As expected, the apartheid state of Israel has declared open war on Palestine in response to yesterday’s surprise attacks. Scumbag prime minister Benny Netanyahu was transparent in his genocidal reaction, saying, “I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere." Netanyahu apparently forgot that Gaza is an open-air prison with 2 million people, half of them children, trapped inside.
The true scope of the Palestinian attack yesterday is unlike anything that’s happened in over 50 years. Hamas fighters used explosives to break through the border fence surrounding Gaza, then crossed into Israeli settlements with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders and even speed boats on the coast. These fighters quickly took over Israeli military outposts and took dozens of hostages back to Gaza, thus complicating any Israeli military response. But that didn’t stop Netanyahu from giving the green light to begin airstrikes in Gaza, destroying apartments and buildings including the iconic Palestine Tower, and killing over 200 Palestinians so far.
If you should find yourself in the position of feeling sympathy for the Israelis on the receiving end of these attacks, it’s perfectly natural, human even. But I urge you to think again and truly consider the reason behind these emotions. Western leaders and media outlets are lining up to condemn Palestine and giving endless excuses why the Palestinian methods of resistance are barbaric and unacceptable. Yet these are the same politicians who ignore the illegal blockade on Gaza or the continued construction of illegal settlements around it. The same people who fought endlessly to block Palestinian access to the International Criminal Court are suddenly citing international law. How convenient.
To quote Palestinian writer and activist Mohammed El-Kurd, “Much of what’s happening in occupied Palestine will be in future history books as an example of revolutionary struggle. Waiting until the history books tell you what to celebrate is easy. It’s much harder to stand on the right side of history as it unfolds in real time.”