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Hira Maroof
“Colonialism perpetuates a cycle of violence and dehumanisation.”
The Israel-Palestine conflict has attracted worldwide attention. This conflict does not lie in the attack of October 7 however it is a systematic process which stems from the colonial policies of European powers in the early 20th century. Ongoing violence in Gaza has once again directed the attention towards the reality of colonialism. These policies were intended to exploit the Middle East for their own interests.
It has been 8 months of this conflict and still the situation in Gaza is retrograding. Palestine is a state which is an emblem of the re-incarnation of colonialism in contemporary times.
Colonialism is not a recent phenomenon but is rooted in history, associated with systematic violence and atrocities. The key aspects of it can be analysed in history when Britain and France signed the Sykes Picot agreement in 1916 during World War I to divide the Middle East for exercising their control and influence. Motivation behind this agreement was colonial intentions which resulted in the Balfour Declaration. Discourse on colonialism by , Césaire has equated colonisation with Thingification which addresses the infringement and dehumanisation of people to the level that reduces their standard of existence merely to things. This term was coined by philosopher Martin Heidegger, a process in psychology, where human beings are dehumanised and reduced to mere “things,” stripping them of their inherent human rights and dignity. WWII serves a remarkable example of this in which Holocaust was profoundly celebrated through genocide, occupation and elimination of natives which now characterize the Zionist culture.
Colonialism is not a recent phenomenon but is rooted in history, associated with systematic violence and atrocities. The key aspects of it can be analysed in history when Britain and France signed the Sykes Picot agreement in 1916 during World War I to divide the Middle East for exercising their control and influence.
The establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 is a direct result of this colonial legacy which perpetuates this legacy of violence, genocide and dehumanisation. The old clad of colonialism may have changed but it is still alive in renewed forms. Ongoing genocide of indigenous Palestinians and occupation and destruction of their homes signify the nuanced forms of neo-colonial policies of Israel. Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza is consolidation of its settler colonial policies. Israel has launched multidimensional policies including economic, institutional, demographic, military, psychological, and legal pressures to perpetrate the effective colonisation of the land.
Recent forms of colonialism in Palestine are manifested in forceful displacement, exploitation of resources and genocide. Colonialism in Palestine has become a continuous process which has now transformed into the form of settler colonialism. Term was first coined by Patrick Wolfe the idea of which goes beyond the rule over people and exploitation of their resources but complete displacement or elimination of the natives. The United Nations Special Rapporteur, Francis Albanese in her report on Anatomy of Genocide has recently identified Israel as a settler state.
Colonialism in Palestine has become a continuous process which has now transformed into the form of settler colonialism.
Over the past seven months Israel has forced one million Palestinians into the southern region and now the invasion of the region has left no place for the Palestinian population. They are left at the mercy of neighbouring states. Installation of Israeli military checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza since 1948 has always been a major hurdle in the freedom of Palestinians movements which is currently involved in stopping the food aid and relief packages and weaponizing this strategy for their horrific motivations. Bombardments on medical facilities, unarmed civilians, settlements and refugee camps has become a first-hand policy of settler Zionist state. Israel has destroyed all 36 hospitals in Gaza and left no medical facility for the injured. This has led to a situation where people of Palestine are denied their basic rights and they are on the verge of extinction.
Israel’s motivation for the permanent settlements in Gaza and West bank is culminating into the continuation of the de-development policy to permanently displace natives and leave no place for them. As cited by one of the renowned activists, Rahma Zein “What it inherently is, is supremacism, racism and colonialism’’. This unfolds the reality that Palestinians have been under constant subjugation and have been the victims of genocide since decades.
Israel has destroyed all 36 hospitals in Gaza and left no medical facility for the injured. This has led to a situation where people of Palestine are denied their basic rights and they are on the verge of extinction.
Colonialism persists in human history and comes at the expense of the dehumanisation of individuals. It has become a never-ending reality for Palestinians which is integral to the illegal settler policies of Israel. This form of colonialism is not only normalising genocide but it is intended to completely disturb the social fabric of a society which constitutes the Palestinian population. Precedence must not be set for the normalisation of the violence and genocide. States will indulge themselves in genocidal movements in pursuit of their settler policies if the International community continues to remain silent.
The author is currently pursuing MPhil in International Relations from Quaid-e-Azam University. tweets at @hira_maroof.
