Israel is demolishing Gaza City. The Israeli army has obliterated over 200 residential apartments in 72 hours. One million Palestinians taking shelter in the city have been ordered to flee. One of countless instances, this is another red line that Israel has crossed in its genocidal campaign against Gaza.
For SAJFP, writing has been a tool to reflect on and to articulate our position as anti-zionist Jews, yet there are times when it feels that no words will suffice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordering the evacuation of Gaza City and ominously promising that “this is only the beginning”, is such a time. Even after evidence of Israel’s policy of targeting journalists, healthcare workers and schools, even after two years of being flooded with images of Palestinian aid-seekers shot at point-blank range, or emaciated Palestinian children denied food, our feelings of outrage, betrayal and shock at these latest developments are hard to put into words.
While this is a deeply tragic development, it is not a surprising one. We have long been warned that ethnic cleansing is the explicit plan of the Israeli government. It is not a minority position in the Knesset, nor is it merely a ploy by Netanyahu to avoid corruption charges. The erasure of Palestinians from Gaza is an objective supported by a significant majority of Israelis, as evidenced by a June poll showing 82% in favour of expulsion.
This also explains Israel’s bombings of residential buildings in Qatar; which targeted Hamas’ representatives there to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire deal. Such action ensures that there can be no captive deal to end the genocide underway. The Qatari bombing also reminds us of how Zionist violence is a global threat, not restricted to Israel’s borders. As usual, Israel is allowed to act with impunity and in complete disregard of international legal frameworks.
We remain appalled that global powers refuse to act to curtail Israel’s violations and have continuously demonstrated their support for Israel’s crimes against humanity. Indeed, not only have some countries refused to take action, but many of Israel’s Western allies have continued to send weapons to Israel. These nations, including the UK, US, Germany, Canada, Australia, India and Italy, will never again be able to speak about a ‘rules-based order’ or champion democracy. They have all been exposed as hypocrites as they ignore the pleas and efforts of their people to take action against genocide.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, meanwhile, is made up of ordinary peaceful civilians, coming from more than 44 countries, trying desperately to bring life-saving aid to Gaza. As if the escalation in Gaza and the attacks on Qatar have not been enough, the Global Sumud Flotilla has been attacked via drone, too.
The time for talk has long passed. We call for all states, organisations, movements and individuals to escalate their actions and do everything in their power to demand an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza. We also call on the minority of Israelis who stand against these atrocities to intensify their opposition. And we call on our South African government to cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, close the Israeli embassy and stop coal trade with the Zionist regime.
The parallels between what has been occurring in Gaza and the way the Nazis treated our people in Europe are glaring. It is beyond absurd that some continue to deny it, even as Israel’s politicians, allies, and a large majority of its population support a ‘final solution’, that is, measures to achieve an Israeli state on all of historic Palestine, and the complete erasure of the Palestinian people living there.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to Jewish values – ones utterly profaned by Israel: tikkun olam (the duty to heal the world), pikuach nefesh (the sanctity of human life), tzedakah (justice and charity) and chesed (loving kindness).
We continue to oppose the abhorrent objectives of the Zionist state and stand in solidarity with comrades of like mind across the globe. All governments are obliged to stop genocide and to uphold international law. Action must happen now!