Solutions Not Ceasefires!
JVL Introduction
The call for a ceasefire was made immediately after the Israeli attacks that swiftly followed the attack on October 7th 2023. After more than 15 months of immense and intense suffering that has come after decades of Nakhba, occupation and siege, a ceasefire is a relief but cannot be enough. Here is a cry for an end to it all, for Palestinians to be able to get on with their lives as most other people on this earth are able to.
The ceasefire is greatly welcomed; if nothing else some respite from the bombs and a chance to eat fresh food including fruit and vegatables as well as some sweets for the children. “But a ceasefire does not erase the scars etched into our homes and the souls of us who survived.”
A ceasefire is just a first step; it cannot bring back those who have been killed or restore the homes, schools, places of worship and more that have been severely damaged if not destroyed. There have been ceasefires before – each time broken by Israel by the way – but after a while another “war” and in between just the occasional bomb or shooting.
What needs to stop are not only the guns but the occupation, the siege and the dehumanisation of Palestinians, especially those from Gaza who are “all Hamas”.
Gaza needs time and security to rebuild all that has been physically destroyed and even more time to rebuild shattered psyches, shattered communities. Gazans still show amazing resilience and the whole world needs to acknowledge this and also the phenomenal levels of education that people from Gaza have. But the people need time to heal, to not always have to be strong, resilient and to show Sumud. They need to be safe and not worrying that the next “war” may be even more terrible than this one.
LL
This article was originally published by New Arab on Thu 23 Jan 2025. Read the original here.
After all this carnage in Gaza, don't expect us to be grateful for just a ceasefire
Unless the world begins to value Palestinian life as equal to their own, ceasefires in Gaza will be mere pauses in the bloodshed. I am tired. Tired of the survival label, tired of the suffering, tired of the world’s indifference
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A temporary ceasefire is no or little help in the long run. Zionist Israel can create more room in its incarceration facilities through releases and murders for more guilty of being Palestinians.
Try this recent piece by same author https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/reflections-on-the-ceasefire-in-gaza/
Every paragraph moved you, telling the story of what Palestinians have suffered for over 75 years, this latest Genocide, the nonstop Bombing destroying their homes, their workplaces, their hospitals, schools and places of worship, destroying every part of their lives.
Over 85.000 tons of Bombs and Missiles, dropped on Gaza, murdering around 200.000 innocent Palestinians, the majority of them buried under the rubble.
And like Mohammed described, it created suffering of untold misery for two million men, women and children, while the World watched on and did nothing to stop it, even supporting Israel in everything it’s done, the Western Media framed their reporting with so much Bias, it should be a chargeable crime, it would if the Israeli Lobby wasn’t as influential and as powerful as it is.
Right now we are all holding our breath and I hate saying it, with Trump supporting Israel, Starmer making supporting Palestinians a crime, along with Germany, the future doesn’t look good.
There is no ceasefire. The West Bank is already becoming the new Gaza. Jenin Refugee Camp has been under siege for 11 consecutive days, with infrastructure being destroyed, over 2000 Palestinians reportedly displaced from their homes and buildings being set on fire by the Israeli “rabble” Army.
Tulkarm is facing the same operations and over 400 extra “checkpoints” have been set up in the West Bank since October 7th 2023. A couple of days ago, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was shot in the back by an Israeli “soldier” whilst outside his house. 80 Gazans have been killed by the IOF since the “ceasefire”. There is no ceasefire. We must continue to up the stakes of protest and civil disobedience, and not become complacent.
Who can disagree with this? But there will be no peace until ‘the west’ has been forced to obey the UN rules based order – not its own corrupt rules-based order. It is being militarily defeated in Ukraine and morally defeated in Gaza.