Let’s Unite to Liberate Palestine

The first ever Asian humanitarian aid convoy to the besieged residents of Gaza returned after completing the journey to Gaza with many inspiring stories of Palestinians who are struggling to liberate Palestine from the clutches of Zionist state of Israel.

Written by

OUR REPORTER

Published on

August 17, 2022

The first ever Asian humanitarian aid convoy to the besieged residents of Gaza returned after completing the journey to Gaza with many inspiring stories of Palestinians who are struggling to liberate Palestine from the clutches of Zionist state of Israel.

The Indian Lifeline to Gaza started from the Raj Ghat of Delhi on December 2, 2010, and was scheduled to reach Gaza on December 27, 2010. But having been delayed due to hindrance created by Israel in the Mediterranean Sea, only a part of the caravan could reach Gaza on January 2, 2011.

The caravan passed through different countries of Asia such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Palestine, Syria, Turkey and UK.

During its journey to different nations, the caravan was greeted by thousands of people and their leaders who included, among others, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmednijad in Tehran, Hamas chief Khalid Mishal in Damascus and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya in Gaza.

Of 120 comprising the caravan 50 were Indian activists presenting a diverse range of representation from the civil society. They included Magsaysay Award-winner social activist Sandeep Pandey, West Asian expert and peace activist Feroze Mithiborwala, Gandhian activist Suresh Khairnar and member of All India Secular Forum, trade union leader Ashim Roy, noted journalist Ajit Sahi, Mr. Taleem Rahmani of Muslim Political Forum, Bishruddin Sharqi of Solidarity Youth Movement, Shaheen KK of Students Islamic Organisation of India, Gauhar Iqbal of Palestine Solidarity Movement, student activists from Vidyarthi Bharati Mumbai, and students from JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia. Indian delegates hailed from UP, Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand, etc.

They carried life-saving medical equipments, food stuffs, clothes and other humanitarian aid worth $1 million, weighing 170 tons, for the people of Gaza who continue to suffer unspeakable hardship for nearly five years under the illegal blockade imposed by the Israeli-US regimes.

The participants of Caravan shared their experiences and difficulties which occurred during its journey in an assessment programme organised in Delhi by some social groups. Mr. Shuresh Kairnar said that the confidence he has seen in the eyes and body language of Palestinians shows that they shall win the war against the Zionists. “I have observed that the citizens of Palestine are more confident than Indian Muslims and it is the sign and hope that they will never be defeated and they will get freedom very soon.”

Mr Khairnar further said that the Palestine issue is not only related to Muslims but a humanitarian issue which should be fought by the people of all religions.

Mr. Feroze Mithiborwala, National President of Awami Bharat, who convened the Caravan, said that the objective of the Caravan was not only to provide some medical aid and food stuffs for the besieged Gazans but the much important objective was to convey the message to the world community and Indian politicians and Government that Indian civil societies are in favour of Palestine Liberation Movement. “It should be very clear that the Palestine Liberation Movement is not a civil war between Islam and Judaism or Christianity but a common struggle of Palestinian people against the Zionist state,” he averred.

Mr. Mithiborwala said that the pioneer objective of this Asian movement is to liberate Palestine from the Zionist State of Israel. He said that people should know what Zionism is. “It is an international conspiracy to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Zionism is based on the principles of apartheid racism, colonialism, ethnic cleansing and genocide wars. Zionism is not Judaism that is why our struggle is against the Zionists and not against the Jews.”

Mithiborwala added, “Zionism is also a threat to Christianity. The heretical cult of Christian Zionism has replaced Jesus Christ from the centre of Christianity with the entity of Zionist Israel. Therefore there is also struggle between Christianity and Israel. There is no doubt that Islam and Muslims are directly under the attack of Zionists. Therefore an alliance of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism must be a part of a principled and strategic struggle against Zionism.”

Mr. Mithiborwala further said they witnessed the globalisation of Intifadah because Palestine now has become the most popular struggle for its cause in human history. The world saw in April and May last  Flotilla to Gaza, and now in December Asian Caravan to Gaza. In the Caravan we tried to unite other Asian countries and we also tried to coordinate it with the US, UK, and many other countries of Europe. After the Caravan we are planning an International Conference on Palestine in India. We are also planning for an Indo-Arab and Indo-Iran Conference, Mr. Mithiborwala revealed.

During the journey of Caravan in a meeting with political leaders in Iran, especially Cabinet Minister of Palestine Affairs and other Iranian leaders, and then with the Syrian Bath party leaders in Damascus, with Hamas chief Khalid Mishal and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. We have started the process of discussion and planning for a long term struggle in Asia. With all these leaders we have discussed the role of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violent resistance against the colonial occupation. We have presented them the Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi.

In terms of all these we are determined to carry out our struggle that Palestine should be freed with Jerusalem as its capital and we will continue to march and continue to sail till the times will come when millions of people from across the world will collectively enter in Jerusalem and that would be the day when the holy land will be freed, he said.

One of our agenda is also to protect the Masjid Al-Aqsa and Al-Quds because the Zionists want to demolish these two mosques and they want to build the Third Temple on the same site. Therefore the parallel between the RSS and the Zionist is very clear as they wish to repeat Ayodhya in Jerusalem. There is also a threat to the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the church of nativity in Bethlehem which is surrounded by the apartheid wall. Therefore it is the responsibility of Muslims to unite people belonging to the various faiths and protect the common religious and spiritual heritage of humanity.