In the words of Ronald Storrs, the British governor of Jerusalem between 1917 to 1926, to finally have their own Jewish Ulster in Palestine.
This is one of many examples of the intertwingling of history between Ireland and Palestine.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 the British army were welcomed through the gates of Jerusalem as saviours by the Palestinian people, much the same as by some within the nationalist people of Belfast in the late 1960s during the programs of that time.
Like here in Ireland it didn't take long for the British to show their true colors and any attempt by Palestinians to oppose the unfolding colonization project of the British was brutally suppressed and in 1922 the infamous Black and Tans, who did a 'great' job in Ireland, were sent to Palestine.
After the forced partition of Ireland and with the outworking's of the Belfour Declaration of 1917 to create a Jewish state in Palestine, Britain sent most of its apparatus and tactics from Ireland to Palestine.
And finally in 1948 the scaffolding was removed and Britain handed over control of Palestinians to the Zionists.700,000 Palestine were forced from their farms, towns and villages, and many more have faced the same fate to this very day. There are estimated to be almost 7 million Palestinian refugees world wide and millions more displaced within Palestine.
Many people were told by the British that this was just a temporary measure for their own safety and they would be able to return the keys they held so dear to their homes along with their dreams. This has been passed down to the next generation and has become a symbol for the right to return to their home land.
So called Israel, from its creation to now has continually and with impunity committed war crimes and atrocities against the Palestinian people and has been condemned throughout the world for its actions. There have been over 50 UN resolution concerning so called Israel and time and time again they have been found guilty of breaking international law. It is also common knowledge that it has developed nuclear arms contrary to international law but time and again Britain and the USA have vetoed any attempt to hold it to account.
Palestinians have tried every avenue to protect themselves and their homeland from this onslaught. and in 1993 reluctantly signed the Oslo Accords acknowledging Israeli sovereignty in return for the possibility of a Palestinian state and the safety of the Palestinian people. All done under the watchful eye of the Clinton administration. The words the Palestinians were told to use were very similar the the words Republicans would have to use here in Ireland a few years later in the Good Friday Agreement and would have the same effect i.e. the splitting of the the resistance with former comrades being used by the occupier to oppress their own people. Words like pledge to reject violence, acknowledge Israel, acknowledge British sovereignty in Ireland, Israel deciding if Palestinians would get their own state and what kind of state it would be and Britain deciding if Ireland would become one state and what kind of state it would be.
What we are seeing unfolding before our very eyes is the final stage of the Zionist project. The creators of this illegal state, Britain with the help of the USA have seen an opportunity with events in Europe, The rise of fascisms once again, populism being the order of the day within the political class, the total collapse of the left and the fear paralyzing people to speak out about. The British and USA warships massing at the beaches of Gaza are not their to protect so call Israel from the Palestinians. They are there to send a message to any Arab nation who is thinking of helping Palestine as its final lands are cleared to make way for the extension of of the state of Israel, to think again.
In 1650 Oliver Cromwell yelled "To Hell Or Connaught" to the Irish people in the attempt to clear our lands to make way for the British settlers. Today Benjamin Netanyahu is yelling to the Palestinian people in Gazza to clear the last of their lands. Is this their time, The Fascists, the 1 per cent the establishment, or whatever you want to call them, or is the time of us to get off our knees and say enough is enough.
⏩Martin Rafferty, a member of the 32 CSM, is an activist with the BDS movement, campaigning for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people.
Thanks for the piece Martin.
ReplyDeleteHard to think of another state in the world of today that more resembles Nazi Germany than Israel. The people of Gaza are acquiring a shared experience with the people of Leningrad while the Israeli equivalent of Barbarossa is being put together on the border with Gaza. And we know what is in for the children of Palestine when the Israeli Einsatzgruppen move in.
Will some Israeli war crime denier take on the mantle of the Holocaust denier and claim this is not a Nazi-like war crime?
ReplyDeleteThis is beyond words. The response from the international and Arab community is deafining.. .The people inflicting this hell on Gaza are descendants of holocaust survivors so where is their empathy , or even understanding.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a mindset there which feels there is a liberty to do to others what was done to them. The more the Israeli state becomes Nazified the more they will emulate the Nazi atrocities. AS I pointed out to Barry, even the Israeli daily Haaretz has highlighted the presence of neo Nazis in the Israeli government. These people are of the same ilk as those Israeli Nazis whom a few years ago attacked Synagogues and Holocaust survivors. Israel didn't have anti-Semitism laws for dealing with them because it never felt it was a problem it would experience. But it knows now yet puts them in government. Can anybody seriously distinguish between a character like the Netanyahu and Heydrich?
