Genocide Blog 49 – Living in times when the USA-Israel intentionally persist in killing civilians
04.07.2024
When there is a genocide going on in front of you, it is hard to live as if nothing is happening.
When the metre-reader comes up Ragoo Lane leaving his paper on how much you owe for electricity for the month, when the postman rings his bicycle bell bringing a letter to say your bank wants a new proof of address at some headquarters in some godforsaken Mall, when the neighbour pops in with a beautiful bunch of ripe Zinzli bananas for you, when a huge furry fruit bat falls dead, its wings trapped into a creeper, into your front yard and you have to bury it where your dogs won’t dig it up, when you go to work every day, and spend time afterwards with friends, you nevertheless know, the whole time, that the USA and Israel continue with their genocide, day-in day-out. It will go on and on until we build up that gradually-constructed challenge against the USA and Israel – in the streets, on work-sites, on University campuses, in the ICJ and the International Criminal Court, in Parliaments all over the world, in the UN General Assembly, on-line and in the press, amongst artists and writers, even as the four or five different groups of Palestinian resistance fighters simultaneously fight the Israeli army of occupation in Gaza, while Hezbollah challenges Israel’s cruel siege by attacking its military from the Lebanon, and while the Houthis attack shipping that they deem in support of the genocide Israel is perpetrating, and all the while Israel, as a state, becomes more isolated, even the USA isolates itself at the UN Security Council when it bank-rolls, arms and does cover-ups for Israel’s genocide.
And, at the same time, life goes on. And it is hard to keep your feelings in check. You watch the US-Israeli’s forced starvation set in, in Gaza, as the poorer Palestinian children or those with an illness, become emaciated, listless and then die. You watch the cruel corralling of people, forced like animals to flee, being made to flee even from hospital beds, and you listen to the moving testimony of the head of the Al Shifa Hospital after his release from months of Israeli extra-judiciary imprisonment and torture. You watch the amputations of the limbs of little children. You see the terrified, shell-shocked trauma on the faces of their little brothers. You see the mother with an autistic child trying to face up to the constant buzzing of drones, and the sporadic ear-splitting bombardment, and the constant displacement, moving house. You see the woman whose father has Alzheimer’s disease, trying to help him understand what’s going on.
And we ask ourselves, what is going on?
The men in suits, Western suits and in their ties, continue their barbary. As they stroke their ties, they sell their weapons, get their bombs exploded so new orders come in, get their bullets and shells shot so that more new orders come in. They stroke their ties as they sit there on our TV screens alongside tame journalists, cruel and ambitious journalists, from their own social circles, even as they steal the natural gas by the Gaza shore, gas belonging to Palestine, even as they control the supply of oil from the Middle East using Israel as their military base, and even as they police the shipping-routes – all this, at any cost. Even the cost of being seen to be committing genocide, to be seen to be driving literally driving, as if they were “herds” or “flocks”, traumatized families of people out of their houses, then out of their temporary shelters, then out of their tents – not only by the direct violence of bombs and other ordinance, but also by imposed starvation, by creating epidemics, and then by getting their tame journalists to join them in gas-lighting the whole world.
So, what do you do?
So, you club together with a friend and order a copy of the new Ilan Pappé book Lobbying for Zionism on both sides of the Atlantic. So that you will at least be better prepared to understand what’s going on. And what one act you (plural) can perhaps do that might change the course of history.
And you help list of things that you, with friends, comrades, colleagues, have done, small as they may be – not just since the 7 October – but for the record “since the 7 October”, the date when the Palestinian resistance broke out of the prison fences in 60 places last year, knocked out Israeli defenses and killed hundreds of Israeli military, taking dozens captives, the date when, in addition to this military success, war crimes against civilians were committed, including the killing of 700 Israeli civilians, and the capturing of over 200 civilians. The 700 deaths on the Israeli side were avenged within hours. Now another 38,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered, massacred. Not 200 Palestinian civilians taken prisoner like the 200 Israelis, but 8,000 Palestinians.
What have we done from that date till end of June this year? We note down what we have done. It, like all well-thought-out actions, contributes to stopping the genocide. It will contribute to bringing those responsible to account for their actions.
