Symbolism for Palestinians is impunity for Israeli colonialism

There is no disputing that human rights discourse safeguard the interests of former and current colonial powers. When the ceasefire was announced, it carried strong symbolism for the international community, as it provided the veneer of having acted in cohesion to halt a genocide that it willingly allowed in the first place. Almost three years since Israel commenced its genocide in Gaza, Palestinians are still being killed, suffering the consequences of extreme temperatures due to inadequate shelter, and deprived of food and other basic humanitarian needs including health care access. Palestinians are living, resilient proof that hope and symbolism translate to nothing other than further impunity for the coloniser, all under the hypocritical banner of hope.

Last week, Paris granted honorary citizenship to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as Palestinian journalists working in the Middle East. According to Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, the honorary citizenship was “more than a symbolic gesture” and reflected “a political and moral commitment to peace”. 

Yet in the same report by Wafa  news agency, the Paris City Council described the honorary citizenship as “a symbolic act of solidarity with Palestinian civilians and journalists working in conflict areas, amid a growing erosion of humanitarian and media protections in the region.”

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Of course, the honorary citizenship is symbolic. It carries no tangible rights and, more importantly, it steps in as a substitute for human rights. Granting honorary citizenship does not give Palestinians protection from genocide or colonialism.

Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are still living under the same horrific conditions created by Israel and funded by the international community; be it through complicity with Israel or the humanitarian projects that fund more dependence than autonomy. 

Honorary citizenship for Palestinians, like any other gestures including symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state while Israel colonises more territory, only serves the narrative of symbolism itself. The Paris City Council’s honorary citizenship event only reflects what happens daily at a global level when it comes to Palestinians’ political and human rights. All have been trampled upon and substituted for vague references to commitment to peace. However, following the lead of other international institutions in different symbolic gestures, the Paris City Council has not explained the stages of its ‘political and moral commitment to peace’, because there are none. 

What the Paris City Council concocted reflects the deterioration of human rights on a global scale. If human rights have been hijacked by symbolic gestures, why does human rights discourse still exist, knowing that it falls strictly within the realm of symbolism which is a form of political violence in itself? 

When symbolism makes an appearance, symbolism must be rejected. Honorary citizenship for Palestinians is degrading for a people that are still fighting for their own self-determination and for the liberation of their land. What will Palestinians do with symbolic gestures when all is stolen from them? In the end, if Israel colonises what remains of Palestine, not even the symbolic gestures will have a narrative to sustain them. The international community is determined not to equate colonialism with obliteration, and Paris has emulated the same trajectory, to the detriment of the Palestinians people. 

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