Palestinians don’t need lip service; they need liberation
Press enter or click to view image in full sizePhoto by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
There’s been a ton of discourse online in the last few days surrounding the recognition of the state of Palestine by countries such as Canada and the UK. Many people have been framing this as though it were an act to be celebrated or something that shows that the tide is finally turning on this issue. Perhaps you may call me cynical for this (and indeed I accept that I probably am to some extent) but I do not think it is all so simple.
You see, recognition of Palestine as a state may be a step in the right direction, but when it’s coming from countries such as Canada or the UK, especially, it is a largely symbolic gesture that (coming from the UK) doesn’t really mean anything. Britain has provided massive support to Israel since their assault on Gaza began, even in the wake of some of the worst atrocities that we’ve seen throughout the entire conflict.
Even as things were becoming abundantly clear, Keir Starmer went on LBC and, when asked if Israel is right to cut off power and water to Gaza, he said that Israel “does have that right”. Not only this, but he defended this statement even after he’d gotten backlash for it and even sent out Emely Thornberry (a member of his cabinet) to defend…