It's complicated—but not really
Apartheid/Genocide is either right or it's wrong.
Some things might seem complicated, but only until we unravel the layers of distraction and arrive at the simple truth. ‘It’s complicated’ is often a convenient excuse to evade accountability, and a commonly used tactic to muddy the waters of a controversial topic.
Mainstream media portrays what’s happening in Gaza as a ‘complicated’ matter, parroting the Zionist propaganda that paints Palestinians as ‘terrorists’ for resisting Israel’s illegal occupation.
Indeed, up until recently, I believed the Zionist narrative that the decades-long battle over Palestine was due to the ‘complicated’ matter of land ownership. Well, it is, and it isn’t.
The Israel-Palestine controversy: 3 simple truths
October 7 woke me up from my indifference. It made me start paying attention to what was actually happening. I quickly discovered 3 simple truths at the core of this ‘complicated’ controversy:
Zionist Jews and Israelis believe Palestinian lands are their birthright because of a biblical prophecy.
Through the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the British decided that Palestine would be established as a national home for the Jewish people—even though Palestine wasn’t theirs to give away.
Israel started illegally occupying Palestine in June 1967 (read more), which has led to ongoing:
Ruthless land confiscation.
Illegal settlement and dispossession.
Apartheid against Palestinians (as confirmed by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International).
Systemic sexual assault.
Deprivation of basic human rights, including food, water, and safe shelter.
Genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The state of Israel has committed some of the most depraved human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank in the last 57 years. Perhaps what’s worse is the complete and unyielding support they continue to receive from the world’s most powerful nations.
But somehow the Palestinians are at fault for resisting their occupiers and fighting back. Wouldn’t you do the same, if you were subjected to decades of dehumanisation, torture, and deprivation of your human rights? We’ll come back to the issue of the right to resist later.
Capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, climate change: it’s all connected
How does this relate to shifting from capitalism to a people-first economy (which is what the doughnut dialogue is about)? It’s all connected.
Inequality.
Racism.
Poverty.
Oppression.
Climate change.
Humanity’s biggest problems are largely a consequence of capitalism, which shares a common factor with imperialism and colonialism.
Consider this: FoMO (fear of missing out) is a key element of capitalism; it drives consumerism and entices us to spend money on stuff we don’t need—contributing to ever-rising greenhouse gases and our rapidly spiralling climate crisis.
FoMO-ism cultivates and normalises the ‘every man for himself’ mentality that has sadly cemented our obsession with wealth accumulation and hoarding. Over time, this has created the ultra-rich class, who systemically amass wealth by depriving and exploiting the working class and the underprivileged.
This, in turn, conditions us to believe that we need as much material wealth as we can get our hands on, because of the power that comes with it. This obsession with money drives everything in our current world: from our global economy to politics to government policies to—sadly—even our relationships.
The same self-serving mentality drives the United States’ imperialist agenda in the Middle East (hint: oil)—which further deepens our climate crisis—and keeps the US administration closely allied with the settler colonialist state of Israel.
We’ve become so caught up in chasing wealth, power, and influence and protecting our own interests that we’ve forgotten what truly matters: our humanity. I say this as someone who’s also guilty of indifference. Talk is easy; doing is hard. But we have to start somewhere.
As for Israel’s psychopathic Zionism that justifies their genocidal penchant for killing Palestinians of all ages and faiths—babies, children, men, women, Christians, Muslims—the narcissism and complete lack of morality is unfathomable to me.
The way I see it, capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, and climate change are all different issues with a common factor: the ‘every man for himself’ mentality.
Whether it’s in the form of wealth hoarding, white supremacy, Jewish supremacy, or Western imperialism—this ‘me-first’ mindset is further widening the chasm of inequality, destroying our humanity and the planet along with it.
‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.’—Franklin D. Roosevelt
We need to start putting people and planet first
How do we bridge the gap? We start by shifting towards an anti-capitalist, people-first, eco-friendly economic system. If you’re wondering how this stops Israel and the United States from continuing to massacre the Palestinians, it won’t—not in the short term.
But to achieve real change, we must start by changing the way the world works. Right now, the world is driven by capitalism. Whoever has the most money, power, and influence, controls the world. The system is deeply entrenched. I know it feels impossible to disrupt the status quo.
But it wasn’t so long ago that airplanes, self-driving cars, female Prime Ministers, same-sex marriage, and gender fluidity, were all inconceivable.
Social justice and climate justice are intertwined
I’ll be honest: I like my creature comforts as much as the next person. I like eating at nice restaurants and travelling to exotic places. I love being able to rent my own apartment and hanging out at cool cafés.
But I also believe everyone should have equal access to life’s essentials. Using Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics as a guide, we need a people-first economic system that allows all of humanity to live above the social foundation—without exceeding the ecological ceiling, as depicted in the diagram below:
Recommended reading:
The number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023
According to the UN, the latest estimates find that in 2023, almost 700 million people around the world were surviving on less than $2.15 a day.
700 million. Less than $2.15 a day. I struggle to wrap my head around this.
Update: A new UN report finds 1.1 billion people living in acute poverty, with nearly half of them in countries experiencing conflict.
And right now, 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza are desperately clinging to life, being carpet-bombed everywhere they go, surviving on limited access to food, water, sanitation, and healthcare, without so much as safe shelter.
The Israel-Palestine issue: complicated, but not really
Many people will say what’s happening in Gaza is complicated. It is… but not really. To quote Ta-Nehisi Coates, ‘Apartheid is either right or it’s wrong’. Likewise, genocide is either right or it’s wrong. There’s no grey area.
Here’s a fundamental fact that can’t be stressed enough: under international law, people living under occupation have the right to resist—to take up arms in the fight for liberation from their occupiers.
Israel will deny that they’re occupying Palestine. They’ll say Palestine is their birthright, ‘because the bible says so’. Not meaning any disrespect, but anyone who takes the bible literally should have their head examined. Also, are we living in biblical times? That said, I’m aware Zionist Jews are indoctrinated from a young age, blinding them to what’s happening in the real world.
It’s painfully clear to those of us who can see the truth: the atrocities being committed by Israel and the US in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon, are driven by a simple fact—the colonisers will stop at nothing to claim and control the Palestinian lands. They’ll even shoot babies and kids in the head. Click on the Instagram post below to read the testaments of doctors, nurses, and paramedics who saw this first-hand in Gaza.
Israel is completely out of control, and the United States administration is backing it unconditionally.
How can we allow this to be normalised? It might feel like a hopeless cause, but that would be admitting defeat. That’s exactly what the colonisers want. And that’s why we have to make a stand. Nothing will change if nothing changes.
But for change to happen, we have to work together. We must support each other in our individual efforts and strengthen our solidarity.
Whether it’s participating in protests, expressing our views, campaigning for change in our individual ways, or helping businesses shift towards a people-first economic system—we are capable of making powerful change happen.
“It always seems impossible until it's done.”—Nelson Mandela
Disclaimer
I’m not an expert on these matters (capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, sustainability), so my opinions might be flawed or factually inaccurate. I admit that talking is easy, but doing is hard. Which is why I’m on a personal journey to align my beliefs with taking practical action. I welcome constructive criticism and appreciate comments that will further my education in these matters.
If you’re a Zionist, I respect your right to disagree with my views. But I won’t respond to inflammatory comments or idiotic remarks, so don’t bother. If you’d like to engage in an open exchange of views, however, I’m game.