“One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one’s own.” — James Baldwin
The year 1948 marked a turning point, not just for the Middle East, but for the global struggle against displacement and dispossession. While South Africa’s apartheid regime became infamous for its systematic oppression, its roots in that year share a chilling parallel with another pivotal event: the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” as Palestinians refer to the violent mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands from their homes in Palestine by Israeli settlers. This wasn’t just a land grab; as scholar Nur Masalha argues, it was the “establishment of a settler-colonialist state” built on the “destruction of historic Palestine” and “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.” Over 500 villages vanished to make way for this ‘new nation.’ Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling echoes this sentiment, describing the apartheid state as an immigrant settler society founded “on the ruins of another culture” – a culture subjected to “politicide and a partial ethnic cleansing.”
One thing is clear, the apartheid state of Israel did not start its brutalisation of Palestinians after October 7th, it has been happening for many decades. These quotes, one Palestinian and one Israeli, paint a stark picture: Israel’s character as a settler-colonial state actively working to erase Palestinian identity and presence. This mirrors historical patterns in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa, where European colonisers aimed for permanent settlement and total power. As scholars like Adam Jones and Mohammed Adhikari argue, settler colonialism is more likely to resort to genocidal violence compared to other forms of colonialism. This brutality stems from the inherent threat settler colonies pose to Indigenous populations’ existence by claiming (read stealing) their land, imposing foreign systems, undermining their cultures and when all else fails — annihilating them systematically and brutally. As is the case of Palestine and the Zionist entity that is also known as the apartheid state of Israel.
“The invention of the Zionist nationalist project should be credited to two outstanding Jewish historians: German Jewish biblical critic Heinrich Graetz (1817–1891) and Russian Simon Dubnow (1860–1941), both of whom used Jewish (especially religious) and non-Jewish sources and texts to reconstruct a collective national consciousness of Judaism as an ‘ancient nationality’ existing from time immemorial…Secular Zionist nationalism was a classic case of the invention of a people in late-nineteenth-century Europe and the synthesising of a national project. This invented tradition considered the Jews as a race and a biological group, and borrowed heavily from romantic nationalisms in central and eastern Europe. Political Zionism mobilised an imagined biblical narrative, which was reworked in the late nineteenth century for the political purposes of a modern European movement intent on colonising the land of Palestine.”
— Nur Masalha
Source: @/The.Mirror on Instagram
Zionism’s colonial project in Palestine wouldn’t have flourished without Western backing. The Israeli state, born from British colonialism in the region, became a key strategic player for the West in the Middle East, despite occasional tensions between them. The Balfour Declaration, a 1917 letter from Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, ignited Zionism’s colonial project in Palestine. Promising a “Jewish national home,” Britain paved the way for mass Jewish immigration. Over the next three decades, hundreds of thousands of European Jews settled in Palestine, establishing settlements, cities, and the infrastructure for a future Israeli state. Masalha states that the father of modern political Zionism, Theodor Herzl (a Jewish journalist of Austro-Hungarian descent) called for a Jewish state outside of Europe. There seemed to have been multiple locations to ‘pick’ from, “In Der Judenstaat Herzl mooted the possibility of a Jewish state in Argentina. Other potential territories for Zionist colonisation were considered, including Uganda, North Sinai and Madagascar. But with the decisive influence of Russian Zionists, Palestine was chosen by the Zionist movement as the biblical ‘promised land.’”
Fast forward to 1947, the United Nations proposed the partition of Palestine into distinct Arab and Jewish states. This plan aimed to provide a secure Jewish homeland in response to centuries of anti-Semitism in Europe, culminating in the Holocaust. Subsequently, Israel was founded in 1948, despite the presence of numerous Arab Christians and Muslims who had been residing in the region.
Ultimately, a couple of white men decided that Palestine was theirs to take and their descendants have been carrying out this white supremacist colonial project to this day—the events of October 7th need to be analysed in this context. Ask yourself, why does Hamas exist? Hamas was conceptualised in 1988, 11 months into the first intifada (uprising) which took place from 1987 to 1993. During six days in June 1967, Israel seized approximately 2,400 square miles of Palestinian territory in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Egyptian Sinai and Syrian Golan Heights. The Zionist movement grew through annexation and territorial acquisitions, leading to the displacement of over 300,000 Palestinians who were forced to flee to neighbouring countries. This sparked the intifada, and in the words of Raji Sourani from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, “The Intifada message was simple…that the Palestinian people don’t want occupation. They want to self-determination..”
