08/07/2025
NEWS UPDATE: ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐๐ โ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐โ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐
Several progressive youth organizations criticized the United Statesโ (US) image as a global ally during an educational discussion on โUS Wars of Aggressionโ at the Hofbauer Hall of St. Clementโs Church, July 5.
Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, the eventโs resource speaker, asserted that while Palestine may be geographically distant from the Philippines, its struggle resonates with the oppressed and marginalized communities worldwide.
โIf we in the Philippines are grappling with poverty and starvation in our lifeline sectors, the situation has been arguably far worse for Palestiniansโand theyโve faced it for generations. These are people who have known nothing but the reality of war, hunger, siege, and darkness,โ Guillen said.
He urged the audience to examine such conflicts in their full historical and political context, rather than viewing them as isolated incidents.
๐๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐
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.
โAng 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,โ Guillen said.
In 1948, Israel displaced over 750,000 Palestinians during the Nakba or โcatastropheโ in Arabic, which Guillen described as a deliberate act of โcultural cleansing.โ
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 โintent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part,โ such as forced displacement and erasure of identity.
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
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 โnuclear proliferationโ 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.
โIran 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,โ 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.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐
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.
โWe 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,โ he said.
Guillen is the secretary-general of the National Union of Peoplesโ Lawyers Panay Chapter and a recipient of the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award in 2022.
Themed โPropaganda Iโm NOT Falling For: U.S. is a Friend,โ the forum was organized by the League of Filipino Students Panay, Anakbayan Panay, and Kabataan Partylist Panay.
Story by John Michael Baldove
๐ทDanna Pauleen Perez
