October 7 Should be the End of the Occupation!

As a schoolboy in the 1980s I belonged to anti-apartheid clubs in the Gambia. While I had not fully comprehended the idea of Apartheid, I was aware of a few popular names like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Steve Biko and of course, Winnie Mandela!?

What fascinated me very much about the struggle against apartheid was to realize that there were also many White people within the ranks of the ANC, the South Africa Communist Party and other anti-apartheid groups in South Africa. I came to realize that some of them were also jailed for their activism. Thinking that Apartheid was perpetrated by White South Africans, I wondered were those anti-apartheid Whites came from and opposing their own people!?

As I grew older and read more and became more informed about equality, justice and freedom, I came to know that some of those names and faces of White anti-apartheid activists were actually Jews. I was hugely inspired by them. I said myself as young as I was, if these White people could reject the comfort and privileges that Apartheid could offer them to join fellow Blacks for freedom then I will dedicate my life to the fight for the freedom of the entire humanity.

This realization and conviction were further strengthened in me when I read Mandela say,?

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

This is the ideal that all human beings should strive for regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or origin. These inspiring Jewish activists whose names I had heard even before knowing their faith or origin included Joe Slovo, Denis Goldberg, Ruth First, Nadine Gordimer, Sally Gross, Helen Joseph, Rusty Bernstein, and many more.?These glorious individuals have demonstrated that all human beings are equal, and we must all stand up for that ideal like Mandela vouched.

Further in my study of the struggles for equality, justice and freedom around the world, I came across many more exceptional and inspirational Jewish individuals in the fight for freedom and justice. They are human rights activists, trade unionists, women’s rights campaigners, academicians, lawyers and journalists among many others across the world.?

This tells me that the legacy of Jews is their courageous, uncompromising and passionate fight against oppression and discrimination - whether in society, at the workplace, in schools or in the farms and everywhere. From Karl Marx to Noam Chomsky, I see a people whose core belief in humanity is unquestionable and unshakable!?

Why then should the rest of Jews and humanity submit to scumbags like Benjamin Netanyahu who are a total disgrace to the legacy and dignity of the Jewish people, not to mention humanity. The apartheid system perpetrated by the Israeli State and currently led by criminals like Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, among others should not be supported by any Jew and decent human being! They must be confronted. ?

In spite of being armed to the teeth by the combined forces of the US, UK and the EU, it must be clear to all and sundry that the State of Israel cannot defeat the Palestinian people for the simple reason that no oppressor has ever defeated the oppressed, permanently! Palestine, just like South Africa, will free itself from Israeli Apartheid sooner than later, just like how the US freed itself from British tyranny in 1776!?

The people of the world – especially the politicians, intellectuals and activists of this world must not buy into the fear mongering and outright lies of the Israeli Government just to defend their illegal occupation that serves neither the interests of Palestinians nor that of Israeli people or the rest of the world. The Western nations, more so the US, UK, Germany and France must be confronted for their racism and imperialism in arming Israel to commit genocide.?

People must not be so selfish and cowardly that they refuse to condemn the occupation which they know is wrong simply because they do not want to lose jobs, friends and benefits. The fact that the US, UK, Germany, France, the EU, Israel and their allies clampdown on activists, businesses, institutions, governments, journalists, intellectuals, students and any individual who are calling for the end of the occupation clearly exposes their dishonesty and the criminality of the occupation. If not, why would anyone calling for the freedom of Palestine and condemning the occupation be labeled anti-Semitic and get punished?

Western nations should be ashamed of themselves in the first place for subjecting Jews to the most gruesome atrocities the world has ever known. To atone for their cruelty to fellow human beings, these Western nations should be seen advocating for equality, justice and freedom of all peoples. Or do they wish to arm Israel to kill all the people of Palestine? What lessons have the West learnt from their first and second world wars, not to mention other wars they waged against innocent peoples they oppressed from Africa to the Americas to Asia?

If the US could not defeat the Vietnamese, how could Israel defeat the Palestinians? If France could not defeat the Algerians, how could Palestinians be defeated by Israel? If the UK could not defeat the Kenyans how could Israel defeat Palestine? If after one year of genocide and using the biggest arsenal in the world still Israel could not achieve their objectives in Gaza, what more evidence do the West and Israel need to tell them that their path of destruction will bear no fruits?

Americans and their European counterparts should end their disregard of international law. Above all, they must for once begin to meaningfully recognize human rights and dignity and submit themselves to the ideals and commitments they proclaim. There is no justification for the occupation of one people by another in any way.

Therefore, October 7 anniversary should be a sobering moment, devoid of anger, hate and revenge. As horrible as the events of that day were, the West and Israel should utilize its first anniversary to make a turnaround away from belligerence and hate to embrace justice and peace for humanity. October 7 should therefore be marked with a strong commitment for the immediate end of the Occupation!

Otherwise, the occupation will only be a cycle of violence between Israel and Palestine and those who support Israel or Palestine. But the West cannot claim support for Israel yet deny others from supporting Palestine. Such a thinking in itself exposes the wrongness of the occupation and the fallacious position of the West and Israel, individually and collectively.

There is no legal, religious, political, moral or historical justification for oppression and occupation by anyone!?

End the Israeli Apartheid Now!

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