Like any occupied people, Palestinians want to live in their homeland freely and independently from the subjugation of Israel. Fatah, led by Yasser Arafat, rose as a prominent advocate for the establishment of a Palestinian state while in exile. This organisation became a key member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). However, in 1987, Hamas altered the landscape. Hamas, standing for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya in Arabic translates to Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas exists because the occupation of Palestine exists as reflected in an interview, titled “The History of Hamas” shared by NPR:
Ramtin Arablouei: As the first intifada went on, many Palestinians became more and more frustrated not only with the occupation but with the PLO/Fatah as it attempted to negotiate a two-state solution with Israel.
Martin Kear: And certainly by this stage, 1987, 20 years of occupation – what have the PLO done? When I say PLO, what has Fatah done? Nothing, virtually. We’ve been fighting for 20 years, resisting for 20 years. Nothing has changed. In fact, it’s actually gotten worse, where we are further away from an independent state than we’ve ever been before.”
Ramtin Arablouei: This sense of desperation and frustration among Palestinians is part of what allowed for Hamas’ argument that compromise and negotiation are losing strategies, that fighting was the only way forward. And part of Hamas’ appeal at this time was that their founders and members were from Gaza. They grew up there under an occupation that, according to a 1985 U.N. committee report, included a stagnant economy, broken communities, depleted natural resources and violations of fundamental human rights. Meanwhile, many of the PLO/Fatah leaders lived in exile and, in some cases, luxury.
Children singing Viva Palestine via @/wearthesource on Instagram
Source: Middle East Eye
I want to lean on Judith Butler, a prominent theorist and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, who states, “It is more honest and historically correct to say that the uprising of 7 October was an act of armed resistance… you can be for or against Hamas, but let us call it armed resistance, and then we can have a debate about whether we think it’s right or whether they did the right thing.” 
Source: Middle East Eye
When the Black Panthers Vanguard was created, it was conceived as an organisation for self-defence in Oakland, California. The founder of the vanguard, Huey Newton, shared that they chose the black panther as their symbol because “[the] panther doesn’t strike anyone. When he is assailed upon, he’ll back up first but if the aggressor continues then he’ll strike out.” This was concerning African-Americans being continuously brutalised by police in the states, in a similar vein, Hamas was born out of repression and the brutalisation of Palestinians at the hands of the Zionist political project. Most organisations which have been created for a people’s liberation and self-determination through resistance, which may involve armed methods, against foreign occupation, aggression, colonialism, and hegemony have been deemed terrorists — from the Black Panthers and the African National Congress under the apartheid regime. The point? Violence breeds violence and Hamas would not exist if the brutal occupation of Palestine did not exist. Unfortunately for the non-Western world, colonialism is violent by nature.
“The violence which governed the ordering of the colonial world, which tirelessly punctuated the destruction of the Indigenous social fabric, and demolished unchecked the systems of reference of the country’s economy, lifestyles, and modes of dress, this same violence will be vindicated and appropriated when taking history into their own hands, the colonized swarm into the forbidden cities.” – Frantz Fanon
Frantz Fanon argues that the trauma inflicted by colonial violence breeds a counter-violence – a response from the colonized people. This violence, fueled by desperation, frustration, and alienation, is an attempt to reclaim the dignity and sense of self shattered by colonial oppression. It manifests in the form of anti-colonial struggles. (To drive this point home, consider the Haiti Revolution)
“The colonized, who have made up their mind to make such an agenda into a driving force, have been prepared for violence from time immemorial. As soon as they are born it is obvious to them that their cramped world, riddled with taboos, can only be challenged by out-and-out violence.” – Frantz Fanon
Source: Kwame Ture on Pinterest
Al Jazeera investigated the events of October 7th and found that Hamas carried out devastating widespread human abuses. More than 1400 people were killed in the Southern part of apartheid Israel and hundreds of captives were taken “to negotiate the release of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea of negotiations, stating that the main priority is to eradicate Hamas. The Al Jazeera investigation also found “that many of the stories that came out in the days following the attack were false. These include claims of atrocities such as the mass killing and beheading of babies as well as allegations of widespread and systematic rape – stories that were used repeatedly by politicians in Israel and the West to justify the ferocity of the subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed [37,077] people.”
