After the self-defense attack from Hamas in Israel as a response to their 75 years of settler-occupation in Palestine, Israel announced war, stating that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Now, the foremost thing that the world must retain is that everything that has been going on in Palestine is not a WAR or a CONFLICT.
A war is always a two-sided, armed conflict where two parties are equally involved in an act of violence. Since Israel has evacuated all the people in the Gaza Strip from their homes, claiming that the military is planning to entirely wipe them out, while Palestinians have nothing to defend themselves, this is GENOCIDE.
In this situation, Israel is rich with weapons and resources, whereas the Palestinians, more specifically, the people of Gaza, are empty-handed. Not only weapons, but Israel has also put a complete siege on Gaza, which means the people have no electricity, no food, no water, no gas, and no fuel.
While the international media, like BBC and CNN, continues to spread false information, many countries accept that Hamas is a terrorist organization and feed Israel to continue the genocide. On the contrary, Israel has killed more than 10,000 innocent Palestinians, half of whom are children, with their continuous bombings, and still playing the victim card. So, who do you think is a terrorist organization?
Individual’s Role to Stop Israel Genocide
The UN has sidelined this issue even after the voting that was conducted between all the countries of the world on whether this genocide should stop or not. Although most of the countries voted for a ceasefire in Gaza, there is still no action from the UN.
Since the organizations in power have backed off from resolving this issue, the citizens who know the truth of Zionist’s colonialization in Palestine are voicing for Gaza. Regardless of their religion, culture, colour, and ethnicity, many people around the world are doing what they can to stop this genocide. As humans, we are obliged to play our roles to support Palestinians.
Here is the list of things we can do to stop Israel genocide:
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First & Foremost: Israeli Brands Boycott
There are enormous Jewish brands that we frequently use in our daily lives. Purchasing these brands benefits the economy of Israel, making them more resourceful and empowering them to kill more people in Gaza. Not only Jewish brands but American products are also serving as a catalyst for this genocide since US President Joe Biden is also supporting Israel with weapons and other resources.
A Palestinian organization, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), has launched a list of products manufactured in Israel and is investing in this genocide, which includes:
- Protector & Gamble
- Coca Cola
- Pepsico
- Unilever
- Puma
- Siemens
- hp
- Mondelez International
- L’Oréal
- ESTEE LAUDER
- Revlon
- KFC
- McDonald’s
- Pizza Hut
- Burger King
- Starbucks
- Hardee’s
It is important for all of us to memorize this list of companies and boycott all the brands and products they own. Many people worldwide have boycotted these products, and it did impact Israel’s economy, as there has been an instant decline in their sales. Although most of these products are already a significant part of our daily life, there is always an alternative. It’s time that we should focus on our local brands, improving our own country’s economy, which will benefit us like shooting two birds with one stone.
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Social Media Voices
Social Media is a broad platform which has a wide reach of people all around the world. Due to the false coverage from international news channels, many people are unaware of the truth and are manipulated to support Israel. We need to spread awareness to as many people as possible to make the public’s voice stronger, demanding the ceasefire. In this case, Social Media is the most prominent source to raise our voices. All you have to do is to use your Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube platforms and talk about this matter;
- Talk about how innocent children have been brutally killed in Palestine.
- Talk about how families have been evacuated from their homes.
- Talk about how people have been surviving without access to food, clean water, electricity, gas, and fuel.
- Talk about Israeli apartheid, settler-colonialism, occupation, and oppression in Palestine since 1948
- Talk about how the Gaza Strip has been cut off from the world since Israel has shut down its internet and network services by attacking its main telecommunication department.
- Talk about how people have been witnessing their loved ones being killed in front of their very eyes.
- Talk about the trauma, the sleepless nights, and the mental health issues the people have been enduring since day one of this genocide.
- Talk about how the entire families have been wiped out, extinguishing their bloodlines.
- Talk about how inhumanely Israeli soldiers are treating the Palestinian refugees and civilians.
Furthermore, engage other people’s posts who are vocalizing for Gaza by liking, commenting, and sharing them to increase the audience’s reach. Post more and more Palestinian content on your stories and encourage your fellows to do the same.
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Awareness About the History of Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine
Since many people don’t know about the history of Israel and Palestine, awareness is important. You cannot empathise with Palestinians until you know the background. It is mandatory for everyone to educate themselves and others about the history of Israel and Palestine.
So, research the facts, read articles and books, follow authentic pages on social media that narrate the story of Palestine, and watch documentaries. Learn about how Zionists, regardless of being colonialists, have been bombing and torturing Palestinians since 1948. Educate others on how they destroyed Palestinians’ homes and took control over almost 75% of their land. We must know the history of Palestinians’ ethnic cleansing to support them fully.
