Jenin’s residents.

Repeating the tactics used in its criminal war of genocide in Gaza, Israeli forces have surrounded the Khalil Suleiman governmental hospital. In charge of the facility, Wissam Bakr told reporters, “The current situation is awful. Israeli forces destroyed the roads in front of the hospital. They put the rubble from the destroyed streets in front of hospital exits to prevent ambulances from entering or leaving.”

Two nurses and three doctors had been shot on the main road leading up to the building on Tuesday, he explained, adding that 600 staff and patients were now sheltering as best they could inside.

Bakr’s account was confirmed by Adel Besher, who told Al Jazeera, “I slept … in the yard of the hospital. Even though my house is 200 metres away from here, I couldn’t reach it.

“There were many injured people. Four from al-Amal Hospital were wounded, among them doctors, nurses and patients. There were also three or four people injured near my house and no one was able to rescue them.”

He added that “Israeli forces shot at whoever got near them. Two were injured while trying to rescue them.”

According to the Wafa news agency, residents in several Jenin neighbourhoods were ordered to leave their homes, and the city, by loudspeaker. Exact numbers have been difficult to count under siege conditions. Scores of people have been arrested and detained.

Roland Friedrich, the Director of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) Affairs for the West Bank described the camp as “nearly uninhabitable, with some 2,000 families displaced since mid-December. UNRWA has been unable to provide full services to the camp in this time.” He added that the operation “using advanced weaponry and warfare methods including airstrikes… is expected to last days.”

Friedrich noted that the Israeli operation “follows more than a month of armed clashes inside Jenin Camp between PSF [Palestinian State Forces, commanded by the Palestinian Authority] and Palestinian armed actors.”

According to Middle East Eye, “PA security forces stormed al-Razi hospital in Jenin on Wednesday and arrested a wounded man believed to be a member of the Jenin Battalion and wanted by the Israeli army.

“The PA raid appeared to be the first time Palestinian forces publicly participated in an Israeli military assault in the West Bank.”

There are fears that Jenin’s fate awaits other cities in the West Bank, with Israeli forces massively increasing the number of military checkpoints and gates—to nearly 900 throughout the territory—sealing off entry and exit to major population centres. The Aida refugee camp was stormed on Wednesday, and raids carried out in Tulkarem and towns around Ramallah and el-Bireh.

Medical Aid for Palestinians member Aseel Baidoun, based in Ramallah, told the Guardian, “For two days we have been experiencing an extensive military lockdown. The Israeli army has placed hundreds of new checkpoints that are making the movement between towns and cities almost impossible…

“It’s an open-air prison; we feel we cannot move around. If you want to go from Ramallah to Jericho it’s impossible, and it’s almost impossible to even reach nearby villages. There’s not only restrictions on movement but insane attacks from settlers.”

Dozens of masked settlers attacked the villages of Jinsafut and al-Funduq near Jerusalem on Monday night, bringing materials to set buildings and cars on fire, and attacking three houses, a nursery and a carpentry shop. They also threw stones and fired shots. Similar attacks have since taken place in the villages of Sinjil, Ein Siniya, Turmus Aya and Khirbet Aqwiwis. At least 21 Palestinians have been injured and hospitalised, including elderly people and three children.

Meanwhile, the residents of Gaza continue to sift through the 50 million tons of rubble that is all that remains of their levelled cities, with 80 percent of the buildings in northern Gaza destroyed, leaving 300,000 homeless.

Relatives and civil agencies are searching for an estimated 10,000 bodies trapped underneath the wreckage. More than 200 have been found since the ceasefire came into effect four days ago. Frequently all that can be found are bones.

The work is slow going, in part because the IDF has killed roughly 100 staff members of the civil defence agency and destroyed many of its vehicles. It also takes place under fire. On Wednesday, 28-year-old Akram Atef Zanoun was shot and killed, and four others wounded, by an Israeli quadcopter while removing rubble from their mostly destroyed homes in Rafah city’s Shaboura camp.

