Altruism, Creativity and Insight
Shining the Light on the Israel - Gaza Conflict.
Brian Eno, British song writer and visual artist, was recently asked by Greek politician and economist, Yanis Varoufakis, on his podcast 'Eye of the Storm', what distinguishes artists from other professions. ‘Artists Explore Feelings’, Eno replied and then went onto explain how the city of Birmingham, now bankrupt, has had its entire arts budget cut. Where do feelings fit into this outcome?
Dr Gabor Maté, Hungarian-Canadian physician, holocaust survivor and trauma expert might argue that feelings amongst the political elite don't feature at at all. In his bestseller, ‘The Myth of Normal’ which he co-authored with his son, Daniel Maté, a composer and lyricist, powerful politicians are described as having ‘a certain set of dispositions and worldviews – call it the political character, traits most amenable to stewarding a socioeconomic system that traumatizes populations’.
Given this understanding, a politician’s decision to wipe out an entire arts budget for a city of close to 1.15 million might well be at the lesser end of the same continuum that led US politicians to continue to supply military arms to Israel and block food and medical supplies to Gaza in an ongoing conflict that has lasted over 200 days, resulting in the devastating loss of 35,000 lives and counting, 70% of which are babies, children and women, with UNICEF estimating over 17,000 children being orphaned with thousands of others losing one of their parents.
Netanyahu and his cabinet, the Knesset, will argue this is the collateral damage of self defense after The Oct 7th Hamas Attack, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis with over 200 taken as hostages, some of which have returned in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli community desperately awaits news of their families release, growing more and more disheartened with the Israeli government given the extensive bombing, which has undoubtedly killed many hostages with no ceasefire immanent.
As the devastation in Gaza continued, the discrepancy in news reports between those on the ground in Gaza and the Western mainstream press, compelled me to deepen my knowledge of Israel and Palestine. My quest was to seek out the most eminent and respected authors who could throw light on a deeply complex and fraught situation that began long before Oct 7th.
Among the most credible authors are Rashid Khalidi, born in New York City to a Palestinian father and Lebanese mother, currently teaching at Colombia University, the hotbed of political activism in recent months. Also the illuminating and erudite writings of now deceased Palestinian-American philosopher and Colombia University academic, Edward Said, and his close friend, Ilan Pappé, an Israeli historian, now living in London, both of whom highlight the truth of Israel and Palestine relations from direct experience and scholarly research. American Jewish writers, Norman Finkelstein, a political scientist and author along with Noam Chomsky, academic, political activist and social commentator, have also greatly contributed with their tenacious and factually detailed historical accounts of Palestine-Israel relations since the British Balfour Declaration in 1917 that culminated in the Nakba of 1948, and the ongoing massacres and skirmishes right up until the most recent and devastating – the present crisis in Gaza. Within Australia Antony Loewenstein, an investigative journalist of German Jewish descent most compelling recent book 'The Palestine Laboratory' (2023), explores how Israel uses its military industrial complex within Palestine to test its weaponry along with its surveillance technology to then share with both Western and despotic regimes around the world.
Edward Said (left) and Argentinian Israeli classical pianist and conductor, Daniel Barenboim (right), meeting in Seville, 2002, a year before Said’s death of Lymphocytic Leukemia, aged 67 yrs in 2003. Image Source: Wikipedia.org
The above mentioned respected historical and political authors, have spent much, if not most of their life's work analyzing Israel's occupation of Palestine. I would encourage anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the Gaza Israel crisis and the historical basis for the eruption that occurred Oct 7th to delve into these various texts, referenced at the end of this essay. With greater insight of this region, it has been easier to see what lies behind Western powers’ global, political decision making, which is still entrenched in 19th and 20th century Colonialism where the desire to dominate and control disenfranchised Palestinians continues through an apartheid system and ongoing skirmishes that ethnically cleanse them from their already shrunken lands. Having gained some historical overview has helped me to question and challenge mainstream media's representations of the ‘War in Gaza’ – coming to the realization that it is in fact not a war. International Law stipulates that an occupying nation cannot invade the nation it occupies, even in self defense, let alone kill thousands of innocents, unarmed, through weapon assault and now, by withholding food and medical supplies, both genocidal in intent.
To give a brief background, Zionism, the underlying belief system that the State of Israel is founded upon, began as a movement in 1897 by Theodor Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian journalist, whose aim was to create a Jewish State that would protect the Jewish people from the violent pogroms escalating in Europe in the latter part of the 19th Century. It was not until Britain's 'Balfour Declaration' a public pledge made in 1917 that the State of Israel could be realized. However the real impetus for the creation of the State of Israel emerged after the Holocaust of WWII, to secure a place of safety, a homeland for the Holocaust survivors, which the United Nations General Assembly established in 1947 with the partition of Palestine into the Jewish and Arab States. The 'Nakba' of 1948 exploded thereafter with the Jewish State claiming 78% of historic Palestine in violent incursions, where more than 530 villages and cities were destroyed, resulting in 15,000 Palestinian lives lost and the displacement of more than 750,000 Palestinians in a population of 1.9 million.
