THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ (Nov 29), which, among other things, stated that the Palestinians have been “struggling for over seven decades to free their homeland”. The fact is that Palestine has been occupied ever since the British came to the region over a 100 years ago. They trained and gave what is Arab land to a people of their own ilk. This European occupation today under the guidance of their predecessors is continuing and perfecting what the British had taught them in terms of warfare. The genocide is actually the continuing British legacy of colonialism in the Middle East. It is hypocritical and ironic that the United Nations recognised the occupation in 1948, but then decided to observe Nov 29 every year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This was done probably to keep the Arabs from revolting against world powers. It is no wonder there are people who have doubts about the actual role being played by various UN agencies regarding the Palestine issue. Israel, a UN member that is supported by the West, has been attacking UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has been vociferously talking about the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine by the Zionist regime. In essence, such remarks by Guterres portray the United States and member countries of the European Union (EU) badly as they claim to be the champions of human rights and deliver sermons to other nations in this regard while continuing to support Israel in denying the most basic human rights to the Palestinians. One can only hope that at some point the Arabs would really wake up, sell their properties in the West, withdraw their money from bank accounts, and stop vacationing in countries that blatantly support and arm the genocide against the people of Gaza. European colonialism and American imperialism in Palestine must end in practical terms. There is no ‘two state’ solution that has been used as a cover by the West to entrench its hold in the region. As long as the occupation continues, there will never be peace in the region. The much-hyped peace between Israel and Lebanon, which Joe Biden was hoping to have in place as his face-saving exit from the White House, fell flat as the Zionist state broke the truce and attacked Lebanon. Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time a peace treaty has been broken by the Zionists, and it is certainly not the last one.