The history of Palestine and Israel starts in 1940 when Jews were “given” the land of Palestine by the British and American governments after the Holocaust. It was well known that the Palestinians housed many Jews during and after the Holocaust to keep them safe.
It was to their surprise that things would quickly change soon after. In 1948, over 750,000 Palestinians were kicked out of their homes by the Israeli government and this tragic event was named the “Nakba,” meaning catastrophe in Arabic.
Many Israelis feel that they have a right to Palestinian land because their ancestors lived in that land over 3000 years ago so they are coming to “re-claim their holy land,” but the only issue with that is there’s an entire country of people already living there.
Due to the Israeli occupation, Palestinians were pushed to smaller cities within Palestine called the West Bank and Gaza. The living conditions within those cities have been absolutely terrible and inhabitable. Many Palestinians describe it as an “open- air prison.” This is because the Israeli government bombs and airstrikes those cities very often and they have no escape since their entire cities are surrounded with borders and Israeli checkpoints.
From 1948 to present day, things have been extremely hard for the Palestinians due to the fact that they are getting their homes taken from them by Israeli settlers, Gaza continues to get bombed by the Israeli government, and they innocently get arrested every time they speak out against the occupation.
Recently, Israeli settlers tried to take the homes of Palestinian families in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah located in East Jerusalem. This sparked an outburst of support and protests all over the world.
The family that lives in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah were extremely stunned by the fact that they may get their family home taken away from them even though they’ve lived there for countless years.
Soon after the Sheikh Jarrah incident, the Al-Aqsua mosque was attacked by the Israeli government during the holy month of Ramadan while many Muslims were praying. Not only was this a violation of international law, but they attacked the third most holiest cities in Islam.
There are famous Muslim prophets buried in that mosque and it holds a very special place to many Muslims so this brought even more anger to people. Since the attack on Al-Aqsa mosque and the attempt to take Palestinians homes in Sheikh Jarrah, there have been hundreds of protests in countries like America, Canada, France, Brazil, Yemen, and many more.
“I think that the conflict has been going on for thousands of years and is incredibly complex, however it is the job of other countries to step in when that situation turns as genocidal and blatantly inhumane as it has now,” sophomore Corrrene Bellem said. “I don’t think that it will be easy or even possible to simply end the conflict but the Palestinian people do need to be protected and Israeli government needs to have consequences for the the blatant human rights violations they are committing.”
At these protests, thousands of people have come out to show their support for the Palestinian people and fight against the occupation. There has also been a lot of anger towards the United States government since they fund the Israeli government with $3.8 billion.
When President Biden was asked to speak on the Israelis’ actions, he said they “have a right to defend themselves against terrorists.” He also recently approved an auction of weapons worth $750 million for the Israeli government. Politicians AOC and Bernie Sanders have been working against this sale of weapons.
“I think what is happening in Palestine is awful. Innocent people are dying, including children, which is upsetting in any situation,” sophomore Ellie Davis said. “It’s also upsetting to see people say both sides are at fault, because based on the information and statistics I’ve seen, it is clear Israel has more resources than Palestine and they are using that to their advantage in a highly unfair way. It has been and always will be Free Palestine.”
There has recently been a ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israelis which many people are celebrating because that means the continuous 11-day bombing in Gaza has come to an end.
“As a Palestinian myself, it breaks my heart to see what’s happening in my country and I believe that it is not a conflict but rather an oppression,” freshman Susana Aburish said. “I think it’s disgusting that our own government is funding this genocide and I pray for peace in Palestine.”
The most coverage and support in Palestine lies on social media from millions of users. There have been live videos and pictures of what’s going on in Gaza, the West Bank, and other Palestinian neighborhoods which give people an insight of what’s going on.
“I think that there needs to be justice for the Palestinian people and what’s going on right now is inhumane and the Israeli government needs to be held accountable for what they’re doing,” sophomore Ruftana Beyene said.
It is very important to make it clear that what’s going on in Palestine and Israel is not a religious war and there should be no anti-semitism nor islamophobia when fighting on either side. Many Palestinians have made that blatantly clear since Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all lived together in harmony since before 1940 and there has never been any issue regarding religion. When fighting for Palestinians, it’s important to make it clear that the Israeli government is to blame and not Jews.