Political activist Jamal Jumaa says, in an article published by the British Middle East Eye website, that the unspeakable atrocities in Gaza, from the continuous bombing, the devastating famine, the mass graves that were uncovered, and the destruction of all infrastructure, are unparalleled in the history of Israeli apartheid in oppressing the Palestinians.

The rationale behind genocide is apparent when looking beyond the devastated Gaza Strip. Israel’s policies throughout historic Palestine still aim to achieve one goal: emptying the land of its original Palestinian population.

The writer – coordinator of the Palestinian Popular Campaign Against Apartheid, a network of popular movements – comments that the Palestinians are living the darkest moments in the long and painful history of the Israeli settler colonial attack. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assurances of “total victory” seem far from being achieved. The Israeli media denounces the “total defeat” on the ground and internationally.

Even the settlers’ agitation in the West Bank does not stem from a sense of progress. A recent study conducted by Reichmann University sees Israel’s settlement policy as a demographic failure.

The writer believes the Israeli project is in crisis, as the economy contracted by 20% in the last quarter of 2023. Yossi Fattal, director of the Israeli Domestic Tourism Chamber, likens Israel’s isolation to North Korea’s isolation. About 58% of all construction sites in Jerusalem and 41% in Tel Aviv and the central areas have stopped, and the technology industry continues to collapse.

Confidence that Western backers will send enough money to support Israeli settler colonialism is faltering. The two largest rating agencies in the world (Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s Global) downgraded Israel’s rating, and the International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast in half to 1.6%.

Despite the war propaganda, Israeli society is more divided than ever, and the majority wants Netanyahu and his government gone. Today, apartheid Israel is unable to see an exit strategy.

The article criticised the official leadership of the Palestinian Authority for dividing its efforts between monitoring Palestinian demonstrators in the streets and demanding recognition of a non-existent state. Still, it is doing nothing to end the genocide in Gaza and the ongoing ethnic cleansing.

Despite all this, the writer believes that the Palestinians have two sources that give them strength: steadfastness even in the darkest times and justice on their side, as the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel is committing an apparent crime of genocide in Gaza.

United Nations bodies and all internationally respected human rights organisations and institutions recognise that Israel has structurally built an apartheid system, which is a crime against humanity.

People around the world, and increasingly governments, especially in the Global South, realise that not only are the lives of 2.3 million Palestinians at stake, but also the survival of the basic principles of humanity, along with the international law system and the United Nations.

The writer said that this is the worst moment in Palestinian history and represents one of humanity’s worst failures. However, the darkest hours of the night precede dawn, and the harshest days precede the signs of victory.

He concluded by saying: We have no time to waste. By joining forces internationally, we can end genocide, overcome Israeli apartheid, and build a future of freedom, justice and equality from the river to the sea.