Last year, the UN General Assembly passed the 72/282 resolution which recognised July 11th as the annual occasion for the world to remember the Srebrenica genocide thirty years prior. As the UN vowed to remember and “never repeat”, an observance day is meaningless as the West has repeated its mistake in Gaza, three decades later.
The world watches again, silently while the West continues to fund a war machine. Israel is mercilessly starving Gaza’s children one by one, on the basis of being Palestinian. The UN promised that the West Bank and Gaza were “safe zones”, where civilians could live in safety and would be taken care of.
Earlier this week, reports emerged from the Egyptian-Israeli border, showcasing how hundreds of trucks delivered by the UN were ready to help Palestinians. However, all of this is useless as long as Israel controls the border. The aid delivery has been halted as Israeli forces continue to block any sort of aid. This is not the first time; for Muslims, this is a déjà vu situation.
Thirty years ago, the UN was slow to react when Serbia tried to ethnically cleanse BiH (Bosnia i Herzegovina) from Bosniaks, whose only crime had been to vow to Allah instead of an Orthodox God. It took over a year for the UN to react, which only resulted in a few peacekeepers. The Dutch Legion, which was supposed to protect the population, was too passive and lacked resources to carry out its desired operations. Although the genocide was eventually stopped as the UN hit back, it was too late. The damage had been gone, a nation had lost several thousands of men, women, and children because the West passively watched.
After 1996, when Bosnia was saved from Serbian forces, the West assured it would never happen again. Srebrenica is full of widows with stories of survival. It is not only Srebrenica, but also Tuzla, Foča, Bratunac, and Prijedor. An entire system was geared towards the extermination of Muslims in BiH.
It comes to no surprise that BiH has become one of the most outspoken countries in Europe when it comes to Israel’s oppression against Palestinians. I was in Sarajevo last week as Bosnians took their anger to the streets, demanding justice for their Muslim brothers in Palestine. Across the city, many signs supporting Gaza can be found. One of them read: “Srebrenica yesterday, Gaza today”.
For most Bosnians, there has not been a possibility to reconcile with Serbs. Serbia does not recognize its wrongdoings, denying it has committed a genocide. Much of the nation has a hard time believing the world can watch once again, with the atrocities, this time, playing out on social media.
Every step of the genocide in Srebrenica has been repeated in Gaza. Muslims have been once again dehumanized, with Israeli officials regularly referring to them as sub-humans (animals, in some cases!), followed by claims that a high birthrate count meant a genocide was impossible. Similarly, Serbia regularly filmed their victims being given food to deny any claims of human-made starvation. Off the camera, it was a different story. Republika Srpska (the administrative region of Srebrenica) forces did not allow any foreign correspondent to step foot on the region, thus gatekeeping the systematic killing of Bosniaks.
Despite all the proof, the EU has often resorted to claiming they are “highly alarmed” and requested the application of international law. Despite protests requesting to stop trade with Israel, this has not been the case. In the US, several high-profile politicians requested an “end” to the war, conveniently omitting the US funding of Israel in its war efforts. Similarly, the West placed UN peacekeepers in a “safe zone” which became a zone of humanitarian desolation soon after. Soon after, Serbian forces invaded a majority of the so-called safe zone, as they started a siege over the city.
The West has failed Srbrenica, Bosniaks and its survivors. Many of them remain alive, with the Srebrenica Memorial Center fighting for the right to keep the memory alive. To never forgive and forget. The West promised; but it once again betrayed Bosniaks. It is impossible to claim to honour Srebrenica while remaining silent about Gaza. It is a full déjà-vu situation, with the West failing the test. Gaza should have been where the West would demonstrate it learned. This is where harsh resistance against a genocidal and colonial power attempting to ethnically cleanse its lands, as well as the West Bank and Gaza, from Palestinians should have been formed.
The West opted for diplomacy in 1992-1996.The Dutch forces, in good faith, negotiated with Ratko Mladić. They did not patrol the convoys, which led to his forces separating Bosniak men from their children, before murdering them, one by one. Similarly, the West believes it should opt for discussions and constant negotiations with Netanyahu and his government in order to help Palestinians. As a child, I believed the right to eat was universal. I have been taught, through Srebrenica and Gaza, that some humans are less equal than others.
Thirty years apart, and indigenous Muslims are facing powers trying to cleanse them out of the country. And once again, safe zones aren’t safe, and the West is silently complicit. This time, there are protests in the West. Still, this is not enough for the West to happily condemn war machines while watching an ethnic cleansing. How many times will the West watch these scenes, while contenting itself to keep supporting the economy of genocidal maniacs?
To care about Gaza, is also to honour Srebrenica. To stay silent is to fail them. To teach about Srebrenica while remaining silent about Gaza is disgusting hypocrisy.
