This weekend, I spent a lot of time travelling around Palestine, which inevitably meant having to cross through many of the Israeli-manned checkpoints scattered throughout the West Bank. I was travelling on public transport, sharing the bus with predominantly Palestinians. Being a British citizen, however, means that, unlike the Palestinians, I do not have to get down and walk through the checkpoint terminals. The Qalandia checkpoint, serving as a border between the West Bank town of Ramallah and Jerusalem, is perhaps one of the most glaring examples of the separative manner of the Israeli army.
Once the bus arrives at the checkpoint, any Palestinians who have a permit to travel to Jerusalem or possess a Jerusalem ID but are under 60 years of age, must alight from the bus and walk through hostile and uninviting metal turnstiles whereby the soldiers sitting behind the reinforced glass windows check the validity of their passes. Of course, this could easily be done if all the passengers remained on the bus. Certainly, the Israelis offer the timeless pretext of “security reason” for having to ask Palestinians to leave the bus and go through the terminal. However, it is actually purely for political reasons; surely if security is that much of an issue, everybody, regardless of their nationality or age, would be required to get off the bus. After all, terrorism is surely not confined to Palestinians under the age of 65, in possession of a Jerusalem ID or a travel permit. If security was truly the priority, every person on the bus would get down to go through the terminal and have their luggage scanned.
On this particular occasion, I was travelling with a fellow British citizen. As the Palestinians filed off the bus, we remained seated and the bus approached the checking area, where a soldier boarded the bus, nervously clutching his weapon across his chest. The five other people on the bus were all Palestinian, women aged between 60 and 70 years old, who did not speak Hebrew. He started barking at them in Hebrew to show their ID’s. He finally got to us, took one glance at our closed British passports, and without even checking the validity of our visas and to our surprise, broke into a broad East-London British. He started laughing and asking us what we were doing in Israel (despite us being in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories at this point). I bluntly replied that I was here as my father is Palestinian, at which point he turned his back on me and said “Oh well, nobody is perfect”.
I take issue with this on more than one level. Firstly, when manning a checkpoint where the majority of those passing through it speak Arabic, to speak to them in Hebrew is yet another expression of the dominant and bullish behavior so regularly displayed by the Israeli army. As the occupier, and in order to avoid confusion and doubt when communicating with the Palestinians, it is feasible that they should have at least a basic knowledge of the language of the occupied people. Certainly, the Palestinian bus drivers all display a near-fluent grasp of Hebrew, once again displaying the submissive behavior which is now so engrained in so many Palestinians.
Secondly, the soldier who boarded my bus was yet another shining example of the sliding scale of treatment afforded to foreigners and tourists in comparison to the Palestinians. Several times, I have been greeted at checkpoints throughout the West Bank with “Welcome to Israel”. The West Bank is not part of Israel, it is indeed a land that was seized during warfare, but all it takes is for one to drive through the West Bank to realize that the two could not be further apart, both economically and visually. This really begs the question, are these soldiers just ignorant of the political storm in which they are operating, or does there lay a more sinister arrogance behind their refusal to acknowledge the lands of the Palestinian people?
National military service in Israel is a rite of passage. Apart from its military value, serving in the army has traditionally been credited with helping to integrate new immigrants and providing supplementary education to many young Israelis. National Service is mandatory for Israeli men and women aged over 18, although there are exceptions on the grounds of being in a minority group (Arab Israelis), those who are not fit physically or psychologically, married women with children or ultra-religious Jews. These youth are growing up without social constraints and hardships, enjoying their life in Israel, and then being thrown into the reality of the turmoil of the Palestine-Israel conflict.
The IDF Mission statement reads that the IDF will defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State of Israel. Furthermore, in 1992, the Israel Defense Forces drafted a Code of Conduct. Basic Principle A (on values) states that all IDF servicemen will express the basic values of comradeship, discipline, respect for human life, loyalty, personal example and professionalism. Which begs the question, does the soldier immaturely told me that “nobody is perfect” truly believe he is doing his country any great service? He certainly was not professional, nor did he afford any respect towards me or my fellow passengers.
Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. Whilst walking through the Bethlehem-Jerusalem Gilo checkpoint, two Palestinian men were walking ahead of me. We were the only ones using the checkpoint in the middle of the day. When we arrived at the checking box, a loud voice boomed over a speaker phone, in broken English “Tourist come first”. I, clutching my passport refused to go ahead of the Palestinian men, who were clearly on their way to work and were in a rush. Instead, I stood back and watched as the young female soldier screamed at them to produce their permits and turn to face the wall. She then proceeded to answer her ringing mobile phone and have a conversation for a couple of minutes before signaling to the men that they could pass through. Again, by treating the Palestinians in such a derogatory way, all these soldiers serve to do is bring shame on their own country; a country that constantly speaks about democracy and respect for the life of its citizens. In order for peace and respect between Palestinians and Israelis, Israel needs to start treating the Palestinians with the respect that it constantly demands of its molly-coddled citizens. These young men and women, who are drafted in, straight out of school, need to be politically and socially aware of the suffering that has arisen from this conflict and appreciate that their duty is not to be taken so lightly. For the time being, the Israeli army is not going anywhere; the least it can do is to educate it’s servicemen about the reality of the conflict. Up until their service, many of them are so unaware of the reality of life on the other side of separation wall, with only media outlets providing them with a biased view. It is about time that some of these soldiers realize that this is not a game they are playing; it is human life.
