International institutions: a mirror for the powerful and an altar for Palestinian rights

Over the past decades, Palestinians have placed their hopes in international institutions, viewing them as a haven for truth, a source of justice, a refuge for those with lost rights, and a tool to compel the occupation to implement resolutions it has long ignored.

The files were placed before the General Assembly and the Security Council, cases were referred to the International Court of Justice and international tribunals, and countless resolutions were issued. But what has actually been achieved? The answer is painful yet clear: nothing significant. We are still under occupation, settlements continue to sprout and expand, and the Nakba continues in new forms.

The truth that has become clear today, and which we sometimes refuse to acknowledge, is that we believed the lie of "international legitimacy," only to discover decades later that these institutions, despite their massive structures and prominent names, do not have the capacity or will to establish justice or uphold rights in a world of power, where Washington controls the veto keys and the balance of decisions, making these institutions a mirror that reflects the positions of influential countries, nothing more.

We have long lived with this illusion, believing that the accumulation of decisions and statements would one day lead to radical change. But these have been nothing more than ink on paper: condemnations and denunciations, calls for restraint, or others without an implementation mechanism. Even if they exist, they are never implemented, as there is no intention to do so. Or perhaps recommendations that never emerge from the corridors of the lavish halls.

The price we paid for this illusion was enormous: political sterility, constant betting on illusions, and endless postponement of confronting reality. Our cause was suspended between an unmoving "international legitimacy" and an unforgiving battlefield. While the world was busy issuing "balanced" statements and declarations, fearing accusations of anti-Semitism, the Gaza Strip was being annihilated, Jerusalem was being swallowed up, the West Bank was being dismembered, the occupation was being entrenched, and settlements were expanding.

During the aggression on Gaza, the United States stood as a solid "barrier" to the issuance of any Security Council resolution condemning the occupation or ordering a halt to the genocide. Even when it was issued, it was devoid of substance. The scene was repeated - previously - time after time, and with every massacre committed by the occupation, the international community expressed its concern to varying degrees. Despite this, the crime continued unabated, as if no one was "worried" at all.

The tragedy of the Palestinians lies not only in the scale of the injustice inflicted upon them, but also in the nature of the stakes. Their long history of struggle was reduced to a strategy of winning the legal "battle," while the balance of power on the ground was never in our favor. Resolutions piled up on the shelves of oblivion, and international law was emptied of its substance when it was not coupled with an implementation mechanism or effective pressure. Most dangerous of all, this stake stripped the Palestinians of the tools for action, creating a state of sterile waiting, like waiting for a mirage in a desert that never yields justice.

The problem lies not in the texts, but in the illusion of sovereignty and the lack of will on the part of these institutions, which possess neither independent authority nor a real capacity to impose justice or uphold rights. They speak only when permitted, remain silent when demanded, and are often used as a tool to beautify an ugly reality, not to change it.

There's no doubt that our shock at the judicial institutions was greater, as they were not significantly different. We saw unprecedented speed in other, less urgent cases, while there was a severe and deliberate delay in taking action when our blood was being shed, clearly revealing their double standards and absolute incompetence.

This is not a call to withdraw from international institutions, but rather a call to understand them for what they really are. They are neither saviors nor independent, but rather a reflection of the balance of power. They did not lie to us, but we believed that they were capable. Therefore, we need to rebuild our tools and stop waiting for justice that will not come from councils that do not meet until it is too late. It is time to open our eyes and build strategies and policies that do not rely on the illusion of justice, but on the power of truth.

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The tragedy of the Palestinians lies not only in the extent of the injustice inflicted upon them, but also in the nature of the stakes. Their long history of struggle has been reduced to a strategy of winning the legal "battle," while the balance of power on the ground has never been in our favor.