Gaza: Erasure and Resistance

Talat Yaqoob reflects on the relentless assault on the people of Gaza, its erasure and the need for organisation for solidarity and resistance.

I have never known the words “it’s complicated” to be used as often as they have over the last two months. For some this has been their only contribution to this discourse; said by politicians, commentators, and influencers. The rapidly escalating situation in Gaza does not need you to take some controversial or complicated stance other than one that is for humanity and in support of a ceasefire. I don’t find it complicated to condemn the acts of Hamas, whilst simultaneously acknowledging that the origins of this is the occupation of Gaza as an “open air prison” by the Israeli state. I can hold both of these truths. 

Another truth, is just how much I have struggled with the silence from some quarters.

The conflict in the Middle-East has been made complicated because it has a maintained, long history in which different interpretations, various extremist actors, and selfish, geo-political manovering have been applied. In all of this, the biggest loss has been to the millions of Palestinians and Israelis, the majority of whom want to live safe lives, in a land they feel secure in. But the idea of a situation being too complicated to be able to support a ceasefire to prevent the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians is callous nonsense, especially in the face of overwhelming evidence that illustrates the consequence of escalating violence and disproportionate response. Something can be perceived as complicated, but that does not justify complicity in it or paralysis in responding to it.

Take a look at where we are.

In the last two months, it is estimated that almost 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, with approximately 70% of them being women and children.  The majority of the Gaza population are displaced and as many as over one million face starvation. Data from an Israeli study, by Hareetz, has found that the civilian proportion of deaths is higher than the average in all world conflicts in second half of 20th century. The ratio exceeds that of the second World War. 

As of 17th December, the Committee to Protect Journalists has estimated that almost 90 journalists and media workers have been killed; 7 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 who were Lebanese. A further 19 journalists have been arrested. 

During this time, settler violence in the West Bank (a territory that is not under the authority of Hamas) is at an all-time high. Settlers, encouraged and enabled by Israeli Government Ministers, have been responsible for over 300 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in an attempt to expel them from their land, this includes the murder of 8 Palestinians and forcing over 1000 out of their homes. The violence has escalated to such an extent, that even the UK Government has managed to find its spine and condemn it.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, Action Aid, Christian Aid, International Rescue Committee, Plan International and many, many more have called for an immediate ceasefire stating that Gaza in on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. 

Muslim, Jewish, and Christian peace groups from across a number of nations have called for an immediate ceasefire and the safety of all civilians. This includes Jewish Voices for Peace based in the US, who have staged takeovers of the Senate, including Jewish Mothers and Grandmothers chaining themselves to the fence of the White House. 

Multiple Israeli Government Ministers have made statements calling for harm to innocent civilians and in some cases used genocidal language. For example, Ariel Kallner, a member of the Israeli parliament for Netanyahu’s Likud party call for a repetition for the expulsion of Arabs in 1948, referred to as “the Nakba” (the catastrophe), he stated: “Right now, one goal: Nakba! A Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 1948.”

When Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege of Gaza” and a shutdown of water, access to food and electricity, he stated “We are fighting against human animals”. 

Perhaps I feel too deeply, perhaps I am too close to this, but could someone kindly explain to me what of the above is “too complicated” and prevents the ability to support a ceasefire and the protection of civilian life? 

The above is only “too complicated” if you are in the business of weighing up which human life is worthy, rather than seeing all life; that of innocent Palestinian’s sheltering from airstrikes and Israeli hostages, as being equally worthy of protection. The only way to ensure that protection is through ceasefire.

We are witnessing the erasure of Gaza. 

The deafening silence from some on a humanitarian stance for a ceasefire was particularly painful after former Home Secretary Suella Braverman referred to protests calling for the UK Government to support a ceasefire “hate marches.” If at that point, with all of this evidence, the vivid, harrowing images of death and destruction from Gaza and the politicking of marches for peace and a cessation of violence, you are still silent but have a position of power and influence, then you are complicit. 

