The following piece was written for the UCC Movement for Palestinian Solidarity August newsletter. You can subscribe to the UCC MPS e-news at www.uccmps.org.
It seems impossible to overstate the level of cruelty that our world is capable of. One need only look to the living nightmare that is life in Gaza right now. Palestinians there have entered into stage five famine, the damage of which is often irreversible. Israel has assassinated the last journalists in Gaza City just in time for their invasion, leaving no witnesses to whatever inhumane atrocities may unfold. The IDF will be free to kill and destroy with impunity, while the rest of the world is kept in the dark. Meanwhile, in our own government, administration officials tour settlements in the West Bank and deny injured children from Gaza the ability to enter the United States for life-saving surgeries and treatment.
Given the reality of such cruelty, it can be difficult to keep the momentum in our advocacy and solidarity work. It can often feel as if we are screaming into the void, and it can be easy to fall into despair. Every time I am tempted towards such feelings, however, I am forced to remember the words of one Palestinian activist who often says, "we don't have the luxury of despair."
Palestinians don't have the option of giving up. Their fight is for the very survival of their people, their culture, their land, their identity. To be in solidarity with them, therefore, is to understand that our frustration is a drop in the bucket compared to what they experience every day. It should not be a hardship for us to continue the work, as frustrating and slow as it may seem. Rather, it is a privilege to stand in solidarity with a people who have been so steadfast in their resolve for over 75 years.
And, as a matter of fact, as frustrating and slow as the work may seem, sentiment continues to shift, even if it feels sometimes and from some people like it's too little, too late. Personally, I find myself exasperated at the most recent spate of congress members and celebrities who have broken their silence on Gaza over the famine forced upon them by Israel. Where were these same people a year ago, when Palestinian children were being blown to bits, and when, as a matter of fact, people in Gaza were being starved even then?
Sometimes, I find it hard to be gracious towards these latecomers. Still, as difficult as it may be for our egos, we have to get over that. We have to welcome everyone to the table, regardless of their tardiness, because we need them. We need every voice. And truly, the voices are multiplying.
Consider the recent resolution from Bernie Sanders to block military aid to Israel. For the first time, a majority of democratic senators voted to block military aid. Or consider the number of co-sponsors currently signed on to the Block the Bombs act-- 33 democratic representatives, and the number is growing. Cities and towns across the country are passing resolutions to divest from Israel, and for the first time, a majority of Americans believe that there should be a Palestinian state. Worldwide, the tide is also turning. Norway's wealth fund, the largest of it's kind in the world, is divesting from Israeli firms.
All of this, and more, should be enough to inspire us to keep at it, to keep the pressure up, to keep fighting for justice. One person's voice may not make much of a difference, and many of us feel that quite acutely in our day to day advocacy, but collectively, along with millions of other voices around the world, we are making a difference. We must continue to push towards the tipping point. We don't know when that will be, but in the great movements for social change, we never have. It always feels hopeless until the moment when it is not. It's always impossible, a lost cause, until it isn't. We must keep pushing forward towards that moment.
Thank you Sara.