The smooth passage of 2,400 aid trucks into Gaza since the ceasefire was signed, a vast increase, confirms that Israel deliberately restricted the flow of these vital supplies—using starvation and disease as a weapon of war—for over a year.

British Dr. James Smith, who volunteered at Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Hospital, told Al Jazeera, “One of the most important things to remember is a genocide doesn’t end with a ceasefire, particularly a ceasefire as fragile as this.”

“It’s simply ongoing now by other means,” he said, pointing to the Strip’s ruined healthcare system.

A correspondent for the news agency, Hind Khoudary, reported, “You can’t imagine how destroyed the infrastructure across the Gaza Strip is. Sewage is filling the streets.

“In some places, there’s a lack of water. Desalination plants are not working any more. The infrastructure has completely collapsed.”

The looming deadline for Israel’s ban on UNRWA threatens to plunge the region deeper into catastrophe, with over two million Gazans relying on the agency—plus many hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank.

A report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo, “Consequences of the Israeli UNRWA Ban”, warned of the dire impact the ban on the organisation would have. Co-author Jorgen Jensehaugen explained, “In less than one week’s time, its collapse in Israeli-controlled areas could cripple the humanitarian operation in Gaza”.

23 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Abdel Bari Atwan

The Qassam Brigades succeeded not only in winning the war and achieving victory in Gaza, but also in dealing fatal blows to Israeli morale, when they surprised the entire world, not just Israel, by organizing a military parade for hundreds of their fighters who emerged from the rubble, and/or heart of tunnels in their extremely elegant green clothes with their personal weapons, in a startling move,  shedding light on their strength, despite Netanyahu’s 15 months of carnage. Brigade fighters stood steadfast, fighting, and sniping Israeli soldiers like birds and rabbits, despite the deceptions by their political and military leaders.

***

The smiling faces of the three Israeli female prisoners released in the first batch of the exchange according to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement were striking. The three young women emerged as if they had just returned from a concert, in good health, and in high spirits as if they were staying in a five-star hotel. It was a wonderful and very smart gesture for their guards to present symbolic gifts before they left the Strip in a Red Cross car.

These are the terrorists according to US and European specifics, setting an example of humanity, while the diplomatic envoys of Western civilization rape prisoners and treat them in a Nazi-like manner. The most honest example is the mujahida Khalida Jarrar and the painful state she appeared in after her release.

The fire of resistance ignites in the West Bank, suicide operations expand, and the dead among the occupation forces rises on the first days of the ceasefire to confirm that jihad is continuing in parallel and in conjunction with the exchange of prisoners.

The one who forced Netanyahu to drink the cup of defeat is not Trump, but the heroes of the Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, and the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who exhausted the Israeli army with heavy losses among its brigades and battalions, in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu stands defeated, not achieving any of his goals, neither eliminating the resistance movements in Gaza, nor with displacing the people of the Strip and replacing them with Israeli settlers.

As such we do not rule out the fact that he may violate the ceasefire in the coming days, and before the end of its first phase, in the hope of remaining in power. But no matter, the goals he failed to achieve over the course of 15 months of extermination and ethnic cleansing will not be achieved if he returns to war again but legitimize many retaliatory reactions from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Yemen, and perhaps soon from Lebanon and Iraq.

***

Our people in the Gaza Strip celebrate and sing for joys of victory achieved by the resistance. Perhaps the return of the symbolic Abu Obeida after months of absence, congratulating all on victory and ignoring all Arab leaders except Yemen whilst affirming the readiness of the Qassam to return to fighting is a confirmation of the strength and steadfastness of the resistance, and its high capabilities to manage war, manage negotiations, and psychological warfare.

