Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, stated that the crimes of killing, and displacing Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip is a sign of shame on the forehead of the international community, which claims that it represents the values of democracy and humanity and human rights. At the time Germany was evacuating animals from a zoo because of floods, the world was once silent and once supporting the Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Children represent the most affected social segment by the Israeli aggression where they sleep on the ground and cover themselves with the sky under cold weather and they lack the main life essentials. SHAMS Center affirmed that approaching the issue from this perception is not to make a comparison, as Palestinian children are innocent and on a noble level. Palestinian children have equal rights and dignity like the rest of the children all over the world but addressing the issue in this way is to highlight the applied double standards and the racist behavior of the Western governments. The Western countries left the colonialism era geographically, but they are still dominated by the mentality and behavior of colonialism. History is repeating itself where the colonial powers are treating other nations in an inferior degrading manner and they consider them to rank below the level of animals.
SHAMS Center expresses astonishment against the level of care and ethics that the administration of Serengeti Zoo- Hodenhagen-Hannover enjoys in dealing with the animals. This, of course, should be the behavior in all cases because animals are spirits that should be protected. The administration of the zoo evacuated more than 200 monkeys, Lemurs, Suricatas, and some Cynomys because of the heavy rain and the floods as the water reached the sheds of some of these animals. The affected animals by the flood were transferred to another safer place. The administration reported that following a sequence of days of continuous rain, the water filled the zoo, which is a wild area that sometimes one cannot move inside it but using vehicles dedicated to be used in the wild areas. The situation in the zoo became difficult and the administration decided to operate the energy generators to heat the horses’ stables and provide animals with drinking water. The zoo employees and the emergency teams from the German Civil Organization (T.H.W) built barriers to protect the horses’ stables.
SHAMS Center is asking about the reaction of some Western Governments while reading such news at the time thousands of Palestinian children are killed and their houses are demolished over their heads. In addition to that, 900 thousands Palestinian children are displaced and pushed outdoors. Palestinian children are under siege and they are denied access to drinking water and food (especially milk). Additionally, children are terrorized and their family members are killed and wounded. Children are denied access to vaccination. The schools of Palestinian children are demolished and they are deprived of the right to education. Additionally, Palestinian children are suffering from infectious diseases and pandemics. Moreover, children are facing mental disorders and psychological pressure, and trauma and these impacts are reflected in their daily lives. Children might be subject to the symptoms of these acts for their lifetime, which will contribute to damage to their future. In addition to the psychological support, children have to wait in long queues for long hours to get a shot of water or a piece of bread. All these scenes have no impact on the thinking approach of the Western governments to end the ongoing suffering and massacres. If an individual is still influenced by a novel read during their early years, a film watched in their youth, or a series depicting the oppression of children, especially one crafted by a distinguished screenwriter, directed by an expert filmmaker, and featuring a leading actor, then how does one react when witnessing real-time crimes committed against Palestinian children? Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian women and children are killed, wounded, or displaced while the world is watching silently.
SHAMS Center emphasizes that those colonial powers that built their states on the ruins of indigenous peoples through acts of genocide, plundering of wealth and resources, and undermining the civilizations and histories of those native populations, still have a history tainted with contempt for others. Until recently, some of these countries treated indigenous peoples as if they were animals. This was manifested through the establishment of legalized racist systems and laws in these countries, segregating their citizens based on race. This segregation even extended to cemeteries, allocating separate burial grounds for whites and blacks. Therefore, it is not surprising that they support the occupation and the genocide committed by the occupiers against Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip. This reveals the extent of their deceit and hypocrisy in claiming to uphold the values of freedom, democracy, equality, dignity, and human rights.
SHAMS Center affirms that the support and endorsement provided by colonial powers to the occupation in its crimes and inhumane practices against the Palestinian people, especially civilians including children and women, is based on racist attitudes. It also relies on the theory of racial superiority and the dominance of the white race over other races and societies. This supremacist theory was concocted by colonial powers to subjugate the peoples of the world, and plunder their resources, all under the false pretense of delivering civilization and culture. These countries claim to be advancing the backward and impoverished people of the world from the clutches of ignorance and poverty to centers of nobility, elevation, civilization, and culture.
SHAMS Center condemns the international silence regarding the atrocities and massacres taking place in the Gaza Strip, leading to the forced displacement of its citizens under harsh and extremely cold climatic conditions. The places where civilians have sought refuge lack the basic necessities of life, as there is a shortage of drinkable water, no electricity, heating facilities, and a lack of winter clothing, blankets, and suitable bedding for sleep. The majority of displaced children sleep on the ground inside tents that do not protect them from the winter cold and heavy rains. These conditions are unsuitable for human life. Additionally, the continued denial of entry for humanitarian aid by the Israeli occupation persists, despite UN Security Council Resolution (2720), which emphasizes the necessity of allowing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
SHAMS Center emphasizes that the harsh humanitarian conditions experienced by children in the Gaza Strip, resulting from the continued Israeli aggression, have reached an unimaginable stage unprecedented in modern times. This situation is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, characterized by decay and darkness. The dire circumstances for Palestinian children have escalated to an extreme level of hunger, pain, and suffering, where obtaining a meal for an entire week has become a challenge. Childbirth for pregnant women occurs within tents, lacking medical teams and necessary equipment, with children losing access to vaccinations and immunizations, potentially leading to the confirmed death of newborns. This brings to mind the childbirth in stables during the Middle Ages, under the oppression and persecution faced by women from the impoverished and oppressed class during the dominance of the feudal system and the nobility, enslaving farmers and the poor from the general population during that period