By Izhaan Ahmed
Rarely have there been situations in the world as persistently controversial as the Israel-Palestine conflict. Stemming from issues of occupation in the early 20th century, the region has seen a resurgence in press coverage due to a recent and violent 11-day period. The public has seen evictions of protesting Palestinians in East Jerusalem, infrastructure-damaging airstrikes aimed for Israel committed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and bloody Israeli-ordered airstrikes aimed at the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The situation is more potent than ever since it marks a shift in the treatment of Palestinians by people in NHP and Western society as a whole.
The conflict originated in the 1910s when Arabs were the main occupiers of the British colony of Palestine, while more Jewish people sought to immigrate there to avoid religious persecution. Heightened by negative sentiments towards each other, Palestine’s decolonization and beliefs of Zionism strengthened in WWII. Meanwhile, Palestinians and Israelis had begun to establish attitudes of self-determination under newly independent cultures while occupying the same land.
Throughout history, discourse over the legitimacy of either state grew. As this continued, different parts of the world had varying opinions on the situation as both sides periodically fought each other.
Source by Saffah Azeem
The Israel-Palestine conflict has reached new highs in the month of May as the two continue to disagree on territory.
Recent outbreaks of violence started in a Palestinian majority area of Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Palestinians in that city should be removed, labeling it as a “real estate dispute,” even though many view this as an effort to continue ethnic cleansing in the region. As a result, Palestinians began to protest against the Israeli government. The majority of these people were Muslim, and while they were praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, members of a far-right Israeli political party settled on the opposite side of the street and began to throw objects at them. After being provoked, Palestinians retaliated by throwing objects back at them.
“It’s something that we watch and say ‘aww’ but then go back to our dinners, forgetting such atrocities are happening...”
While riots persisted, the Israeli government and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, exchanged airstrikes, leading to loss of life and infrastructure damage. With the first shots by Hamas aimed at Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, thousands of missiles were fired as the Israeli government failed to reach a ceasefire with the Palestinians.
“It’s very obvious that Israel is trying to paint themselves in the best light possible by removing media coverage while systematically removing Palestinian control over their territory,” said sophomore David Ren.
More than 200 Palestinians and 12 Israelis have been killed because of the actions of both governing bodies. Whereas Israel has the infrastructure necessary to have sirens sound to warn against incoming Hamas airstrikes, Palestinian regions were warned by Israeli Defense Forces less than an hour before incoming fire began.
“The Israel-Palestine conflict is something that’s been so sensationalized by the media that we can’t see the terror that’s in place. Mainstream media follows Palestinian support, citing the dozens of killings, whereas almost no international force has intervened to stop the missile launchings from both sides. It’s something that we watch and say ‘aww’ but then go back to our dinners, forgetting such atrocities are happening,” said sophomore Nikson Alex.