Viva Palestine on its road to liberation: Exist, Resist and Return!

Today is October 7th, 2024 — marking one year of ongoing genocide in Gaza. Glory to resistance and the martyrs of the resistance. Long live the Palestinian intifada that changed our lives and will change the whole world for the better.

Palestinians, you are facing a coalition of 40 countries, led by the USA and NATO, including the EU-27 and the Five Eyes alliance. You are also confronting the might of big tech, such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, alongside their ‘Lavender’ artificial intelligence project, which is directing Israel’s bombing campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. Moreover, you are resisting the post-modern colonial West, manifested in its Zionist agenda. In addition, you face Christian evangelism, which some argue is more dangerous than Jewish Zionism. Christian Zionists are driven by a fanatical desire to hasten their apocalyptic prophecies, believing that after Netanyahu, the Messiah will come. We are witnessing the final phase of European imperialism and colonization. This is Israel's existential war, and it is drawing the world closer to World War III.

We are in the midst of World War III, with a storm raging all around us. The USA remains entrenched in its delusion of boundless colonial hegemony, engaging in genocidal violence without restraint. Since October 2023, the U.S. has shipped over 50,000 tons of weaponry, transported via 500 cargo planes and 120 ships. The sheer volume of arms supplied to Israel signals preparations for a broader regional conflict extending far beyond Gaza. Western nations are struggling to come to terms with a shifting global reality, one marked by the rise of China and the collapse of post-World War II narratives surrounding the creation of the colonial occupation project known as ‘Israel.’

Moreover, the meta-Christian cultural and religious prophecies that view this as the moment of the Messiah further complicate matters. The Israeli colonial project is nearing its final stage and is not intrinsically tied to Judaism. Israel is a military base for the West to divide Arabia. It is stealing lives and land and has no issue paying in honor. The colonial endeavor exploited the Jewish religion and Jewish people to further its own goals. It is important to assess individuals of Jewish faith by their adherence to religious teachings and their claims of Jewish identity. Dehumanizing, kidnapping, incarcerating, maiming and killing of Palestinians for four red heifers doesn't make any sense. This is not a religious war—it is a struggle against occupation. One need only consult the list of over 50 UN resolutions that Israel has failed to respect.

On the other hand, Europe is complicit in the Genocide and has reached its decline. Western coverage of Gaza is a textbook case of colonizer’s journalism. European governments have surrendered their sovereignty to the Americans through NATO, failing to break free from the neo-classical colonial system. In doing so, they abandoned the vision of building a political and technological grand project of their own. By embracing capitalism and modernity, many European institutions have forsaken human values and the essence of universal human dignity, becoming hostile to both humanity and the planet. Europe is entrenched in Western modernism, which exalts individualism, meaninglessness, and fragmented materialistic thinking, unanchored by any value or tradition.

We now live in a mechanistic world that venerates materialism and machines, such as artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, and lethal drones. Most Europeans became liberal, without religion, and therefore seem unable to make choices in their life to connect with the spiritual or the natural world. Even more concerning, they fail to learn from history, as modernism centers on the individual in the present and future without reference to the past. This inevitably breeds racism, populism, hegemony, and warfare, which in turn contribute to the collapse of societies and the destruction of our planet.

Since October 7th, 2023, Gaza has been relentlessly (carpet) bombarded with 250,000 airstrikes and artillery shelling, using around 90,000 tons of explosives, including internationally banned munitions such as the "MK" or "GBU" series (Mother of all Bombs and Massive Ordnance Penetrator). These weapons emit temperatures between 7,000 and 9,000 degrees Celsius at the moment of detonation, incinerating and melting human bodies. Josep Borrell described Gaza as "a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law.” However, I argue that Palestine represents the graveyard of American hegemony, the Western empire, and the colonial project.

Palestinians: Your 75-year struggle for liberation marks the beginning of the collapse of the American empire and Western dominance. I refer to it as an empire because institutions like the UN, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Red Cross have been designed and manipulated as tools of the West since World War II.

There is no need to discuss the Arab states, as they are all under tyrannical regimes either supported or controlled by the USA-Israeli Alliance. In reality, Zionism is terrorism, and dictatorship is another form of terrorism. Most Arab and Islamic nations in Arabia either adopted Islamic Zionism or have been crushed by the American-Israeli cancer. The only countries standing in resistance alongside Palestine are Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran. However, I wish to share with you some universal laws or principles we can learn from history:

1. No justice, no peace – Palestinians will live in dignity, honor, and freedom.
2. Patience of the original landowner – Justice will ultimately prevail now (or in the hereafter) for those who remain steadfast in their claims to their ancestral lands. It
3. The greater the challenge, the greater the response. So, continue to exist and resist. Freedom is costly and requires sacrifices. We must learn from the struggles of Vietnam, Algeria, Ireland and South Africa. God strengthens those who believe in the firm word in this life and in the afterlife.
4. Collective memory and cultural heritage—The shared history of Arab Palestinians, who lived in harmony as Muslims, Christians, and Jews for thousands of years, informs and shapes the present. Your history will flow in the present so that Palestine will be free from the River to the Sea.
5. Colonialism, Zionism, and apartheid must be defeated first – The fight for human rights and liberation is intertwined with the struggle for environmental justice. Humanity and environmentalism are inseparable.

In Europe, pro-Palestinian activists are tirelessly working to thwart Israel's genocidal project. In my city, Liège, the city council voted to boycott the State of Israel in 2014. In 2023, the boycott was expanded to sever all ties with Israel, citing its regime of “apartheid, colonization, and military occupation” against Palestinians. In November 2023, union workers at Liège airport refused to handle US arms shipments bound for Israel. Furthermore, in May 2024, Wallonia issued a ban on the transit of all arms through its territory en route to Israel.

Unfortunately, the University of Liège continues to collaborate with Israeli universities through projects funded by Horizon Europe and COST Actions. Up until November 2023, the university was involved in a research partnership that saw the shipment of 16 tonnes of gunpowder and white phosphorus to Israel for research purposes. Students' sit-ins at Liège University have now lasted over 44 days, demanding an end to these collaborations. Despite these protests, the Rector of ULiège has refused to support a total boycott of Israeli universities.

At a minimum, the university should adopt a position of transparency and cease any collaboration with Israel, even in the context of EU-funded projects. This would reflect an ethical stance that acknowledges the broader injustices at play. It is worth noting that Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU, is currently facing accusations at the International Criminal Court for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. As mentioned in Law #5, defeating colonialism, Zionism, and apartheid must take precedence.

In my personal life, my commitment to boycotting Israel and its supporters reflects a deep-rooted belief in resistance shaped by my background. By spending our money wisely, we can beat Zionist lobbying. We can see that it's commendable that you actively support the BDS movement and have extended your boycott to companies, products, and even holiday destinations. By relying on Security Council votes to identify pariah states, you ensure that your choices align with your principles, as outlined in Law #3 regarding the importance of perseverance and resistance in the face of injustice.

Indeed, Palestine is a noble cause, and whatever is sacrificed in its name is insignificant compared to the priceless value of its freedom and independence. We take immense pride in the Palestinian resistance and its ongoing liberation struggle. May God have mercy on the resistance martyrs, grant a speedy recovery to the wounded, and provide strength and patience to the orphans, widows, and the bereaved. Truly, God's victory is near.

Decolonize your head, and the rest will follow!

Exist, resist, return!

Long live intifada. Long live Palestine.

Thank you, Liège University pro-Palestinian students and staff. Thank you, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, South Africa, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Slovenia.