I have great respect for individuals and organisations that stand up and speak out against injustices. When I see the Ukrainian flag flying over Rye Town Hall and the Landgate I see our collective support for a nation suffering from an illegal and immoral invasion and occupation. However, each time I’ve viewed the flag since October I question why aren’t we supporting the Palestinian people in the same way and flying their flag?
In 2022 the UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice for its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation” of territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. After decades of debates and resolutions at the United Nations the International Court of Justice affirmed on July 19 that Israel’s 57-year-long occupation violated international law.
The court also said that Israel’s presence in the territories should come to an end “as rapidly as possible” and that Israel was “under an obligation to provide full reparation for the damage caused by its internationally wrongful acts to all natural or legal persons concerned.” A separate genocide case was brought against Israel to the ICC by South Africa over its conduct in the war and in May the court ordered the country to immediately halt its military offensive in southern Gaza. This ruling was supported by 13 of the judges. Only two opposed it, including the former president of Israel’s Supreme Court.
The court stated that 800,000 Gazans have been displaced several times before and have already fled fearing for their lives; that many of these were responding to the Israel Defence Force’s “encouragement” to do so; and that most of them are living in inhuman conditions lacking access to food, water, sanitation, medical services and in most cases proper shelter. Over 40,000 have been killed, 70% being women and children.
This historic ruling by the International Court of Justice found multiple and serious international law violations by Israel towards Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including finding Israel responsible for apartheid. The court placed responsibility with all states especially the United Nations to end these violations of international law. This ruling should be yet another wake up call for the United States to end its egregious policy of defending Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and prompt a thorough reassessment in other countries as well, especially here in the U.K.
I sincerely hope that in Rye our Town Council and citizens will reassess our own response to the atrocities being committed daily in Palestine and show the same level of support for these people as we do for the Ukrainians.
Let’s fly the Palestinian flag.
No mention of the October 7th atrocities and seizure of hostages which sparked the current conflict, or of the fact that, in the year prior to Oct 7th, Palestine fired over 4,000 rockets into Israeli territory?
This Is a conflict with two sides, neither of whom are blameless.
Exactly. As a retired journalist, I visited both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory several times in the 1970s and 1980s. I saw both sides of the standoff leading to the present conflict. Is the author of this article an eyewitness or just being emotive? BTW I am neither Jewish nor Palestinian, so have no personal axe to grind, I regret equally the useless loss of lives on both sides.
I re-read the article twice to make sure I didn’t miss the bit about the Israeli civilians taken hostage, tortured, beaten, raped and murdered by the hundreds. There was no mention of course.
Yes fly the palestian flag ! I go on the marches and I also support and pray for the hostages to be released and a free palestine you can believe in both and to say that you have not mentioned anything about what happened in October is really unfair . October 7th while a horrific atrocity did not happen in a vacuum . Fly the flag . Free the hostages.
The people of Gaza voted for Hamas – let’s not forget that Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. To fly the Palestinian flag in Rye would be shameful.
There is a narrative that this war began on October 7th then there is the ICC judgement by 13 judges after years of investigation who report that Israel began it’s invasion of Palestine 57 years ago and has occupied it illegally ever since. I was there in 1969 and again in 1973 for six months during and after the Yom Kippur war and my experience was that Israel was at war everyday. Invasions and occupations involve resistance. Look at Ukraine where we honour such resistance. Why not in Palestine?
Have nothing to do with either side, fly no flags. Instead do all we can to bring peace. It’s not a game it’s life and death and we must speak out against conflict. The UN seem pretty impotent and they should be the peacemakers.
For clarification the Palestinian Flag is not the Hamas flag any more than the Stars and Stripes is the flag of the Republicans or the Union Jack is the flag of the Labour Party. It is the flag recognised by the United Nations as the flag of a sovereign nation.