Who will hear their screams?
Date posted: April 01, 2024
By Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
When Israel claimed women were sexually assaulted on a mass scale on October 7, the world exploded. Almost the entirety of Israel’s genocidal war was based on these and other allegations, many unsubstantiated. We all remember the infamous’40 beheaded babies” story, do we not?
This article is not about Israeli allegations per se, neither will it only focus on violations against Palestinian women. This is about a world that is immediately up in arms when one side merely alleges atrocities while it turns a blind eye to actual documented violations against the “other”.
In Gaza, it is painfully clear that we indeed, are ‘the other’. How else can anyone explain the muted cries of women being stripped, raped, starved and murdered practically in real time, on our phone screens, documented in UN reports and described in horrific detail in eyewitness testimonies? There is no other explanation than that Palestinians are what Arundhati Roy calls “Children of a lesser God”. We are the victims of deep-rooted colonialism, one whose geographic demarcations may have vanished but whose insidious, dehumanizing mentality still prevails and manifests in the ugliest of manners.
For nearly six months, Palestinians have endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Israel’s occupying army. Today, the Gaza Strip has been reduced to an emaciated shell of what it once was. As Gaza is being systematically decimated and ethnically cleansed, the world, for the most part, looks on. Barring sympathetic supporters and a few well-intended but timid political actors, nothing has been done to stop the carnage. Palestinians once believed there was no way the world would allow Israel to erase Gaza off the map, no way it could see a live-streamed genocide and do nothing. But that is exactly what is happening.
Then, when we thought things could not get any worse, something unfathomable emerged from the deathtrap of Gaza. When this happened, we were certain it would be the turning point in this hellish nightmare. Well-documented reports, corroborated by the UN and eyewitnesses on the ground, told of harrowing stories of sexual assault against Palestinian women in Gaza.
We were paralysed with horror when we heard of women being raped by Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza, assaulted and stripped in front of their families. What’s worse, we all know that in times like these, the undocumented atrocities will far outnumber those documented. Who knows what horrors will unfold once the dust settles in Gaza; no doubt they will be so horrific, our entire nation will be traumatized for years to come.
The real question here is not how Israel’s soldiers perpetrated such gross violations. I think by now we can all agree that this depraved military establishment and its political echelon to boot, has dehumanized and vilified Palestinians so much and for so long, they will justify just about anything. No, the question is more about the moral compass of the rest of the world. While alliances and political interests are always part of the equation, even when the issue pertains to basic human rights, nothing can better explain the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and loss of collective humanity than the deafening silence today.
Our women have not only been killed, starved and displaced, they have been exposed to the very violations that sparked global outrage and a genocidal war against an entire population under occupation, unprecedented in modern history. This is not only unacceptable, it is an indelible stain on humanity. Sexual violence is a crime so heinous it is imperative to condemn and prevent, no matter the perpetrator or the victim. That must always be the baseline in any argument.
Palestinians will never get past this genocide; it is not something you can come back from. However, be assured, this is not only about the Palestinians. The world’s women, the majority of so-called feminists who have remained disgustingly silent, must know this: when you do not stand up for women, all women, no one will stand up for you in your time of need.
A new day will come
Date posted: February 14, 2024
By Joharah Baker
I once heard that anger is not a real emotion, but a cover for other feelings such as sadness, disappointment or fear. You need to peel back that outer layer to understand what is really going on inside.
Strange how this has lately resurfaced for me, but I think I know why. Lately, I and surely, millions of other Palestinians, have been filled with a blinding rage -- at Israel, at the United States, and at the world overall. This is a rage that is all-encompassing, the depth of which is palpable at the cellular level, permeating every molecule and every atom of our being. The genocide in the Gaza Strip has grated our emotions raw and we are left stinging and burning from our head to our toes.
Our anger is like a huge magnetosphere and we are all trapped inside, but its walls are translucent and we can see the source of our rage mocking us from beyond. We Palestinians are angry because we are so disappointed and we are angry because we are disillusioned and we are angry because we are drowning in sorrow.
