For the third day in a row, Israel has continued to intensify its campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank; a campaign that started with the inception of the Israeli state, and continues today, with the scenes of destruction we see in Tulkarem, Jenin and now Hebron, the largest city in the occupied West Bank.
In Hebron, overnight, Israel forced at least two thousand Palestinians out of their homes, forcing them to flee on foot with no belongings other than the clothes on their back. The Israeli Occupation Forces then proceeded to loot and vandalise the empty houses occupying some indefinitely as military watch posts.
If these scenes seem reminiscent of the Nakba, it is because they are a continuation of the Nakba. The displacement and disposession of Palestinians did not end in 1948. The Nakba, and the years preceeding it were simply the beginning of what we as an international community have shamefully come to view as normal. Just last night, 2,000 individuals walked out into the streets, their lives shattered, their homes taken away from them.
The scenes we have been seeing nonstop. Palestinians watch as their houses are demolished, should light a fire of rage within us, particularly against the backdrop of an ongoing genocide over 3 years in length. We know the perpetrators and most importantly we know the people, operating right on our streets, that perpetuate, incentivise and fund such horrors.
Here in Britain, we have a duty to rise up against Britain’s continued participation in the atrocities committed by Israel. British high streets are flooded with companies, such as Booking.com, lining their pockets with profits from the violence ongoing across Occupied Palestine. This cannot be tolerated. It is our responsibility to ensure that we sustain our efforts and are simply reacting to the latest atrocity “deserving” of our attention.
Join the emergency demonstration on Tuesday 27th October in St Peter’s Square, Manchester – 6:30pm!
