‘Never forget’: For Palestinians, every day is 9/11 amid Israeli-American genocidal war

By Musa Iqbal

It has been 23 years since the cataclysmic September 11th attacks in the United States - attacks that went on to change the global dynamics for years to come, ushering in an era of a mutated and increasingly violent American imperialism in the garb of “war on terror.” 

The attacks - orchestrated by Al Qaeda cells that were ironically armed and trained decades before by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - claimed the lives of 2,977 Americans as hijacked airplanes flew into different targets across the US eastern seaboard - striking New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania.

“Never forget” became the slogan in the wake of the attacks that caught the imagination of the world.

Despite US intelligence seemingly knowing that attacks were imminent, despite US involvement in the arming and training of terrorist cells that eventually became Al Qaeda, “never forget” became the takeaway for the brazen acts of terror inflicted on mostly ordinary Americans. 

What came immediately after the attacks via the Bush Doctrine was unimaginable horror – invasions and bombings across Asia and Africa, mostly Muslim-majority countries, in the so-called “war on terror.”

Afghanistan was subjected to two decades of brutal and criminal occupation after being carpet bombed on the pretext of decimating the Al Qaeda and Taliban. Over a million Iraqis were murdered as Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden continued their reckless occupation of the country.

Syria was invaded and partially occupied, Libya was brutally bombed and Colonel Gadaffi, the one-time ally of the West – was assassinated - just to name a few key events triggered by the events of 9/11.

The United States used 9/11 - where just short of three thousand lives were lost - to go on a murderous rampage against the Muslim world. Even on its own soil, Muslims were rounded up, interrogated, spied on, and profiled amongst other things via the expansion of the National Security Agency. 

We could go into the true motives of the US - conquest and exploitation - installing exploitative pipelines for its own corporations in Afghanistan, oil in Iraq and Syria, etc - but let us just entertain the US’ own political line for a brief moment - that all of this murder and mayhem, all of this destruction - was “payback” for three thousand lives lost. It was to ensure it never happens again.

If the US is allowed to declare war against millions of people - unrelated to Al Qaeda - for the sake of three thousand lives lost in a day, what about Palestine where the death toll is approaching 50,000 (if it has not passed it already) in less than a year?

The official death toll from Gaza after October 7th, 2023 is just over 41,000 (a conservative estimate) 340 days later - roughly 120 killed per day. That is September 11th, 2001 in less than 30 days for 11 consecutive months for the people of Palestine. 

These are, of course, direct casualties. Indirect murder takes longer to calculate, and the fact of the matter is thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are still missing, trapped under the rubble and unaccounted for. This is a presumption they are still alive, buried beneath thousands of pounds of rubble. 

All of this, while the Israeli regime still continues its horrific incursions into the occupied West Bank, with the same modus operandi - killing and maiming women, and children, and even now murdering an American peace activist with a gunshot to the head. 

The hypocrisy is clear, but of course, we are dealing with the system of imperialism. Within imperialism, there is no moral standard, and morality itself is irrational.

In a just world, a country that was subject to losing three thousand of its own people in a single attack would show some level of empathy with the crimes against humanity conducted by the Zionist entity. 

However, we do not live in a just world. Because the bombs dropped on Palestinians in Gaza, the bullets piercing children’s bodies, and the planes causing Palestinian toddlers to have heart attacks from fear - are all made in the US and provided to the Tel Aviv regime by rulers in Washington.

They are shipped to the Israeli occupation with the blessing of the American political system. And Israeli war crimes are never met with the scrutiny of the so-called international “community” (which is largely just a Western term for US vassal states and puppets) because of American hegemonic control.

9/11 anniversary

This episode takes a look back at 9/11 and its repercussions inside the US and around the world.

Understanding the political orientation between the US and Palestine makes the comparison even more vulgar - the former is a violent imperialist state that rose to power because of racial slavery and subjugation, and the latter is an occupied land fighting for its very existence against the most brutal imperialists in the world. 

Nevertheless, the US political and media arm will take to their radio waves this week to once again say “Never forget.” But these same radio waves will cheer on the death and destruction of Palestinian life - and condemn those willing to defend themselves against an all-out genocide. 

“Never forget.” The American politicians will sign bills and take to their social media accounts to gloat about their brazen support for the Zionist death cult dropping bombs on hospitals and schools in Gaza.

“Never forget.” The American media arm will play a montage of the morning of the 9/11 attacks while never offering so much as a second worth of fair coverage of the carnage unfolding in Gaza.

“Never forget.” All of America will continue about their day as usual, while the tax dollars derived from their revenue will go into the unstopping production of bombs, bullets, and rockets that will be targeting the next Palestinian child. 

What exactly is being implied that should not be forgotten? If it is the cruel and barbarous act of the death of thousands of innocents within moments, then that was forgotten long ago.

The horror of the 9/11 attacks was swept away with two decades of ruthless brutality inflicted on millions of innocent people, and now as genocide unfolds before the eyes of every American on their smartphones, many Americans are still deciding which genocidal candidate they plan to vote for in the November presidential election. 

It is the duty of the world now to truly practice what it means to never forget. Never forget the injustices, corruption, hypocrisy and brutality that have been exposed by the Gaza genocide.

Never forget who was silent in the face of injustice. Never forget which countries revealed themselves as traitors and collaborators, and which ones as friends and allies.

Never forget that imperialism will never have a moral positioning. 

As we approach one year of genocide in Gaza, may we never forget the thousands of lives lost, may we never forget the perpetrators, and may we honor the martyred with the pursuit of liberation, dignity, and justice. 

Musa Iqbal is a Boston-based researcher and writer with a focus on US domestic and foreign policy.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

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