Our disappointment lies in the fact that the world has failed us in the worst possible way and has allowed the unspeakable to be committed against us. Genocide is the ‘mother of all crimes’ and, contrary to the promises, the conventions and the historical lessons the world was supposed to learn, it has been committed over and over again. The Palestinian genocide, however, is unique in at least one way: it is live-streamed, which means no one can claim ignorance and everyone has a responsibility in stopping it. Hence, our disappointment is not limited to countries, Arab or otherwise, or to international and human rights organizations. It has spread to everyone in our orbit; acquaintances and people we thought were friends, but whose silence towards our slaughter is a deafening betrayal. Our sense of disappointment has discolored every relationship it touches because every relationship for us is a dichotomy: you are either with or against genocide and either support Palestine in word and deed, or not.
Our anger is a thin veil concealing our disillusion with the international community and its institutions, supposedly established to protect people in situations precisely like ours. We have confirmed what we knew all along, that these organizations were constructed for some and not all, for colonial powers and not those who suffer beneath them. Even when the highest court in the land rules in our favor, the Global North ensures that its ruling will not be implemented to save us, the oppressed, indigenous brown people whose lives apparently do not matter.
And finally, our anger is a survival mechanism to shield us from our own grief. Our sorrow over the murdered men, women and children, defenseless, homeless, starving and shivering in the cold, is so deep, so immense, we ourselves cannot fathom it. If we dare peek behind this anger and truly feel a fraction of the aching in our hearts, it will paralyze us for sure, because no people can endure the magnitude and scale of such suffering and not lose their minds.
We Palestinians know we cannot let go and that a new day is near. We know we must hold on just a little bit longer, because Palestine depends on it. We are no strangers to oppression, suffering and sacrifice and we know the price of our freedom has and continues to be painfully high. Still, we also know that a life without shackles and the yoke of oppression around our weary necks is the only life worth living.
Killing the flowers will not delay spring
Date posted: February 01, 2024
By Joharah Baker
This may be the hardest article I’ve written so far, for obvious reasons. As the genocide in Gaza grinds on into its fourth month, with winter in full force, the situation is so dire it has been described as hell on earth. To date, some 27,000 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel, nearly 70% of them women and children. Another 70,000 have been wounded and at least 1.9 million people have been displaced. With only 2.3 million in the Gaza Strip to start with, this computes to 1% of its population being exterminated, and in less than four months.
However, in the midst of these horrific times, let us allow ourselves a sliver of hope. The ICJ ruling, announced on January 26, prompted mixed feelings among Palestinians who naturally, wanted to hear a clear and firm demand on Israel to stop its onslaught. However, even without the express demand for a ceasefire, the ICJ offered something to the Palestinians for which they have been demanding for many years: their suffering, their plight and the brutal oppression they live under, was finally acknowledged by the highest court in the world. More importantly, Israel is being called out for its crimes, displayed in real time for all to see. For this, we will be eternally grateful to South Africa and its exceptional legal team for bringing this case of genocide to the ICJ and forcing the world to look straight down the barrel of Israel’s cruel intentions.
Of course, for the Palestinians, we did not need an international court to tell us that Israel is committing a genocide, but it was cathartic to hear this acknowledged on a global platform. While we are aware that the actual charge of genocide perhaps needs years to prove, it only takes hearing the ruling and the case argued by South Africa to surmise that Israel is as good as convicted.
This is not insignificant, and we will cling to any shred of hope we can find in this unjust world. Having said that, this is no time to rest. If anything, it is time to push even harder because now, we have ICJ rulings in our favor and legal backing to claims we already knew were legitimate.
However, while this may have offered us some ray of light in the darkness in which we are all engulfed, the fact of the matter is that things continue to worsen on the ground in Gaza. This genocide is so heinous, not only in the brutality of the Israeli bombs and denial of basic aid to the people of Gaza, but in the fact that its people are suffering from multiple and simultaneous injustices. That is, those who are being starved are the same people who have been displaced and the same people who have been injured and cannot receive medical attention. They are the same people who have lost their homes and family members and the same people who are under the rubble. One atrocity does not cancel out another in Gaza and that is what makes this genocide so unimaginable.
We have reached a point where it is unnecessary to describe the horrors of life in Gaza because frankly, in the past four months, everyone has seen them. It is not a matter of the world not knowing. This may have been the case in other genocides and atrocities, but not this one. It really boils down to two things: The dehumanization of the Palestinians and Israel’s impunity for its crimes, the latter being a direct result of the former.
Shame on the world for accepting Israel’s vile propaganda, hook, line and sinker. Shame on the “western world” in particular, who we will never forgive. Shame on them all for aiding and abetting the slaughter of our people, their displacement, starvation and annihilation. This will not go unnoticed in the annals of history, which will paint each and every accomplice in the criminal light it deserves.
But these despicable powers do not know the lion-hearts of the Palestinians and their fierce loyalty to Palestine. They will never be able to kill us all and my hope is that this thought haunts them day and night.
A sign held up in one of the many protests around the world reads: “Killing the flowers will not delay spring”. Our Spring is coming, without a doubt.
