I am feeling murkful. As though the world was not shitty enough right now, along slithers prime minister Benyamin Netahanyu to posture at the Israeli Supreme Court and demand his own pardon. Up on charges of bribery and corruption since 2020 – plus 125 international arrest warrants from the International Criminal court for genocidal mass slaughter in Gaza – Netanyahu treats Israel more and more like his own fiefdom, and Palestine as a Hunger Games arena.
The silence of our so-called world leaders as the Israeli government picks off Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank day by day is miserably predictable. Journalist Owen Jones summed it up well last week. ‘Western liberals are divided between justifying or whitewashing Israel’s livestreamed genocide, or [else] issuing empty, hand-wringing platitudes. Whatever remained of that political tradition lies buried in Gaza’s pulverised landscape.’
As we careen towards the end of this mad sad year I can imagine you too are wondering – what the hell can we do now?
In my small town on the West Coast of Scotland we have been supporting the Aisha Assocation for Women and Child Protection, an independent Palestinian NGO based in Gaza and led by women. Aisha runs 31 displacement shelters across Gaza providing food, tents and life essentials. We’ve held three community suppers, all brilliantly attended – and a lot of fun – and raised almost £4,000 for Aisha that we’ve transferred directly into their bank account. It has been a small beautiful success.
I’m under no illusions about our efforts; we are not altering the conflict dynamics in Palestine, nor the UK response. But – we are sending funds straight to Gaza with no strings at all; and everyone I’ve chatted with at the suppers says it’s better than sitting at home feeling shitty about the state of the world. Our suppers are not a pity party – we use our collective fury and heartbreak to fuel action. At the last supper I played a voice-note message from our friends at Aisha – saying our efforts are the difference between surviving genocide in the light versus dying in the dark. And that alone is a bloody good reason to continue.
Meanwhile in some desperately needed news about what our government is doing to address war crimes, the FCDO has launched the All-In Coalition – an international platform that aims to fight global violence against women and girls. ‘It is vital to end the scourge [of gender-based violence] plaguing women and girls around the world ….. including widespread use of rape as a weapon of war’ says the brief. The governmen states that tackling misogyny will now be part of its national and international peace and security policies.
Details are limited so far – but finally some boldness from this most timid of administrations, thank God. We will be watching.
Now, to stare back at Netanyahu for just a moment – what he and other war criminals want for Christmas – well I bet they would be very happy for the international status quo to remain just as it is, with state capture increasingly the norm.
Donald Trump was right about one thing, we do have to fight like hell, just not in the way he does. We have to fight to keep reminding our leaders they work for us – to keep supporting local organisations like Aisha in war zones whenever we can – and to keep our humanity when it feels like the world is shedding compassion like a snakeskin. It ain’t easy – but to quote Aristotle Onasis (which I admit is quite random) ‘We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest…..[and] learn to sail in high winds’.
by the way if you’re wondering what murkful actually means – struggling to see through gloom and darkness to the light, which sums it up about right.
Photo credit: Mohammed Ibrahim @unsplash
