Complacency and hypocrisy should not play a role in the genocidal aftermath

“Our UNRWA teams reported a good first day of the ceasefire; aid and some commercial supplies started flowing in smoothly,” the humanitarian aid agency’s Commissioner General Philipp Lazzarini stated in a post on X.

#Gaza #ceasefire @ICRC pic.twitter.com/P62FshQkRq

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 20, 2025

The post went on to mention the release of three Israeli hostages prior to the generalised mention of the Palestinian prisoners released – 90 have been released so far and the rest continue to rot in Israeli jails interminably. The ceasefire and the agreements need to be upheld, Lazzarini stated, as they are “a step in the right direction towards long-lasting peace and stability for all.”

The detachment from the Palestinian reality is palpable. After 15 months of genocide, on what Lazzarini described as “a good first day of the ceasefire”, Palestinians started their return back home to ruins and relatives buried under the rubble. No amount of humanitarian aid will even soothe the pain of this genocide. It is easy to allow collective amnesia to seep in and imagine a post-genocide Gaza that stepped back into the previous status quo, which was already denigrating, painful and steeped in Israeli colonial violence.

Let us remember not only what the international community failed to do and ‘coincidentally’ achieved during the Biden administration’s last days in office, but also what the international community failed to stop decades ago. Israel today – a genocidal colonial power – is rooted in a history of violence, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians.

The narrative is not about humanitarian aid, but the politics that allowed this genocide to happen. Humanitarian aid is the delivery of basic necessities, not an alternative to land rights and political autonomy. It certainly wasn’t meant to last for decades, despite the renewed UNRWA mandates. The international community has so much to answer to, from using humanitarian aid as oblivion and a prospect to cheer about, to letting Israel get away not only with colonialism but also genocide.

“We’re not just talking about food, healthcare, buildings, roads, infrastructure. We’ve got individuals, families, communities that need to be rebuilt,” UNRWA’s Deputy Director, Sam Rose, stated with regard to Gaza.

The World Health Organisation estimates that a minimum of $10 billion over the span of five to seven years will be needed to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system.

Clearly, there is a discrepancy between Lazzarini’s uplifting comments and what Palestinians will be facing in the future. A genocidal colonial power offers no guarantees. Humanitarian aid has proved to be a political farce in the absence of Palestinian political autonomy. And yet, the ceasefire, according to Lazzarini, is a step towards long-lasting peace. But what part of colonialism identifies with peace?

A more authentic expression would have been turning towards Palestinians and their rights, not coercing Palestinians to turn towards humanitarian aid for survival. Acknowledging the need and failure of humanitarian aid would have been a first step in this context. But is the international community ready to acknowledge its biggest failure, since this means at least rattling the foundations of Israel’s colonial and genocidal presence in Palestine?

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250121-complacency-and-hypocrisy-should-not-play-a-role-in-the-genocidal-aftermath/