Palestine and Gaza in particular have long been under the Israeli gumboot. As for those who have come out to support them and oppose Zionism, the same faith is made available. But this time it is also the American gumboot. Hundreds of helmeted police descend onto the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles after darkness fell on Wednesday, preparing to clear out a pro-Palestinian protest camp attacked the previous night by pro-Israel supporters.1 The impending crackdown at UCLA is the latest flashpoint for mounting tensions on U.S. college campuses where protests over Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza have led to student clashes with each other, school administrators and law enforcement.2 Starting around sunset, officers in tactical gear began filing onto the UCLA campus adjacent to a complex of tents occupied by throngs of demonstrators.3 (Reuters)
Some protestors were seen donning hard hats, goggles and respirator masks in anticipation of the raid a day after the university declared the encampment unlawful.4 (Reuters)
The chaos and repression occurring on American campuses shows that the United States political establishment particularly President Joe Biden do not care when there is public pressure against the Israeli Zionist entity. Washington will not only turn a blind eye to Israel’s wrongdoing but also attempt to silence those who would dare raise a finger. The protestors, although they may have different values are in the right here. However, it is their own civil liberties in the US constitution that are being trampled under the gumboots. The police may be doing their jobs and taking orders from State authorities and a higher chain of command. However, as the year drags out and the protests are broken up, lessons will be drawn. Whose side will the Courts take in this scenario, the protestors or the authorities?
The Authorities in this case the law enforcement, politicians from both sides of the aisle and president Biden are in the wrong and they know it. Israel is the party that is acting recklessly and irresponsibly in this war and needs to be restrained. Possibly through sanctions.
Hundreds of other pro-Palestinian activists who assembled outside the tent city jeered police with shouts of “Shame on you,” some banging on drums and waving Palestinian flags, as officers marched onto the campus grounds.5 The demonstrators, many wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, also chanted, “Disclose, divest, we will not stop. We will not rest,” and “Free free Palestine.”6 A much smaller group of demonstrators waving Israeli flags urged on the police to shut down the encampment, yelling, “Hey hey, ho-ho, the occupation has got to go.”7 But police officers stood by on the periphery of the tents for hours – presumably to let crowds of onlookers thin out – awaiting word from commanders to remove barricades and march into the encampment to arrest occupants who refused to leave.8 (Reuters)
These protestors are risking everything for a cause many had doubted will succeed. The Palestinian cause has long taken a back seat since before Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu launched his onslaught on Gaza on the eight of October 2023.But even before then the threat of forced evictions and imprisonment in the west Bank (which sparked the Hamas militant group’s attacks and capture of the hostages) was going to be the ignition for such drastic action. The time for boycott is now. Israel has been allowed to fester like a pussy wound in the region. If the mass protests in the United States and other parts of the world evolve into actually leading a boycott movement, then this could be the path. One of the worse scenarios for a future Palestinian state would be the re-election of former US President Donald Trump to replace Biden.
Trump’s response to the calls to boycott and sanction Israel will be even harsher than Biden’s. Win or lose there is no better alternative.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
