The hearings held at the International Court of Justice, which discussed the Israeli genocide in Gaza upon request from South Africa, had a significant impact that exceeded expectations, signaling a new and decisive wave of what can be termed as the “Aqsa Flood.” Although the outcomes of these hearings may not be legally binding or conclusive regarding sanctions, they remain an unprecedented and highly significant event, influencing the global public opinion despite being largely ignored by mainstream Western media.
In the face of this neglect, channels like Al Jazeera in both English and Arabic, and Turkey’s international channel TRT World, broadcasted all sessions live, garnering significant attention on social media platforms.
Israel, which has attempted to justify its policies and crimes over 75 years by claiming its people were victims of genocide, now faces trial for committing genocide, under the scrutiny of the entire world. We are aware that the United States, the major partner, and backer of this crime, would intervene should the international court indict Israel, using its veto power to protect it in the Security Council.
Nonetheless, this does not prevent the issue from reaching the United Nations General Assembly, where there is the possibility to call for the suspension of Israel’s membership. Regardless of the outcome, the mere positioning of Israel in this continuous defensive stance represents a significant gain for the Palestinian cause.
The strength of the case is further emphasized by South Africa, the country that brought it forward, where Muslims constitute no more than 2% of its population. This counters the reductive Israeli narrative that presents the Palestinian cause as a conflict between Islam and the modern Christian West, instead reframing it as a genuine global humanitarian issue.
This does not justify, of course, the failure of 22 Arab countries and 57 Islamic countries to initiate such action. Nevertheless, it is a bold and noble stance by South Africa, which educates its current generation under the legacy of Nelson Mandela and his historic stand against the white apartheid regime. They chose to stand alongside Gaza’s great and noble resistance against oppression, occupation, Zionist ideology, global domination, and genocide. The testimonies of those who have experienced persecution are more embarrassing for Israel and undermine the myths it was built upon.
Coincidentally, as I monitor this trial, I am located in a region that has recently experienced another imperial occupation: Afghanistan. Following years of Russian invasion and subsequent two-decade-long American occupation, the Afghan people have shown solid resistance rooted in philosophy, creed, and culture against all treacherous and unjust aspects of occupation.
Indeed, the toll has been heavy, with the United States killing at least 500,000 Afghans without distinguishing between civilians and combatants, rendering cities unlivable and branding the resistance as terrorism—and doing so without shame at a global scale. Ultimately, their attempts failed and they were forced to retreat two and a half years ago.
The American actions in Afghanistan are no different from Israel’s practices; rather, they highlight the very model that the Zionist state has emulated in its 75-year-long occupation characterized by massacres, genocide, and looting.
Logically, it is untenable to call resisting people whose lands are occupied terrorists. The United States labeled Afghan resistance against them as such, despite the bitter irony that once, those same fighters were hailed as “mujahideen” and “freedom fighters” against the Russians. And now, the United States, supporting Israeli occupation and genocide, deems Palestinian resistance as terrorism.
Yet, there is hope. At the end of the tunnel comes the light, and Afghanistan is now – for the first time in 45 years since the resistance’s victory – governed by its people. The first and most evident sign of this governance is the unprecedented stability and security not seen in the last five decades. For the first time, the government in Kabul has complete control over the country, and there’s hope for the future countrywide.
Ignore those portraying Afghanistan with a loathsome stereotypical image skillfully crafted by the Taliban. A modicum of social observation of the Afghan people in their country reveals that the Taliban isn’t an alien entity pressed upon this society; rather, it seems that the movement, in its understanding of Islam and its broader culture, is closely reflective of this people, their spirit, and their culture to the utmost, a clear and direct matter for anyone visiting the country. Behind this lies only the myths created by occupiers to disguise their imperialist desires, reflective of a failure to understand Afghan society.
To grasp that the occupiers would never truly understand the Afghan people, one only has to look at the secure compounds they built within the so-called safe zone and were forced to live in for twenty years. These high walls overwrought with security measures not only made the city as unsightly as possible but revealed that the occupiers lived virtually imprisoned of their own making when not under air bombardment. This is equally evident in their offices and residences left behind upon their forced departure. They lived in fear of their own shadows here.
In contrast to their isolation behind fortifications, Afghans exhibit an extremely welcoming culture, eagerly hosting guests in open hearts and homes. They seek to explain to visitors what occupation has done to them over 45 years and their actions in response. Those who wish to understand can come to Kabul to learn the lesson.
