Hostages, prisoners and videos - Palestine still under fire

Truces, ceasefires and celebrations

Nov 30, 2023

Kissinger is dead, but so are two Palestinian boys. Hostages are being released by both Israel and Hamas, but the West Bank is facing an intensified and brutal repression. Happy Curate’s Egg Day.

As Israel’s ‘operational pause’ sees at lest a break in the relentless bombing of civilians, we can celebrate, but we also know that the reason for the pause is primarily to complete the project of rendering Gaza unliveable and significantly advance its ethnic cleansing by moving Gazans ever closer to Egypt.

We can celebrate the Israeli regime’s release of what it calls ‘prisoners’,

but, in East Jerusalem, Palestinians themselves are forbidden from gathering to celebrate, or even handing out sweets.

And while the return of all hostages is celebrated, Israel is taking more hostages even as the ‘truce’ continues.

Many have noted the fact that so many children were among those released by Israel. Western media even flailed around desperately for ways to obfuscate this horrifying fact by calling them ‘people under 18’. This is not a post-October-7 thing, as you might know. Israel regularly imprisons children for throwing stones or lesser offences. Military courts with conviction rates of about 99% (almost as if they are not impartial) and 'administrative detention’, which is a way in which Israel can hold Palestinians for six-month periods without charge or trial. And they can (and do) extend those periods indefinitely.

Think about that for a second. Children as young as 13 put in prisons with adults. Soldiers acting as police, judge and jury. The threat of being put in jail without there needing to be a charge brought against you or the chance to defend yourself in court.

This is Israel, the West’s great ally in the Middle East — the state many churches point to as God’s instrument on earth. This is what your pro-Israel friends are defending.

They have been keen to say things like: “There was a ceasefire on October 7th” as if to suggest Palestinian liberationists aren’t to be trusted with ceasefires. But Israel, with its long history of breaking official ceasefire agreements (read the link — actually read all the links in this post, you’ll be horrified — you’re welcome) is an occupying force. It is maintaining control through violence and the threat of violence at all times.

If Hamas fires a rocket or takes a hostage, that is a break in the peace. If Israel shoots demonstrators, kills dissidents or assassinates liberation leaders, that is ‘keeping the peace’. Do you see?

Which is how we got to Wednesday, when Israel killed two Palestinian boys. This was as part of a large attack on the the Palestinian town of Jenin, in the West Bank. During, and I don’t want to bore you by labouring the point, during a supposed ‘pause’.

Among the many other Palestinians killed, one boy of 15 and one boy of 8 were shot by Israeli forces. I watched the video. I wish I hadn’t. And I’m glad I did.

It is important, especially now when Israel would like us to succumb to compassion fatigue or lose interest, that we do not look away. Many of our governments, media establishments and churches are providing essential cover for the violent injustice Israel continues to perpetrate. We have a responsibility, at very least, to bear witness and speak the truth.

With that in mind, here are a few more videos from a playlist about Palestine, where I’ve been collecting helpful TikToks about Israel, Palestine, the war on Gaza and the Occupation. Most of these journalists, comedians, creators and people of conscience express the arguments and cover the facts better than I can. And their continued work gives me hope that things might one day change.

Brave soldiers take out terrorists