A fateful day in October – what does it mean for Palestinians?
JVL Introduction
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) conducted a poll in early September in the West Bank and Gaza to ascertain opinions about the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Its findings suggest there are in effect two October 7s; “one that Israel and its supporters see as ‘pure evil’, which focuses on the killing and kidnapping of civilians, and another that Palestinians voice support for; an attack on military targets that broke Israel’s image of invincibility.”
Those who voice support do so in the context of an unbearable status quo under Israel’s apartheid regime and the failure of non-violent resistance to attract support from the outside world.
In the face of the immense destruction Israel has unleashed on Gaza, one man interviewed by The New Arab in the article we re-publish below said: “was the situation any better before? We were not alive under the siege. What future was waiting for us?”
Also worth reading in The New Arab is: How Palestinian Gen Zs in the diaspora use social media to engage with Israelis and expose their war crimes.
NWI
This article was originally published by The New Arab on Thu 10 Oct 2024. Read the original here.
How Palestinians look back on 7 October a year later
Analysis: Palestinian attitudes to Hamas’ attack reveal an unsustainable status quo of despair, perpetual Israeli subjugation, and diplomatic deadlock.
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I am puzzled that even Arabic media keep repeating that 1,200 Israelis were killed on October 7. Maybe I’m too fixated on details, but Ha’aretz, Al Jazeera and others say the correct total of deaths is around 1,140, of whom 71 were not Israelis. I make that around 1,069.