Israel-Palestine
Humanitarianism isn’t binary.
Disclaimer: I am neither an armchair critic nor an insufferable Twitter pundit, nor claim to be any kind of expert on history, geography, or politics. I am, however, an expert of my lived experience, which includes being the grandson of Indian Muhajir refugee emigrants to Pakistan during the 1947 Partition, the son of Pakistani immigrants to America, and the survivor of forced resettlements through illegal dispossession and eviction throughout childhood and adult life.
Heartbroken by the ongoing war.
I don’t write much anymore lately.
But I need to get this off my chest.
It’s not binary.
Civility isn’t binary.
Decency isn’t binary.
Empathy isn’t binary.
You can condemn terror attacks on civilians while simultaneously peacefully protesting for: the liberation of Palestine; the end to her 75+ year apartheid, brutalization, colonization, and dehumanization; the restoration of her civil society; and the reparation for and repatriation of her people onto land seized and settled since the 1948 Nakba, as supported by countless international sanctions and resolutions, co-signed by the United Nations and leading NGOs including but not limited to: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Jewish Voice for Peace, Mondoweiss, B’Tselem, J Street, Neturei Karta Haredim, etc.
Gaza is the world’s 3rd most dense population.
Gaza is the world’s largest open-air prison.
Gaza has been blockaded for 15+ years.
There is currently no electricity in Gaza.
There is no food or fuel entering Gaza.
Gazans have been subject to flechette shrapnel bombs.
(flechettes: steel darts which tear the flesh off the skin)
Gazans have been subject to white phosphorus weapons.
WP usage is a war crime as defined by international law.
Gazan hospitals, schools, and mosques have been bombed.
Gazans have even been bombed while burying their dead.
50% of Gaza’s 2M+ civilian population are minor children.
50% of Gaza’s 2M+ civilian population are impoverished.
90% of Gaza’s 2M+ civilian population lack clean water.
To be clear, I do not support Hamas nor any terror attack.
I categorically condemn the murder of innocent civilians.
“Don’t post this on Medium! Business and careers aren’t political!”
Existence is political. Freedom is political.
Life itself is political. Peace itself is political.
Praying for peace and an immediate ceasefire.
May God have mercy on the Holy Land. Amen.
May those lost in this war rest in peace. Amen.
P.S. This is not apologia to empire, this is an appeal to empathy.
