October hit us all, hard.
TW - genocide, war, death
Good morning,
I hope you're doing well. I wanted to take some time to think about how I was going to address what is happening between Israel and Palestine in the newsletter. I wanted to make sure that my views on this isn’t missed or misinterpreted.
What has been happening with Israel and Palestine for over 50 years is genocide. It is not a conflict. It is an occupation — it is colonization.
For context, please read more on the history of the war and colonization of Palestine.
I understand that death, war and loss is devastating. The pictures and videos of children dying, it’s heartbreaking. And while I empathize with Jewish people all over the world who have experienced a jolt of pain after seeing the media coverage of the attacks of October 7th, I cannot stand with those who sympathize and support the actions of the Israeli government in showering missiles over Gaza in retaliation.
While we collectively grieve with families, we cannot forget that Gaza and the West Bank have been occupied by Israeli military for decades, living with next to no resources or autonomy. We cannot forget that Palestinian people are the Indigenous people of the land on which Israel was built.
It is shocking to see people stand for Indigenous rights in Canada, attend protests and participate in criticizing the Canada’s history and current treatment of the Indigenous peoples, and at the same time justify the legitimacy of the settler colonial state of Israel in Palestine. The cognitive dissonance is so real. Allyship performed only when it suits them — only when they have no skin in the game.
We cannot stand scared to ruffle feathers and lose income while people are justifying hospitals not having electricity, homes not having water - WATER. There is no justification for this cruelty.
I am calling on the same people who flooded the streets in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, chanting Black Lives Matter, the same people who marched hand in hand in 2021 after the unearthing of 215 Indigenous children’s bodies from under a residential school in Kamloops, the same people who march in support of our 2SLGBTQIA+ communities during pride season :
Stand Against Genocide.
Stand Against War.
Protest Israel’s Occupation in Palestine.
Write to your representatives (local, provincial, federal).
Call for a ceasefire.
Our political parties may be scared to call a spade a spade and publicly condemn genocide. Evidence of this was shown when the Ontario NDP caucus ousted MPP for Hamilton-Centre, Sarah Jama, when she refused to apologize for her comments made to the Ford government to call for ceasefire. Silencing and censuring representatives that speak out against the grain is not new, but this just adds fuel to the fire we see when it comes to going against Israel’s actions. Sarah’s comments were labeled offensive and antisemitic, which they were not.
A creative by the name of Marwan Kaabour posted the following that really resonated with me and many others:
Criticism of the state of Israel or the ideology that is used to justify Israel’s crimes is NOT antisemitism.
Being pro-Palestine and against antisemitism go hand in hand, because all systems of oppression reinforce one another, and none can be fought in isolation.
I get the urge to shut everything off and tend to our mental health. Take a break, care for yourself, but don’t desensitize yourself to a burning world. Rest, and resist.
Here are places you can donate for humanitarian aid in Gaza:
Doctors Without Borders
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
Save the Children
World Food Bank
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
Our work at Taharima Habib Consulting will always continue to support, uplift and amplify voices from the BIPOC, queer and Indigenous communities. We firmly and unwaveringly stand with those made to live in the margins of our societies and stand against forces of oppression here in Canada and around the world. We are not in the business of quietly watching human rights being stripped away.
My heart goes out to all those who have experience tremendous losses, in the Jewish and Arab communities, and those who have been standing in resistance to atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank.
In solidarity,
Taharima