The next major incursion began with the 1967 Arab -Israeli War, 'The Naksa', where Israel occupied territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip leading to the colonization of 85% of historic Palestine. This resulted in 430,000 Palestinians being displaced forcing them to flee as refugees to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Egypt and Syria.
The tragic outcome of creating the State of Israel in Palestine in 1948, which was no 'terra nullius', was the Jews intention to escape their own persecution, only led to the persecution of another people, the Palestinians, who were not anti-Semites. In fact research (see Recommended Reading List), shows many examples of Jews, Muslims and Christians peacefully cohabiting in Palestine before 1947, before the ethnic cleansing began.
In a bizarre twist, 'the enemy', European Christians, from thousands of years of anti-Semitic behaviour towards the Jews, intensified with the pogroms and the Holocaust, was shifted to the 'fall guys', the Palestinians, whose only 'crime' was to be living on the land that more powerful outsiders wanted. The collective guilt from generations of Christian European anti-Semitism means many European governments, most notably Germany, are now excusing atrocious war crimes committed by the State of Israel and the IDF. What this clearly points to is, firstly, Oct 7th was not the starting point of the so-called 'Israel Hamas War' but the trigger point for another explosive eruption of violence, further escalated by decades of brutal apartheid persecution of the Palestinian people and colonization of their land.
Secondly, many of the younger European descendants and those of the US, Britain and its various colonies including Canada and Australia want a different world to the colonialist/imperialist vision of their ancestors - a world that is based on peace and co-operation. Ironically that was the intended purpose of establishing the United Nations after World WII. However, throughout the Israel Gaza crisis the UN has failed miserably in this role as an active voice for peace.
History is revisioning itself in terms of who will be the instigators of negotiating a peaceful outcome for the Palestinian people. Currently 146 nations worldwide recognize Palestine including Ireland, Norway, Spain and more recently, Slovenia. This formal recognition is the first governmental shift on the international, political stage that clearly acknowledges Palestinians right to statehood, yet this remains largely symbolic as to date they lack any political clout to enforce a two state solution for both Palestine and Israel. This can only come about with a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawl of the IDF and illegal Jewish settlers in occupied Palestine, along with the US and its allies ending all funding and supply of weaponry to Israel.
At the very beginning of the Israel Gaza crisis a Jordanian friend sent newsfeeds from Gazans, mostly journalists, to share with my Instagram contacts. The footage and commentary seemed vastly different to what I was reading in the mainstream press – notably The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Australian, SMH and even The Guardian. The bias of the Western press reportage was also at odds with the authorities' learned accounts and their estimation of the realpolitik of the region.
Press Photographer Hosny Salah Gaza Strip by Hosny Salah from Pixabay
I connected with certain of my Instagram followers who I sensed would be interested in receiving this direct reportage and soon ‘The Gaza Group’ was formed. I spent the first few months of this conflict scouring the feeds sent on, avoiding the disturbing graphic images but selecting those posts that accurately reflected what was happening on the ground, backed by political commentary from credible journalists and social scientists, not only in Gaza but across the globe. My intention was not to shock but to inform, to lead hopefully to creating some form of direct action, albeit drops in an ocean of what was rapidly becoming the international ceasefire movement. This I figured was my only course of action for being silent would make me complicit.
Curiously it was not the first time I had been asked to disseminate information about a political crisis. As it happened, in my 20's, I was teaching in Shanghai, as a last minute, short term replacement for a friend unable to go, when the Tiananmen Uprising broke, forcing me to evacuate to Hong Kong. Just before my departure a leader of the student movement from Tongji University, where I had been working, asked if I would send on Western newspapers available in HK but not on the Chinese mainland, so they could access greater understanding of what was going on in Beijing and other hotspots outside of Shanghai. Of course, there were no smartphones back then, print media being the sole news coverage. Over a series of weeks, I gathered papers which included ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Washington Post’, which ironically, now in this current crisis were those being disputed as being biased in favour of Israel and anti-Palestine.
Having worked with refugees for many years, many of them causalities of war, and having my own direct experience of war, during the Tiananmen uprising in 1989, I had a visceral sense of its horrors. I also felt a gnawing pain about the famine. Epigenetics might explain that response was in my DNA, as a descendant of the Irish diaspora with my ancestors fleeing Ireland to settle in Australia in the mid 1850’s during the ‘Great Famine’ under British control. With this background and living in Australia, I wanted to find what source of information was most reliable coming from the Australian political sphere. This I found in the NSW Greens Federal Senator, David Shoebridge, a former barrister, who has been notable in his commitment to the Palestinian cause with his documenting the Australian Labor Government’s role in the Israeli Gaza conflict. David Shoebridge’s posts I sent back to my Jordanian friend who was now residing in Turkey away from the Gaza border and any information I sensed from the West that she may not be able to access, to pass onto people on the ground in Gaza to show that many here in Australia were behind them wanting a ceasefire and their freedom from apartheid. Instagram David Shoebridge – @davidshoebridge
Protest Rally, Sydney, Australia. Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash
Within a couple of months many of the ‘Gaza Group’ started to independently follow the sites I had initially sent on and of course found their own legitimate newsfeeds, so my role disseminating information became largely redundant. However, during the time of posting, I faced a dynamic, amongst even so called ‘politicized’ people - many had reached their limit and no longer wanted to receive posts about Gaza. The reason given - they were burnt out. I had purposefully not included any graphic information, bare one that I had sent from an Annie Lennox post, having forgotten to fully screen it before hitting send. My notifications aimed just to provide facts from reliable sources to save people scouring hours through spurious material to locate the nuggets. Those people who appeared to have shut down and tuned out were from the over 55 yr. age group, with the younger adults especially Gen Z's, remaining fully engaged.