Source: @/comradecami on Instagram
Source: @/radicalgrafitti on Instagram
Israel’s disproportionate response to October 7th and its unwillingness to negotiate the release of the hostages taken in October indicates their intent: for Israel to occupy what’s left of Palestine. This has never been a war because Israelis are the oppressors and Palestinians are the oppressed, the Zionist project has been materialised through ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid. A conflict implies equal footing, this has never been the case. Especially with Israel being backed by the West — particularly the United States.
At the time of writing, it has been 7 months since the start of the genocide of Palestinians and the Israeli military is now invading the supposed ‘safe zone’, Rafah. Rafah has become a refuge for 1.4 million people displaced by Israel’s conflict in Gaza. Now, they have nowhere to go. BreakThrough News has broken down each deal Hamas has offered Israel for a permanent ceasefire. Hamas has offered the Israeli state 10 deals since October 7th. There have been 10 opportunities for Israeli captives to be released in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the release of Palestinian hostages that have been abducted over the years. Israel has refused because this was never about the hostages and it was never about eliminating Hamas. This is about land and it always has been about land. That is why there have been recent instances of Palestinian land being sold for illegal settlements in some synagogues in the States and Canada. That is why a US port on the shores of Gaza is being established under the guise of facilitating the distribution of humanitarian aid.
“This military tactical port will receive Israeli approval because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking this idea since the beginning of the [genocide], aiming for the voluntary displacement of Gazans and their flee to Europe.” — Hisham Khreisat, a Jordanian military and strategic affairs expert
The United States and Israel are true symbols of moral decay caused by imperialism and capitalism… but history will absolve Palestine and its people.
Source: @/Jewishvoiceforpeace on Instagram
Source: @/Jewishvoiceforpeace on Instagram
Source: TRT World
This is the beginning of the end of what bell hooks referred to as the ‘imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy’ that has embedded violence in our societies through prioritising profit over people. Another world is possible and the world is changing – look at how young people are calling on their universities to divest from arms manufacturers. What started as an encampment for divestments from Israeli-tied businesses at Columbia University has now spread to other states in America, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and South Africa.
Source: Al Jazeera English
Colombia, Egypt, Libya and Turkey have officially joined South Africa’s genocidal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement which “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law” has been gaining momentum in the past 7 months and has resulted in immoral companies like McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola losing customers and thus profits.
There’s a movement titled #Blackout2024 that’s calling on ordinary people to block celebrities and influencers who haven’t used their platforms to speak up about the Palestinian genocide. Additionally, the extravagance displayed at the Met Gala highlighted the wealth of the elite, sparking renewed focus on the vast wealth gap and how the 1% don’t seem to live on the same planet as the rest of us. A planet where the United States, Israel and other Western powers fund a genocide whilst the capitalist class play dress-up for $ 75,000. There’s a mass realisation that the systems established on the exploitation and annihilation of Indigenous people need to be abolished.
Source: Slow Factory
You can make a difference! Organise, mobilise, amplify Palestinian voices on social media, boycott brands that make money off of a genocide, block public figures who remain silent, protest, support student encampments, educate yourself, donate to Palestine Children’s Relief, call this what it is — a genocide. No matter what you do, don’t stop talking about Palestine and don’t think that there’s nothing you can do. Palestinians have not lost hope and they are living through hell on earth, we don’t get to give up on them in the comfort of our homes.
“How, then, does one become an activist?
The easy answer would be to say that we do not become activists; we simply forget that we are. We are all born with compassion, generosity, and love for others inside us. We are all moved by injustice and discrimination. We are all, inside, concerned human beings. We all want to give more than to receive. We all want to live in a world where solidarity and companionship are more important values than individualism and selfishness. We all want to share beautiful things; experience joy, laughter, love; and experiment, together.”
― Noam Chomsky, On Palestine
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever!
Source: @/againstapartheid.art
Here are some reliable sources for updates:
Palestinian Voices:
Organisations:
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
Last but not least, stream “Hind’s Hall” by Macklemore here and Kehlani’s “Next 2 U” here, all profits for “Hind’s Hall” will go to Palestine and profits for “Next 2 U” are going to 100% of proceeds will be distributed amongst Palestinian, Congolese, and Sudanese families through Operation Olive Branch.
Update: Since this article was written, the Rafah Massacre happened where babies like Ahmed Al-Najjar were burnt and/or decapitated, Halima Hoosen-Preston was murdered in Durban by Grayson Beare, the son of the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation’s son, for her support for Palestine, Israel continues to reject ceasefire deals and the Maldives is planning on banning Israeli’s from entering the state.
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