Filipino children as young as seven stood up and called for justice for Palestinian children.

A year after the Palestinian Resistance’s Al-Aqsa Flood and the intensified genocidal attack of Israeli forces in Gaza, 16,000 innocent Palestinian children—710 of them only a few months old—were killed. 

Children and parents from Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns got together on Oct. 5 at Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City to condemn the United States-backed Israeli genocide in Palestine.

Children spoke for children calling for an end of the occupation of Palestine, for the immediate halt of the killing of children, and to stop the US-Israel war machine. 

Miguel Gonzales, spokesperson of Salinlahi said, “We also urge the Marcos [Jr.] administration to stop funding this genocide by buying arms from Israel.” 

He also added, “As October is the month of indigenous [peoples], we are one with them in defending their ancestral lands and their rights to determine their destiny or right to self-determination.”

Ina Silverio, writer and long-time advocate of Palestinian liberation, gave a talk about Palestine and how children are affected by the Zionist occupation. She gave a brief but succinct update of the situation in Palestine. Kids particularly loved the story of how the watermelon came to be an important symbol of the Palestinian struggle. 

“Children are not just collateral damage, but are actual targets by Israel Defense Forces snipers,” she said.

Amirah Lidasan of Katribu and a Makabayan senatorial candidate gave parallelisms of the struggle of Palestinians and Filipinos. A Moro from Maguindanao, she shared stories of how Marawi was turned to rubble by the previous regime in 2017.

“When Israel commits massacres and claims that it is only defending itself, we Moros know that is a big lie. In Mindanao, whenever warplanes drop bombs, soldiers burn houses and kill Moros, Lumads and farmers. We know that soldiers commit massacres and such to drive away the people to give way for logging, mining and plantation companies,” Lidasan said. 

In the Philippines, the government’s blatant disregard for children’s rights manifests in many ways. Some of them are previous attempts to lower the minimum age of criminal liability from 18 to 15, the red tagging of youth groups, harassment, and bombing of Lumad schools.

Also alarming is the practice of Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers of treating children as child soldiers, particularly children found in indigenous and farming communities.

Marcelo Suarez, a high school student and one of the speakers of Salinlahi in the event, was taken away from his parents in 2022 for joining a mobilization with his parents in support of the farmers of Tinang, Tarlac.

Children’s solidarity

As part of the main and final activity, children drew sketches of how they understood the struggle of Palestine.

Bigger kids drew flags with slogans supporting Palestine, while smaller kids drew gray stick figures of soldiers pointing a gun on children, watermelons and Palestinian flags.

After putting together their sketches, both the children and their parents and guardians went out and conducted a mini picket rally in front of the school to call for wider support of Palestinian’struggle to be free and to end the 76-year occupation. 

During the picket, children held their sketches with their backs facing the street and people to imitate Handala, the prominent cartoon character symbolizing the people of Palestine. Handala always has his back facing the people to symbolize how Palestinians feel—the world has turned its back on them.

Marcelo said, “How can the world let the killing of children happen?” He also added, “We, Filipino children, are one with you (Palestinians) in your struggle.”

Children have rights and it is paramount that these rights be realized for them to reach their full potential. For Israel, the US and their Western allies, this universal truth seems to not apply for all children, especially for Palestinians.