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DeleteI often thought the same thing -not in any way excusing Israeli war crimes, they commit them and they own them. The Israelis say exactly who they are and what they will do if you threaten them -perhaps its their history that makes them over compensate in excessive responses. They are surrounded by enemies who all want to see the genocide of Jews. What is happening now is predicable and I think Hamas factored it in, in its atrocities so they too are prepared to see, and probably want, the end of Gaza as it is now known.
Martin
DeleteZionist project v Islamist ideology -- Zionism is the better option. The Palestinians in the West Bank talk most reason -a 2 state solution or equality between Jews and Muslims.
VFP
DeleteAs for the deafening silence from other Arab countries -they too are fearful of Islamism -and Hamas suicidal attacks are not something they would want to be dragged into a bloody war over. How far the Israelis go might change all that.
I don't share the view that Zionism is the better option. A genocidal ideology in possession of a nuclear arsenal does not augur well. The Islamicists have not got a nuclear arsenal which makes them a safer option. But that is about the height of it. Plague on both their houses.
DeleteIf by 'they own them' you mean the Israelis accept that they commit war crimes, that's not accurate. They actually claim the child killing IDF is the most moral army in the world and they deny having committed war crimes. Their rogue state status is designed to avoid being answerable for their war crimes.
DeleteNor are they surrounded by enemies who want to see genocide of the Jews. In the 50s and 60s perhaps but since then they have brokered agreements with Egypt, Jordan and were on the verge of another with the Saudis (probably the most Islamicist regime in the region). These countries are not remotely going to seek the genocide of the Jews. What seems clear is that the genocidal intent in the region comes from the Israelis, particularly under the regime of the criminal now heading up the state. They use that so called threat to their survival as justification for their lebensraum policy which seeks the eradication of Palestine. Did you see the map the gangster held up at the UN? As Israel increasingly Nazifies, that genocidal urge can only get stronger.
Have caught up with tonight's developments in Gaza. The deadline to leave for the South of Gaza for 1m people is almost impossible and is cruel. The people of Gaza deserve the chance to live.
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ReplyDeleteI did not mean that the way it came out, I meant it in that the Israelis say they will attack without restraint and they do. I do not accept Israelis are genocidal, there is no evidence of that, they might be ruthless and brutal but not intent on wiping out all Arabs or Palestinians. And I would much rather Israelis have nucs than Islamist's --that's a no brainer. Plus if so much regard is to be given to Islamic holy sites and their faith -that region was the promised land to the Jews -even this shit over the Al Asqa mosque -like most Islamic holy sites -they were either Jew or Christian holy sites for centuries first. In fact Palestinians spoke Hebrew before the Islamic crusade. Plus it is ludicrous for Muslims to claim characters like Adam out of the Bible -as being originally Muslim? But then those who adhere to religion believe the implausible. Back to today -Gaza is going to be 1 massive car park -and that is so wrong in so many ways. The Israelis claim they are going for Hamas in underground tunnels -the obvious question is why would they stay there if they too can move south underground?
The evidence would lead me to think that they are genocidal. That means their objective is to obliterate the entity of Palestine, not necessarily kill the Palestinians. Hence my citing of Netanyahu's map. Their becoming genocidal should be no surprise given their increasing embrace of fascism.
DeleteI want neither of them to have nukes. Fascists with nukes is insanity. I think Israel would use the nuke very quickly but for the US not approving of it for its own calculated reasons.
Anybody buying into what the Bible says on who was where first is not to be taken seriously.
Yes ground was being made with the Saudis. Iran and the groups it supports are genocidal toward Jews. And Syrians I don't know about genocidal but they do not like Israel.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I dislike the theocrats of Iran, I don't see them as genocidal. I always considered Syria more of a problem for Israel. I think lots of Islamicists are genocidal but the governments have a lot more to contend with than this type of thing.
DeleteAM, Yes in terms of land grab then it is genocidal --though the West Bank Palestinians want either a 2 state solution or equality -the latter implies assimilation into Israel with equal rights which would not be genocide. Apparently the Egyptians have opened their side of the border but Hamas wont open their side --not that the Israelis would not do it but I think the attack that killed 70 fleeing civilians was Hamas -either to stop people fleeing or they hit a mine intended for an Israeli invasion. If the Israelis invade or not the ordinary people are being put through hell. I expect the Israelis to invade but by not doing so would be a considerable psychological strategy --but that would be consistent with a siege where food and water has been cut off -wait them out and save your own forces.
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