THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE MUST APPLY TO ALL PEOPLES OF THE WORLD AND FOREVER!

By Hasse-Nima Golkar

THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE MUST APPLY TO ALL PEOPLES OF THE WORLD AND FOREVER!

After living apart for over two millennia, scattered across different countries, the modern Zionist movement, without a unified ideology, was established primarily as a response to rising antisemitism in Europe. Officially founded as a political organization by Theodor Herzl in 1897, Herzl, an Austrian secular Jewish journalist and political activist, sought to return the Jews to Israel/Zion—the Holy Land.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is deeply rooted and complex, with historical, religious, political, and social dimensions. Until World War I, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, but after its collapse, the region became a British mandate as decided by the League of Nations (the predecessor to the “United Nations”: basically, an organization of states under the guise of nations) in 1920. The British ruled the area until 1948, but during this period, tensions between the Arab and Jewish populations escalated. The Arabs feared losing their majority and viewed Jewish immigration as a threat to their rights and land. This resulted in several violent conflicts throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

After World War II and the Holocaust, international support for a Jewish state-nation increased. In 1947, the UN presented a plan to partition Palestine into two states. While the Jewish population accepted the plan, the Arab leaders rejected it, opposing the division of what they considered their land. This led to a full-scale civil war between Jewish and Arab forces. On May 14, 1948, Jewish leader David Ben-Gurion declared the independent state of Israel. The following day, Israel was invaded by neighboring countries; Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. The war ended in 1949 with Israel victorious and expanding its territory beyond the UN’s proposed partition plan. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled during the war, an event known as the “Nakba” (catastrophe), which remains a central issue in the conflict.

In June 1967, the so-called Six-Day War took place, during which Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, occupying the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. The occupation of the West Bank and Gaza created further tensions, as Palestinians in these areas came under Israeli military control, a key issue in the ongoing conflict. After the war, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) became a prominent actor, fighting for an independent Palestinian state. In the 1980s and 2000s, two Palestinian uprisings, called Intifada, erupted as protests against Israeli occupation, leading to violence and military interventions.

Several peace initiatives have been attempted, yet no solution has been reached, and violence continues with periodic rocket attacks, military operations, blockades, and diplomatic deadlocks. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Palestinian demands for the right of return remain significant obstacles to peace. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognized internationally, and the West Bank remains under partial Israeli control with expanding settlements. Palestinians demand the right for refugees and their descendants to return to the homes they fled in 1948, a demand Israel opposes, as it would alter the country’s demographics. Israel seeks security guarantees, while Palestinians demand an end to the occupation and the establishment of their own state.

Amidst years of political deadlock, Hamas-led armed groups, which has been and is under economic-political support of the ruling fascist Shia Islamic State in Iran, on October 7, 2023, launched a surprise attack, breaching Israeli barriers and attacking a youth music festival, civilian communities, and military bases. Various statistics exist regarding hostages, deaths, and missing persons. Reports indicate nearly 1,200 Israelis, foreign nationals, and individuals with dual citizenship were killed in this terror attack, with over 251 people, including 38 children, taken hostage. Israel’s military forces (IDF) have recently reported that 101 hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have stated that approximately 200 soldiers and civilians were captured during the raid.

The Israeli state has claimed the right to self-defense following the Hamas attack, aiming to protect its people and territory under international human rights law, although they acknowledge that this right cannot be unconditional and unilateral. The number of Israeli settlers has nearly tripled during the so-called peace process. Today, 465,000 Jewish settlers live in 300 illegal settlements in the West Bank, with 230,000 in East Jerusalem.

Israel with full military support from the USA and advanced weapons technology has encircled Gaza, a densely populated area with about 2,2 million people. By cutting off water, electricity, limiting medical access, forcing people to move from one area to another, and indiscriminately bombing residential areas, hospitals, and schools, Israel is committing acts of genocide against thousands of civilians, including defenseless women and children. These actions cannot be justified under the guise of the “right to self-defense”. Human rights and the right to self-defense must apply to all peoples of the world, including the oppressed Palestinian people, and not only to the people of Israel.