I was concerned by this shutdown, hoping it wasn’t representative of something more widespread but soon those fears lifted as I observed not only the continuation but the expansion of numbers at rallies here in Australia and worldwide. One week a series of uplifting posts appeared in my feed - Gazan children creating makeshift kites from scraps of paper and flying them in a sea of rubble along with adults creating theatre to entertain the children. Also footage of teenagers saving water from their own heavily rationed supply to feed their animals, all with smiles on their faces. A sense of upliftment in this dystopian nightmare. I began forwarding on these posts and lo and behold comments of appreciation appeared. I realised the light within this Gaza horror situation was the very best expression of what it means to be human – the ability to care, create and have hope, despite dire circumstances.
Image - Kites Soaring High in Gaza by StockCake
History is full of magnificent tales of courage and devotion of people during war times. I felt a compulsion then to research where the light shone in this very dark landscape so I could hopefully share this and motivate others who had reached burnout from the endless traumatizing imagery, to engage again. In my search my burning questions were ‘How can we keep our spirits high to carry on when all seems lost, when a ceasefire seems nowhere in sight?’ ‘What are the coping mechanisms of those who remain steadfast at the forefront, aiming to free Palestine?’ ‘How does the creative path sustain when the horrors of genocide felt within and without Gaza continue?’ This is what I discovered.
The late Professor Edwards Said’s daughter, Najla Said, Palestinian-American author, actress, playwright and activist days ago returned to her father’s halls of academia, Columbia University and joined fellow Palestinian, Photojournalist, Motaz Azaiza, who recently fled Gaza with a heavy heart but a conviction to share the on the ground story of Gaza through his extraordinary photographs and stories with the Western world. Together they stood in solidarity with the student protesters of Colombia University, camped out on the campus lawns. Najla pointed to a window in eye view, her father’s previous office and acknowledged how moved she was to see a student with a Palestinian flag below it. United in friendship Najla and Motaz were finding their way through the pain in solidarity with the committed student protesters, using their voices and artforms – writing and photography to reach out and connect. Najila Said and Motaz Azaiza’s IG accounts – @kittybubble @motaz-azaiza
Ahmed Eldin, an American-Kuwaiti of Palestinian descent, is an Emmy nominated journalist and columnist, supporting the freedom of Palestine and LGBT rights. He completed his Journalism degree at Columbia University and has been widely represented by such news outlets as Huffington Post and Al Jazeera English as well as producer for The New York Times and videographer for PBS’s ‘Frontline’. His daily Instagram posts and live stories dissect mainstream media reportage for their inaccuracies whilst also comment on newsfeed coverage from Gaza. He’s been a significant figure at protest rallies giving inspirational talks within the US as well as in London. When asked what kept him going when so many of his people have been slaughtered Eldin replied ‘It can seem as if all the work you are doing is not enough but trust me when I say that there’s a lot more work to be done but the experience that we are all going through witnessing this genocide and doing everything that we can to alleviate the suffering is not lost and even if it’s not very easy to measure the impact, beyond the actual, especially for healthcare, which of course we all know is a universal human right. I just want to say sometimes when I am down I look to people like you [in healthcare], believe it or not, who are actually [working] tirelessly, and I’ve been privileged enough to see the work you guys put in and that’s how when we’re all in our down moments we are able to keep the momentum because we need patience and we need persistence, and it’s going to be not a month, not a year but a long marathon and I think if we can keep going Palestine will in fact be free! – This quote can be found at @healthworkers4palestine 29th February, 2024. Instagram of Ahmed Eldin - @ahmedeldin
Protest in NYC Image by Hugo Breyner on Unsplash
We live in a dystopian world where 1.5 million displaced Gazans wait anxiously in disease infected refugee camps, fearing Israeli airstrikes overhead, desperate for food when less than an hour away abundant food and medical supplies exist. As of May 1st, 2024, 97 journalists have been killed. May 3, was World Press Freedom Day and only days ago Palestinian journalists were awarded UNESCO’s most esteemed award the ‘World Press Freedom Prize’. Given the United Nation’s inability to create any significant change in ending the war, despite certain agencies such as UNICEF, with Australia’s, James Elder, UNICEF’s Global Spokesperson bringing exemplary up to date coverage almost daily of the remarkable support UNICEF offers, this accolade may not carry much weight other than paying lip service to these great unsung heroes. Instagram of James Elder @james_unicef
Refugee camp in Gaza by Hosny Salah from Pixabay
The tragic realisation, as the world focuses on journalists today, is that Gaza remains the deadliest place on the planet to be a news reporter. One of the most outstanding journalists is the young 25-year-old reporter, Bisan Owda, who was forced to evacuate to Rafah at the Egyptian border, from her home in Northern Gaza. Daily she delivers feeds on her Instagram account despite the appallingly dangerous conditions that surround her. It is a rare video when the sounds of overhead bombing are not heard. Yet despite this she chooses to remain, grounded and positive, fulfilling her duty to report in English, a language she has mastered. Very recently she was showing strong signs of extreme desolation, feeling the world had forgotten Gaza. It was only the strength of the student movement in the US and worldwide, that meant Bisan’s confidence was not eroded completely. However with Israel's leafleting yesterday, asking 1.5 million people from Rafah to relocate to Khan Yunis, which is now an obliterated shell since the IDF bombings last January, the urgency that students demand of University Executives to divest from Israel is more pressing than ever. For in reality 1.5 million Gazans have literally no where to go with Israel occupying the Rafah Crossing into Egypt. (@wizard_bisan1 7, May, 2024)