Thus we assert that the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine, and the restoration of dignity to the Arabs and Muslims, has become imminent and it is only a matter of time…

This editorial by Al Rai Al Youm’s Chief Editor  Mr Abdel Bari Atwan has been reproduced from Arabic and appeared on www.crossfirearabia.com

22 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Vijay Prashad

It is impossible to bottle this sensibility. All of Gaza is a ruin. Millions of Palestinians have braved the winter in makeshift tents or in ruined buildings, their children freezing (a few frozen to death) and their hunger escalating. The smell of Israeli vengeance is everywhere. The sound of the tanks and the terrifying silence of the falling bombs shatter the nerves of even the most hardened fighter. Yet, during that, the armed units of the Palestinian resistance continue to fire their depleted ammunition at the Israeli troops. At the same time, children run amid the toxic wreckage with Palestinian flags aloft.

There is a ceasefire now. But this is the rhythm of Palestinian history since at least 1948: occupation, war, ceasefire, and underneath everything the constant occupation and the threat of war, and yet, the defiance and the smiles. In the lexicon of the Palestinian resistance, the word sumud, used first in the 1960s by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, is everything: it means to defy, to be steadfast, to hold onto one’s land despite the Israeli occupation. It is to take out the key to one’s pre-1948 Palestinian home and hold it aloft.

When Khalida Jarrar emerged into the crowd of supporters after months in Israel’s cruel dungeons, she said, “I’m coming from solitary confinement. I still don’t believe it. I’m a little bit tired.” Jarrar, one of the leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), has been in and out of Israel’s prisons for almost her entire adult life. Her first detention was in March 1989 when she participated in a march for International Women’s Day. I have followed her journey in and out of prison, cataloging her distress as her captors prevented her from being at the funerals of her father (2015), mother (2018), and daughter Suha (2021). Jarrar is one of thousands of Palestinians who are held in Israeli prisons under “administrative detention,” a false label that justifies indefinite imprisonment with no charge.

Each time Jarrar went to prison, the behavior of her Israeli captors was harsher and harsher still. This time, arrested during the genocide in December 2023, she was put into a cell with poor ventilation and could not breathe with ease. Her husband, Ghassan Jarrar, read out a statement from her from August 2024:

I die every day. The cell looks like a tiny, airtight box. The cell is equipped with a toilet and a small window above it, which was closed a day after I was moved to it. They did not leave me any space to breathe. Even the so-called porthole in the cell door was closed. I spend most of my time sitting next to a tiny opening that allows me to breathe. I wait for the hours to pass while I suffocate in my cell in hopes of finding oxygen molecules to breathe and survive.

Now, Jarrar leaves prison along with 90 other Palestinian prisoners who were exchanged for three Israeli prisoners in the first part of the ceasefire deal. The stories of the prisoners are astounding and enraging. The Israelis arrested one young Palestinian woman (Shatha Jarabaa) for writing on social media about the “brutality” of the genocide. Another young man (Zakaria Zubeidi) of the Freedom Theater in Jenin was held under suspicion of being a terrorist.

Two other women from the PFLP, Abla Sa’adat and Maysar Faqih, had been arrested by the Israelis without charge and held under administrative detention as part of the general Israeli strategy of preventing the Palestinian groups from political activity. The PFLP’s leader, Ahmad Sa’adat has been in prison for decades and will likely not be released until the occupation ends. It has been on the Israeli agenda for decades to weaken the Palestinian left—particularly the PFLP—and thereby to strengthen the Islamist forces. This allows them to falsely make the case that this is a war against Islamism rather than a brutal campaign to extinguish the Palestinian nation.

It Is the Occupation

In August 2014, Israeli soldiers surrounded the home of Khalida and Ghassan Jarrar. They had come to inform Khalida Jarrar that she was banned from her home in Ramallah and had to restrict herself to the town of Jericho. “It is the occupation that must leave our homeland,” she said to the soldiers. Then, she and her comrades set up a tent outside the Palestinian Legislative Council office and lived there. The Israelis had to back off. There was too much international pressure on them.

