October 7th... Do Not Reduce Palestine to One Day

October 7th... Do Not Reduce Palestine to One Day By: Ahmad Suleiman What happened on October 7th and the events that followed exposed the international system and revealed how international law, international legitimacy, and human rights are stripped of their meaning when it comes to Palestine. The major powers were put to a clear test: Do they really protect human beings, or do they protect their interests even if the price is the lives of an entire people? Their positions answered that question. History did not begin on October 7, 2023. Before that, there was the Nakba, displacement, occupation, settlement, and siege. Generations of Palestinians were born and grew up waiting for freedom while their land was confiscated and their future postponed. Those who want to reduce Palestine to that day obscure what preceded it and absolve the occupation of responsibility for the conflict. Gaza has exposed the bankruptcy of the moral discourse of the powers that have positioned themselves as guardians of human rights. When a Palestinian needed actual protection, they found themselves facing calculations of interests, the immunity of allies, and statements of concern. When they awaited pressure to stop their suffering, the support that enables Israel to continue its policies persisted. The state that supplies Israel with weapons or provides it with political cover is not just a distant observer. It must bear the responsibility for its choices and their consequences. It cannot hand over tools of power with one hand and then raise a statement about protecting civilians with the other, asking the world to believe in its commitment to justice. What kind of defense of human rights is this that makes the life of a Palestinian weigh less than the relationship with Israel? And what kind of respect for the law allows for accountability of the adversaries of the major powers, yet hesitates when accountability reaches their allies? Rights that are applied according to the identity of the victim and the status of the aggressor turn into privileges granted by the powerful and withheld whenever they wish. The suffering of Gaza was not a secret. The images of destroyed homes, injured children, grieving mothers, and families searching for food and medicine were before the world. Therefore, it is not enough for governments to say they are concerned. They must answer: What have they done with what they know? What has prevented them from taking measures commensurate with the scale of the tragedy? In the face of this inaction, thousands of people around the world took to the streets, realizing that the Palestinian people have been subjected to injustice for nearly eighty years, and that their tragedy did not begin on October 7th. The images of children that spread on social media moved hearts and broke attempts to obscure Palestinian suffering behind official narratives. People saw children under the rubble, mothers holding their children, and injured individuals searching for a chance to live, so they refused silence and demanded an end to the tragedy. While governments weighed their positions based on calculations of interests, the streets echoed a clear demand: to protect the Palestinian people and end the injustice against them. These demonstrations revealed that large sectors of the people had outpaced their governments in siding with humanity, and that the conscience absent from the decisions of the major powers was present in the streets of the world. Therefore, those governments can no longer claim that their positions reflect the will of all their citizens. The Palestinians have long awaited a time when even expressions of concern have become a burden on the victims. The child who needs treatment is not saved by diplomatic phrasing, and the family that lost its home is not protected by a general call for restraint. When there are means of pressure and they are refrained from being used, that abstention becomes a political decision that requires accountability. As for international law, this phase has revealed how powerful forces can disable its protection when its application does not suit them. This is the responsibility of the governments that claim to defend it. They weaken its status when they selectively choose its decisions, bargain over its implementation, and grant their ally space to evade accountability. The international legitimacy that is demanded of the Palestinian to respect must also deliver justice to him. It is unacceptable for his rights to be enshrined in decisions while being stripped on the ground, and for him to be asked to be patient while settlements expand and opportunities for freedom diminish. What value does recognition of a people's right have if it is not accompanied by a will to protect it and work to achieve it? October 7th must not be used to negate these rights or justify collective punishment. Occupation does not become legitimate, settlement does not turn into a right, and displacement does not become a solution. The Palestinian people are not accused of having to prove their right to life, nor do they need permission from the major powers to demand their freedom. This tragedy has stripped many masks and revealed that governments use the language of human rights when it serves their policy, then retract it when it threatens their interests. Those who do so must stop giving lessons to peoples. Credibility is built on commitment and is destroyed when justice becomes selective. What is needed today are clear decisions: stopping the arming that allows violations to continue, lifting political cover, supporting accountability, ensuring food and medical care, preventing displacement, and taking actual steps to end the occupation. These are the standards of commitment to human rights, and based on them, governments are held accountable, no matter how powerful their rhetoric. Palestine is greater than one day, and the history of its people cannot be erased by a narrative that chooses a starting point that suits it. October 7th and the events that followed will remain a testament to the powers that possessed influence, knew the extent of the suffering, and then did not use what they had to protect the Palestinians. Statements of concern will not absolve them of responsibility. The record of their decisions will remain before the people: who sent the weapons, who granted the cover, who obstructed accountability, and who left the victims waiting for justice that did not arrive. Ahmad Suleiman – President of the Palestinian-Swedish Center