They Fell as Martyrs by Israeli Bullets … But What If the Bullets Were Palestinian?
On September 6, 2024, an Israeli sniper in the Beita area, south of Nablus in the West Bank, fired fatal shots to the head of American activist of Turkish origin, Aisha Nur Ezgi, who was participating in an event in support of the Palestinian people. This is not the first crime, and it is certain that it will not be the last on the path of martyrdom on the land of Palestine, which will remain the most compelling cause for all the free people of the world.
Since the 1970s, the Palestinian struggle has witnessed a large influx of thousands of citizens from various countries, who joined all the military and social institutions affiliated with Palestinian resistance factions. Some became part of the Palestinian social and family fabric, while others fell as martyrs in military confrontations and among the ranks of refugees in camps. Some returned to their homelands after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, while others requested to be buried in Palestine or in the camps, like the Italian fighter Franco Fontana, who fought for years with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He returned to Italy after the Palestinian resistance left Lebanon, and came back in 2015, passing away in June. His wish was fulfilled when he was buried in the Cemetery of the Martyrs of the Revolution near the Shatila camp, with his family coming from Italy to attend.
Some of those who returned to their countries continued their struggle in various ways in support of Palestine. Others shared their experiences by forming political and social frameworks, thus solidifying a new phenomenon that gradually expanded. Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people was no longer limited to traditional activities such as popular movements within other countries, but a significant portion of the supporters preferred to express their solidarity directly in the field. They either joined the Palestinians in popular movements opposing the occupation and its practices against the people of Palestinian cities, camps, and villages, or contributed directly to support projects overseen and funded by social institutions.
The First Intifada in 1987 was a pivotal moment in changing the perspective of some foreign nationals toward the Palestinian struggle. Visits to the occupied Palestinian territories increased month after month as the Intifada progressed, and this phenomenon deepened during the Independence Intifada of 2000. The solidarity movements became broader and more organized, especially after the establishment of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement in 2005. The occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip became a destination for free people in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, coming from more than 150 countries, proclaiming their loyalty to humanity and to justice that remains absent from the land and skies of Palestine.
The foreign supporters came from all social groups: parliamentarians, politicians, artists, doctors, engineers, painters, musicians, journalists, university professors, students, members of social institutions, creators, and specialists in various forms of creativity, both poor and wealthy. They were united by the suffering of the Palestinian people and by their shared love for a cause that remains a central symbol of humanity.
1) Harold Fischer:
A 68-year-old German citizen and a physical therapy doctor, who was living in the town of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. He was martyred as a result of a shell fired by the Israeli army during their attack on the town in December 2000.
2) Raffaele Cirillo:
An Italian citizen, 42 years old, working as a photojournalist. He came to the city of Ramallah in the West Bank on assignment for the newspaper Corriere della Sera to cover the events of the Second Intifada. In March 2002, he was martyred by a bullet fired by an Israeli soldier.
3) Iain Hook:
A 54-year-old British man, working as the manager of a relief team for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). His mission was to assist Palestinian refugees in rebuilding Jenin camp in the West Bank. He was martyred by a bullet fired by an Israeli sniper in December 2002, while he was inside a UN compound with a group of employees.
4) Rachel Corrie:
A 23-year-old Jewish-American citizen known for her support of the national rights of the Palestinian people. She was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). In March 2003, during the Second Intifada, she was martyred in the Gaza Strip when she stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer to prevent it from demolishing a Palestinian home. Despite wearing an orange jacket, the bulldozer driver ran her over, which confirms the intentionality of her killing.
5) James Miller:
A 34-year-old Welshman who worked as a filmmaker and photojournalist. He produced several films that won international awards. He came to Gaza to film a documentary about children titled Death in Gaza for the BBC. While filming the final section in the Rafah area in southern Gaza, an Israeli armored vehicle fired a volley of live bullets from a nearby location, hitting him directly and leading to his martyrdom in May 2003.
6) Tom Hurndall:
A British journalist and human rights activist, aged 22 when he was martyred by an Israeli soldier›s bullet in January 2004 while protecting a Palestinian child from heavy gunfire in Rafah. He had participated in various popular protests throughout Gaza and the West Bank, serving as a mirror to the truth through his camera, which documented the suffering of the Palestinian people.
16) Freedom Flotilla Activists:
In response to the siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, a group of 750 international activists from 37 countries, most of them Turkish nationals, announced their intention to break the illegal blockade on Gaza by sailing ships to deliver humanitarian aid to the area. The ship Mavi Marmara was part of a group of ships known as the «Freedom Flotilla.» Despite the clear humanitarian mission, the Israeli navy attacked the ship in May 2010 on its way to Gaza, firing heavily and leading to the martyrdom of ten activists and the injury of more than fifty others.
17) Shireen Abu Akleh:
Palestinian journalist holding U.S. citizenship. She was deliberately targeted by Israeli soldiers in May 2022 while covering an Israeli army raid on Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. She was wearing a blue press vest and was well known to the soldiers, which confirms the intentional nature of her killing aimed at terrorizing journalists and preventing them from reporting on crimes against the Palestinian people.
18) Nur Ezgi:
A 26-year-old Turkish citizen who also held U.S. nationality. She carried the suffering of the Palestinian people in her heart and mind and insisted on coming to Palestine to join their struggle. A recent graduate with a degree in psychology, she arrived in Palestine and within two days, she was in the field, contributing to efforts to support and protect Palestinian farmers from the violations of the Israeli occupation and settlers as part of the «Fazaa» campaign, alongside other international activists. While participating in a weekly anti-settlement protest in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, Israeli soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators, hitting her directly in the head, which led to her martyrdom.