Al Jazeera reported that Hamas's aim in accepting the 'Gaza Ceasefire' proposal put forth by the mediators, Egypt and and Qatari, these past couple of days, despite it not meeting their terms, was their desperate attempt to stop Israel's invasion of Rafah. Israel has refused this Ceasefire offer and forged ahead regardless of Western nations' opposition, notably the US. (aljazeera.com 7 May, 2024) The timing of Israel only days ago, banning Al Jazeera's coverage in Israel, which was quickly followed by an attack on Rafah whilst Eurovision and the Met Gala took place, aimed to distract Israelis and those in the US and the Western world from what was taking place on the ground in Rafah, to minimize protests . Let's not forget this distraction strategy was utilized with the 4 day Ceasefire last November over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, to encourage global shopping. People's attention, removed from the Israel Gaza conflict, now focused on online shopping, enabled billions of dollars in sales to go towards the war machine.
The stakes are now at their highest point as the safety of people in Rafah is seriously threatened by another mass migration to an area international aid agencies say is vastly under supplied to meet their needs. Even 'Sky News', largely pro-Isreal in their reporting has grave fears for the Gazan people if Israel carries out their plan of attack. (John Sparks, International Correspondent, Sky News, May 7, 2024). James Elder of UNICEF explains to Palais de Nations, Switzerland, 'Our worst fears, Gazan's nightmare - appears to be a reality, it's a reality that those holding power can prevent ... we've pleaded, we've implored countless times and we do so once more, for the children of Gaza. We need a ceasefire now.' (James Elder @james_unicef May 8, 2024)
We are witnessing the most extraordinary acts of altruism by the medical and health worker aid teams in Gaza who are literally risking life and limb with their on-going care of patients in hospitals, whilst being shelled by IDF military forces. A remarkable firsthand account of this astonishing bravery and dedication can be heard on the podcast ‘Talk Easy’ when Sam Fragoso, interviews Dr Seema Jilani, an American paediatrician, who worked with the IRC (International Rescue Committee) under appalling conditions in Al-Aqsa Hospital. Talk Easy Podcast, March 3, 2024 ‘Dispatches from a Gaza Hospital (with Dr. Seema Jilani).
Injured Man in Gaza by Hosny Salah from Pixabay
Communities of like-minded souls wanting for the betterment of others, like the medical staff of the Al Aqsa Hospital and other hospitals, many of them now destroyed by Israeli air-raids are the living embodiment of altruism. French, Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard, who has lived the larger part of his life in Bhutan and Nepal explored the role of altruism in his book Altruism – The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World. Although written just over a decade ago it speaks like a clarion call in these precarious times. He argued in an interview ironically just 19 days before the Hamas attack, that the answer to anxiety experienced by the younger generation towards climate change could be overcome if they ‘Act with compassion then you won’t feel so anxious. Do something, generate an attitude and get together.’
Banksy’s ‘Einstein Love is the Answer’ – Street Art - Photo Image by Hans Richter on Unsplash
It’s an interesting place to ponder the long-term effects of rallies and student resistance in their hope to bring about justice, holding governments accountable for atrocities using the electorate’s tax dollars. Right now the US Student movement poses the greatest threat to the Colonialist Powers - Israel, The US, Britain and Germany, the main players, amongst other Western nations, including Australia, by demanding divestment of funds. Without money the military powers of both Israel and the US cannot continue this genocide. Will this revolutionary response by student protests and global mass rallies be the new normal for confronting governments and their wilful decision making that counters the desires of the people they supposedly represent? The student protesters are exhibiting pure altruism, for their is nothing personally for them to gain other than maintaining their honour and dignity in their humanitarian alignment with their Palestinian bothers and sisters, who are the tragic pawns in this Colonial war. Today Ahmed Eldin reports that students at Harvard University risk 'deportation, eviction, and having their degrees withheld' if they continue their encampments. (@ahmedeldin, May, 6, 2024) Though across the US continent, Middle East Eye reports that the University of California has divested from Israel. (MEE, 5, May, 2024). Here they signal ‘Times are a Changin’ but there is urgency for this divestment to happen now
Could we be witnessing a turning point in human history where the united global support for Gaza, an expression of altruistic action that unites people in solidarity, be putting an end to the isolationist behaviour that video screens and phones have generated? Could the carry on effect be to significantly reduce the number of Gen Z students, suffering anxiety and depression, from having found a renewed sense of purpose and community through the peace activist movement?
