March 30 is usually a happy day for me since it’s my birthday, but this year it was a bit simmered down following the news that day where at least 15 unarmed Palestinians were gunned down by Israeli forces in the annual Land Day protests happening that day. Watching these videos are harrowing, and perhaps give a vivid reflection of the daily struggle for the Palestinians in seeking justice.
But perhaps what is the most disheartening thing about this conflict is that as Americans, we tend to turn a blind eye, or be entirely naïve on the matter, surrounding this conflict. Perhaps this can be drawn to the closeness that the United States and Israel have shared since Israel’s inception in 1948. From giving Israel innumerable amounts of military aid through the years to Donald Trump jeopardizing any “peace process” by declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it’s perhaps safe to say that the U.S. and Israel probably have a special relationship as close as the U.S.’s with the UK.
But just as how we are so passionate about social justice on issues here at home, that passion that should extend to the Palestinians as well.
What happened in Gaza is far from the first instance in which we have seen Israel terrorize the Palestinian people. Since its creation in 1948, Israel and the Palestinians, native to the land, have been fighting over whether or not who has the rightful ownership of the Holy Land, with Palestine disproportionately enduring the most abuse. Ten days before what happened on March 30, Israel cut off water supply to Gaza, which of course follows a broad history of atrocities brought about by Israel.
And perhaps the lack of criticism of Israel’s abuse can be attributed to the fear of being labeled as anti-Semitic. But just as how criticizing the United States for its own historical sins is and should not be considered un-American, criticizing Israel should not be seen as anti-Semitic. There is nothing discrediting the Jewish faith in calling for Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against humanity.
In two countries that both stress the importance of faith in its founding and subsequently a history of abusing indigenous people to expand its territory, it seems almost un-coincidental that the United States and Israel are very close. The question that often comes up when talking about the Israel-Palestine dilemma is whether or not Israel has a right to exist, but I think a more important question is that does Palestine and its people have a right to exist under Israeli authority.
Though it seems Israel and its leaders are answering this question in extremely atrocious ways, it’s important that we recognize the abuses we see of the Palestinians at every chance they become apparent, and help build a worldwide movement of solidarity for the long overdue justice of the Palestinian people.
