The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People returns this year under the shadow of a catastrophe that has reshaped global awareness. Marked annually on 29 November since the adoption of UN Resolution 181, the day was intended as a reminder of the world’s unfulfilled responsibilities. In the aftermath of the genocidal war unleashed on Gaza on 7 October 2023, its meaning now feels even more urgent. Entire districts have been reduced to rubble, tens of thousands have been killed or wounded, and thousands more remain missing beneath collapsed homes. Hunger has claimed lives, particularly children and the elderly, while violence across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, has escalated sharply.

This year has also seen an unprecedented response across continents. Streets, university campuses and public squares have filled with crowds demanding an end to the mass killings and calling for accountability. States have turned to international courts, bringing cases before both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Several governments have severed ties with the occupation authorities, while others have formally recognised the State of Palestine. International warrants issued for senior Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, have further intensified diplomatic pressure.

Communities around the world are marking the day through cultural events, public gatherings, educational programmes and artistic initiatives. At the United Nations in New York, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is convening its annual session, accompanied by a cultural exhibition. The UN’s Division for Palestinian Rights is releasing its yearly compilation of messages and official statements, reaffirming the institution’s longstanding position.

Despite the decades of resolutions and declarations, the core issues remain unresolved. Palestinians continue to be denied fundamental rights long recognised under international law: the right to self-determination, the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders, and the right of return to their homes and properties. Symbolic milestones, such as Palestine’s upgrade to non-member observer state status in 2012 and the raising of the Palestinian flag at UN headquarters in 2015, reflect an enduring pursuit of dignity, sovereignty and justice. Yet these gestures sit alongside a reality in which a people continue to live without a just and lasting solution.