Student Protest, Washington DC by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash
The smartphone now rather than being the instrument for isolating and creating dopamine dependency could be emerging into its greater function - to declare truths en masse, without a propagandist interlocuter that has been often evident in mainstream TV and press reportage. In this role our need to feel connected is reignited as we have a common cause and a place to meet, that’s outdoors and free, to demonstrate shared values. And with this renewed sense of community the best of our humanity is being sparked – our compassion for one another, not only for those we know, but for all members of our human family, so as to honour freedom and justice. The Gazans in this context are our sacrificial lamb – for by putting into relief the distorted values that the current Western political leadership runs on – greed, power and privilege, we are seeing what needs to be transformed to overcome this, and for that alone we will be forever in their debt.
Old Couple in Gaza Image by Save Palestine, Pixabay
One of the most outstanding protesters is the renowned American Jewish protester and author and the recipient of many peace awards, Medea Benjamin, a pocket-sized dynamo who wears her signature pink attire, being the co-founder and promoter of code-pink, with its mission to mobilize women against war. Medea, 71, whose youthful exuberance has her appear decades younger, has been a long-term protester and author, and in this current crisis has consistently challenged the US political and judicial system for inciting genocide. She was part of the recent Freedom Flotilla to Gaza aiming to send 5,500 tonnes of food and medical supplies from Turkey to Gaza that was blocked by the US Government at the final moment. Forced back to the States she took up her campaign immediately to stop the genocide and was arrested. In a disturbing but moving scene we witness her being frisked by a policewoman in a hallway in Congress as many people pass by. Less resilient people might well be shattered by such a dehumanizing experience but moments after she is calling to Congressman Adler, a ranking member of the judiciary committee, whilst handcuffed, to stop sending weapons to Israel because the US is violating its own laws.
Medea Benjamin's indefatigable altruism has her in full alignment with her role as peace activist and it appears no external negative circumstance, whether it be the great disappointment from months of preparing the Freedom Flotilla being quelched last minute, or the publicly humiliating arrest, her 'crime' being a peace activist, can deter her from that commitment to the betterment of others' lives. (Medea Benjamin @medea.benjamin May 1, 2024). Medea along with several anti-Zionist Jewish supporters have gathered again at Congress to prevent a Congressional Bill which tries to conflate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. The added horror is that this occured on 'Yom HaShoah', the Day of Remembrance of the Jewish Holocaust, the day of 'Never Again'. Indeed a very sombre day, made more so by the Zionist State of Israel's genocidal attack on Rafah. Instagram account of Medea Benjamin @medea.benjamin May 6, 2024
Medea Benjamin Source: © Wikimedia Commons
In the past few days, Dr Norman Finkelstein, who has dedicated his life to shining a clear light on the plight of Palestinians, has publicly backed Independent Candidate, Dr Cornel West of the 'Truth, Justice, Love' Party, for a Presidential win in the US Elections later this year saying that 'The Biden Administration has been egregiously complicit in Israel's genocidal war against the people of Gaza.' @normanfinkelsteinofficial, 4 May, 2024, @brothercornelwest
Before the Oct 7th uprising, Dr Norman Finkelstein, had resigned himself to the sheer hopelessness of Gaza, feeling the ‘the cause was lost’. Though the magnitude of protest marchers and student activists have renewed his hope. He recounts a recent demonstration in Washington Square on a very wet Saturday, where about 50,000 gathered. ‘They were all around 25 and I was an aged cohort of one, there was a gap of literally 45 years and then after it was over, a lot of the people went down to the subway to go home, and so in the subway platform, on this side of the train tracks, and the other side of the train tracks, everyone is still chanting, everyone is still chanting. If you know the scenes of the Civil Rights movement and the United States, when they were in jail, they kept singing and they kept chanting, they kept singing and they kept chanting. And it was like with these young people but there is one difference, the people in the Civil Rights movement were fighting for their own rights. These were young people fighting for Gaza!’ Interestingly Aljezeera’s shared this experience of Dr Finkelstein's on its Instagram feed April 9, 2024 @ajeupfront which has received over one million likes so far, being one of its most popular posts, pointing to the hope students in the US are bringing to Gaza and supporters worldwide. The singing and chanting Finkelstein refers to is a reminder of the joy that can erupt when people unite for a common virtuous pursuit. @normanfinkelsteinofficial
Dr Norman Finkelstein Photo Image: Miguel de Icaza, CC BY-SA3.0, Via Wikimedia Commons
Protest songs play a crucial role in the popular cultural landscape of political protest movements, uniting and elevating the spirits of the oppressed and those that support them. Dylan the 'enfant terrible' of the New York City folk scene was the protest voice of the 1960's with his legendary songs, 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'Times they are a Changin', which became the sound of the Civil Rights movement and later, anti- Vietnam protests. Dylan now, is conspicuously non-vocal, like many other celebrities, though the American Grammy award winning rapper, Macklemore, has usurped this role with the release, only days ago of his rap song, 'Hind's Hall' paying tribute to both Hind Rajab, the 6 yr old Palestinian girl tragically killed by the IDF, and the Columbian University student protesters pushing for divestment from Israel, who renamed 'Hamilton Hall' as 'Hind Hall' by hanging a large banner emblazoning its new name. The song calls out President Joe Biden for being complicit, 'the blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all,' as well as celebrities and artists who have failed to speak out against US involvement in Israel's occupation and genocide of the Palestinians. It has already received over 100 million views on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Macklemore is donating all sale proceeds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), a significant political move, given that Unnrwa, Gaza's main relief fund, was banned from entering Gaza by Israel, as Israel accused it of being a cover up agency for Hamas members, though no evidence so far can support this. Instagram @middleeasteye, 8, May 2024.
