Palestine: Ten Lessons from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

1. The people of Ukraine are “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” while Palestinians are Arab and have darker complexion. Lesson one, empathy and recognition of pain and suffering is color coded and race still matters in 2022.
2. Palestine, like Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Syria where violence is normal and death is “baked” into the culture while Ukraine is a “European city” that is modern and advanced and these things are not supposed to happen in this area. Lesson two, Western and European history is but a long series of erasures, amnesia and deeply held view of exceptionalism.
3. Volunteering to fight in defense of the Ukraine from outside is a heroic act, which indeed it is, but volunteering to resist settler colonialism and Apartheid is framed as “terrorism” by Western powers. Lesson three, Palestinians are demonized no matter what heroic acts they underake.
4. When an officer in the Ukraine blows himself and destroys a bridge to prevent the Russian from advancing then he is celebrated for this sacrifice. Lesson four, Palestinians are demonized for merely being Palestinians and any and all resistance are framed as terrorism.

5. Sport teams and famous sport figures can express solidarity and carry the Ukrainian flag, post messages on the electronic…