By Arley Salimbi Gill

The war against the Palestinian people must stop for good—not just a four-day ceasefire; but, a commitment by all involved in this conflict to find a permanent solution to the Palestinian problem— a problem created by the West, specifically Britain, at the dawn of the 20^th century!

Since the Balfour Declaration of 1917, Palestinians have been confronting the might of Western powers. It’s a confrontation that is unjustifiable in the court of public opinion and international law; an ongoing fight by Palestinians to protect and preserve their land.

We must call for an end to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. A genocide, that is, which has been unfolding for decades now, right before our eyes: innocent men, women, and children being silenced and slaughtered. Innocent victims of a war fought in the name of “self-defence”. You must know that in 2023, United States military support of Israel was almost 4 billion dollars.

In addition, the United States and its allies provide continuous military support including security intelligence, training, and the latest, most technologically advanced American-made weaponry to the Israeli army. One of the many reasons that highly trained Israeli soldiers—members of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) —can continue to wage war against the Palestinian people.

On October 7^th, Hamas attacked innocent Israelis. I stand with others in condemning this attack. I also support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. This condemnation of Hamas’s action and support for the Palestinian cause should be discussed in its proper context, not criticized nor condemned, by those called to speak truth to power.

We must seriously put the plight of the Palestinian people in the proper human rights, historical and political context.

Since the Six-Day war in 1967, the West Bank—including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip—has been occupied by Israel. These occupied lands are referred to by Palestinians and others in the decolonization struggle as Occupied Palestinian Territory. A note here: The Israel created in 1947 by Britain is not the same Israel referred to in the Old Testament text in the Bible.

I encourage each of us to conduct our independent research on this subject and resist the urge to believe all the news that viewers are fed by Western media and those in our midst who are using this issue to advance their own political and religious interests.

I urge readers, especially fellow nationals to read—critically— the abundance of credible literature and videos that is available on social media platforms and elsewhere to learn about the plight of the Palestinian people. And, I implore you to be on guard against propaganda, false information and fake news circulating about the current situation between Israel and the Palestinian people.

I am convinced that CNN and BBC are not interested in sharing the whole truth. Their goals seem contrary to justice and freedom and are more in line with the strategic interests of the West, and to keeping viewers’ eyes glued to their television sets and smart phones.

Increasingly, Israel has intensified its oppressive and discriminatory system against the Palestinian people—creating one of the worst forms of apartheid since Jim Crow in the United States and since South African freedom fighters defeated the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Gaza is widely viewed as the world’s largest open-air prison.

For almost 2 decades, Israeli governments have created a blockade against the Palestinian people in Gaza whereby food, medicine, water, electricity—the most basic human needs—must be approved by the Israeli government before they are made accessible and available to the Palestinian people; a people struggling to survive on their own land.

Further, Palestinians must obtain permits to move freely from one place to the next. Whether that is to visit family, to work, or seek medical attention. There are no exceptions!

These permits can be arbitrarily withdrawn and made null-and-void by Israeli authority—IDF soldiers and others in charge of upholding the apartheid system.

For example, Palestinians can be detained for up to 14 days for “administrative reasons.” Their homes and villages are destroyed; Bedouin towns are denied formal recognition, and Bedouin residents face forcible removal from their ancestral homes.

This surely is hell on earth!

United Nations agencies, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, have repeatedly condemned Israeli policies against the Palestinians, but to no avail.

For anyone with a conscience, the hypocrisy shown by global leaders is too much to ignore.

Take, for example, the condemnation of Russia by Western countries. This condemnation of Russia is led primarily by the United States and Britain. Hypocritically, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, while condoning, helping and supporting Israel’s right to “self-defense” and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land.

Is this what leadership without a moral compass or conscience looks like in today’s world?

Palestinians, too, have a right—like the Ukrainians—to resist occupation! Just as Black Americans in the American South and Black South Africans—they, too, have a right to live and not just exist, free from domination and control.

The Palestinian people are deserving of a state with defined borders and entitlement to self-rule and enfranchisement (Palestinians do not vote in Israeli elections) like every other democratic state in the world.

This October 7^th war must end! I am happy to see Grenadians standing with other nations around the world, calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian pause. A ceasefire and a humanitarian pause are needed—but not good enough.

This war must end, once-and-for-all!

The great Peter Tosh told us in song, many moons ago that: “Everyone is crying out for peace, and no one is crying out for justice. I don’t want no peace; I need equal rights and justice’’.

The lesson taught by Tosh—that Black freedom fighter—is relevant today. I have been listening to this song every day since October 7^Th 2023. It is my recommended song for the Whitehouse, Westminster, and Tel Aviv.

History will not judge us kindly if we sit idly by and watch genocide happen, again, under our watch.

 We must all join the human rights struggle for Palestinian liberation and call for an end to the Occupation. Now!