Daniel Maté, his father Dr Gabor Maté and brother Aaron Maté, an independent journalist, have been united in their efforts over these past 200 plus days to delve into the psychological and sociological reasons behind Zionists’ dehumanizing treatment of the Palestinians. They believe Israel is a traumatized nation having not dealt with the psychopathy that resulted from the Holocaust. Over these past seven months Daniel has tried to address the trauma Zionism has caused Gazans , prior to Oct 7, through settler colonialism, apartheid and deaths of innocent civilians, sometimes referred to as 'mowing the lawn', by Israelis, when describing mass killings of Palestinians during the Nakbah of 1948 and consequent attacks. As a non-Zionist Jew, Daniel strongly resists any conflation between being Jewish with being a Zionist and the notion that those who speak out against the Israeli Government and the IDF are anti- Semitic. He more recently set up a Jewish Healing Circle with Hadar Cohen, to try and heal the anguish many non-Zionist, Jewish people are suffering as they shout out ‘Not in Our Name’, a cry heard on campus by Jewish students who sit in solidarity with their Muslim, brothers and sisters supporting Gaza.
‘Jews for Palestine’ by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash
A critical part of Daniel’s embrace of the Gazan people, as a composer and lyricist of musicals, is to find connection through music and song. He recorded evenings he had with Palestinians living in New York City where they shared Palestinian food and culture, dancing ‘the dabka’ to Palestinian songs and traditional instruments, which he then uploaded online. Both he and the Palestinians involved were deeply moved by the connections being forged, as they found common ground in their shared rejection of apartheid and occupation in Gaza.
This connection was also established when he visited Ireland, one of the few countries in Europe that rejects Israel’s on-going genocide in Gaza. The Irish share a similar history with Gaza, given Britain occupied and stole their land and used starvation as a weapon of genocide during British Colonialism. Daniel joined Irish comedian and political satirist, Tadhg Hickey in Cork, where their humour and discussions challenged the establishment. Tadhg Hickey has been very vocal in encouraging people to feel empowered to take action. The malaise caused by the average person feeling impotent to make any difference regarding Gaza, could easily shift, he believes, through BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) actions. He promotes the app 'No Thanks', where you are able to identify and then boycott Israeli owned businesses when shopping using a QR code. He calls out the double standards of 'Eurovision' where they include Israel who are on trial for war crimes by the ICJ (international Court of Justice) whilst banning Russia for its invasion of the Ukraine. He sees this evident too when Israel claims to be indigenous to the Holy Land. 'What would they be doing in a European singing competition?' He asks people to boycott EuroVision and instead join 'Shine on Palestine' concert this weekend both in Galway and Dublin. (@tadghhickey 6 May, 2022)
Daniel Maté has also joined other comedians - Jewish American comedian Matt Lieb and Bassem Youssef, a former Egyptian surgeon married to a Palestinian, who has lost several family members in the onslaught. Youssef, now living in the US, working internationally as a comedian, appears like the court jester in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night generating thigh slapping humour whilst sending out political barbs to highlight the follies of leadership both in Israel and the United States. IG Accounts Daniel Maté @danielbmate Tadhg Hickey @tadhghickey Bassem Youseff @bassem
‘Irish and Palestinian Flags’ by Ibrahim Guetar on Unsplash
Hanna Tams, a Palestinian living in Jerusalem and a professional dancer has found dance a means to process his ongoing struggles living under an apartheid regime. However, after Oct 7th, he shut down and retreated, unable to dance. His own community begged him to return in his role as a dance teacher when desperate to find ways to reduce the suffering of their children, who were very fearful, isolated at home with the closure of their schools. In this mentor role his passion for dance was reignited with a willingness to serve his people who were traumatized by the events playing out in Gaza. He was even able to choreograph a dance ‘Last Things Remaining’ which he performed along with four others in Switzerland last November, expressing the resilience of his people in Jerusalem who keep on going despite the daily hardship of living under Israeli military control.
