Honouring our past and ensuring our future
The recent onslaught of genocide in Gaza stemming from the events of October 7, 2023 came as a shock to many. Unlike previous ethnic cleansing attempts, such as Israel’s 2014 attacks on Gaza or the Sabra and Shatila massacres of the Lebanese Civil War, Palestinians now have social media to document the atrocities occurring. To us Palestinians, these vicious assaults are a part of our daily lives and backgrounds. Since 1948, we have been persecuted by an ethnostate claiming to be the only democracy in the Middle East. Many people may think that Palestinian genocide occurs only in overt forms such as the destructive bombings, mass murders, and unlawful imprisonments that many of us have seen on social media and the news. But there are many covert forms of genocide have yet to be challenged by the greater movement for a free Palestine.
As the daughter and granddaughter of Palestinian Christian immigrants, I understand the complexity of existing within the Palestinian diaspora. My teta and jido (grandmother and grandfather in Arabic) were born in neighbourhoods surrounding Yaffa and moved around until they ended up in Canada. They are the two people that I hold in the highest esteem and constantly look up to. In light of all the adversity they have faced, they have never wavered in their kindness and good-natured outlook on the world. I work hard to honour even a shred of the sacrifice they both made to give my family a better life.
In 2023, my jido was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which was extremely difficult for me and my family. Slowly, he became a different version of himself, and eventually, he passed away peacefully in April 2024. Almost five months later, I am still driven by grief, anger, and sadness at the reality of his death. Because of the brutal dispossession and expulsion of my family from their land, my jido passed away so far from home. In all the years I spent with him, he never returned to Palestine. I am emboldened by his experience to address and bring an end to the cruelty that our elders face when living in the diaspora.
Ethnic cleansing is not merely violence and dispossession of land; it is an attempt to erase an entire people along with their culture and knowledge. To attain a truly free Palestine, our advocacy must address the full spectrum of ethnic cleansing, including aspects that may not seem particularly violent. Palestinians should not be required to suffer to legitimise our cause; our presence as a people must be enough. This starts by acknowledging the experiences and stories of elders like my teta and jido, and subsequently making sure that their memories are not forgotten. A free Palestine will not act in isolation from our past. We cannot move forward as a nation without the histories that are foundational to our existence as a people.
The Palestine of the future will be a magnificent thing. The slogan used by many of my fellow Palestinians during protests is “Within Our Lifetimes,” and I think this message is particularly poignant. Working to ensure a free Palestine during our lives serves not just ourselves and future generations, but also people like my teta and jido, who never should have left their homes.
