08/07/2025
NEWS UPDATE: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 ‘𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀’ 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀
Several progressive youth organizations criticized the United States’ (US) image as a global ally during an educational discussion on “US Wars of Aggression” at the Hofbauer Hall of St. Clement’s Church, July 5.
Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, the event’s resource speaker, asserted that while Palestine may be geographically distant from the Philippines, its struggle resonates with the oppressed and marginalized communities worldwide.
“If we in the Philippines are grappling with poverty and starvation in our lifeline sectors, the situation has been arguably far worse for Palestinians—and they’ve faced it for generations. These are people who have known nothing but the reality of war, hunger, siege, and darkness,” Guillen said.
He urged the audience to examine such conflicts in their full historical and political context, rather than viewing them as isolated incidents.
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀
Guillen traced the roots of the current conflict to centuries of Jewish persecution in Europe, which gave rise to Zionism, a nationalist movement seeking a Jewish homeland.
He noted that this movement led to large-scale Jewish settlement in Palestine and the systematic displacement of Arab Palestinians, in an attempt to erase Arab cultural and historical presence from the land.
“Ang ideology is from Europe [and] the problem is also from European, pero nag-decide sila nga ang solusyon sa problema nga ina lies not in Europe, but in the Middle East,” Guillen said.
In 1948, Israel displaced over 750,000 Palestinians during the Nakba or “catastrophe” in Arabic, which Guillen described as a deliberate act of “cultural cleansing.”
He stressed that what has occurred, and continues to occur, meets the definition of genocide.
Under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is defined as the “intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part,” such as forced displacement and erasure of identity.
𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
According to Guillen, US involvement in the Middle East is driven by long-term geopolitical interests, such as securing oil reserves, controlling regional influence, and ensuring military dominance.
On June 12, Israel launched airstrikes against Iran with US support, which was initially framed as preventing “nuclear proliferation” but quickly shifted toward a regime-change narrative.
Guillen pointed out that Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which means it has agreed not to acquire nuclear weapons and must allow inspections.
Meanwhile, Israel is not part of the treaty and faces no international scrutiny, despite having nuclear weapons.
“Iran is part of the NPT, amo ini sya ang treaty nga ginpirmahan sang around 190 ka mga pungsod nga gahambal nga hindi sila mag-develop sang nuclear weapons. Interestingly, Israel hindi siya parte sang NPT,” he said.
US imperialism, according to Guillen, uses disinformation and military power to justify war and preserve control over client states in the Middle East and North Africa region.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁
Guillen emphasized that the experiences of oppression and resistance among Palestinians echo the challenges faced by Filipino communities.
He called on the youth organizations to recognize these shared struggles and continue asserting their rights in the face of adversity.
“We have to think over the fact nga kita, biskan grabe aton naatubang, may isa ka grupo sang mga pumuluyo nga naga-experience sang similar or greater challenges, and yet wala sila naga-untat sa pag-assert sang ila kinamatarong,” he said.
Guillen is the secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers Panay Chapter and a recipient of the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award in 2022.
Themed “Propaganda I’m NOT Falling For: U.S. is a Friend,” the forum was organized by the League of Filipino Students Panay, Anakbayan Panay, and Kabataan Partylist Panay.
Story by John Michael Baldove
📷Danna Pauleen Perez