Due to the ongoing conflict, neither side has provided reliable statistics. However, the Palestinian Ministry of Health (as of September 29, 2024) has officially reported that 41,595 people have been killed and approximately 96,000 injured in Israel’s military operations over the past 12 months. The majority of the nearly 32,000 identified victims are innocent women and children.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled in 2004 that the construction of a wall on occupied land in the West Bank and around Jerusalem was a violation of international law. A provisional judgment issued on January 26, 2024, regarding Israel’s avoidance of actions under the Genocide Convention and the need to ensure humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza has also been ignored by the Israeli state.

No practical solution has yet been proposed for the region, but the formation of democratic confederalism through self-organization and self-management councils, without the existence of a state and hierarchical system, could serve as a revolutionary socio-economic and political alternative in a pilot project for the Middle East.

FOOTNOTE:

oxfamamerica.org / October 1, 2024:

Separate data from Action on Armed Violence up to September 23rd shows that Israel hit civilian infrastructure across Gaza with explosive weapons once every three hours on average since the war began.

Throughout the last year Israel has committed serious violations which may rise to the level of crimes against humanity. This includes a level of destruction observed which is indicative of Israel’s use of disproportionate force in relation to military objectives and a failure to discriminate between military targets and the civilian population. The Israeli military has relentlessly targeted infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival. Civilians have been forcibly displaced dozens of times to so-called ‘safe zones’ that fail to meet humanitarian obligations and have also been regularly bombed or attacked.

The record number of women and children killed in Gaza does not include those among nearly 20,000 people who are either unidentified, missing or entombed beneath rubble. Earlier this year, a study published in The Lancet estimated the true number of deaths in Gaza could be over 186,000, taking indirect deaths – for example due to starvation and lack of health care – into consideration.

Civilian infrastructure has either been completely destroyed or severely damaged, including around 68 percent of cropland and roads. Only 17 of 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and all suffer from a lack of fuel, medical supplies, and clean water.

These staggering figures are both appalling and heartbreaking. Influential actors in the international community have not only failed to hold Israel to account, they are also complicit in the atrocities by continuing to unconditionally supply it with arms. It will take generations to recover from the devastating impacts of this war and there is still no ceasefire in sight.

Our colleagues and partners are displaced themselves, yet every day are doing their utmost to respond to this humanitarian catastrophe. It’s unprecedented on so many levels – the fastest acceleration into famine, the reemergence of polio, the utter devastation of daily life faced by the entire population. Israel’s free pass for impunity and exemption from international humanitarian law must end – we cannot allow the relentless horror and suffering to continue.

The past year has had a devastating impact with women bearing a double burden. Many have suddenly become the heads of their households, navigating survival and care in the midst of destruction. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have faced immense difficulties, including from the collapse in healthcare services.

For children, the trauma is equally profound. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs.

In the occupied West Bank, the unprecedented escalation and levels of violence are raising concerns that serious violations of international law and war crimes are being committed. Since last October, more than 680 Palestinians have been killed either by Israeli settler or military violence. More than a thousand settler attacks on Palestinians have been recorded, with direct attacks on agricultural land resulting in the destruction of crops, irrigation systems and greenhouses, including internationally-funded and Oxfam-supported projects. The Israeli military has forced the demolition of more than 2,000 Palestinian homes with massive damage to public infrastructure including roads.

The crisis in Gaza is unprecedented in many ways, and now we are witnessing yet another horrific statistic of women and children killed this year. As the death toll and suffering in Gaza continues to escalate, the US must urgently and immediately halt the unconditional flow of lethal arms to Israel and ensure it respects both US and international law. Israel is blocking US aid and flagrantly violating international humanitarian law, contributing to the staggering and unacceptably high number of civilian casualties. The Biden administration is aware of this and must change course and policy to save lives now.

We are calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and unlawfully detained Palestinians, an end to all lethal arms sales to Israel and full access across Gaza for humanitarian aid. In light of the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion and in order to avoid complicity, third states must do everything in their power to bring an immediate end to the illegal Israeli occupation, the removal of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and reparations paid, including restitution, rehabilitation, and compensation for affected communities.