Protesting/marching for a ceasefire 6,232 miles away might not make much difference in the grand scheme, but maybe it will mean something to my neighbors in Fargo, N.D. USA whose hearts remain in Palestine. Perhaps, too, it will influence the city's leaders to make it official.
Before I get to that, though, allow me to say if you're sick of reading about what's happening in Palestine here on IV Words –
Sorry, not sorry.
In solidarity with people around the world who retain their humanity above all else, I say, "We will never stop talking about Palestine!"
It's a declaration that reminds me of U2's famous shout-out in the late 1980s. During the band's U.S. tour in support of “The Joshua Tree,” while singing a new song, "Silver and Gold," Bono began talking about the song's genesis, "right about the time a friend of ours, Little Steven, was putting together a record of 'Artists Against Apartheid' (in South Africa)."
He went on for more than a minute, which seems like a really long time in the middle of a song, before finally challenging the crowd: "Am I buggin' you? Don't mean to BUG ya!"
Coincidentally, apartheid was still in full swing at the time in Palestine; Zionists had been perpetuating it on Palestinians for about 40 years at that point. I only wish he'd have been as vocal about that.
Apartheid ended in South Africa in the early 1990s. It has continued unabated in Palestine ever since.
And now Israel's government is taking the next step, from apartheid to attempted racial obliteration.
6,232 Miles, But Right Next Door
I marched on Saturday to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Middle East and support for my Fargo neighbors who are Palestinian; to advocate for the ceasefire resolution before the Fargo City Commission; and to protest the continuing genocide by Israel in Gaza, unwarranted killing of Palestinians by Israelis in the West Bank, and U.S. funding of Israel's racial and military aggression.
Mostly I marched because I am human and it is the right thing to do.
I'm not seeking any pats on the back; I simply want to keep the spotlight on the horrors that Israel's government is inflicting upon people in Gaza and the West Bank.
About that – a precise count is difficult to find, but since the horrific Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has slaughtered 30,000-40,000 Palestinians and wounded tens of thousands more. It's abhorrent.
Children. Women. Men. Innocents. Noncombatants. Human beings who had as much right to life as as any of us.
Some 1.5 million Gazans who have managed to survive so far are in Rafah, crammed up against the Egyptian border.
The estimated 1.5 million people sheltering there – more than half of Gaza’s population – have nowhere to flee in the face of Israel’s offensive that has levelled large swaths of the urban landscape in the rest of the territory and killed more than 29,000 people.
Al Jazeera
This morning, Israel bombed a building in Rafah. Is it the beginning of the military campaign against the city that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "will happen" unless a ceasefire deal can be reached soon? This, after Israel had instructed Palestinians to evacuate the rest of Gaza and seek refuge in the "safe zone" of Rafah.
Actually, I Do Mean to 'BUG Ya'
It's also difficult to find a precise count of the number of U.S. cities that have passed ceasefire resolutions, but Reuters reported that, as of Jan. 31, 2024, 70 had done so. I urge the Fargo City Commission to do the same when it meets on March 4. It, too, is the right thing to do.
Only about 75 of the Fargo-Moorhead MSA's 261,000 people showed up for the march/protest on Saturday. I gotta believe more than that give a damn. If you do, please show up for these events organized by CodePink of Fargo-Moorhead, especially the March 4 commission meeting - let's pack that place! (follow links for more information and to rsvp)
February 28 – "5 Broken Cameras" Palestine Documentary viewing at Minnesota State University Moorhead Library Auditorium, 6pm CST
February 29 Bridging Peace Fargo to Moorhead Sit-In & March, 3:45pm
March 4 Fargo City Commission meeting, 5pm
If you can't make one or all of these events, please raise your voice somewhere else and in some other way.
In the meantime, please use the template at this link to urge commissioners to adopt the ceasefire resolution:
#CeasefireNow #IStandWithPalestinians #StopFundingIsrael #EndTheGenocide #FreePalestine