Raising Awareness: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

By Yusra A.

In the last 74 years, the U.S. has developed so much; industries, cities, and even societally. But for the people of Palestine, it’s been the same since 1948.

There have been many wars in the Middle East and one of them, still happening to this day, is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians have been stripped of their basic human rights and are being threatened by Israeli forces every single day. Checkpoints, military tanks, and soldiers with guns have all become a part of their day to day life. Children can’t attend school, homes are being invaded by Israeli settlers, and many Palestinians have been either killed or injured.

What’s significant about this issue is the response it’s getting from the world. While many people know about the issue, there are still many people who have no knowledge of this, partly because the U.S. funded $3.8 billion for Israeli weapons, contributing to one of the largest armies in the world. Take Ukraine, for instance; the war is pretty recent compared to Palestine’s issue. Of course I stand with Ukraine and all of the innocent lives in the nation and refugees that have fled due to the horrid violence, but I question why Palestine still is and has been ignored for so long? There have been 73 years of children and families dying, with Palestine getting smaller and smaller over time.

About a year ago on May 11, 2022, prominent Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier while reporting from the West Bank. All reporters wear a bullet-proof vest with the words “PRESS” clearly written across. In this incident, a soldier had shot her through the head with her vest on, and in the aftermath, Israel has refused to cooperate in further investigation of the matter. Other journalists, members of the press and other Palestinians have said that they had clearly seen the scene and stated they believed it to be an intentional act.

Palestine has no official army or leader or any type of assistance besides humanitarian support. We also see this common theme of neglectance in many other countries who are either experiencing war and/or poverty.

“I’m only 10,” says Nadine Abdel-Taif, a Palestinian girl living in Gaza. “I can’t even deal with this anymore. I just want to be a doctor or anything to help my people, but I can’t.”

All over the world, the words “Free Palestine!” are yelled at government officials and for the rest of the world to hear. Somalia, Brazil, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Turkey, Ireland, New York City, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, Algeria, and many other places around the world have protested against the violence that’s going on in Palestine. I ask you to support the cause by sharing this article with others so that we may spread more and more awareness about this issue that has lasted for too long.

Fortunately, some government officials from various countries have taken action and spoken the truth. The left-wing mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has suspended all relations with Israel until they end the “systematic violation of the people of Palestine’s human rights.” Ireland‘s Parliament was the first European Union member to compromise a solution for the on-going issues in the Middle East by making Palestine a free state. Towards the end of 2010, Lula Da Silva, the president of Brazil, recognized Palestine as an independent state within its 1967 borders and later influenced Bolivia, Argentina, and Ecuador afterwards to take the same actions.

Please do not ignore the people of Palestine. Spread the word, donate, do whatever you can to support the Palestinian people and please share this article so that we may spread more awareness.