It’s so far from us that it’s easy to look away. It’s easy to say that it’s too terrible, too complex and that in any case, there’s nothing we can do about it.
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However, what is happening in Gaza concerns us all. Because we are human beings and it is our humanity that is becoming more and more disrupted every day.
Victims of hatred
On October 7, 33 Israeli children were killed by Hamas and 40 were taken hostage.
This was followed by the deaths of more than 8,000 Palestinian children killed by Netanyahu’s Israeli government.
Thousands more children are starving to death, starved by the Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of food, medical aid and basic necessities.
Children who have nothing to do with this war of territories and identities. This loss of humanity.
No matter their nationality, their religion, the color of their skin, whether their parents are rich or poor, we have a collective duty to protect children, as if they were our own.
What is happening in Gaza no longer has anything to do with self-defense. It’s called revenge. A revenge of incredible violence against innocent children and civilians.
Where has our humanity gone?
The inaction of our governments makes us more complicit every day in the serious human rights violations committed by the State of Israel.
What a paradox when we know that these rights were established precisely to prevent the horrors experienced during the Second World War. So that no population ever again has to endure what the Jews experienced and which still marks them.
Violations of fundamental human rights which in turn mark the Palestinians.
Among these, the right to life of thousands of children.
Canada’s duty
To protect the right to life of Palestinian children, Canada and the international community must not only demand a ceasefire, they must demand it immediately, or face sanctions.
From now on, humanitarian aid must be able to circulate freely in this open-air prison. That food and basic necessities can reach civilians.
Thousands more children will die if we wait for the installation of a humanitarian port in Gaza, as Joe Biden ordered in his speech on Thursday. It will take several weeks, when the population is already on the verge of starvation.
We obviously have a duty to stop exporting weapons to Israel as long as they are used to kill children and innocent civilians. It’s indecent!
For Canada and the international community to defend the right to life of Palestinian children, rather than being complicit in Israel’s vengeance, we, citizens everywhere, must make our voices heard. All around us and particularly in Ottawa.
Also looking forward to a large peaceful demonstration, like the one we experienced against the war in Iraq.