by Jineen Roches

BATTLEFIELD PARK, Belize City, Wed. Nov. 22, 2023

Three weeks ago, Angela Davis was speaking on Aljazeera. She said, and I quote, “Palestine is a kind of moral litmus test for the world.” I sat quietly drowned in deep thought for quite a bit, thinking about her assertion and questioning, “Where does my country lie on that litmus test of morality; where should I place myself?” Honestly, I’ve been grappling with that guilt since, until last week, when the government of Belize took a brave and rightful stance, condemning the criminal siege of Gaza and suspending its ties with Israel. Now, today, here we are, manifesting our solidarity with the people of Palestine. This is a start—a beautiful one.

In the midst of Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza, this past weekend we were celebrating our Garifuna ancestry and heritage proudly. Some of us ate well, danced, and sang. Others drank to their heart’s content. Some took a scenic, peaceful drive down south to the cultural capital to participate in the festivities. Others opted to spend the weekend over the border in Mexico. To put it into perspective, the people of Palestine are not allowed to celebrate their history, their heritage, or their identity. In fact, they are being punished for it. Their mere human existence is seen as a threat, and treated brutally as a crime … Imagine a world like that. That is OUR world.

To those who are unbothered and dismissive, struggling to recognize the relatability of the Palestinian struggle, saying “my life da no like Palestinians”, “weh di happen ova deh have nothing fu do with me”, let me say this, particularly to my generation, who need to be reminded. Kindly hear me out. Belize is not a bubble, contrary to most of your lived experience. Those of us who live freely and comfortably in a very small, insulated space, tucked off in Central America away from the world, are failing to recognize the troubling conditions around us. For long enough we have been operating and living in silos. But I am here to remind you that we, Belizeans, do not get to choose what affects us as individuals, or on a national level.

The atrocities Palestinians faced for decades, and are battling with, as I speak, affect us as human beings. This is a war on humanity and as such requires the input of all human beings including Belizeans. We are approximately 7,000 miles away from each other, yet Palestinians and Belizeans have a common cause with each other’s struggles. We are both threatened and battling with territorial disputes. Our Belizean ancestors, the Garifuna, Maya, and enslaved Africans, faced genocide, and experienced mass ethnic cleansing by colonialists. For those who may disagree, to you, I say admittedly, yes, the conditions between contemporary Belize and Palestine are indeed vastly different. However, the solidarity movement in Belize, in support of Palestine, does not hinge upon both nations, theirs and ours, having the exact same struggles. It is about a broader sense of power, peace, prosperity and humanity.

I can’t imagine those of us who call ourselves students, professionals, and activists, not calling for justice for Palestine. Israel’s occupation of Palestine is a crime against humanity. We should all be standing up and objecting, calling for an end to the Genocide of Palestinian people. In this respect, I think Belizeans should feel a very special tie to Palestinians. I implore you to engage, young people, in the practice of solidarity. Educate yourselves on the history. Choose your sources of information wisely. Before you post pictures of your meal, use that space to share the hashtag “End the criminal siege of Gaza”, “End the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza”, “Stop the genocide”, “prosecute the mass murderers and genocide enablers”, “No to apartheid; no to occupation”, “This is not a war; this is genocide”.

If I haven’t changed your mind yet. And you remain still indifferent to the massacre happening right now across the world, right now, in Palestine. To you I say, indifference makes us complicit:

complicit to the criminal siege of Gaza,

complicit to mass murders and genocide,

complicit to the massacre of babies,

complicit to 1.15 million children targeted, ­complicit to stressed and traumatized mothers giving premature births at a heart-breaking rate,­­

complicit to the tactical bombing of hospitals,

complicit to the deliberate cutting off of water, food, electricity from all of the people of Gaza,

complicit to Israel’s systematic hate speech, provocative rhetoric, violence, and dehumanization of the Palestinian people.

Instead, I implore you to practice active solidarity.

We can restore hope for the Palestinian people. Our support and active solidarity are not going unnoticed, and making our contributions can be influential in keeping that hope alive. This is indeed a tragic moment in our recent history. Indeed, this will take time. Right now, it is hard to see where this is headed. But we must remain hopeful, for change, for the restoration of peace, and most importantly for the freedom of the Palestinian people.

In the end, hope is the condition of all struggles. This is just the beginning. Free Palestine!