Disclaimer: I did not write this article to speak in favor of or against either Israel or Palestine. I only focus on the treatment of Palestinians, mostly in the occupied territories (West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem) which is both illegal according to moral and ethical laws and inhumane. I believe that the child and human rights violations committed need attention and the Palestinians deserve justice.
I do not claim to be an expert on the history or the present situation of the conflict by any means. I just became interested in the conflict few years ago when I started reading about it. It is actually hard to not think about the injustices that are being committed all the time once you actually learn about the intensity of it. I have read books, written papers, given presentations, watched documentaries and interviewed multiple people from both Israel and Palestine since then. I am actually inclined towards spending my next summer in Israel and Palestine. However uninformed or misinformed about the occupation you are, you cannot deny the fact that the illegal expansion of the Jewish state in the name of "self-defense" is problematic both for the security of the state itself and of the countries and people around it.
Balfour Declaration was signed by Great Britain in 1917, giving Jewish people the right to establish their state in Palestine. This act itself must have been a calculation of power by then colonizing, imperialistic Britain, as it clearly stated that "nothing shall be done to the existing non-Jewish communities of Palestine." I don't think Israeli government has been true to that at all. From building a wall in more than 70% of internationally recognized Palestinian land (also illegal and a form of apartheid) to controlling the movement of millions of Palestinians through checkpoints, roadblocks and segregated roads (limiting access to food, water, medical supplies), there are countless human rights violations that we have chosen to look away from.The occupation of these lands not only violates article 49 of the fourth Geneva convention, but also 69 United Nations Resolutions, which is more than any country in the history of the organization.
But these are just big, prominent violations. What usually goes unnoticed by international communities is the unchecked freedom of Israeli government to demolish houses and schools, cut resources, threaten, mock, bully, arrest, imprison, torture and assassinate Palestinian adults and children, often without charges or trial. Imprisoning a 12-year-old girl might seem like a wild idea to you, but it is reality for them.
The Israeli government actually pays its citizens to settle in the occupied areas so their claim to the land gains preeminence over Palestinians. Israel gets millions in military aid from the United States, and a lot of companies actually profit from this occupation. How do you look away from such violations of the dignity and rights of so many people? Palestinian children and adults walk for hours to school and work because of the wall, and their economy is seriously affected. Even though I do not want to explicitly state it, it sounds much like ethnic cleansing to me.
I live with a Jewish Israeli family from Tel Aviv here in the United States who are like family to me. I love them immensely. I do not want them to lose their home and their country, but I will never support the mistreatment of millions just because I want them to be "more safe."
Hate always begets more hate, and Israel is doing just that. You cannot expect peace for yourself by waging war on others. I actually support Israel as a state, but that does not mean I will wear a blindfold to the plight of Palestinians or completely deny their right to the land. Peace actually begins with trying to build a bridge, not building a 26-foot wall or assassinating your prime minister, who was actually open to peace talks, and appointing one who completely denies to talk about solutions.
