A ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on October 10 at noon local time. After two years of relentless bombing by Israel, nearly 70,000 men, women and children killed, a man-made famine, mass displacements and the near-total destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, the people of Gaza can breathe a sigh of relief. The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid are expected to arrive soon. After two years and three days of constant fear, this agreement offers a glimmer of hope for many.

We will have to wait and see how the ceasefire unfolds and how the reconstruction of Gaza is organized before drawing any firm conclusions. The state of Israel hasn’t been a good actor since its creation in 1948. In 1949, Israel already controlled 78% of the historic territory of Palestine. In 1967, it invaded  the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as part of a settler colonialist project: it wanted the land but not the people. The Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were not granted Israeli citizenship. Jewish settlements were established throughout the occupied territories, while building permits were denied to non-Jews.

In 1983, 127 countries voted in favour of a UN resolution recognizing the collective rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return and the right to self-determination, and affirming the overriding necessity of Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories. Canada was one of four countries that voted against it. In defiance of this and many other UN resolutions , the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank increased more than fivefold during the following three decades, rising from 98,895 in 1983 to 512,761 in 2010.

The Palestinian people are confined behind a wall supposedly built to guarantee Israel’s security but which in fact was designed to cut Palestinians off, control all their movements and effectively create an open-air prison.

So the Palestinian people have been under siege, struggling to survive against all odds, for much longer than the past two years. It has been a long fight. Their history of resistance, littered with broken treaties and dashed hopes, dates back many decades.

This history gives us cause for pause, but the ceasefire also holds out reason to hope. Perhaps the Palestinian people will finally be able to live, to thrive, and to exercise their right to self-determination. The road ahead will be long. Gaza will have to be rebuilt, as will trust.

At this time of new hope, we pay tribute to the activists who stood up to support the Palestinian people over the decades. It wasn’t easy. Around the world, those who protested have been maligned, vilified and criminalized.

Some have shown incredible strength and courage by joining the international flotillas to break the blockade of Gaza. Just a few days ago, Israel seized another flotilla and on October 10, three of the six Canadians aboard—including Nimâ Machouf—were released.

Brothers and sisters, you have gone to the demonstrations, passed resolutions of support in your unions, and upheld the tradition embodied by Michel Chartrand of supporting the struggles of oppressed peoples, including the Palestinian people. Much work remains to be done, but we are convinced that your mobilization, along with that of millions of people around the world, has played a part in sowing the seeds of change for the Palestinian people. Keep up the good fight!

Solidarity with Palestine!

Chantal Ide, General Secretary and officer responsible for international solidarity, CCMM-CSN

* For more background information, read (or reread) La conquête de la Palestine by Rachad Antonius.