now is exactly the right time to talk about palestine, libya, yemen, syria, and somalia

By Neeha Zaman, 2022

Published 2/23/22

The world’s eyes are on Ukraine, as the nation continues to be under Russian assault. Around the world, people continue to express support for Ukrainians who are either taking up arms to protect their country or fleeing for their lives, and rightfully so—people are dying, losing their homes, getting their lives uprooted. However, let’s also talk about Palestine, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia, where people are also being bombed and regularly threatened. Little attention seems to be placed on these countries, whose inhabitants have been suffering for a long time. Perhaps it’s because Ukraine is “civilized,” as CBS Correspondent Charlie D’Agosta expressed his ‘carefully chosen’ sentiments. It seems as though Europeans being bombed is absolutely unthinkable and unacceptable, while it is normal for people in the Middle East to be subject to inhumane conditions. Every single quote that says Ukraine does not deserve to be bombed because it is located in Europe and is majority-white is a stark reminder that people genuinely believe that people of color deserve to live in a constant state of violence.

Multiple events from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have gone viral after being misrepresented as Ukrainians standing up to Russian aggression. One famous example of this came when a video of a Palestinian girl, then-11 year old Ahed Tamimi, confronting an Israeli soldier for trying to arrest her brother went viral, shared under the claim that this was a Ukrainian standing up to a Russian soldier. This ‘Ukrainian girl’ is being called courageous, hailed as a hero. The reality? Tamimi faced jail time for standing up to Israeli soldiers, and the Palestinian struggle is often ignored or outright vilified. In one instance, Tamimi spent 8 months in jail for slapping an Israeli soldier harassing her family, after Israeli soldiers shot her 15-year old cousin in the face. There aren’t any cute infographics for “insta baddies” to share, so little positive attention is given to this seemingly-endless struggle. Take note that the US sends billions to Israel every year in military aid, with no conditions placed to prevent this money from being used to fund the atrocities occurring every day in Palestine. Aside from Palestine, Saudi Arabia continues to bomb Yemen. American economic sanctions on Houthi rebels hinder any resistance to this aggression. US-backed Israeli forces regularly bomb Syria. The US bombs Somalia. It’s only news when US adversaries drop bombs and kill people. We have been trained to accept the killings of communities of color is natural, and I think that that is absolutely ludicrous. If you believe, rightfully so, that war is so detrimental, so inhumane, so damaging, then why don’t you speak out against the wars the US is waging? So many of these conflicts are leading to generational trauma, which, unlike people, certainly doesn’t seem to discriminate based on race.