Key Points on the Situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Comparisons and Differences with Palestine

We are all familiar with the history of Palestine and the Zionist project, as well as the fascist movement that led to the establishment of the state of Israel. Zionist supporters, backed by imperialist powers, initiated the movement to establish Israel. They formed militias that consistently fought against the Palestinian people. Subsequently, imperialist forces and the so-called United Nations helped them create the state of Israel.

This Zionist fascist movement, led by imperialist puppets, established the state, and they became the direct forces of settler colonialism, with imperialist backing. They colonized the land with the full support of imperialism.

On the other hand, no such organized movement existed among Bengali nationalists to colonize the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). No Bengali organization initially attempted to occupy the Hill Tracts. Instead, it was the ultra-Bengali nationalist state, in power at the time, that pushed impoverished Bengali people—many displaced by floods, rendered homeless by landslides, or freed criminals—into the region.

The ultra-nationalist Bengali state and imperialist blocs pushed Bengali people into the Hill Tracts, dividing the area. Indian expansionists also attempted to mislead the resistance movement in the Hill Tracts.

The ultra-Bengali nationalist government deployed the army in the Hill Tracts and settled poor Bengalis from the plains for their repressive safety. They promised these settlers rations, food, and farmland. Eventually, the state began training these Bengali settlers for military purposes. In this scenario, the Bengali settlers became victims of the state, while the indigenous people of the Hill Tracts suffered from the influx of Bengali settlers.

Therefore, in the Hill Tracts, the main culprits are the army and the state. However, after settling the area, the army created ultra-nationalist Bengali organizations like the Hill Tracts Bengali Student Council, which fuel tensions between Bengali settlers and indigenous people.

In Palestine, Zionists and the imperialist bloc led by the United States are the primary oppressors.

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the key enemies are the army and the state—not all Bengali settlers, as many of them were forced into the area by the state. Ultra-nationalist Bengali organizations, created by the army, exacerbate the tensions.

The state and the army present the conflict as a struggle between Bengali settlers and indigenous hill people, but this is not entirely accurate. Both groups are suffering due to the actions of the army and the state, which are deliberately creating communal violence.

Written by
Mahidul Islam Ibad,
Student Of Economics department, University of Chittagong and Member Of RSYM.