People under occupation are people imprisoned. Palestinians in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank—the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the United Nations calls it—have no freedom of movement. They are encaged. Those who want to break the cage are further imprisoned in the terrible conditions of Israeli jails. Little wonder then that Khalida Jarrar was from 1993 to 2005 the director of Addameer, a non-profit organization that provides support for prisoners. When she is not in an Israeli jail she has been working on a research project for Birzeit University’s Muwatin Institute for Democracy and Human Rights on “The Class and Gender Dimensions of the Palestinian Prisoners Movement and their Implications for the National Liberation Project.”

It is likely that a few days from now, Jarrar will come out of her house, give a speech, and then return to work on her project. Made of such steel and love, Jarrar is unrelenting. So too are the Palestinians who are slowly moving back to their destroyed homes in Gaza, looking for stray photographs and the few belongings that remain; the roots that have not been cut.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter.

22 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Ranjan Solomon

A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was finally been agreed on. But the uncertainties persisted until the very end. Israeli airstrikes has killed at least 130 people in the war-ravaged territory after the ceasefire was announced. Israel wanted maximum mileage of the extra time before the ceasefire was to come into force. Such is their arrogance and the way they cock a snook with international agreements beginning with International law.  Netanyahu had signaled unresolved issues.

The premature celebrations in Gaza before they were expected to take effect on Sunday, January 19 were a sign of their relief that the war was finally over.

The agreement is a three-staged process. In the first stage, Hamas will release 33 hostages (both alive and dead) while Israel will release some prisoners and suspend bombing for 42 days, while arrangements are made for the next two phases. The population of Northern Gaza will be permitted to return to their destroyed homes and humanitarian aid allowed to enter.

It is common knowledge that the ceasefire does not have appeal among key Ministers in the cabinet. Should they carry forward the threat that they would resign, Netanyahu is a goner. This is why there is speculation that Netanyahu’s statements were made to keep his restless coalition together.

Israelis who have lost loved ones in the war treat the cease fire deal contemptuously. Families of Israeli soldiers killed fighting in Gaza held a demonstration against a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The Gvura Forum opposed the deal, saying it won’t lead to Hamas’ destruction and that it will free Palestinians convicted of deadly crimes against Israelis

Trump had repeatedly threatened that “all hell will be let loose if the fighting does not end on the day he takes office on 19^th January”. Today, rumors are making the rounds that there could be a tacit arrangement between Netanyahu and Trump. They assume that the silencing of guns and fighter jets will lower the guard of Hamas, and the 42 waiting period may just allow for provocations with Israel refreshed and rearmed. If this were to happen, Trump would be reduced to a mere Donald Duck. He would reduce himself to being a distrusted and dishonest US President by the world. Weakened by his own stupidities and dishonesty, the rest of his term would make him a comic persona.

Trump is a hard-nosed business person and will look at profit and loss as the ultimate template. His interests go much further than war and peace. They are, in his view, irritating obstacles in the way of his ambitions of a kingdom of opulence and unrivaled power to do as he wants. He knew for certain that Israel would have to give in. In doing so, he presented them a face-saver. Imagine Israel having to close down the war for want of capacity to reach its boastful goals. 15 months after the war begun, all they could show for it is a devastated Gaza Strip. And, that is a scandalous certificate of ethnic cleansing and a similar holocaust that Jews themselves were victims to during the 2^nd World War from 1941-1945.

Still, the optimists among the Gazans would prefer to think that these are rumors. Hopes glimmer for the oppressed even in the worst of times. Gazans have astonished the rest of the world with their resilience. Israeli’s lack this quality and, as a consequence, many have fled Israel like rats deserting a sinking ship. A few will probably return to assess if things have better prospects in the post-war scenario. Those who have learned that a genuinely peaceful Israel can be real are grim will never return. Moreover, they have shifted out their investments, insurance arrangements, and transferred their moneys to wherever they have fled.