ACTION by SOMALP* & its Member-organizations & Members
Street Actions
Night-time Vigil – Gathering at Grand River North West, Port Louis organized by SOMALP - 14 October 2023, less than one week after the bombing of Gaza began.
Demonstration of 11 people taking turns with pancartes – in front of Rose-Hill Post Office – with alongside distribution of leaflets – 13 January 2024
Women’s March in the capital against Israel’s genocide, march organized by MLF. Representatives of Women’s Wings of almost all opposition political parties (Labour, MMM, PMSD, LALIT), as well as associations and unions present – 10 March 2024.
Placing of “Symbolic Bouquet” and recitation of poem in front of USA Embassy in Port Louis, by member Tania Haberland and friend Karen - 11 May 2024.
Demonstration in the Streets of Rose-Hill – Gathering and march organized by SOMALP, coordinated by member CTSP - 13 April.
Delegation of Muvman Liberasyon Fam members to Prime Minister’s Office to deposit a “Common Statement” by totality of Parliamentary Opposition parties calling on Mauritius to support South Africa’s case for genocide against Israel – action on – 13 June.
Put up banners saying “Boycott Israel” on roads in GRNW and Vacoas as well as other places – May 2024
Legal Action
LALIT members put case before International Criminal Court (ICC) Alain Ah Vee, Lindsey Collen, Ragini Kistnasamy - 22 November.
Common Declarations, Petitions, Appeals
Common Declaration to Cut Diplomatic Ties with Israel signed by 16 big trade unions and other organizations, organized by SOMALP -- 11 November
Appeal to Prime Minister as Leader of the House to introduce a “resolution” in Parliament for a ceasefire to be immediate and permanent, to lift the siege, suspend all diplomatic ties with Israel, appeal organized by the Muvman Liberasyon Fam -- 29 November.
Mauritian Writers sign a Common Declaration against genocide against Palestinians, 31 writers signed up, organized by Ananda Devi, Shenaz Patel and SOMALP member Lindsey Collen - 10 January.
Appeal to Prime Minister to join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel for genocide, signed SOMALP -- 4 January 2024.
Appeal by Muvman Liberasyon Fam for Mauritius to take stand at ICJ against Israel’s genocide for Foreign Minister and Prime Minister to support South Africa’s case against Israel to stop the genocide -- 8 January.
Renewed Appeal for Prime Minister to support ICJ case brought by South Africa against Israel for genocide – sent by LALIT – 21 February
Appeal to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, in text by LALIT - 9 November.
Appeal to Mauritian Press and Media to support journalists in Gaza organized by the World Association of News Publishers, and circulated by LALIT – Le Mauricien editor, Patrick Michel signed up. 3 March 2024
Appeal by LALIT to Mauritian Government to implement Recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese submitted to UN Human Rights Council
LALIT appeals in public to Catholic Church hierarchy to deny platforms to the USA armed forces (atraver USA Navy Band) in their colleges and centres, as long as the USA illegally occupies Chagos, including Diego Garcia, and arms Israel for its genocide in Palestine –14 March
LALIT send protest letter to bosses of Caudan Waterfront because they had offered the Esplanade to the USA Navy Band, part of the USA’s armed forces, at a time when Israel is committing genocide – 15 March
LALIT sends protest letter to Mahatma Gandhi Institute Director because MGI provided a Hall to the USA Navy Band for a concert. This same USA army is complicit in genocide against the Palestinians –17 March
Educational Actions, Forums and Protest Art
Session of “Education on Palestine” at GRNW – on the history of the genocide -- organized by LALIT, with eye-witness accounts by Alain Ah Vee and Ragini Kistnasamy, LALIT members who volunteered in Palestine - 16 March.
Speech by Lindsey Collen in support of Palestinian people in a Forum organized by “Together for Palestine”, Bell Village – 26 November.
LALIT begins series on its site from the Encampment at LSE, London. Four reports were published until the Authorities got a Court Order to evict the students – 10 May.
LALIT produced and circulated a video by Alain Ah Vee on his Freedom March against the Apartheid Wall in Palestine 2004 – 14 April, 2024.