I have been to a number of these marches, the vast, vast majority of people present have been peaceful. I have been to my fair share of protests, rallies and marches, those calling for a ceasefire have been some of the most diverse and poignant. Palestinians and those with Palestinian heritage led calls for a ceasefire, joining them were many from the Muslim community. But many more, were from none of these groups. There were trade unionists, young professionals, climate justice campaigners, families with their young children on their shoulders, members of many faiths and none, and, many Jewish protestors proudly wearing religious symbols and holding placards calling for peace. These were not hate marches, and to call them that is only spreading misinformation and division, which has been a tactic of the current shade of the UK Government for some time. Braverman at the time, unironically, called for marches for armistice to be cancelled because they were happening on Armistice Day. These marches were not purposefully happening that day, they had been taking place every Saturday for five weeks at this point. She insinuated that the march was near the Cenotaph to create outrage, despite the planned march route being around a mile away from it. Yes, she’s been sacked since, but it certainly wasn’t because the Prime Minister had a sudden pang of conscience, indeed he joined in by calling the march “disrespectful.”

What does this manufacturing of outrage and division tell you? What stand are you willing to take against it? You do not need to be pro-Palestine to want, at the very least, some truthfulness and humanity from your government. 

Shortly after this manufactured furore, I had a coffee with a friend who is Jewish. We both had not seen each other in a while, so we did the usual catch up on our work and families, and then there was a prolonged silence. Without saying anything we knew we were both about to ask each other how we were feeling about the state of the world. Neither of us have family or a direct heritage linking us to Israel or Palestine as such; our cultures, our wider communities, and our religions connect us to these places and we have both been active in movements calling for peace. We both became teary because we knew our wider communities were being used as pawns in a heartless game. We’ve both done what we think we can, we have marched, we have donated, we have emailed representatives, we have shared accurate and verified information. We know it is not enough. We are along with so many others filled with anger, genuinely heartbroken at what we see unfolding, and aghast at the lack of intervention, accountability, anything, really, that is happening in response. 

And so, we sit, opposite each other, in our privileged safety, with our coffee in our hands, silently grieving for, and seething on behalf of, those we did not know but feel a deep affinity toward. We sit and we mourn the loss of any delusional ideals we held of international laws or some form of global accountability.  

The United Nations Secretary General has made unprecedented interventions, condemning the civilian casualties and the disproportionate response by the Israeli Government which, as he states, violates international law.

The UN General Assembly voted 153 to 10 with 23 abstentions last week to call for an “urgent cessation of hostilities”. The UK abstained. In 2023, the UN has condemned the Israeli states actions multiple times, but what of it? What consequences have followed? How have the lives of Gazan’s locked into an occupied space been protected?  

The UN General Assembly vote is explained as being “not legally binding on nations, [but] do carry immense moral weight”. Moral weight only has consequence if there remains a conscience in the Government being influenced. The purpose of such votes is also to apply pressure to states that are enabling the violence and vocalising support to isolate the nation committing atrocities, including those delaying similar resolutions in the UN Security Council. There is some suggestion that this pressure is changing the narrative from the Biden administration, meanwhile, thousands of lives are being lost, a culture is being destroyed, and millions being displaced. Time is not on Gaza’s side. 

Perhaps worse, is that despite the death toll climbing, the horrors increasing, the period of attention that any given issue is granted seems to be waning. It is no longer making breaking news, it is no longer the top read article, it is no longer one of the questions being asked when a member of the UK Government is in a press interview. The attention span of the populace feels like it is moving on. We cannot do that to the people of Gaza, we must keep talking about it, we must keep calling for action.

We must continue to march, continue to advocate, and apply pressure, continue to channel our anger into something, anything, meaningful for all of those in Palestine who have the right to live safe, healthy, free lives. We must continue this so more people move on from fear of the “complicated” into action with, and for, the desperate.