Israel has learned yet another lesson: that the age of accountability has begun. Many had indulged in dancing around the dead bodies of dead Palestinians in Gaza and disseminated it in social media post. Sick humor, you can call it. In another movement, some 200 soldiers signed a letter saying they’d stop defending Israel if the government didn’t secure a ceasefire. Those numbers may just be the tip of the iceberg given the extreme war-fatigue. They are mobilizing to add to their numbers. These are among the many forms of creative resistance against continued armed fighting

Has Israel recognized the folly of its ways after a war in which the world has declared Hamas the winner and Israel the loser? They will not easily admit it publicly. Israel has fallen into a precipice, and it will now struggle to resurface.  Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, Tel Aviv has already learned humiliating lessons. They now know that its army is no longer “invincible”, its economy is relatively small and highly dependent, and its political system is fragile, as seen in the last few years when it struggled to keep a government in place. In times of crisis, it is barely operable.

There are wise people who have even forecast that Israel is on the verge of dissolution and collapse. Mainstream media concealed the harsh reality that the war was shifting away from Israel’s hands. Antony Blinken made a spectacular acknowledgment of this reality when he said: “Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost.”This is a unflattering admittance that Israel’s war effort has failed to achieve its stated goal of eliminating Hamas. It merely prompted a cycle of violence, deepened humanitarian suffering, and further destabilized the region.

As Ramzy Baroud, writer and founder of “Palestine Chronicle” states, “Israel’s goals have all been thwarted. There will be No ‘Nakba Two’2, no ethnic cleansing, no ending the Palestinian cause, no destroying the Resistance. Israel has learned that its military superiority, backed by the United States, can no longer guarantee victory or political outcomes. Palestinians—hungry, displaced, trapped, betrayed, and bleeding has won against all Western arms concentrated in the hands of a brutal military enemy that respects no laws”

This is the greatest defeat of Zionism since its inception and the greatest defeat of imperialism in the Middle East since the signing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916. Baroud concludes: “What’s extraordinary is that this victory has been achieved by ordinary people, through their faith, persistence, resilience, and sumoud (Arabic for steadfastness). We’ve lost more loved ones than I can count, many of whom have been decomposing in the rubble of Gaza for months. But in the end, their sacrifices have ignited hope that evil can be challenged and defeated. This is Gaza’s message to the world—and a gift to humanity”. He pleads: “Please don’t squander it”.

Donald Trump likes to be touted as the President for Peace and no-war. He kept his promise of ending the Gaza war on Day 1 of his administration. A solution to the question of Ukraine still evades him. He has too many lobbyists on the side of the screen regardless of the fact that Zelensky is illegitimate and touted as, perhaps, the most corrupt politician around. This same Peace President has threatened Canada, Panama, and Greenland with takeovers of Canada to be incorporated as the 51^st State of USA. The 100-year old Panama Canal deemed to be an engineering spectacle which traditionally linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was a gold mine. Just 25 years back it was returned to Panama by the US. Trump has set his eyes on it not to ‘Make America Great Again’ his MAGA slogan) but to get riches which are not America’s to claim anymore.

His ambitions to complete his much flaunted ‘normalization’ agreements to prevail based on the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 are somewhere on the top of his agenda. That Act “supports and seeks to expand the previously concluded peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco”. His economic advisors swear that these agreements have the potential to transform the region and enhance prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

But there is a huge obstacle in the way. The Act can no longer be bulldozed. To succeed, they must guarantee that these Israeli-Arab partnerships line up with crucial U.S. national interests. Further normalization prospects rest on achieving a long-range solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A two-state must take its place that actualizes a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a viable democratic Palestinian state based on 1967 boundaries -living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. If the remaining countries that Trump has target to incorporate into his “Normalization Plan”, the Israeli persecution of Palestinians and other neighboring countries must end. These countries fear their own streets, especially after the Gaza war. The most powerful of these rulers is Mohammed bin Salman who, as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, is deemed a strongman and is tough on any political opponents and public criticism. He, it was, who firmly reminded Trump of the assassination of Sadat only because he signed a peace deal with Israel. He did not want to meet the same fate. The entire region is ruled by dictators who secretly side with Israel in the hope of economic ties of gain to themselves. Israel and the USA will be the greatest benefactors of ‘Normalization’. In the current mood of the Arab peoples, this is a grey zone, the space in between peace and war in which state and non-state actors engage in competition.

