Rafah: When red lines are crossed.

Rafah is a city where I spent significant part of my career as an architect, building a new neighborhood hired by UNRWA (2005-2010); and an urban planner developing a new master plan for the city as part of the UNDP program of assistance to the Palestinian people 联合国开发计划署 (PAPP) as part of the White Helmets Initiative of Argentina (1997-1999). A third opportunity to work in Rafah came related to the construction of landfill in Sofa area to serve the southern governorates of the Gaza Strip through the Joint Service Council supported by 世界银行 (2017-2018). Building all these infrastructures I was impressed by the commitment of Palestinian people who even under hardship circumstances, such as growing poverty resulting of a long-time isolation, living surrounded by a concrete wall with cameras, restriction of movements even to do simple things like to go fishing to survive, still they were extremely friendly and positive. Also, it was very attractive to me the fact, that although isolated and somehow neglected by the rest of the world, all people with who I interact have a lot of expectations on how the rest of humanity judge their living conditions, and specially their right to have a country with a proper state.

Since the creation of the state of Israel, it was pretty clear for everyone in the world and for the Palestinians as well, that one day a Palestinian state will be created. It is obviously fair and logical but the level of destruction of the Gaza Strip and the continuous annexation of land in the West Bank create a shadow on the real possibility to create such state. This shadow has been growing up along 75 years with a higher speed after Oslo Agreement, creating the international feeling that in fact all international law has been used just as an entertainment for diplomats and a bitter lesson for the Palestinian people.

After the event of October 2023 and the genocide as a response, the attack on Rafah and his unarmed citizens crossed several red lines. The red line of internationalism, that even weak and without real power to stop an army killing civilians still is fundamental to keep countries and nations talking to each other to find peaceful solutions. The red line of accepting violence as a way forward to resolve complex political problems, even if they came with apologies and explanation of "mistaken" targets. The red line of propaganda disguising racism through the distortion of reality killing innocent people, even babies. Those claiming to have superior values just demonstrated not interest in fulfilling the first commandment: "do not murder".

What will happen next? How to live when red lines are crossed? Nobody knows. But one thing is clear. Humanity needs to support the creation of a Palestinian state with full recognition of their rights and leave behind a long-time of empty promises. The move of Spain, Ireland and Norway, three countries that historically has made huge efforts to build peace in the region, through diplomacy and humanitarian cooperation, are showing a concrete way forward to stop a shameful "war" of tik-tok soldiers killing babies. Those countries rejecting the right of the Palestinian people to exist will face the challenge of their own populations demonstrating on the streets understanding as human beings that suffering and humiliating must stop. For the Palestinian people, but for the sake of global justice and decency. Where such state must exist, in which specific land and border are the next questions to resolve. But for long time, the discussion on boundaries and agreements keeps us busy discussing details missing the fundamental point: Palestine like Israel after second world war cannot wait but as equal human beings have the right to live in peace and under the protection of a sovereign state. Not recognizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to be a nation is the cornerstone of the problem. After the world agree on recognizing the Palestinian state, then the discussion on land and boundaries can flow more easily. Those countries rejecting the right of the Palestinian people to exist will face the challenge of their own populations demonstrating on the streets understanding as human beings that suffering and humiliating must stop. When read lines are crossed everyone must be prepared for exceptional times demanding decisions based on moral values rather than sophisticated and never completely clear geopolitical explanations. Enough innocent civilian lives have been lost to continue playing to the "war" in Gaza. Rafah should be the "Guernica" of our time, the image of barbarism and wrong approach to deal with the co-existance among nations. if Rafah is just another massacre within a never-ending sequence of military excess, we must be prepared for a world without law and without any sense of humanity.

Israel shrugs off UNSC bid to ‘stop the killing’ to continue Rafah assault | Gaza News | Al Jazeera