Reading of Gaza Monologues 14th edition – a series of on-line readings by Tania Haberland, SOMALP member – 29 November.
Production and circulation of video (based on LALIT educational event of 16 Mars) – 18 March
Readings in solidarity with the people of Palestine from Gaza Monologues by Tania Haberland, SOMALP member. In different parts of the world, together with two videos – from 23 November
Member Lindsey Collen signs, as writer, protest addressed to organizers of Hay Festival in the UK because of their main sponsor’s investments in Israeli arms – later Hay Festival cancelled this sponsorship – May 2024.
Creation an art video on 15 actions worldwide to blockade Israel and free Palestine: Video called “Global Economy is Implicit in Genocide” by Tania Haberland – 15 April.
LALIT circulates a background paper internationally about Pramila Patten following her UN Report on sexual violence in the Israeli-Palestine conflict – 1 April.
Communiqués and Press Conferences
Immediately after the bombing of Gaza began, LALIT brought out a communiqué calling for urgent action in solidarity with the people of Palestine – 9 October.
SOMALP Press Conference at Mauritius Labour Congress seat, Port Louis announcing demonstration in Rose-Hill, and outlining boycott call for Government and Opposition – 11 April.
LALIT Communiqué on “a pre-announced genocide” -- 1 November
SOMALP Communiqué on World Water Day re Israel’s war over water against Palestine -- 20 March.
SOMALP Communiqué against Nestle for its Israeli investments, when Mauritian Government is giving children Nestle products in school - 14 June
Articles, interviews, radio
LALIT begins to publish its “Genocide Blog” more than once a week, in two languages – English comes out one day, and then a Kreol translation within the next couple of days. BLOG Number 48 is now out. This means 96 articles – from 9 November 2023
Series of articles by SOMALP members, including Jean Mee Desveaux, Aanas Ruhomaully, Mosadeq Sahebdin.
LALIT publishes all the actions by the Mauritian State in favour of Palestine, after the Prime Minister answered a question in Parliament, at a time when the Press was not covering this -- 9 December
LALIT denounces pro-Israel propaganda by L’Express and its journalist Anju Ramgulam - 15 January.
Interview of Alain Ah Vee in Le Defi
Interview of Lindsey Collen in Star.
Radio Program on Radio Plus – “Decryptage du conflit Israelo-Palestinien” with Lindsey Collen, Milan Meetarbhan, Jean Claude de L’Estrac, Bashir Khodabux, Rama Valayden. – 11 October 2023
SOMALP calls on us to add anything we know of that is not included [tel or WhatsApp Alain on 5 932 9002 ]
*Organizations that constitute SOMALP:
Confederation of General Trade unions (Vinod Seegum)
Confederation des Travailleurs des Secteurs Publique et Privé (Reeaz Chuttoo)
Mauritius Labour Congress (Haniff Peerun)
All Workers’ Federation (Haniff Peerun)
Federation of Parastatal Bodies and Other union (Deepak Benydin)
Dr. Idrice Goomany Treatment Centre (Samad Abdus Dulloo)
Chagos Refugees Group (Olivier Bancoult)
Muvman Liberasyon Fam (Ragini Kistnasamy)
LALIT (Alain Ah Vee)
ACIM (Jayen Chellum)
Federation of Civil Service and Other unions (Naraindranath Gopee)
+ and some 50 individual members
When there is a genocide going on in front of you, it is hard to live as if nothing is happening. But when we each do our bit like this, it is easier. It is easier in the knowledge that each drop of water that we are, and that builds up with other water droplets behind a retaining wall, will one day reach a watershed, and overflow and there will be victory. A watershed, or a tipping point. Like yesterday. Yesterday Spain added its weight, as a country, to weight of those supporting the South African case against Israel for genocide at the ICJ. What if we help make Mauritius add its weight next week, say? And we act together in all countries this way? How can we not win, once we have won over the hearts and minds of everyone in the world against the brutal genocide conducted by the state of Israel and the state of the USA. The perpetrators will be isolated. Alone, they cannot continue with the genocide. It is impossible.
Lindsey Collen
For LALIT.
