Palestinians Only have One Option
Why did Hamas carry out October 7th? To find the answer, you need not look further than a vote that took place in Washington, DC yesterday that received little fanfare. After the ICJ found that there is a “plausible genocide taking place in Gaza”, after more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed (75% of them women and children), and after a genocide has set in the Gazan territories, the US House of Representatives voted 247 to 155 to bring about punitive measures against the International Criminal Court for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
This continues to show that no matter how many refugee camps are bombed, children are beheaded and held up on camera due to US bombs launched by Israel, or emaciated children die in hospital beds due to malnutrition the US insists upon giving more support to Israel. That continued support came yesterday in a bipartisan effort, 42 Democrats joined the Republican led effort, to interrupt any judicial proceeding from punishing Israel for it’s genocidal acts.
It must be kept in mind that the blatant disregard for Palestinian life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness did not start after the attacks of October 7th. Many people believe that US support against judicial proceedings pertaining to Israel began in January of this year. Actually they have been blocking punitive action for many years. This left the Palestinians with virtually no course of action except one: violence.
It is a convenient slogan to say on western media, “There is no excuse for what happened on October 7th”. However the many years of killings, unjust imprisonment, and land theft that is so clear for all to see now is somehow dismissed with statements like “…well…it’s complicated”.
Slain US President John F. Kennedy famously said, ““Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
Western politicians consistently speak of the hostages and state in the strongest terms possible that they must be returned home immediately. However those strong words ALWAYS point to Israeli prisoners held since October 7th, but NEVER refer to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, some of whom have been held for years on “administrative detention”.
Could anyone say with any degree of sincerity that Palestinian leaders should file another complaint with the UN? Could anyone be a good enough actor to convince Palestinian families running from bombs in Gaza that even though five or ten more countries may recognize Palestine as a state some of them will send troops to protect Gaza? Should the Palestinians have any faith in international institutions? Of course the answer would be no, so what other options are left? Fight. Does any other option seem remotely realistic?
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