I ponder what role art plays in social activism today. Certainly, Picasso’s painting ‘Guernica’ was motivated to resist fascism during the Spanish Civil War and today speaks directly to the plight of Palestinians, with its depiction of the horrors impacting innocent casualties. Jasper John’s ‘Flag’ 1954 – 55 appears as meaningful today as it did 70 years ago, being a critique of American Nationalism and Imperialism, post WWII, whilst Banksy’s paradoxical ‘Bomb Love’ 2003, juxtaposes governments and large corporations’ fixation on warfare and the manufacturing of arms with the innocence of a child, who hugs their bombs, as if a favourite toy, signalling love must be the antidote to violence. Print newspapers’ power to enrage or shock people into action came with photojournalists’ images during the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa, both powerful precipitators of social change. Yet this conflict in Gaza, which has galvanized the greatest recorded numbers ever to protest worldwide has come through individuals’ access to real-time images and videos on their smartphones via Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and X, despite Meta’s shadow banning of certain pro-Palestinian reportage.
If people’s small screens are the visual means for inducing social activism what role does art play? The further I explored the more I was convinced that art, particularly painting, has taken on a more therapeutic role rather than being a catalyst for political activism, especially when compared to Picasso’s era, long before smart phones were ever imagined.
An Israeli artist, Oren Fischer who uses video, illustration and textiles as artforms, explained that the impact of the Israel Gaza crisis left him empty of words. He is sorely critical of Netanyahu and the Knesset, believing their political actions led to the explosive Hamas outbreak of Oct 7. Horrified by what he was witnessing on TV and social media his sleep became disturbed by nightmares. One morning he woke with the decision to no longer scroll his phone but instead to meditate and regurgitate whatever surfaced using pastels and paint in his sketchbook. He realised that his own disturbances about the Israeli Government’s actions would be deeply unsettling to others as well, so after his meditation and drawing, he uploaded his finished artworks, bright coloured satirical illustrations to his Instagram site. The rhythm of this practice and the sharing became a healing as he realised that he had ‘created my own world within the catastrophe’. Instagram of Oren Fischer - @orenfischer
Image by Vallerie Titova from Unsplash
Saba Taj a Palestinian artist now living in the United States recently had her exhibition ‘Grief Magic’ at the Anchorlight Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina. Normally a portrait artist after the outbreak in Gaza and the escalated violence she felt compelled to paint birds. Beautiful birds! Her inspiration came from verses in the Quran called the Surah Al-Fil which depicts the story of a Yemeni King who with his elephant soldiers marched to Mecca to destroy it. To defend Mecca these glorious birds appeared who threw stones and defeated the oppressors. This she believes is allegorical for what is happening to the Palestinians in Gaza now. The birds she painted are indigenous to Palestine, some being threatened with extinction, another connection she sees with the people of Gaza. These paintings also include plant life signifying the beauty and sacredness of the land to Palestinians.
Through this essay I have tried to illuminate the situation in Gaza and acknowledge that right now it is at its most critically dire point with the Israeli attack on Rafah. My hope is that the voices be heard of those directly involved, like the young 25 year old news reporter, Bisan Owda, whose Instagram message today pleads for all international humanitarian aid workers not to leave, as without their presence Rafah will be annihilated, putting at risk the lives of 1.5 million, 600,000 of them children, many newborns with their vulnerable young mothers. It behooves all of us in the West to no longer tune out because of our own sensitivities to these traumatic events. We must know with these high stakes of immanent mass deaths facing those in a grid lock in Rafah, with nowhere to go, that silence is complicit.
Overwhelm is a daily reality for many of us here in the West, whether it be through work and family responsibilities, information overload, financial stress and the anxiety and depression all this strain can induce. Yet with the guidance of Buddhist monk, Matthieu Ricard, who recognizes that when giving to others we lessen the grip on our own troubles, we might begin to drop our own fears and concerns, by taking a deep breath, rest in the stillness of our better nature and commit to being part of the solution, if only for moments, by taking some direct action in any given day.
For some this could be a dynamic involvement with the student movement or protest marches. For others, writing to your Member of Parliament, asking them to stop their government funding and sending ammunitions to Israel and to enforce BDS (Boycott, Divest Sanctions), so their constituents who oppose the genocide are not funding it.
As individuals we too can be part of the BDS movement by downloading the 'No Thanks App' to become better informed about what not to buy so our purchases are not directly funding the manufacturing and use of weaponry against civilians in Gaza and now Lebanon. Those who can donate to charities, contributing to Unrwa, who are actively involved in offering medical and psychological support to traumatized victims, along with temporary shelter and food to the people of Palestine, is a most direct way of assisting. It could be as simple as downloading Macklemore's 'Hind's Hall' with all proceeds going to Unrwa.
For others it might mean processing the trauma or helping others to process this trauma, caused by the anguish of this war, through the creative process. Like Daniel Maté, a Canadian Jewish man now living in New York and Tadhg Hickey, an Irishman, we can reach out to meet with Palestinians and the Lebanese and experience cultural exchange by frequenting their retail outlets, especially restaurants, as an expression of our universal comradeship, standing by them as they endure this extreme suffering with knowledge of family and friends caught in war zones.
