Will Thomas of Auburn is a member of NH Veterans for Peace.
Let me be clear that I believe Putin and his generals by attacking and occupying Ukraine have committed a war crime. And, as we have seen, most of the world has reacted swiftly to offer military equipment, humanitarian aid and moral support to the people of Ukraine and that is just. The separation of families, the dire humanitarian situation impacting especially the children, even babies, informs us of the brutality and sorrow of war.
On the other hand, there have been another people who have been attacked and occupied for some 55 years. I speak of the Palestinians who have suffered much during those years of an ugly and brutal occupation and with nearly 700,00 illegal Israeli settlers colonizing stolen Palestinian land. This has resulted in the loss of much of their land, including their olive groves, the theft of their water resources, the ongoing house demolitions and forced evictions, and even the jailing and maiming and killing of children. This, too, is unjust.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has quickly initiated an investigation of potential war crimes that Russia may have committed and is still likely carrying out against the citizens of Ukraine. This has been the start of a valid criminal investigation.
On the other hand, Palestinians have been waiting for almost six years for the ICC to expedite its investigation of Israel for possible crimes against humanity involving Palestinian citizens. Why has the ICC acted so quickly to investigate Russia but much more slowly to examine Israel’s potential crimes?
Might it be that Ukrainians are considered European and more worthy than Palestinians who are referred to by many as “Arabs.” If one examines “Arab” stereotypes and the use or misuse of language and propaganda, then we see how easy it is to think that these “Arabs” are “unworthy.”
Palestinians have been demonized as terrorists, dehumanized as a people who use their children as “human shields,” and essentially regarded as the “other.” No, they are not the “stranger to be welcomed,” neither by most Israelis or even by North Americans.
Israeli journalist Jack Khoury of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote this in a recent column, “Joe Biden’s speech last week against the occupation of another people and against Russian aggression can be easily embraced by Palestinians, but everybody knows that nothing will happen here. The world, touched by pictures of light-skinned, blue-eyed refugees trudging toward the border of a neighboring country, remain indifferent to the sight of a darker woman in a hijab walking through ruins in Gaza City.”
In May of 2021, the 4th horrific military assault on human beings in Gaza occurred. The previous 2014 invasion and attack on Gaza resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinians, including 520 children. One Israeli child was killed. Every death is a tragedy. We need to truly understand the universality of all human suffering and do everything in our power to end all wars.
How will history remember this moment in time? This is the question we face in 2022 — what is the answer?