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Participation in Protests/Rallies Campaigns
Since the start of the genocide, many people worldwide have been raising their voices in protests and rallies. Let’s take a deeper look at why these protests are necessary. Since the surprise attack by Hamas in Israel, killing over 1400 people, Israel warned over one million civilians in Gaza to evacuate their homes and move towards the South. Apparently, they were warning them to move south so that they could attack North Gaza, but they started bombarding the South, where civilians went to take refuge.
That’s how Israel killed more than 10,000 people and bombed many buildings, including three major hospitals, schools, and a church. In this case, protests are important to wake our leaders and institutions with power by going out on the roads and chanting slogans for a ceasefire in Gaza. We must stand united and raise our voices to make people with power aware of the injustice and massacres in Palestine.
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Donations
One of the most fundamental actions the individuals must take to help Gaza is to donate as much as they can. The people in Gaza are not only being killed by the air strikes in Gaza, but multiple other factors have also been contributing to their deaths and illnesses. Due to the excessive dead bodies and no place to bury them, they are decaying, which is why the life-threatening diseases have been increasing there.
Apart from that, there is no access to food or clean water in Gaza, which is why the people have been suffering starvation. There is also no electricity, which makes it difficult for doctors to treat the injured who rely on the electric equipment. The ventilators turn off and stop pushing oxygen. There are not enough aids in Gaza, due to which people are dying in a larger number. Therefore, it is obligatory to play our part in helping them and donate as much as we can.
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Hashtags
We all know that hashtags increase the reach of social media posts. To show your support for Palestine and raise your voice for its people, use relevant hashtags. Some of the common hashtags that we must use while vocalizing about Palestine are:
- #palestine
- #gaza
- #freepalestine
- #gazagenocide
- #istandwithpalestine
- #ceasefirenow
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Filing and Signing Online Petition
Another effective step that the masses can take to stop this genocide is to file online petitions. The petition has a significant impact, as many people sign it to support a specific matter. Mostly, one or two voices go unheard, but when numerous people sign a petition showing their support for the cause, it has a high chance of getting noticed.
Similarly, if we file or sign a petition requesting our authorities to take action to help Gaza, they will notice it. However, we also know that taking the action is still in their hands. But we shouldn’t resist signing the petition to stop the genocide in Gaza.
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Article/Blog Writing
Google and social media platforms are mostly under Zionists’ control, which is why we mostly see a biased article or blog that shows Israel as a victim via its false allegations against Palestine. We must stop people from falling into their propaganda by posting our content, covering the truth about Palestine through facts and figures. So, research more and more about the topic, analyze the situation, think about your views, and turn them into words in your article.
You can post your articles on the following websites for free:
- WordPress
- Weebly
- Medium
- Blogger
- Tumblr
- HubSpot
- Ghost
- Yola
- Joomla
- Wix
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Learning About West’s Input in this and Other War in the Past
Talking about the Israeli genocide in Gaza, we should always remember that it does not come without West’s input in it. Since the start of colonization, there have been a lot of countries in Middle East that have been targeted by the West. We must educate ourselves first about what actions West has taken to destabilize the Middle East countries and break down the larger part of subcontinent. Individuals should learn about the West’s contribution in these kinds of genocides that have happened in the past and that are still happening in Palestine.
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Educating Friends and Families About the War Crimes
This ongoing genocide is not a negligible issue. Instead, we all should take it seriously and openly talk about it with people around us. It’s important for us to know the difference between the colonizer and the colonized war and genocide, and self-defence and terrorist attacks, and educate our friends and family about it. We must learn that Israel is not a “country”; it’s a “settler colony” in Palestine that has occupied almost the entire Palestinian land. The more we educate people about this genocide, the more voices will play their part for a ceasefire.
Conclusion
Since October 7, the ethnic cleansing in Gaza has shaken the world. The way innocent children have been orphaned and killed, and people have been losing their families in front of their very eyes, is something that we cannot even imagine. It seems like human life has no meaning in Gaza anymore since Israel has already entitled them as “human animals”. The irony is that they ask Palestinian supporters if they condemn Hamas, but they themselves never condemn their 75 years of occupation and ethnic cleansing.
In this critical state, not standing up for the truth is a crime in itself. While the Muslim world and Arab leaders are blindfolded by the luxuries of life and assisting Israel in many ways, we must take the least possible action to end this genocide in Gaza. By boycotting Israeli products, social media voicing, participating in rallies, spreading awareness, donating, and signing petitions, we can somehow contribute to ending the genocide.