Palestinians are fighting for the right to have a future at all
The National · Janine di Giovanni ·
Unruly protests in France that incorporate solidarity with Palestine risk undermining the cause
I have just returned from a 10-day field mission to the West Bank, a place I have worked and documented since the civil unrest of the first intifada. Over the past 36 years, I have continued to return and document the ethnic cleansing and crimes committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinian civilians. I have seen the political area worsen under extreme right-wing governments and the deterioration of any kind of human rights in Gaza or the West Bank.
This autumn was horrific. The bombing of Gaza continues while in the West Bank Palestinian farmers struggle to gather olives during the traditional harvest season. Terrorised by armed and extremely violent settlers, the farmers’ ancient way of life is rapidly disappearing. B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation, told me that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military and settlers since October 7, 2023. Dozens of Palestinian communities have been totally erased. This is a clear case of ethnic cleansing.
Meanwhile, as I was working in the olive groves and villages, my hometown of Paris was lit up by fires amid looting and protests. Since late September, high school and university students have blockaded their lycées, filled the boulevards and, on the margins of the city, burned bins and smashed bus shelters. Last weekend, 400,000 people marched across France and more than 1,400 were arrested. By the time this goes to print the figures will be higher.
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