Solidarity is not enough

Together is great, but we need to go further on Palestine

Last night I was at the incredible Together for Palestine concert in London with my 17 yo daughter Bianca. It was a night to remember, from the beautiful duet between Cat Burns and Rachel Chinouriri to the devastating clarity of Mehdi Hasan: ‘They were killed BECAUSE they were wearing a vest marked Press’. It was special to share the moment with Bianca and everyone inside a very packed Wembley Arena, merely a week after the far-right anti immigration march took over the streets of London. ‘The best of humanity’ people said, in between ‘Free, free Palestine’ chanting.

And yet something for me was off. The same thing that I felt was off observing the joyous Sumud Flotilla finally sail off last weekend. It is a difficult one to give voice to without the risk of being misunderstood. But it is important that I do, so I shall try.

I do believe that solidarity matters: I have worked for years with organisations and communities that do amazing and necessary work to raise funds and support people in need in the worst humanitarian crises. I also believe in speaking truth to power and over the years I have marched and chanted in the streets of all the cities where I lived. I also, still, believe in politics: in getting involved from the grassroots up, in canvassing and in creating space for people’s voices to be heard. I will forever stand up and show up as a human being caring for those whose voices are silenced.

But I worry that the protests, the solidarity and the outrage will not help end the impunity of Israel over Gaza and beyond. However difficult this is to achieve, and however long it will take, the end of impunity must be the goal: and it can only happen through a shift in diplomatic and geopolitical power dynamics in the Middle East and globally. My worry is that while we come together in solidarity with the Palestinian people, to protest our outrage, to raise awareness on the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding, we are not paying sufficient attention and saying enough about how little is happening on the diplomatic and geopolitical front.

Because without some courageous diplomacy, the genocide will not stop.

Next week heads of states will meet in New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), and the recognition of a Palestinian state is on the agenda. Given the dire state of multilateralism, this is no mean feat. Over the summer a few countries, including France, Canada and the UK declared their intention to support this: Trump’s response was to deny Palestinian officials their visas to travel to New York and be in the room and around the table at the UN for this vital discussion about their future. Then Netanyahu bombed Doha, a neutral site for diplomatic action, and Rubio basically said it is fine by me. Last week Israel started the much anticipated land invasion of Gaza, to almost no international reaction, let alone ‘outrage’. This was timed precisely to move ahead before any progress on recognising Palestine as an independent state at the UN, so that the rules of international law would not apply. Closer to home, yesterday Trump was received like a king by the British monarchy in full pageantry and today will be wined and dined by Starmer in exchange of a (much needed) £150bn investment in the UK economy. Hopefully, it won’t be enough to make the PM change his mind about the need to recognise the Palestinian state.

So my point is: it is right to ask governments to divest, to stop selling arms to Israel and for all of us to boycott businesses profiting from the war. It is also important to raise awareness about the humanitarian catastrophe, and the children murdered. It is good to raise money to support doctors in Gaza and organisations working with orphaned children, like ‘Together For Palestine’ - a humanitarian fundraiser - did last night.

But we also need to keep our eyes on the stuff the does not touch our hearts as much, but still really matters if there is chance in hell to see the end of this genocide. Where is the pressure to get our governments to recognise the Palestinian state? Where is the fundraiser to support local independent journalists in Gaza? (I am soon organising one, so watch this space). Where is the protest to demand that the US grants visas for Palestinian officials?

This is not the stuff of movements or even campaigning, but there was enough of us at Wembley last night and around the world with voice and power to make sure that we do not stop with love, solidarity and outrage but go the extra, difficult, mile of believing and investing in the slow and imperfect, but much needed, acts of courageous diplomacy. And demand to see it in action.