Dr Haidar Eid is a reputed scholar and survivor of the Gaza genocide. He currently serves as a researcher at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Professor Eid recently sat down with Salaamedia to discuss his new book. The work is titled ‘Banging on the Walls of the Tank: Dispatches from Gaza’.
The book serves as both a personal testimony and a sharp political analysis. It compiles essays written over eighteen years within the besieged Gaza Strip. Dr Eid describes his home as the centre of his universe. He captures the daily devastation and the persistent hope of the Palestinian people.
This comes as the global community continues to analyse the situation in the Middle East. Dr Eid began thinking about this specific collection after arriving in South Africa.
He noticed a lack of books written about Gaza by native Gazans themselves. Most existing literature comes from foreign observers or Palestinians living abroad.
“I can’t count the books written about Gaza by Gazans on my fingers. One, two, three, four. I can’t. How many books have been written? Very few. You ask yourself, how many books have I read about Gaza written by Gazans who have been through almost everything?”
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Challenging the two-state solution
Dr Eid critiques the traditional political frameworks often proposed by the West. He describes the popular two-state solution as a “two-prison system”. He argues that the expansion of illegal colonies makes a sovereign state impossible. Over 800,000 settlers now reside in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The author draws heavy parallels between the Palestinian struggle and South African history. He advocates for a single secular democratic state for all citizens.
“We think that especially South African citizens have a historical and moral duty to exert as much pressure on their government to sever all its diplomatic ties with apartheid Israel. What [is] the post-apartheid flag doing flattering in the skies of Tel Aviv? How come? We cannot fathom how post-apartheid South Africa still has diplomatic ties with apartheid Israel. How on earth does South Africa allow itself to be the first exporter of coal to genocidal Israel, in fact fuelling genocide in Palestine?,” he asked.
The title refers to the need for Palestinians to affirm their humanity. They must continue to resist the hermetic blockade and systemic dehumanisation. Dr Eid remains an instrumental voice in global solidarity efforts today. He concludes that resistance in many forms is the only path to justice.
