Haifa Zangana, political activist: “To alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza we must stop selling weapons to Israel”

Haifa Zangana (Baghdad, 73 years old) is a veteran of political activism. She has spent almost 50 years defending diverse causes, from justice for her fellow Iraqis after the devastating war (2003-2011) to the rights of Tunisian and Palestinian political prisoners. Her work, made up of more than a dozen books, arises from these struggles and her experiences, such as her time in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison as a member of the Communist Party of Iraq or her exile to London, where she has been established since the seventy.

Journalist and former columnist for the British newspaper Guardian, Zangana visited Madrid to raise awareness about his most recent fight: the environment. Specifically, about the negative effects of the war in Gaza on the health of the thousands of people who have been living under the bombs since October. “In Gaza, a genocide of people and an ecocide of the environment is happening,” she says in a room at the Arab House. A situation that – according to her – Iraq also experienced, with serious consequences until today.

ASK. You compare what was experienced during the war in Iraq with what is happening in Gaza. Because?

ANSWER.We are seeing the destruction of the infrastructure in Gaza, buildings that when destroyed release all kinds of chemicals and toxic substances such as asbestos, which remains in the earth and in the sand they walk on and in the water they consume. [los gazatíes]. That's not counting the chemicals released by the bombs, such as white phosphorus, and the waste they leave behind. It is the same thing that happened in Iraq, in the city of Fallujah and in the southern part of the country during the war. Twenty years after the US invasion we are seeing an increase in the number of cases of cancer and malformations in newborns. There are still women who refuse to get pregnant, or even give birth, because they fear that their babies will be born with horrific deformities.

Q.That is to say, there is more death and devastation, even after the end of the conflict.

R.The crimes are documented. The policy that the United States established in Iraq caused the death of hundreds of thousands and some estimates raise the figure to up to a million; many died after the war from the chemicals used in bombings and from toxins found in the air after burning military waste. The same soldiers [estadounidenses] They also got sick, they were breathing the same air as the Iraqis. And yet no one was held accountable, which gives an idea of ​​the kind of international law we have.

Q.And do you think the same will happen with Gaza?

R.Yes, as public opinion we forget very quickly and that suits the guilty people. A couple of years after the invasion of Iraq, it became less and less interesting and I think it was a big mistake to let it go. At first, millions took to the streets to demand a ceasefire, but everyone ended up returning home due to a phenomenon that I defined as “Iraq fatigue.” Arab countries and the global south were working towards the goal of liberation and all they needed was the solidarity of Western countries, but that support soon ended.

“International law is a joke. It only applies to Arab and African leaders, for Westerners it is flexible”

Q.Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?

R.Yes, definitely. And not only is a genocide of people happening, but also an ecocide of the environment. It is not something that is only happening now, but for 17 years [con la Operación Lluvia de Verano, que dejó a más de 400 palestinos muertos]. I was in the West Bank on several occasions, without being able to enter Gaza, and I communicated with doctor friends on the ground who already told me that they got sick from drinking water, and that was when it was still available. I think those are the only terms to describe the situation.

Q.What can the international community do to alleviate this humanitarian crisis?

R.It is simple. We must stop supplying weapons to Israel. It is not just about supporting the population in their statements, we have to stop giving money and sponsoring Israel, and not just because of what has happened since October 7. There has been a continuity of violence for 75 years [en la Nakba o éxodo] and it's time for the world to open its eyes. It was not the Palestinians who subjugated the Jews in the Holocaust, it was the Europeans. It is your responsibility, not ours.

Q.Is there a double standard in the application of international law?

R.You should have seen what happened in the UK when Russia invaded Ukraine. Everyone opened their arms and their homes [a los ucranios] and the media condemned the invasion daily with justification. But we didn't see that with Iraq and we don't see it now with Palestine. It is said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but no one is saying that the Palestinians do too. The clearest example of double standards is the UN Security Council, where any resolution suggesting an end to the killing is vetoed by the US. International law is a joke. It only applies to Arab and African leaders. For Westerners it is flexible.

“In countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan, occupation, resistance and imperialism prevail over the gender issue”

Q.I want to ask you about the other axis of your work: women's rights. Has the Western feminist revolution reached Arab and Muslim women?

R.It landed decades ago in the Arab and Muslim world. With one difference: women had to adjust their ways based on the situation on the ground, especially in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan, where occupation, resistance, civil conflicts, oppressive regimes and imperialism prevail. on the gender issue. In the last 15 years, women's groups in Arab and Muslim countries have begun to identify themselves as “Islamic feminists.” It is a term also used by Muslim women who have emigrated to the West.

Q.Precisely in Western countries like France there have been great debates about the prohibition of abaya in the schools.

R.Prohibiting the use of the veil may violate the right to religious freedom. Societies that defend human dignity and equality for all must respect and celebrate diversity. The French Government's ban is nothing more than a hostile act against women, thus restricting their equal and effective participation in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life.

Q.Do you consider yourself a feminist?

R.I have to admit: I don't know. I'm tired of labels. In this five years, feminism has become more of a brand than a movement for equal rights and responsibilities that seeks to end all forms of segregation and oppression. Feminism, and I mean American and European feminists, has failed to challenge either patriarchal regimes or imperialism, especially when it comes to women's rights in postcolonial countries. So far, although not very far from feminism, I prefer to be described as an activist and humanist.

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