By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

FOR whatever reason, the Philippine government, along with 44 other countries abstained in the UNGA vote calling for a humanitarian pause in Gaza. An overwhelming majority of 120 countries voted in favor of the resolution, with 14 against (led by Israel and the US).

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) describes a humanitarian pause as a “temporary cessation of hostilities purely for humanitarian purposes”, to allow aid into war zones. It requires “the agreement of all relevant parties”, and is usually in force for “a defined period and specific geographic area”. It is different from a ceasefire.

OCHA defines ceasefire as “a suspension of fighting agreed upon by the parties to the conflict, typically as part of a political process”. It is “intended to be long-term”. Reuters reported that a call for a ceasefire “have been growing louder worldwide” as “Israel’s bombardment of Gaza escalates into a humanitarian crisis and communications blackout, with hundreds of thousands of people protesting in cities around the world in support of Palestinians.”

Out of the eleven Southeast Asian countries, ten of which are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), nine were in favor (Brunei, Burma, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), only the Philippines and Cambodia abstained.

Al Jazeera reported that hundreds took to the streets in Manila against the government’s decision to abstain in the UNGA vote. In addition to these protests, Christian-Muslim alliances, who believe that the war in Gaza could easily ignite a flash point for the escalation of war in the Asia-Pacific region and other strategic areas, are also organizing to stop the hostilities and pursue dialogue to prevent a world war. The voice of organized religions, or their laity, are faint, or worse, muted.

Because social media is under the control of superpowers, there abounds so much propaganda, using religious paradigms, reformulation of Biblical interpretations, prayers being passed containing distortion of religious events, justifying ethnic cleansing, to which the majority of the people are duped into believing the “truth” peddled by paid social media influencers and rabid extremists on all sides. As a counter-truth, some juxtaposed the positioning of US senators and representatives in their “unspeakable sorrow” about Ukraine, and their acceptance that in Gaza, “casualties are normal in war.”

People can only rely on their better judgment to find the elusive truth, by going back in history, seeking more objective reporting and first-hand accounts from the victims themselves. Knowing the truth will not end the war, even if we find it in the mire: “Swimming in a wave of lies, in an ocean of blood, clutching debris to survive, will you live, will you die, it is not up to you, it is not up to me.” (Aleppo in the sky, G Spot 2017)

Citizens are not the same as their governments. Often, they represent interests that are allied to the interests of superpowers and to ensure their own political survival. Under the circumstances when the government blatantly betrays the trust of its citizens, it is incumbent for communities to organize for its self-preservation, to uphold the ideals that bind them to the other communities of the world. #

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments