There is a greater recognition now about the ‘racial, exclusionist and ugly character of Zionism’, the political movement for an independent Jewish State, and the idea that Israel is under threat is shaken, said Achin Vanaik, nuclear disarmament activist and Fellow of the Transnational Institute, here on Sunday.
“Since 1948 — the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, and October-7 Israel-Hamas war, and till date, the basic logic of the Zionist project can be summed up in one simple sentence: More land, less Palestinians,” he said.
A retired professor of International Relations and Global Politics, Mr. Vanaik was delivering the lecture ‘Israel genocidal project in Palestine’, here at the 15th memorial meet of civil rights activist K. Balagopal.
Mr. Vanaik, who expounded on the history of Israel-Palestine conflict from its origins, said Israel continues to be the only country where ‘a settler colonial apartheid remains’.
“Israel is also ‘an army with a nation’ that perpetuates a garrison mentality for a garrison state; is with the longest running illegal military occupation; has most political prisoners in proportion to population; and has cultivated the myth of its perpetual victimhood,” he said.
But the difference between the victims and the victimisers is straight, simple and clear to understand: “To support the Palestine cause is to actually do just what is decent and humane within ourselves.”
The likely situation, according to Mr. Vanaik, is that Israel would expand its war. “But the way forward for Palestine is a newer leadership that adopts a non-violent strategy to oppose Israel’s apartheid character, and everywhere the fight must be for rights, equality and justice,” he observed.
The two other speakers at the meeting were Tashi Choedup, who talked about queerness in people’s movements, and Apar Gupta, who spoke about digital media regulation and censorship and Internet as a tool for liberation.
The Sundarayya Vignana Kendram venue was covered with posters for Palestine cause, Internet freedom and queer rights and occasionally erupted into thunderous sloganeering.
Human Rights Forum, the organiser of the memorial meeting, also released three books on the occasion: ‘Sub-classification of Scheduled Caste Reservation’ as a collection of essays by K. Balagopal, Beela Kosam.. Bathuku Kosam, a history of Sompeta movement, and Citizens report on security and insecurity in Bastar division.
The 15th memorial meeting concluded with the screening of Lalit Vachani’s documentary on Umar Khalid and fellow political prisoners, ‘Prisoner No. 626710 is present’.
Published - October 06, 2024 10:16 pm IST
