BRITAIN in its heyday as a colonial power used the policy of divide-and-rule to achieve its goal. Today, it is no different except for the ‘heyday’ part. The recent statement by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron blaming Iran for what is happening in Palestine was an act aimed at getting the Arab countries to join ranks against Iran, for, if that happens, the larger Muslim bloc would stand divided.

The Palestine crisis was created by the British. As such, under the Balfour Declaration, the colonial empire created the Jewish state in Palestine so that its long-term interests were taken care of. This was in utter disregard of the fact that Palestine belonged, and belongs, to the Palestinians alone.

The war against the Palestinians had begun the moment the colonialists had set foot in the Arabian Peninsula. Thus, the war waged for the liberation of Palestine has been going on for a 100 years. The struggle did not start on Oct 7, as the Western world likes everyone to believe, but at the time when the British had entered the region.

The mainstream media is tasked by various governments to show that the West is fighting the ‘terrorists’, and drown out the voices of Palestinian Christians who are being killed by bombs supplied by the West.

The occupiers of Palestine have killed many Christians, and destroyed many a church. That is not all; Jews spit on nuns and attack priests whenever they feel like doing it. For instance, Manuel Musallam, a Catholic priest, has persistently called for the protection of Al Aqsa Mosque, and resistance against the apartheid regime.

With so many Palestinians dead, Father Antonius Hannania vowed that he would deliver the Muslim call for prayer if there is no Palestinian left in the territories under attack. Archbishop Atallah Hanna has repeatedly spoken about the atrocities being committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza, calling it an act of ethnic cleansing. It is difficult to count how many times he has been attacked by Western occupying force.

Christians in Bethlehem cancelled all Christmas festivities in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Even the true Jewish people are against the creation of Zionist Israel. For instance, members of Neturei Karta are vocal against the creation of a Jewish state, which, they say, goes against Jewish teachings and true Judaism.

As observed, these people are beaten up and hushed by the Zionist Jews. Let us not forget that many people around the world and especially in the West, including the United Kingdom, have come out and marched in solidarity with the Palestinians and for the end of the occupation. These brave people are now being targeted.

Academics who support Palestine are being attacked by the Israel lobby in the United States. Even members of the British government who show support for the Palestinians risk attacks. Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party had to face consequences of his strong support for the Palestinians.

Over 21,000 Palestinians have been ruthlessly murdered by Israel in the current phase, and the UK continues to fan the flames of war by sending its forces to protect its creation against the indigenous population.

How long would the UK continue stealing the resources from this region? It is this greed that makes the US and Europe arm the UK’s creation so that the flow of oil must be in the hands of the white race.

In order to act rationally, the UK needs to end its support of Israel’s colonialism. The idea of a two-state solution is only used by the West to buy time to expand protracted colonialism and grab more land.

Angabeen Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2024