Europe played ‘footsie’ all through. Western regimes and media they were actually sowing the seeds of anti-Semitism, not combating it as they claim. They must now squarely face up to what principles they will swear and abide by. Theirs is a troubling role because the Jewish expulsions were of their making historically. Germany, the chief culprit, of the Jewish holocaust now turns to do the same to Palestinians. Germany Chancellor delivered 30% of weapons to Israel. ’ The Campaign against Arms Trade’ has established that the UK has granted arms export licenses to Israel amounting to £574 million ($727 million) since 2008, including £42 million ($53 million) in 2022. India is considered to be an all-weather ally of Israel, and bilateral relations have reached their highest point yet in history. The USA, of course, account for the largest armament transfers amounting to 66%. Public opposition to US government aid to Israel is growing intense and being publicly monitored. The armaments and huge financial grants are sent to prop a regime that was enabled to dominate the Palestinians and the entire region.

Israel with its assumptions that mere military power could put down the valiant never-say-die Gazans has learned the hard way. The US is politically dull and arrogant. Every war they have fought in the last decades has seen them lose at the hands of much smaller countries armies: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Syria. It has a bitter record of support to dictatorships in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. According to Freedom House’s rating system of political rights around the world, there were 49 nations in the world, as of 2015, that could be fairly categorized as “dictatorships.” As of fiscal year 2015, the last year for which there is publicly available data, the federal government of the United States had been providing military assistance to 36 of them, courtesy of US tax dollars. The United States currently supports over 73 percent of the world’s dictatorships! That’s huge. That’s undemocratic because dictatorships are, inherently, autocratic.

Israel leaves this war weakened, even humiliated. The Middle East will never be the same again. There will follow political permutations and combinations that will make the region more dialogical, multilateral, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt will develop new roles, and no one will allow Israel to do what it did to Gaza anymore.

Gaza will need trillions of dollars and a 20-year time frame to rebuild. A steadfast and clear Arab world could be the precursor for a two-state solution, and Palestine an independent, sovereign UN member. Hamas, by contrast is stronger. Israel is too weak to sustain another war. A resilient Gazan says: “Gaza is now devastation, it has become uninhabitable … but I will stay … I will not leave, and I will not accept resettlement anywhere else. I hope peace will prevail here and that this grief will end soon.”

Ranjan Solomon began his active association with the ‘Question of Palestine’ with the First Intifada in1987.

21 January 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Rima Najjar

Gazans have cracked the code of enduring and living life with hope for a better future. They continue to teach us how to die (standing up) and how to live (praising God). The strength and solidarity they exhibit as they resist oppression and as we watch them with awe and terror are truly inspiring.

But how in the world do they do it?

“Happiness science” is a real field of study, often referred to as “positive psychology.” Researchers in this field explore various aspects of happiness, wellbeing, and what contributes to a fulfilling life. I turned to this research in an effort to understand how Gazans continue to cope even after the tons of bombs rained on them by the Israeli Zionist entity and its allies (the tons of bombs dropped on the strip are estimated to amount to a multiple of the size of the largest pyramid in Egypt) and even as this same brutal and depraved entity continues to bomb and hound them, the hudna (ceasefire) notwithstanding.

Resilience is a significant area of research within the field of positive psychology and national security. The latter is about developing the means for individuals, communities, and nations to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity. This happens through building resilience in the following areas: Critical Infrastructure Protection, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Climate Change Adaptation, Community and Social Resilience, Economic Stability, Psychological Resilience, and International Cooperation.

