International days and weeks are opportunities to educate public on critical issues, mobilize mass opinion with political will to address global crises, besides commemorating and reaffirming humanity’s successes. The United Nations General Assembly declared November 29th as International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in 1977. The origins of Muslim support with the Palestinian people, anchored in common religious ties and a shared history of resistance to foreign occupation, akin to the Kashmiri experience. The Al Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, acts as a focal point for both populations, symbolizing the difficulties Muslims endure in the face of foreign forces. The similarity between the Palestinian struggle and the plight of Kashmiris under foreign military occupation highlights the shared strands of pain, dispossession, and the aspiration for self-determination. Both regions have become infested with long-running conflicts including territorial disputes, human rights violations, and an ongoing struggle for autonomy.
The day serves as a reminder, on which the entire world must recognize the struggles of the Palestinian people and work together to find a solution in accordance with UN resolutions. Those who believe in justice may speak out in support of the people of Palestinian and condemn Israeli misdeeds. This Day seeks world to join the people of Palestine in peaceful struggle for their basic rights. The topic of Palestine was brought up to the United Nations immediately after World War II ended. However, beginnings of Palestine crisis as an international concern can be traced back to events towards the close of World War I. The United Nations acknowledged responsibility for finding a just solution to the Palestine question in 1947, and it continues to do so till date.
One feature of Israel’s illegal occupation that has remained constant over the past five decades is that the occupying Power (Israel) continues to unlawfully and illegally confiscate and colonise Palestinian land in flagrant violation of international law, involving international humanitarian law, human rights law, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Following the hostilities on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military increased its bombing of Gaza, carrying out the heaviest strikes since the conflict began. Telecommunications services in Gaza have been completely disrupted, rendering internet, cellphone, and landline services inoperable. Paltel, the Palestinian telecom company, has acknowledged the effect on communication infrastructure. More than 1.7 million Palestinians (more than 70% of Gaza’s population) have been displaced, with the vast majority apparently seeking refuge at United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) facilities. According to the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and dwelling, as of November 6, more than 41,000 dwelling units in Gaza had been demolished and over 222,000 others had been partially damaged.
As of November 12, the World Health Organization claimed that at least 521 people, including 16 medical personnel, have been murdered in 137 “attacks on health care” in Gaza. These strikes, along with Israel’s determination to shut off electricity and water, as well as limit humanitarian assistance to Gaza, have significantly hampered access to health treatment.
Israeli settlements are Jewish communities that have been established unlawfully on Palestinian property. In the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, there are between 700,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers residing in at least 279 settlements. Settlements currently control 40 percent of the occupied West Bank territory. In their quest to establish a “Jewish state,” Zionist armies expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroyed their communities. In breach of the Article 49 of Fourth Geneva Convention, Israeli authorities have assisted the movement of residents to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. There are numerous striking parallels between Palestine and IIOJK; both are stories of decades-long occupations unlawfully occupied by violent troops – Israel and India. Both occupying forces have violated many UN Security Council Resolutions and multinational peace treaties (the Shimla Accord in India’s instance). India Occupied IIOJK on October 27, 1947, following the subcontinent’s division, and has since unlawfully annexed / absorbed it by repealing its unique status under Article 370 of Indian constitution. India is closely following the Israeli playbook in implementing its wicked ambitions in IIOJK, which aim to transform the lone Muslim majority territory into a Hindu majority region under direct control of the center after splitting it into two Union Territories to stifle popular voices.
The tactic employed by India to govern the civilian population of IIOJK is similar to Israel’s strategy in Palestine. Arrests without warrant, extrajudicial murders, arbitrary disappearances, midnight curfews, collective punishment, administrative imprisonment, torture, rape / sexual abuse, restriction of free speech and assembly, home demolitions, and other forms of repression only few to mention. While Israel adheres to Zionist ideology, India adheres to Hindutva philosophy. The trauma and psychological discomfort experienced by Palestinian and Kashmiri youngsters caught in the crossfire of violence and occupation reflect a troubling pattern. The prevalence of melancholy, anxiety, and other psychosomatic problems highlights the critical need for international concern over the human toll of these prolonged conflicts. United Nations’ shocking statistics on child abuse serve as a clear reminder that affect of war and governmental persecution reaches well beyond geopolitical issues. Israel’s objective in region is to create “Greater Israel” by absorbing most of the seized Golan Heights while attempting to annex the Jordan Valley and West Bank. Whereas India’s expansionist intentions are targeted at “Akhand Bharat”. Furthermore, both Israel and India have a strong lobby and backing from the United States. The parallel between brutal treatment of local populations and murderous programs of Israel and India demonstrates that fascist governments dominate in both nations.
Now is the time for the international community to put a stop to Israel’s colonial venture. To bring the occupying power into compliance with its legal obligations, steps needs to be taken in accordance with the regulations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the pertinent Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, as well as the advisory ruling issued by the International Court of Justice on 9 July 2004. In the interest of long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, the world as a whole has to assume its responsibility to protect the lives and basic rights of the Palestinian people, as well as play the rightful part in advocating a just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question in accordance with international legitimacy. Third-party countries and international players are legally bound to guarantee that Israel’s globally illegal actions are not recognized. They should lead efforts to increase Israel’s conformity with international law. Pakistan is steadfast in its adherence to the full realization of the Palestinian people’s fundamental rights, including the right to self-determination. Pakistan has historically backed a two-state solution that aids in the development of a viable Palestinian state with pre-1967 boundaries and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace. The international community should likewise hold those responsible for gross breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law in occupied territory accountable.
