Shifting attention away from Palestine would be premature because, despite the relative lull in its two-year-long massacre that has claimed nearly 70,000 lives, living conditions remain precarious and Israel continues to violently oppress people in Gaza and the West Bank.
In Gaza, Israeli occupation forces have killed some 280 Palestinians since agreeing to a ceasefire just last month. This has prompted Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, to warn, “The ceasefire risks creating a dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal. But while Israeli authorities and forces have reduced the scale of their attacks and allowed limited amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the world must not be fooled. Israel’s genocide is not over.”
Meanwhile, across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, too, settler violence, expropriations, dispossession and displacement have been intensified. Since October 2023, Israeli settlers and armed forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians, a fifth of whom are children.
These are the stark realities that Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada’s longtime partner Caritas Jerusalem contends with but is not deterred by.
Today, to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, they have issued an inspiring statement which reflects on a situation “that remains deeply fragile;” reiterates a resolve to remain “by the side of the Palestinian people;” and calls “the international community to ensure sustained humanitarian support and long-term recovery plans.”