Was asked by to write about Palestine on BSky, and it's definitely time. (Attempting something new here, tagging. Sorry if this doesnt work or is annoying!)
Let me just start by saying: I'm writing this blog post, you know, for people who read this blog rather than as some kind of intervention in a regional war; this is a personal piece. I think some people might be interested in personal moments, political realizations, and why I feel so strongly about Palestine and Iran.
I recently saw a meme that captures the situation right now for too many writers: it was a screenshot of a twitter post by @freshhel "I understand tht a very popular personality to perform rn is like "glamorous philosopher" but some of you are stupid" with 'glamorous philosopher' replaced with 'war analyst.'
More relevantly, I remember reading a similar point in Wisam Rafeedie's Trinity of Fundamentals. Rafeedie was recounting the experience in the West Bank back when Saddam fired scud missiles at the Zionists. It's a slightly different point: there is an urge to Monday morning quarterback and speculate as if one is a general. While I may be old enough to be a general in the IDF, I have not opted for that career path.
There are far better analysts, too, writing right now: Amal Saad, Jon Elmer, Laleh Khalili, the War Nerd. In the grand scheme of things, I know enough to win an argument about 'the middle east' with the vast majority of Americans, but I'm no expert.
As someone who grew up in a deeply evangelical area, I have engaged in honestly far more debates about the region than I could possibly count, nearly 20 years of experience. This sort of upbringing dramatized from a young age that this 'regional war' is perhaps one of the key issues globally for American hegemony.
It's clear as we stand on the precipice of a major escalation that the world owes Gaza a massive debt too, a debt that must be honored but cannot possibly ever be repaid. The ways of the Zionists are exposed to any eyes that care to look - many do not. Hamas has shown how to effectively resist the Zionists, their many limits. Further, it's likely that after years of fighting, stockpiles of necessary weapons are running low. The refusal of America to seek peace in Ukraine is a factor here as well.
The point is this: Gaza has both shown the way and weakened the Epstein Alliance. Popular will to die for the Epstein Alliance is failing too, especially in Europe.
It's true that on the battlefield anything may happen: we have been presented a world of possibilities, and Gaza opened the door. This is a heroic achievement of world historic significance; the struggle of the Palestinians must be honored and remembered regardless of what happens next. We must remember Sinwar died fighting.
Bravery itself is enough to cause the fascists of our day to pause. Most recently, Americans have seen this in their confrontations with ICE. It was 4K clear too years before in the battlefield footage of Hamas fighters hand delivering explosives to Zionist tanks (tanks that conspicuously lacked infantry escort).
Of course, bravery must be sustained, and the local production of weapons by the Palestinians in Gaza is perhaps as heroic as some of the battlefield footage, often recycling Zionist weapons. It's a lesson for any who wish to resist empire, and the importance of local production was further reinforced by the Zionist crime known as 'the pager attack.'
It highlights, for us in the West, the centrality of BDS not just as solidarity but as praxis for struggles here: owning Microsoft products is quartering the enemy. I mean that literally. The companies complicit in genocide abroad will similarly violate human rights at home.
To return to Trinity of Fundamentals, all of this requires discipline! But Americans do not like hearing that... but that's another post.
I think Justin Podur has been making similar points in his reports on the genocidal conflicts: we have much to learn from the Palestinian resistance.
For many in the West, Palestine is another instance of the failings of Western institutions. Palestine is one of the things post 2008 that radicalized me, and initially, that is how I experienced so-called Operation Cast Lead, the first Gaza War. Obama was doing nothing to hold Netanyahu responsible!
This is not wrong, but the heart of the matter is Palestine, Palestinian resistance. M
Al-Aqsa Flood has clarified for me that the Palestinian resistance movement has long internalized the 20th century struggles against empire and is maybe the foremost innovator on these tactics. We must learn as much as possible and follow their example.