Never Again?

I have been in interfaith spaces for 23 years and in the U.N. spaces for eight years. Every year on December 9th, an International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime is commemorated, mourned as we remember the crimes against humanity with the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge, the Kurds in Iraq, Rwanda, Bosnia/Kosovo, Darfur and Sudan. We, you, and especially the Western Democracies have implemented numerous initiatives, forums and conferences and at extravagant events we declare that a genocide will never happen again, not on our watch. 

 Well, where are you all now? 

 As a reminder, the definition contained in Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) describes genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part. 

 We have in many weeks heard Israeli politicians spell their intent to exterminate Palestinians from Gaza on video, we have read it in print. It is not only talk, they have implemented it with the belligerent bombing of schools, hospitals, UN facilities, places of worship and apartment buildings as evidenced by the plethora of video footage thanks to the brave Palestinian reporters. The fact that Western media is barred from entering Gaza should inform governments of the nefarious intentions of Israel, shouldn’t it?    

 If ridding Hamas, a terrorist organization, is the intent then we also know bombing civilians and infrastructures is a failed strategy. To the contrary. There has been plenty of research concluding that eradicating terrorism requires the military, a counter narrative to the violent ideology as well as addressing the root causes. Well, the one counter narrative and solution is a two-state solution. Can we finally end this 75 years of occupation once and for all?

 With the exception of Ireland, for too many weeks I have watched the Western "democracies" sit on the sidelines watching innocent Palestinians dismembered, not just in Gaza but in the West Bank as well. What a contrast to your reaction to the annihilation of villages in Ukraine and its citizens. Your racism is palpable. You no longer have any moral standing. And most evident, your championing of human rights principles is a farce. And the biggest hypocrite is my American government. 

 To commemorate this sad state of our humanity this December 9, MPV will be releasing a series highlighting ongoing genocides throughout the world as a reminder... "Never Again".

 Onward and downward…

 Ani Zonneveld,

President & Founder