Blog One – Keeping Sane in Times of Genocide
09.11.2023
There are five of us who worked on the Lockdown Blogs, keeping ourselves sane by analyzing, coordinating and writing almost daily for two Covid lockdowns for the LALIT website – Rada, Ram, Alain, Kisna, and me, Lindsey. So many readers wrote telling how the blog helped them, too. Now, we feel the need to keep ourselves sane once again, this time because of the manmade genocide planned and being executed by the Israeli State on the Palestinian people in Gaza. The imperialist States that arm and bank-roll Israel’s colonization, Israel’s state of siege, Israel’s occupation and even Israel’s starving people to death, now begin to lose their cool, to stutter and, in declarations, to stumble over words. Not because they regret the genocide unfolding before our eyes, even as disease begins to spread what with maggots in the bomb wounds on tiny children’s faces, but rather because they realize everyone can see them participating in the killing and maiming of all these thousands upon thousands of children, babies, grannies, granddads, the sick and the well, alike. They know we see it. They cannot yet even utter the gentle word “ceasefire” let alone stop their issue of armaments to Israel. It is simply unbearable. Utterly unspeakable.
So Rada, Ram, Alain and Kisna are ringing me with ideas, references, thoughts. And I draft. Then Ram proofreads and I submit the article to Rada, who fact-checks and OKs the article, and helps for the uploading. Other members phone in for any other glitches that have sneaked past. At the same time, Alain and Kisna translate into Kreol, before submitting the translation to Rada for final checking. Others phone with ideas for new blogs. And the idea is that I, as the mere drafter, can situate the Blogs in my every life, and in our shared everyday daily lives. Even as we protest, hold vigils, send missives, take stands, make alliances for action. And even as if we live in disbelief at the suffering being intentionally perpetrated on an entire people – in Gaza, in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Colonization dies hard. Capitalist armament bosses boast about making profits from the arms orders for the genocide. Like CEO of Raytheon (re-named RTX now) says, they “are going to see a benefit of this restocking”, as they call order from the Israel Defense Forces, “across the entire Raytheon portfolio”. They boast of profits from genocide, and do so openly.
But, let us start today with the stunning news that the Western alliance is beginning to fall apart.
Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister calls for sanctions on Israel. The “rain of bombs is inhumane,” she said. Spain’s Minister of Social Rights calls for “exemplary economic sanctions against those politically responsible for this genocide.” This is even broader, suggesting against the USA and other European states. She calls the Israeli action by its name, “genocide”. She calls it, with precision, “planned genocide”.
Within Britain, a public data company YouGov found that 76% of the people, already on the day of the poll three weeks ago, said they were in favour of a ceasefire. While the British Government refuses to call for one. While the Labour Opposition refuses to call for one.
Today’s The Guardian (a newspaper without its moral compass left on this issue) nevertheless reports on the British Labour Party crisis, now that the leadership is pro-Israel as never before in its history, after the conspiratorial plot to oust Jeremy Corbyn and hundreds of other left Labour members for supporting the Palestinians. It reads, “as many as 15 shadow ministers” may be “about to quit” the Shadow Cabinet after the resignation of one of them on Tuesday night. The Scottish Labour Party may get a vote in the UK Parliament which will be the occasion when, the Guardian reports people expect Shadow Cabinet members to present resignation letters that they already have “in their pockets”.
Bolivia and Libya have broken off diplomatic ties with Israel. Columbia and Chili have suspended their links with Israel. Jordan has broken links. Turkey, a NATO member, has recalled its ambassador and broken off contact with Netanyahu. Israel’s ambassador had already fled, citing security reasons. Bahrain has halted economic ties with Israel, expelled and recalled ambassadors. Honduras has also recalled its Ambassador. South Africa has recalled its ambassador, accusing Israel of genocide. Chad has recalled its diplomatic staff, too. .
All this to say that LALIT, along with Solidarite Morisyin Ar Lepep Palestinn (SOMALP), and Friends of Al Aqsa Mauritius, call for Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to announce an end to all diplomatic links with the state of Israel until it implements a ceasefire, ends the occupation and state of siege, withdraws all its illegal colonies, permits the right to return of expelled Palestinians, and heads for a proper post-colonial democracy. If the Prime Minister does this at least we will be spared the criminally abject comments made by Israel’s Eliav Belotserkovsky, “Ambassadeur Plenipotentiaire et Extraordinaire de l’etat de Israel” in Mauritius, who said in Le Defi 2 November “Il n’y a pas de crise humanitaire a Gaza.” He went on blantantly making up things including “Chaque jour, des centaines de camions entrent a Gaza avec des fournitures.” He thinks he can gaslight people like us in former colonies. No he can’t.
It is very important that SOMALP exists.
SOMALP, as you may know, includes trade union federations, Confederation of General Trade unions, Confederation des Travailleurs des Secteurs Publique et Prive, Mauritius Labour Congress, All Workers Federation, Federation of Parastatal Bodies and Other unions, as well as women’s organizations like the Muvman Liberasyon Fam, social groups like the Dr Idrice Goomany Centre, consumer organizations like the Consumer Advocacy Group, as well as the Chagossians in Chagos Refugees Group. Amongst the 40 individual members, are well-known people like Former President of the Republic of Mauritius, Cassam Uteem, and former Attorney General, Jean-Claude Bibi.
Lindsey Collen
for LALIT
