From New York to The Hague: When Justice Awakens from Its Long Slumber

The train of change has started worldwide 

Words have triumphed over politicized money, and humanity has triumphed over discrimination, in New York, the city that was a symbol of influence and a center for the intersections of Zionism. This time, the people chose a leader who sees every human being as equal, without distinction between Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, rich, poor, immigrant, or native citizen. A leader who carries in his heart the pain of all those who have known fear, marginalization, or racism, just like his mother, who feared taking the bus after the events of September 11 because she wears a hijab. This is a victory for Mamdani — a victory for humanity before politics, for values before interests, and for a generation that believes that leadership starts with humanity and ends with justice.

This victory in New York is not isolated from the global awakening movement that has quietly begun to form and then started to take shape in major capitals. Britain announced its recognition of the State of Palestine, the state to which the infamous Balfour Declaration was made in 1917— the root of the Palestinian tragedy. Today, it is beginning to correct its error under pressure from the masses and the streets, albeit partially, with a belated acknowledgment that the injustices faced by generations of Palestinians cannot continue without political and moral accountability.

In the streets of Europe, millions have emerged to reject the genocide in Gaza, not just out of emotion but in response to a long-awaited awakening of conscience. The Palestinian is no longer the "distant other"; he has become the conscience of a wounded world. With this awareness, the most dangerous question is being boldly raised: how can the Israeli occupation continue without accountability? And who has enabled it to evade justice for all these decades?

Western policies have repeatedly attempted to offer political solutions that seem just but are fundamentally deceptive. The “Trump Plan,” consisting of twenty-one points, is the clearest embodiment of this deception as it does not include any recognition of a Palestinian state or a commitment to prosecute war criminals, instead asking for the disarmament of resistance without ending the occupation and attempting to polish the image of Israel, which has become reviled in global public opinion.

This plan was, in essence, a cover for war crimes and granting additional time to the project of political Zionism, not a path to peace. If support for such policies continues, their impact will not be limited to the Palestinians alone, but will shake the future of ruling parties in the West and reveal the deep division between ethics and interests.

Justice knows no exceptions, and the global conscience is beginning to demand accountability from anyone who has participated—by action or silence—in the continuation of violations. If justice triumphs within those souls exhausted by justification, the full recognition of the State of Palestine and support for international institutions to hold criminals accountable will be a genuine step towards peace.

For this recognition is not merely a symbolic political stance but the beginning of a path that can disarm everyone and grant the Palestinians their right to a decent life and the world an opportunity for peace based on equality and dignity.

Yet, the most important truth remains: the Palestinians themselves are the foremost architects of justice through their presence, resilience, and continuous struggle. The Palestinian resistance is not just a national act but part of the balance of justice itself, reminding the world that rights are not granted by promises but seized with patience, will, and a belief in the right.

Perhaps this moral awakening will extend to history itself; justice does not fall victim to the passage of time, and history does not forget those who facilitated or justified crimes, just as it does not forget those who supported apartheid regimes in South Africa.
And if this transformation in awareness continues, the world will witness a rare moment where international law unites with the human conscience to lift the immunity from anyone who has enabled the occupation—through money, arms, or silence.

Zahran Mamdani's victory in New York is not a fleeting electoral event but a global moral outcry that says: real peace will only be achieved when justice is realized, and justice will only see the light when the rights of Palestinians in their homeland are recognized, their dignity restored, and the policies that created their tragedy are held accountable.

What began in New York is not merely a political victory, but a declaration that clearly tells the world: if you want true peace, start with justice; and if you want real justice, start with Palestine.