The Palestinians are also humans like the Ukrainians

The world is outraged by the daily rise in the number of fatalities and causalities in the war between the Russians and the Ukrainians and the massive demonstrations against the war are ongoing around the globe. While we feel sad and pray to stop the war, we wonder why the world is wholeheartedly sympathetic with the Ukrainians while it was much less sympathetic with the Palestinians despite the huge difference in the root cause of the fight.

The Ukrainian regime provoked Russia by demanding joining the NATO knowing well that this is a hostile move which would bring Russia’s enemies to its door steps. It could establish brotherly relations with Russia and distance itself from the historical animosity between the east and the west and benefit from both sides.

In case of Palestine, fight was imposed on a peaceful nation whose land was taken in a daylight robbery and they had to fight for their homeland. They did not provoke the Zionists, nor did they ask for their enemies to come and establish war bases to target them from Palestine.

Yet, Facebook, Twitter and all social networks ban any publishing or re-publishing of any material about the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians who stuck to their land and refused to give it up. Anyone who does that will have their accounts blocked by the network’s administration.

Facebook announced that it is acceptable to publish all types of media material against Russia and this would not be considered as an act which spreads hatred among nations on the pretext that the Russians are killing the Ukrainians. But the Palestinians are also humans who have been killed on daily basis. So far, the number of Palestinian martyrs has exceeded 100,000 persons and the toll will continue to rise as long as there is Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

The world has not forgotten the Palestinian stance in World War II when they sided by Germany although their stance came as a reaction to the previous West colonialism of the Arab land and its following division into small countries. It was a purely defensive stance. The West is still punishing the Palestinians although they were victims throughout the years and it is still rewarding the Zionists because they suffered from the Nazi brutality by giving them Palestine.  In other words, the West destroyed the Palestinian land and punished the Palestinians for defending themselves and siding with their enemies at that time.

The two situations, the Ukrainian case and the Palestinian case are completely different; yet, all the sympathy goes to the Ukrainians and social networks welcome all sympathetic material with them, while the same is not allowed for the Palestinians. This attitude reflects a profound resentment of the Palestinians although all that they ask for is to let them live in their historical land peacefully. 

The atrocities committed against the Palestinians are far more horrific: destroying homes, hospitals, schools and mosques and detaining resistance members regardless of their gender or age, robbing the natural resources and leaving the Palestinians living in dire strait. This is far more atrocious that what Russia is doing in Ukraine.

Gaza is barely alive as it is deprived of all what is necessary for a decent living with a run-down infrastructure and massive unemployment. The Arab around Gaza are cooperating with Israel and the Western countries and pressuring Hamas to sever its ties with Iran.

But Gaza is not Hamas. The Palestinians in Gaza oppose Hamas’s alliance with Iran and they do not want to be a part of any regional alliance. They just want to live in peace in their homeland. The newly discovered gas resources opposite the Gazan shore can make them wealthy and prosperous. But Israel is exploiting it for its own benefit. All that Israel is doing is forgiven by the West while Russia is condemned in every possible means.

Suha Aljundi