Caffeinated Politics

Sunday during the Willy Street Parade, part of the Williamson Street Festival, a pro-Palestinian contingent of walkers and activists made the push for an end to the destruction of Gaza and the killing of people. They also stressed for awareness about the need for a Palestinian State. That portion of the parade on the Madison isthmus was greeted with the biggest applause and reaction from the community who gathered to watch the annual event. I do much appreciate living in a city that is grounded in standing up for people who deserve support and international uplift. Our voices this weekend met with those from the international community who also know silence is no longer an option if we want to stand on the side or what is right and just.

Following what can only described as barbaric military tactics by the Israeli Defense Forces ranging from bombardment, starvation, displacement, ethnic cleansing, and yes, even genocide, the international community is finding their voice to speak for Palestinian rights. Words have limited impact, of course, so the real test of solidarity with these people is yet to be seen and felt through actions.

A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. They have data to conclude there is reasonable grounds to prove that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out by Israel since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023. They are 1) killing members of a group, 2) causing them serious bodily and mental harm, 3) deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and 4) preventing births.

The ravages from Israeli policy is stark and breath-taking to consider. At least 64,964 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since 2023, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN. Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.

In other words, Israel has provided unlimited reasons for a new generation of Palestinians to hate the Jewish state. There are obvious reasons why the international community must be involved in stopping the annihilation that we read about every morning in the newspapers and see on television news each evening. Nations need to step up and denounce the annexation of lands Israel has no right to claim yet seeks to steal.

The need to speak with candidness about Palestinian rights and at the same time work to isolate Israel on the world stage is why Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have now officially recognized the State of Palestine. This step brings major Western powers into alignment with the close to 150 countries that already recognize Palestine, and it needs to be noted even now further from the US, which is now the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that cannot stand up to Israel. This international reaction is a major political consequence of Israel’s deadly and most sinister war on Gaza. From this desk, the actions of these governments, which include two permanent members of the Security Council, are decades overdue. I understand the gravity and consequence of their timing now but know the plight of Palestinians should not hinge on support until the most desperate of times for international efforts makes headlines.

I can see, as can my readers, the disdain from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as he continues to use the killing of Palestinians as his stay out of jail card. His extreme right wing coalition sows seeds of conflict and then pretend there is nothing they can do except kill more people in Gaza.

But now comes the real efforts and where the words must be anchored by concrete actions to change Israel’s deadly behavior and push mightily towards making a State of Palestine a reality. The expectations for such an outcome are obviously very low at the present time. To show resolve, however, and add policies to their stated desires there should be a multinational agreement to limit arm sales to the region. The need to place strict sanctions on Israel is without my needing to write such a sentence. If there are not concrete actions to underline the words then the Palestinians are tossed under the bus, one more time, by the forces of history.