The Indo-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) organised a public meeting at the Press Club of India on Thursday to mark what organisers described as the 1,000th day of the "genocide in Gaza" since October 7, 2023. The event brought together diplomats, journalists, academics, activists and writers, who expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for an end to the conflict and Israeli occupation.
The programme opened with readings from the works of Palestinian poets, including the late Refaat Alareer, whose poem If I Must Die was recited as a tribute. Poems by Mosab Abu Toha, Mahmoud Darwish, Lisa Suhair Majaj and verses by Faiz Ahmed Faiz were also presented.
The chief speaker, Ranjan Solomon, who recently returned from the West Bank, shared his observations from his visit to Palestine. Speaking on the theme "Memory, Resistance, and the Unfinished Question: The Ongoing Nakba," he argued that the displacement of Palestinians that began in 1948 remains an ongoing reality. He described the preservation of house keys by displaced Palestinian families as symbols of their continued claim to their homes and identity.
Solomon said the conflict should be viewed in the broader historical context of displacement, occupation and competing claims over land. He maintained that continued expansion of Israeli settlements raises questions about the viability of a future Palestinian state and called for an end to the occupation as a prerequisite for a just peace.
The special guest, Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, thanked IPSN for organising the event and expressed appreciation for the solidarity shown by participants. Sharing that members of his own extended family had been killed during the conflict, he urged audiences to examine the historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict and argued that lasting peace requires justice and recognition of Palestinian rights.
Senior journalist Prabir Purkayastha said the conflict should not be viewed as a religious confrontation between Jews and Muslims but rather in the context of geopolitics and imperialism. He referred to the historical circumstances surrounding the creation of Israel and the role of Western powers, while expressing hope that the resilience of Palestinians would sustain their struggle for statehood.
The meeting was chaired by activist Maimoona Mollah, who read a solidarity statement supporting the people of Palestine as well as those affected by conflicts in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Participants reiterated their demand for an end to Israeli occupation and called for a peaceful and just resolution of the conflict.
During the programme, Prabir Purkayastha was felicitated in recognition of what organisers described as his stand against state repression.
Among those attending were Annie Raja, Syeda Hameed, Chaman Lal, Bezwada Wilson, journalists, writers, academics and civil society representatives.
Concluding the programme, senior journalist John Dayal said that, according to figures he cited, 226 Palestinian journalists had been killed in Gaza during the conflict. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who have lost their lives in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 1948.
The organisers said IPSN would continue to expand campaigns and advocacy initiatives in support of Palestinian rights and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
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