TORONTO - When the world fails to uphold justice, it becomes an obligation of the oppressed to fulfil it. Demanding rights and justice from a world that has turned a blind eye to a genocide that has been occurring for over 70 years, and is now at its worst state, is a meaningless endeavor. 

The international institutions which exist to “maintain global peace” and “promote human rights” are nothing but a mere distraction, and those who truly care about upholding human rights must support the oppressed resisting with arms in order to achieve their goal of sovereignty. 

According to the UN, armed struggle is legal: UNGA Resolution 3314 (1974) affirmed the right of self-determination, freedom, and independence for all “peoples under colonial and racist regimes or other forms of alien domination,” and affirmed the “right of these peoples to struggle to that end and to seek and receive support.” 

UNGA Resolution 37/43 (1982) reaffirmed the “inalienable right” of the Palestinian people “and all peoples under foreign and colonial domination” to self-determination. It also reaffirmed the legitimacy of “the struggle of peoples for […] liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle.” 

There is no limit to the Zionist entity’s crimes; violating the ceasefire countless times, using internationally banned weapons, and ultimately perpetrating a genocide against the people of Palestine. Various UN officials, experts and commissions calling it a genocide has not made any meaningful change. The genocidal war has not stopped, and the past two years have shown that it will not come to an end at the hands of these institutions. Hence, even though international law permits armed struggle as a legitimate way of resisting, it simply does not bear any meaning as it fails to hold the aggressor accountable in real life. 

The Ummah must acknowledge that we support armed resistance because it is our religious duty, not because international law permits it. The armed struggle is legitimate even if international law did not allow it. Whatever international law dictates as legitimate and illegitimate does not matter, as they will continue to label the Resistance Axis as terrorists. The Palestinian struggle is a struggle of self-defense and the Ummah must realize that whatever action the resistance takes is a legitimate action morally and religiously, in confronting the enemy. 

The ICC, on November 21, 2024 issued arrest warrants for the Prime Minister of the Zionist entity, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the entity’s former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant. Since then, the U.S. regime has sanctioned ICC officials and attacked the ICC’s legitimacy, and neither have been arrested or tried.

Additionally, when the ICJ in January and July of 2024 called on the Zionist entity to allow the entrance of humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for the dismantling of settlements across the West Bank—the U.S. ceased funding from the UN Human Rights Council and UNRWA. Neither ICJ ruling was adhered to by the Zionist entity, rather the situation has gotten more severe.  

Systems such as the UN and its judicial body—the ICJ—only have as much power as the U.S. allows them. They are a tool of oppression used to delegitimize the struggle of the oppressed and legitimize the aggression of the oppressor. The ICC has no power to prosecute individuals from powerful states not willing to comply. These international rulings look nice on paper but they are rarely seen implemented in real life. 

This simply means that a group of people have the ability to carry out a genocide and these institutions will have no power to stop them. This does not mean that there is no way out, the only answer is through armed resistance. Without weapons the oppressed are not respected, nor can they achieve their goals of sovereignty. Palestinians and the resistance in Gaza especially have proven this after over two years of continuous confrontation of the enemy, despite barbaric aggression. 

It must be acknowledged that justice cannot be given to you by asking the oppressor, you must fulfil it yourselves. It is crucial to hit the enemy where it hurts; Iran’s 12-day war against the Zionist entity is an example of this. Iran rightfully retaliated to the aggression the U.S. carried out against it, due to its support for Palestine. The U.S. waged this war under the pretexts of Iran having nuclear weapons, which is the same narrative of “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq that was used to brutally murder and torture people simply for the West’s interests and exploitation in the wider West Asian region. 

It is crucial to ensure Iran’s survival. Iran has shown up for the oppressed and it will continue to do as it has a religious and moral obligation to protect those in need. It must be understood that the Zionist entity is a threat to everyone, it is backed by the U.S. and there is no limit to how far they will go to achieve their goals. It must also be understood that armed resistance is not an option, it is obligatory. 

In the words of the Master of the Martyrs of the Ummah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, “This experience [Gaza] shows that if you are weak, the world does not recognize you, defend you, or mourn for you. What protects you is your strength, courage, fists, weapons, missiles, and your presence in the field.” 

The Ummah must recognize that armed resistance is the only answer to achieving liberation from the U.S.-backed Zionist entity. Quoting international law will not take us forward. The only way forward is normalizing the armed struggle against Western powers and uplifting the words of our leaders and martyrs who have been villainized for years, who the West has labelled as terrorists time and time again. 

“The coming rounds of confrontation with the ‘israeli’ enemy are inevitable, and the Ummah must remain in constant vigilance.” – Sayyed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi