As I scrolled through the news about the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, I came across this part of a poem from Gaza:
“When a ceasefire is announced, I will just run. No one ask me where. I myself don’t even know. I will just run, and run.
Maybe to a space in this city, maybe to my old solitude, maybe towards the sun.
I don’t know. The important thing is to arrive at a quiet place. A place that allows me to weep for a long time.” — Hasan Qatrawi, Gaza.
As I read about the potential ceasefire deal a few days ago, which has now been approved by the Israeli cabinet, I went through a rollercoaster of thoughts. Finally, the killing will stop. No, this might just be a trick in the current global political theatre. Does this mean the occupation will end? Or is this just a longing, like Hasan, looking for respite? After fifteen months of bombings, this is welcome news, even though thousands of deaths later, it seems a little too late. Every moment of delay was calculated, every death avoidable. In fact, this same deal was available since July but lacked the right political pressure to be accepted.
Let us not be mistaken; the ceasefire is not an act of goodwill but a calculated political decision. Whether Biden or Trump should receive credit for brokering the deal does not matter because the United State’s enabling posture toward Israel has not changed. On Wednesday, Trump’s incoming security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz, said Israel has the green light to keep attacking Gaza. Additionally, Israel has a reputation for finding excuses to reinitiate violence and back out of truces. While the deal was being negotiated, Israel escalated its violence, raining down bombs in Gaza. Sujitra Vijayan accurately describes Israel’s strategy as one of “violence as policy, diplomacy as spectacle.”
We need to be vigilant in the coming days, weeks and months because a fragile ceasefire does not mean the cruelty of the occupation will not continue. Israel Occupation Forces’ military actions have intensified in the West Bank, paving the way and appropriating land for the development of new and expanded settlements. The apartheid regime under which Palestinians live will not change with the ceasefire. Justice and a liberated Palestine demand the end of Zionism and the end of the occupation. Justice also demands our global solidarity – our organizing and actions for peace need to intensify.
For right now, I’m grateful for a ceasefire. I’m thankful families in Gaza can find some respite. I’m grateful Hasan can find a quiet place.
