The Future of the Palestinian Cause in America.

As most of us know, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was recently announced. I am worried that the announcement of this ceasefire deal will make those who are worried only about the current genocide in Gaza stop fighting for Palestine if/once the deal is put into place.

The fight for a free Palestine does not just end with a ceasefire. The fight for a free Palestine will end when Palestine is, well, free. That means that the fight can only be over once the occupation ends, the apartheid is put to a stop, Palestinians have the right to return to their ancestral homeland, all blockades are lifted, and everybody living in Palestine has the same rights as everybody living in so-called Israel. I also believe that the fight for a free Palestine will only be over once there is a one state solution; Even though I am an anarchist and believe that there should be no states in the world, I know that what I want and what is currently doable are two separate things.

I have been seeing a disturbing decline in pro-Palestinian protests and actions in the past few months, particularly after the election. I am worried that if the new ceasefire plan is actually put into place, protests will stop once and for all. We have to remember that what is currently happening in Gaza is not only a genocide, but an ecocide, a scholasticide, and a variety of other -cides. This means that it will take a very, very long time for the Palestinian people to be able to live normal lives. They will be left living in a land that has been ravaged by bombs, gases, and other weapons. They will have no schools, homes, or hospitals to go back to. It is likely that Israel will probably go back to harming Palestinians, particularly Palestinians living in Gaza, in ways that may seem less worrying for those living anywhere else in the world but Palestine. It is also very likely that Israel will refuse to help Palestinians rebuild Gaza, and if they do help them rebuilt it is likely that they will not do much. Perhaps more likely than anything else I have mentioned here is that those in the Israeli military who have committed war crimes and those in the Israeli government who pushed their military to commit war crimes will not be punished in any way, shape, or form. People will be celebrating the return of the Israeli hostages (as they should), but they will forget to celebrate the return of the Palestinian hostages who have been held in Israeli prisons despite the fact that they had no charges against them. 

I sincerely hope that those who have have learned about Palestine after October 7th will continue to think about and talk about Palestine. I know I will continue to think about and talk about Palestine for years to come. We cannot give up on the fight for a free Palestine.