Looking into these factors only deepened my wonder about Gaza. Now that there is finally a ceasefire in place, how are the Palestinian people to build their national security when hardly any of the above factors are present in their current situation? The answer to that has two facets, the communal and the political.

The communal in Palestine is defined by religion and culture. The phrase “Alhamdulillah — Praise be to God” (الحمد لله) is widely used in Arab culture and has a variety of colloquial applications. It is an utterance that expresses a deeply rooted cultural and religious sense of gratitude.

Gazan farmers say “Alhamdulillah” when they harvest their crops, no matter how small the yield; schoolchildren in Gaza express their gratitude by saying “Alhamdulillah” whenever they are able to attend school and learn; Gazan neighbors working side by side to rebuild a home say “Alhamdulillah” for their safety and for the solidarity that allows them to support each other; young mothers living in Gaza use “Alhamdulillah” to remind themselves and their children to be grateful for their safety and the little they have. We watch on the news as Gazan children literally crawl from under the rubble while raising the victory sign and saying “Alhamdulillah” for sparing their lives. In this way, Gazans maintain hope and faith and strengthen their resistance.

According to positive psychology, embracing gratitude is the act of appreciating what we have, rather than focusing on what we’ve lost or what we don’t have, a simple shift in mindset. In the case of Gazans and Muslim culture in general, uttering the phrase “Alhamdulillah” means embracing this mindset.

The cultural trait of being grateful for life’s simple pleasures and everyday blessings is a major factor that contributes to the remarkable steadfastness of Gazans. It is a counterpoint to “Inshallah” — “God willing.”

The concept of submission to the will of God in the culture of Muslim-majority regions like Palestine (“Islam” means submission) has sometimes been misunderstood by Western researchers as a defeatist attitude or a form of passive fatalism. That’s because Western culture emphasizes individualism and personal autonomy, whereas many Muslim cultures place a strong emphasis on community, collective responsibility, and submission to divine will.

According to positive psychology, what Muslim cultures emphasize is exactly that which contributes to wellbeing and resilience. People who embrace gratitude and maintain community support and solidarity; people who turn to a higher power with their pain, their losses, and their imperfections; people who cherish memories as Palestinians cherish the memories of their martyrs, the reminders of their past that is a part of who they are today (“The past is never dead. It’s not even past”), these are all people who endure in adversity.

In Gaza, community support is a cornerstone of resilience. Families and neighbors come together to share resources, provide emotional support, and help rebuild homes and infrastructure after destruction. This collective effort fosters a sense of unity and strength.

In addition, Palestinians have shown remarkable creativity in adapting to their circumstances. For instance, in Gaza, fighters have repurposed unexploded Israeli ordnance to create weapons, and there are many, many other amazing examples of such resourcefulness that have emerged. Despite the destruction, Palestinians continue to preserve their cultural and historical heritage. This includes maintaining traditional practices, storytelling, and passing down cultural knowledge to younger generations, which helps sustain their identity and hope for the future. Global awareness and support for the Palestinian cause have also played a significant role in their resilience. International solidarity movements, protests, and humanitarian aid will contribute to their ability to withstand and recover from adversities.

For such a people and despite the challenging political environment, building national security should not be an impossibility. These challenges require a multifaceted approach that includes continued armed resistance, international popular support that addresses and helps resolve Israel’s and the United States’ death grip on Palestinian governance and political autonomy (Check out: Why Trump forced Israel to accept Gaza ceasefire, with Ali Abunimah).

I keep in mind one of Faulkner’s more famous quotes related to endurance found in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: “I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.” In their struggle for liberation, the Palestinian people embody this idea.

We have survived, and we will endure. Read “Palestinian resistance inflicts strategic defeat on genocidal Israel.” I believe the storm will pass, Inshallah and Alhamdulillah.

Rima Najjar is a Palestinian whose father’s side of the family comes from the forcibly depopulated village of Lifta on the western outskirts of Jerusalem and whose mother’s side of the family is from Ijzim, south of Haifa.

21 January 2025

Source: globalresearch.ca