While we slept, history was being made.
This morning, while the beneficiaries of apartheid were fast asleep in their cozy and illegal settlements, fighters from Gaza carried out a historic operation that took Israelis completely by surprise. Armed resistance fighters tore through a barrier fence in Gaza using bulldozers and entered land they haven’t been allowed in for decades, taking Israeli hostages under cover of a barrage of rocket fire. In an operation dubbed “Al Aqsa Floods”, Palestinian resistance fighters risked their lives to step outside Gaza, many for the first time in their lives.
For context, we’re witnessing in real time one of the most technologically-advanced and well-funded militaries on the planet being overrun by guys on makeshift paragliders. Of course, this would never have happened if Israel didn’t occupy, blockade, and kill Palestinians every single day. But at this point it should be understood that Western outrage is reserved for when Israelis experience a small fraction of what they make Palestinians live through on a daily basis.
Remarkably, many of the Israeli settlers are taking this opportunity to flee their illegal settlements and seek refuge elsewhere. An interesting development considering the longstanding claim that this is their only home. Unsurprisingly, the white house was quick to release a statement condemning the Palestinian resistance, saying, “the United States unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians”. I guess I must’ve missed all the statements condemning the unprovoked Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians.
This surprising act of resistance launched from Gaza comes almost exactly 50 years to the day after Egypt’s October War, another surprise military action that also caught Israel with their pants down. It’s truly a shocking embarrassment for the apartheid state’s security and leadership. The apartheid king himself, Benny Netanyahu, took to the airwaves stating that “Israel is at war”, a bit of an ironic declaration considering Palestine has been at war for several decades.
The occupation and decades-long siege and blockade of Gaza was the original provocation. Forcing 2 million people to live in an open-air prison under oppressive apartheid rule was an escalation. Ongoing colonization and land-theft are the root causes of this ‘conflict.’ Everything else is retaliation. For better or worse, decolonization is always a violent phenomenon. There is no freedom without violent struggle against oppression. In the coming days, the Israeli response to this unprecedented show of resistance will inevitably be harsh and disproportionate, but the images of resistance and hope will inspire generations for years to come.
Side Items
UAW Wins Unlikely Concession: The United Auto Workers union stunned onlookers this week with an announcement that it had won a concession so significant that the union wasn’t technically allowed to strike over it! General Motors has formally agreed to include battery plants in the master contract, extending the benefits of the union contract to many non-union workers in facilities manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles
Chicago Bird Killer: Almost 1,000 migratory songbirds died overnight after crashing into Chicago’s McCormick Place Lakeside Center ‘s windows. Bird experts, of which I am not, say this is the result of a deadly combination of prime migration conditions, rainy weather, and the exhibition hall’s massive lights and window-lined walls, which attract the birds
Fun Fact of the Day: Sharks are older than the north star. Polaris, the star frequently referred to as the guiding light in the sky, is estimated to be ~70 million years old. Sharks on the other hand, trace their lineage back almost 450 million years. This isn’t technically news, but it’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless