Mumbai: Amplify our voices, forum on Palestinian solidarity tells MPs

Feroze Mithirborwala, activist; speaker Farhan Kabeer; speaker Senthil

This is certainly not the most opportune moment to tell our Members of Parliament (MPs) to speak as one, given the ruckus roiling in Parliament. Yet, the India-Palestine Solidarity Action (IPSA) called for Indian MPs to denounce Israel and speak up against war crimes against Palestinians in the ongoing Israel vs Hamas war. The organisation held an online press meet on Tuesday afternoon, to speak about over 500 plus emails sent to government representatives as part of a campaign demanding that all our MPs speak up and highlight what the organisation called, "India's doublespeak on Palestine."

The anchor who began the press meet said, "Indian activists who are going to speak here are part of a larger global movement for Palestinian solidarity, from Jewish Voice for Peace to several other movements." She added, "India has historically stood for Palestine. That makes it all the more important for India to speak up today. As Indians we have fought the British, today we need to stand against settler colonialism."

That set the tenor for the one-hour meet, with Mumbai activist Feroze Mithirborwala stating, that it was important to analyse what led to the October 7 attacks. Mithiborwala said, amongst several reasons, that, "The American regime needed a war theatre to take the attention away from the disaster in Ukraine." Having said that, "Currently, Israel has the most rightwing and fascist governments of all." He singled out ‘Bibi' or Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that, "Netanyahu himself needed a war to surmount the growing political disaster." Mithiborwala added that the war, "is about total ethnic cleansing but couched in the word ‘transfer' of the Palestinian population from there to Egypt, Jordan or other places."

The resistance

Mithiborwala said, "The number one reason for October 7 was the continuous attacks on Al Aqsa, and we must also remember that there are growing attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, plus at least 16 years of Gaza being a jail." He added, "There is evidence of the defeat of Israel and that is why they are conducting mass slaughter. The very fact that they cannot defeat the resistance in Gaza means they are targeting the families of resistance fighters. Palestine is the central geopolitical subject of our times." Coming to what India needs to do he said. "We need to stand with the anti-colonial struggle, we are worried the government is going on a different path. Pass a resolution for a ceasefire."

Against people

The second speaker ‘Senthil' who is from Tamil Nadu drew parallels between the current Israel vs Hamas war and the civil war in Sri Lanka, which involved the insurgency led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against the Sri Lanka government. Senthil claimed, "So many conflicts are going to open now. Dubbed as war on terror these are usually wars against people. Attacks on civilians, hospitals, safe zones - this has happened in Sri Lanka earlier too. Whatever crimes are happening now, it is a genocidal crime. The solidarity movement for Palestine is very strong. There has been no open discussion about this in Parliament. We want an immediate call for a ceasefire. We need to boycott Israel. India needs to cut cultural, economic, and political ties with Israel," he wrapped up.

Not enough

After those strong words, there was Dr Farhan Kabeer from Kerala, who said he had conducted, "five events in Kerala. There was absolutely no resistance and problems from the government. There was support from the police. That though is simply not enough. The Indian government needs to go beyond that. Political parties need to take a stronger position. There have been a few rallies, expressing support for Palestine here by political parties, but there was a focus on their agenda or campaign even in these rallies. We need to be stronger. There is an urgency to this issue." Kabeer claimed that India does have several trade tie-ups with Israel, "and that may, in part, explain the MPs' silence."

The last speaker, Professor Aftab Kamal Pasha, decoded the global scenario, slamming the USA in particular as he said, "America feels its superpower status is threatened. No amount of global pressure, and demonstrations seen across the world, have impacted the US's determination to support Israel. Ultimately, what the US is doing by supporting Israel is very dangerous, it is the beginning of the end for US hegemony," he said.

500
Minimum no of emails sent to govt representatives