Palestine Demands Action on Naksa Day Amidst Ongoing Strife
The commemoration of Naksa Day serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing plight of Palestinians and the need for concerted international action to address the root causes of the conflict, moving beyond symbolic gestures towards concrete steps that can bring about meaningful change and justice.
Palestinians are marking Naksa Day, commemorating Israel's 1967 conquest of historic Palestine, with demands for international sanctions to end complicity in Israel's actions in Gaza, emphasizing that empty words are not enough and calling for concrete actions to halt the suffering.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee is at the forefront, calling for targeted sanctions, a comprehensive military embargo, and an energy embargo to bring an end to Israel's campaign. Furthermore, the group is pushing for the prosecution of war crimes through international mechanisms, referencing the UN General Assembly's 2024 resolution that advocates for sanctions and the termination of Israel's occupation. This stance underscores the urgency for states to take decisive action, moving beyond mere posturing.
The narrative around Palestine often gets tangled in metaphors and symbolic representations, which, while powerful, can distract from the harsh realities on the ground. Palestine is more than a metaphor for resistance, loss, and hope; it is a real place where people live, suffer, and die under siege. The use of terms like "conflict," "clash," and "cycle of violence" can misleadingly suggest symmetry between the colonizer and the colonized, erasing the profound moral and material differences between them.
The demand for Palestine is not about poetic justice but about logistical and tangible change: returning land, erasing borders, removing walls, facilitating the return of refugees, stopping bombings, imposing sanctions, removing settlers, and restoring rights. This demand requires a shift away from the metaphorical and towards the concrete, recognizing the dangers of metaphorization in softening violence and repackaging truth into more palatable forms.
As the world marks Naksa Day, it is crucial to break the habit of metaphor when speaking of Palestine, to treat it not as a narrative arc but as a real, ongoing struggle for rights and freedom. This involves recognizing the role of independent media in covering the stories that matter, stories often overlooked by corporate-controlled media outlets. The call for action on Naksa Day is a reminder that Palestine's story is one of tangible struggle and resilience, demanding not just words, but deeds.