Victoria Marches on Eve of Gaza Ceasefire

250 Palestine supporters mustered at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria, for the sixty-seventh weekend in a row, on the eve of a historic ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas which might put an end to fifteen months of escalation and genocide.

Regular followers of this blog know I was reduced to pause covering rallies for nearly two months due to persistent illness, and indeed hadn’t posted on a weekend Palestine protest since November 23. But I wouldn’t have missed this one, and neither would have the roughly one hundred extra people over regular attendance who greeted the news of an imminent ceasefire, set to take effect tomorrow morning, with cautious optimism.

The text of the agreement is the same reached by Hamas and Israeli negotiators on May 5 of last year, but which was staunchly rejected by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his close circle of hardliners, with the full backing of the Biden administration. Well, the change of administration in the White House led to an unexpected development as Trump, champion of the Zionist cause since opening an embassy in occupied Jerusalem in 2018, has decided his priority was to bring the hostages home—even if that meant pressuring the Israeli prime minister in the process—and is indeed credited with the diplomatic breakthrough.

Of course no reasonable observer would bet on this ceasefire holding, especially since Netanyahu has practically vowed to violate it at the first opportunity, after withholding his support until the last minute. That being said, the Israeli government is proving so unstable, especially since the ruling coalition exploded after national security minister Ben Gvir withdrew his support in protest of the ceasefire agreement, that what follows for the Jewish state is anyone’s guess. Protests against the agreement have surged since the announcement, requiring dispersal by law enforcement.

The organisers of today’s rally have decided to adjust the formula accordingly. While there was a march across town today as usual, effective next Saturday they shall be discontinued as a gesture of good faith. Instead gatherings at the Legislature are to be repurposed as organising events with breakout groups, brainstorming for innovative ways to further the Palestinian cause. After sixty-seven weekend parades in town, the respin is indeed welcome.

This is indeed by no means the end of the struggle for Palestinian liberation, even if the ceasefire does hold. For those interested, there will be two advocacy events in town by the end of the month at the Broad View United Church. One is about lessons from Jewish anti-Zionist organising and is to be held on January 27. The other is more controversial and features Othman Hamdan, who was acquitted of terrorism charges after four years of imprisonment, on January 29; judging from the reception on Reddit, there is a tangible likelihood of hostile presence to counter the event.