Solidarity with the people of Palestine
In 2018, 23-year-old Mohammed Khalil was attending a demonstration lasting several months in Gaza. It was known as the Great March of Return and brought thousands of people at a time to the disputed border area. Khalil was a young footballer, the captain of Al-Salah FC, shot in both knees by a sniper. He was, it is almost needless to say, Palestinian, and because he was filming the demonstration on his phone as the first bullet struck, we can see that he is the unarmed and unaggressive victim of the IDF.
At least 160 Palestinian protestors were killed during these demonstrations, as was one Israeli soldier. But the example of Mohammed Khalil’s wounding is important; his injuries have ended his career. Football is positioned in the media as a globally unifying activity and his dream is one which football fans across the west can easily relate to.
In a little over five years since this barely reported incident, the situation has gone, overnight, from bad to catastrophically worse. A shocking killing spree by Hamas on October 7 claimed the lives of 1,200 Israeli civilians; Israel’s escalation has been exponential. The IDF has killed 11,000 Palestinians so far. At least 5,500 of those killed are children. That’s an unarmed dead child every ten minutes. Two thirds of the population of Gaza have been made homeless.
One cannot ignore the fact that 120 Israelis are hostages, in whose name this mass murder is being carried out. But the collective punishment, the attack on schools and hospitals, the killing of journalists, medics and some 100 UN employees, these are war crimes, despite the unlikely narrative that everyone in Gaza supports, assists or fights for Hamas (even women and children). And one must call for an end to the fighting and the deployment of enough firepower to equal two nuclear strikes. And then one must call for an end to the nightmarish ongoing scenario of apartheid whereby Israel oppresses Gaza and the West Bank. Both the UN and Amnesty International have described this occupation as a crime against humanity.
Ceasefires do not make reparations for a 50-year history of dispossession, but only an immediate ceasefire can halt a shameful atrocity, the picture of which, is emerging tweet by tweet on social media and between the lines of mainstream news reports. You would not think a call for peace would be controversial, but in Westminster last week it was a resigning matter for several in the Labour front bench. Only 125 MPs voted for a ceasefire, and against children being killed and the siege at Al-Shifa hospital.
This was a conscientious decision and perhaps a prudent decision because UK voters are generally less hawkish than our two leading politicians. Only 9% of the population are opposed to a ceasefire. But unlike Sunak and Starmer the public are not wholly influenced by party investors, right wing media or UK arms manufacturers. In other words, well established interests are in favour of this anachronistic crusade in the Middle East. This alliance can threaten the careers of those who speak for Palestine, in politics, academia and the media.
The threat is not as grave as that of an IDF sniper, but it remains. It impacts on 56 Labour MPs who have had to defy their party whip. And it is reflected in biased coverage of the ongoing crisis in Gaza by openly partisan mainstream media. You will find a marked contrast in terms used on twitter, and other trustworthy sources such as Novara Media or Al-Jazeera.
In the scheme of things, I am of course a nobody and as a nobody I have felt it futile to add my voice to those who bravely criticise Israel and its friends. But if my opinions encourage others with more clout to speak out, then why not air them? If it was to mean loss of opportunity for me, I would still have 10x more opportunity than Mohammad Khalil and his compatriots. I would still not be facing genocide.
But that’s really a digression, Khalil warrants another mention because his experience was prior to October 7. History did not begin with the Hamas massacre. Khalil dreamed about an international playing career, not about becoming a victim of a genocidal regime. He dreamed about a good life; if you have one of those already, please speak up for the everyday people of Gaza.
The impetus to write this came from two earlier posts which address the problems of speaking out for Palestine. In the face of genocide, the intifada must be globalised by Chloe Skinner from IDS and also Palestine Lives! But do you condemn Hamas? by Nivedita Menon.
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