IN his moving poem When Evil-Doing Comes Like Falling Rain, Bertolt Brecht powerfully describes the grim realities that marked a tumultuous era in history, and this message has not lost appeal and significance over time. The ongoing suff-ering of the oppressed people in Ukraine and Palestine paints a harrowing picture of the modern world, where imperial ambitions as well as ruthless aggression is devastating innocent lives.

Moreover, in Ukraine, the war imposed by Russia has led to widespread death and displacement, leaving scores of people homeless and hopeless. However, Palestinians have endured the theft and illegal colonisation of their rightful lands for decades. Through coercion, forced evictions, and violent expulsions, the Palestinians have been stripped of their rights, dignity and even humanity.

The sufferings in the besieged Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank have reached unimaginable and unprecedented pro-portions. Entire communities are subjected to relentless bombardment, ethnic cleansing, and ruthless massacre. Since Oct 7, there has been no pause and respite in this ongoing madness.

In Brecht’s time, the world watched in shock as the Nazis perpetrated horrors against the Jews who were considered undesirable people inferior to the German race. Today, the atrocities committed by Zionist warlords against the Palestinians have surpassed even those committed by the Nazis and the Changezis put together.

As death toll rises and unabated suffering deepens, powerful nations and institutions capable of ending these conflicts remain unmoved and indifferent. Indeed, their hibernation makes them complicit in crimes against humanity in colonised Palestine.

Qamer Soomro
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024