In the face of the greatness of martyrdom and humanity, which knows no bounds and faces no obstacles, we stand in high regard for the sacrifices of all those who gave their lives under the banner of the struggle for Palestine and in support of its people. However, despite this noble human sentiment from citizens of countries thousands of miles away from Palestine, Western countries continue not only to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, particularly in Gaza and Palestine in general, but they also ignore the rights of their own citizens who were martyred in Palestine at the hands of Israeli soldiers.
The fundamental characteristic of Western countries’ treatment of their citizens who show solidarity and support for the Palestinian people is racism and blind bias in favor of Israel. In every detail of this reality, Israel plays a central role, turning concepts like justice, human rights, and democracy into empty slogans, devoid of meaning when they conflict with the political interests of Israel, which takes priority—even over the rights of their own citizens. There are numerous examples of this. Meanwhile, these same rights are elevated to a sacred level in other cases when Israel is not involved.
In 2016, Italian researcher Giulio Regeni was killed in Egypt under mysterious circumstances, with his body found about 50 days after his disappearance. Despite the cooperation shown by Cairo in investigating the crime, Italian judicial authorities launched an investigation and charged four officers, even after another Italian court decided to suspend the trial. This incident sparked a campaign in Italy, fueled by some right-wing movements, calling for actions against Egypt. The issue almost escalated into a diplomatic crisis before it was resolved through diplomatic and political measures, closing the case.
It is natural for Italian authorities to protect their citizens› interests both inside and outside Italy, as this is internationally recognized under international law and falls under the umbrella of international responsibility when a country defends its citizens abroad. This is standard practice when the individual cannot participate in international relations.
This concept is expected to be inherent in international relations, as numerous crises have arisen between states due to violations of foreign nationals› rights, and many crises have been resolved through legal, diplomatic, or judicial means, or through compensation. However, when it comes to the targeting of foreigners in Palestine by Israeli soldiers, who have deliberately killed and wounded dozens of international activists, we have not seen any Western state invoke «international responsibility» in prosecuting Israel for the crimes its soldiers committed against foreign citizens, whose only «crime» was declaring solidarity with the Palestinian people and their national rights.
The political hypocrisy and double standards of Western nations in dealing with this issue manifest daily, the most recent example being just days ago. Two contradictory U.S. stances on two similar incidents came to light:
First, Israel discovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, one of them being American citizen Hirsch Goldberg. President Biden commented on the news by saying, «Let it be clear: Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes they committed,» even though Hamas stated that the captives were killed by American weapons during Israeli airstrikes, which were responsible for the hostages› deaths.
Meanwhile, the U.S. response was different regarding the martyrdom of American activist Aisha Nur Ezgi, with the White House expressing «concern» over the tragic death of an American citizen in the West Bank and stating that they had contacted Israel to request more information and an investigation into the incident.
It is clear that the U.S. administration has no intention of even reproaching Israel for its crime. We have witnessed numerous American activists martyred by Israeli bullets, yet the U.S. has never addressed these crimes as it is now prioritizing the release of American prisoners held by Palestinian resistance factions. The blood of American citizens appears to be of no significance when shed by Israeli bullets. Wars can be waged on nations or revolutionary movements over the killing of a single American citizen, as long as Israel is not involved or if the accused state or movement is in opposition to Israel or the U.S.
The core issue is not the principle of defending citizens belonging to Western nations, as this occurs daily around the world, and many international and bilateral agreements cover such matters. The problem lies in the political exploitation of the blood of Western citizens and the differing responses depending on whether Israel is involved. The U.S. approach to dealing with the targeting of its citizens in Palestine and beyond is mirrored by many Western nations whose citizens have been targeted in Palestine by Israeli soldiers.
What troubles Israel and its Western allies is that the global solidarity movement with the Palestinian people and their national rights has found its way forward and now poses a threat to Israel and its false narrative in Western countries. Israel, along with its Western NATO allies, sees this movement as a serious threat not only to Israel but also to the interests of imperialist nations. Therefore, the issue is not negligence or failure to address the injustices against those in solidarity with Palestinian rights; rather, the silence is part of a message from these countries to their citizens: any solidarity with Palestine and its people will not be protected if they face harm. This is evident even within these countries, where their citizens are pursued for their solidarity activities and stances, often under the pretext of the pre-packaged charge of «anti-Semitism.»
The «Foreign Affairs Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine» highly appreciates and honors the sacrifices of hundreds of martyrs and wounded international activists who expressed their support for Palestine, its people, and its resistance through their blood and suffering, rejecting colonialism and the last remaining occupation on Earth that Palestine continues to endure. It calls upon Western nations—political parties, parliaments, unions, social institutions, media professionals, journalists, and intellectuals—to awaken their consciences in addressing the Palestinian cause, recognizing it as the struggle of a people fighting for their freedom against a racist and fascist movement that occupied their land with direct support from Western nations, especially the United States. Through its blatant support for the Israeli entity, the U.S. has become a full partner in the ongoing genocide the Palestinian people have endured for over 76 years.
While we salute the popular movements in the U.S. and across Western nations, we call for the continued support of our Palestinian people and their resistance in Gaza and the West Bank, who face a racist occupation that only believes in terror and killing as a means to achieve its goals. We are confident that the free peoples of the world will lead the Palestinian people to their rightful goal of freedom and an independent state free from occupation and dependency on its land occupied in 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of all refugees in accordance with U.N. Resolution 194.