Opinion: There are No Excuses to Ignore Palestine

Te Urukeiha Tuhua (he/they/ia, Tūhoe)

All of us know what’s happening in Gaza. We see it every time we scroll on social media, coming across a video of a Palestinian person asking you to stop scrolling and support them and their family. Do you sit with it and watch the whole video? Or do you hastily swipe down to the next video, uncomfortable as you are confronted once again with the ongoing horrors of this genocide? Have you allowed yourself to become desensitized to their pain? 

There are thousands of families in Gaza who use social media as a tool for survival, reliant on donations to afford their basic necessities. I want to emphasize the importance of continuing to donate to those on the ground, but I also want to acknowledge how challenging it is when we want to donate and can’t afford to help them all. The magnitude of videos that we see can make us feel helpless to change anything. 

Further, the juxtaposition of viewing a live-streamed genocide alongside memes, comedy skits, and general brainrot is making us numb. Becoming disconnected from the reality of what’s happening is dangerous, because it prevents us from feeling emotions that essentially make us human—empathy, grief, and rage—and stops us from channeling these feelings into action. 

Feeling helpless or disconnected from reality points to an underlying illusion of powerlessness. If you truly couldn’t change anything, why not just accept it? Why even pay attention? 

I want to illustrate the psychological warfare that is occurring. Your emotions while watching this genocide are not coincidental; we are experiencing a systemic attempt to break us down, to ensure that we feel incapable of making change. Allowing ourselves to spiral into depression ultimately results in inaction. Meanwhile the bombs continue to fall, and children are still starving. The people in Gaza pay for our immobility and silence with their lives. 

So what are you doing about it? How do you respond when you hear them calling for help? We are not powerless. Each and every one of us are responsible for doing whatever we can to end this genocide and push for Palestinian liberation. We owe it to the people in Gaza, and we owe it to ourselves. 

If you have been silent on Palestine for this long and are only now beginning to speak up, I welcome you. Be louder and more relentless in your fight to make up for lost time. 

Boycott, Divest and Sanction

Have you ever thrown around the popular quote “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”? While there is some truth to this, it doesn’t absolve you of responsibility. Personal decisions, including where we choose to shop, are political. There are various corporations which invest funds into the illegal occupation of Palestine, and as consumers, we need to prioritise boycotting these brands in our daily lives. 

Is it acceptable to you that fast food chains like McDonalds provide free meals to IOF soldiers while they murder Palestinians every single day? Do you think it’s okay that AirBnB is violating international law by continuing operations in Israel, supporting the continued displacement of Palestinians? 

The Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement outlines the brands you should avoid, and provides an explanation of why. You can download the No Thanks app on your phone to access a regularly updated, comprehensive list of boycotted brands. It also lists alternative brands you can buy from. 

Boycotting Israeli products is the bare minimum that we can do to support Palestine, and it only costs us occasional inconvenience. 

Support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill

Last year Chlöe Swarbrick introduced the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions bill, which would impose legislative measures against Israel and hold them accountable to international law. Scan the QR code located below and find ways to support sanctions against Israel. 

A bill must be supported by at least 61 members to pass through Parliament. Across the Greens, Te Pāti Māori, and Labour, 55 members have expressed support. We need six more MPs to support this bill. Lobby your MP by emailing them and telling them that you would like them to support the Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions bill. If you’re not sure who your MP is, you can find out by using the electorate map on vote.nz. 

It is their job to represent the issues that are important to us. Make your voice heard. 

Mass Awareness and Protest

The importance of visibility cannot be understated. Keep talking about Palestine. Share posts online, flood your social media. Stay informed on what’s happening on the ground. Keeping Palestine at the forefront of everything applies pressure on politicians to act, and ensures that Gaza is not forgotten. 

If you’re able to, get out in the streets and protest. Be loud and unapologetically visible. There are rallies for Palestine organised by @falastin_tea_collective every Saturday at 1pm (except for the first Saturday of every month), and larger protests and campaigns by @just4pal. All you need to do is show up—they often have placards and flags available. 

Palestinians deserve to see us fighting on their side, and to know that we are with them. Do not allow them to die, watching as you do nothing. They have called on us for help; we will not rest until Palestine is free.