Gaza protests

FOR the past six weeks, every Friday thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been marching to the Israeli border to protest for the right to return to their land. Included in these protests are Palestinian men, women and children, who have rejected living in what is described as a giant open-air prison and simply want a life of dignity on their own land, a right that has been denied to them by the Israeli settler state for seven decades. Tel Aviv has responded to the Arab protests in a familiar way, using violence to break them up. A number of Palestinian protesters were wounded on Friday as the Israelis responded with live fire and rubber bullets. Perhaps if this was some other nation and a state’s security apparatus fired into an unarmed crowd, there would be a global outcry, and justifiably so. But over six weeks, the Israeli war machine has killed some 50 Arab protesters, and there has been little from the international community other than the routine condemnation. Indeed, Tel Aviv has shown little respect for human rights while dealing with Palestinians; the Israeli state has killed a disabled protester (Ibrahim Abu Thuraya) and held Palestinian minors in detention (most famously Ahed Tamimi). It seems that for the Arabs living within Israel and the occupied territories, fundamental rights do not apply.

Tel Aviv’s response to the Gaza protests has been reprehensible. However, it should be borne in mind that if Donald Trump goes ahead with his plan to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, the occupied territories — already choking under Israel’s suffocating grip — may explode in protest. Indeed, further protests may give Tel Aviv an excuse to step up its repression, sparking a new cycle of violence. The situation does not look promising for the Palestinian people, with the Trump-led US least concerned about their welfare as it gives Israel carte blanche to do as it pleases. Moreover, the Palestinians’ ‘Arab brothers’ are either silent, or appear to be in league with Israel to pursue their geopolitical and economic interests. The international community through the UN must raise its voice against the brutal violence the Palestinians are being subjected to. Israel might have powerful supporters, but the nations of the world that swear by human rights and fundamental freedoms must make it clear to Israel and its foreign friends that violence against the Palestinians will not be tolerated and must be stopped immediately.