Getting better informed by reading scholarly experts in the field of Israel Palestinian and Lebanese Israeli history and relations (see 'Recommended Readings' in the reference section), may provide a sound grounding when talking with others about the Gaza and Lebanon crisis. Playing it safe by not wanting to hurt others' sensitivities and remaining silent about what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon must end. We are facing the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our times and we can no longer ignore this. Shattered by the Holocaust, I spent most of my life wondering how it ever happened. Now I know. This is why we cannot let it happen again. Let's join with all the holocaust survivors, such as Dr Gabor Maté and the children of survivors, including his family, Dr Norman Finkelstein, Medea Benjamin and shout out 'Never Again'. Let's standby all those innocent Palestinians and Lebanese, who daily face annihilation and align with the decisions of the most respected international bodies demanding justice, the ICC (International Criminal Court) and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) who condemn this war and those who endorse it and demand for an immediate ceasefire.
References
Al Jazeera and News Agencies, 2024. ‘Palestinian Journalists Covering Gaza War Win UNESCO Freedom Prize, 3 May. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/palestinian-journalists-covering-gaza-war-win-unesco-press-freedom-prize
Al Jazeera, 2024. 'Israel's War on Gaza Live: Israel Blasts Rafah, Fate of Ceasefire Uncertain' May 7. Available at : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/7/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-blasts-rafah-fate-of-ceasefire-uncertain
Argun, E. 'Art as Activism: 'How Protest Art Challenges the Status Quo', sited April 28, 2024. Available at: https://myartbroker.com
Beddington, E. 2023. ‘The World’s Happiest Man? Matthieu Ricard On the Secrets of a Serene, Successful and Satisfying Life’ 18 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/18/the-worlds-happiest-man-matthieu-ricard-on-the-secrets-of-a-serene-successful-satisfying-life
Chen, E. 2024, In Their Grief Over Gaza an Artist Found Inspiration in Her Painting of Palestinian Birds’ April 9 Available at: https://www.wunc.org/arts-culture/2024-04-09/saba-taj-muslim-artist-palestinian-birds-painting-grief-magic
Chomsky, N. and Pappé. I. 2015, On Palestine, London: Penguin Books
Diaz, J. 2024, 'Art and War: Israeli and Palestinian Artists Reflect on Oct. 7 and the Crisis in Gaza', January 7. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/07/1222578695/gaza-october-7-art-art-palestinians
Double Down News, 2024. 'Holocaust's Survivor's Message to Gaza Protesters - History is On Your Side,' 8 May. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxLtxX7kPcU
Duggal, H. and Ali, M. Al Jazeera and News Agencies, 2024, ‘What is the State of Press Freedom in the World Today', 3 May. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/what-is-the-state-of-press-freedom-in-the-world-today
Finkelstein,N. 2018. 'Gaza: an Inquest into Its Martyrdom', Berkeley: University of California Press
Fragoso, S. 'Dr Seema Jilani' [audio podcast] Talk Easy, 3 Mar 2024, Available at: https://talkeasypod.com/dr-seema-jilani/
Khalidi, R. 2021. The Hundred's Year War on Palestine - a history of settler colonialism and resistance, 1917 - 2017, NYC:Picador
Loewenstein, A. 2023. The Palestine Laboratory, NYC: Verso
Maté, G. and Maté, D. 2022, The Myth of Normal, London: Vermillion
MME (Middle East Eye), 2024. 'University of California Divests from Israel and Ends Study Abroad Programs', May 5. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijEYk5or9lc
Pappé, I. 2010. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Oxford: One World Publications
Said, E. 1992. The Question of Palestine, London: Vintage
Said, N. 2014. Looking for Palestine : Growing Up Confused in an Arab American Family. London: Vintage
Shoebridge, D. Greens NSW Senator, sited 7 May, 2024. Available at: https://greens.org.au/nsw/person/david-shoebridge
Sparks, J. Sky News, 'Israel-Hamas War: Israel Telling Civilians in Rafah to Evacuate is 'Likely to Create a Storm of Protest Internationally', May 6, Available at: https://news.sky.com/video/israel-hamas-war-israel-telling-civilians-in-rafah-to-evacuate-is-likely-to-create-a-storm-of-protest-internationally-13130410
Superlative Creative, 2021 "Banksy Explained', Available at: https://banksyexplained.com
Varoufakis, Y. 'The Most Important Question to Ask Yourself' [audio podcast] The Eye of the Storm Podcast, 24 April 2024, Available at: https://shows.acast.com/eye-of-the-storm-podcast
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
Chomsky, N. and Pappé, I. 2015. On Palestine, London: Penguin Books
Finkelstein, N. 2018,.'Gaza: an Inquest into Its Martydom', Berkeley: University of California Press
Khalidi, R. 2021. The Hundred's Year War on Palestine - a history of settler colonialism and resistance, 1917 - 2017, NYC:Picador
Loewenstein, A. 2023. The Palestine Laboratory, NYC: Verso
Pappé, I. 2010. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Oxford: One World Publications
Said, E. 1992. The Question of Palestine, London: Vintage
Said, N. 2014. Looking for Palestine : Growing Up Confused in an Arab American Family. London: Vintage