Palestine Update 613
Editorial comment
By Ranjan Solomon
Israel’s far right government threatens Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza, and Israel with vindictive military measures. It stems from base-level political attitudes. In a poll, 48 percent of Jewish Israelis approved that “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.” In line with this way of thinking in the polity, Israel’s violent repression of Palestinians will only increase in the near future. Not just that, Jewish critics of the government are also going to face forms of persecution. It might be less than what the Palestinians have to cope with; but it will be political hounding all the same.
As Settlers dig in their heels and reap political capital from the new government, Palestinians anticipate a ‘Hebron-ization’ of the rest of Israel. Clearly, these are tough times for those who are not die-hard Zionists. And yet, as we see day-after-day, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have dropped their support for the two-state solution alongside rising support for armed groups. They see no hope in dialogue, or co-existence that is socially and politically asymmetric. These thoughts are best articulated by Salah Hammouri from his prison cell on the possible eve of his deportation. “This settler-colonial project wants your land without you on it, confiscates your dream, destroys your reality, tries to deny your memories, whilst accusing you of terrorism and vandalism…But homeland, belonging, and challenging Zionist settler colonialism do not need an identity card. They need political consciousness, a sense of oneself and a project, a will, and vision. Each of us faces these same challenges from our own position and place in the world, always confronting and resisting. For this we do not ask permission and do not apologize.” A full blown war will occur sooner-than-later given that political movement by Israel is on a downward trajectory. Israel does not recognize any red lines anymore and will stop at nothing including cementing the occupation now, and an impotent international community watch sitting on their hands.
Readers are invited to read these items of news and disseminate widely.
On behalf of MLN Updates
Ranjan Solomon
18 December 2022