“Divide and conquer,” the famous maxim attributed to Julius Caesar, accurately describes the tactic facing the Palestinian reality today. This is not just a historical maxim; it is the stark interpretation of a policy that fragments our institutions, alienates leadership, erodes internal solidarity, and ultimately weakens the only force capable of confronting the yoke of Zionism: our unity.
For decades, we have witnessed how the occupation and the policies that sustain it have effectively practiced fragmentation: fueling factional disputes, manipulating loyalties, fostering social demobilization, and legitimizing partial solutions that do not challenge the status quo. This strategy is not ideological in and of itself; it is instrumental: it seeks to disperse energies, atomize demands, and present arrangements that give the appearance of peace while perpetuating injustice.
Faced with this, the answer is clear and unambiguous. We cannot accept that the imposed narrative reduces us to spectators of a process designed without us. We cannot allow agreements that omit the essential—the dignity, representation, and voice of the Palestinian people—to become hallmarks of normalcy. And, above all, we cannot continue to fall into the trap of division.
Today, UPAL makes a firm and urgent call: let us unite. Let us unite community organizations, diaspora institutions, committed youth, academic institutions, churches and mosques, journalists, and activists; let us unite those of us who carry Palestine in our memories and those who carry it in our hearts. Unity does not mean uniformity: it means articulating differences in a common project, coordinating actions, sharing platforms, and raising a collective voice that demands what is just and legitimate.
Unity must translate into concrete actions. We propose, among other urgent measures:
- Permanent regional coordination among Palestinian organizations in Latin America for joint diplomatic and humanitarian actions.
- Cultural and educational campaigns that strengthen historical memory in new generations and preserve Palestinian identity.
- Solidarity networks that channel effective and transparent aid to affected communities in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Legal and public advocacy strategies that demand accountability and highlight violations when they occur, in all relevant international forums.
- Spaces for internal dialogue to resolve political differences based on respect and the will to build operational convergence.
Let us not be fooled by rhetoric that celebrates pauses without justice or by promises that fail to recognize the people as a central actor. Authentic peace is born from mutual recognition, from applied justice, and from the participation of those who have lived through the experience of occupation. Any path that ignores this is a sophisticated trap that reproduces the logic of domination through fragmentation.
Let us also remember that the strength of our cause lies in its human dimension: mothers and fathers, children and the elderly who demand reparation, security, and a future. We cannot allow their voices to be diluted in disputes that favor those who maintain systems of control and violence.
Let this day not be just another rhetorical proclamation. Let October 17 be a turning point: the date on which we renew our commitment to strategic unity and to building effective channels of action and solidarity. May Zionism find in our unity the answer it cannot silence with its divisions.
United, we regain the moral and political initiative. United, we demand with greater strength and legitimacy. United, we advance toward a horizon of dignity for our people.
Palestinian Union of Latin America (UPAL)
October 17, 2025
