Palestine-Israel; How Palestinians Rebel Against Apartheid Should Not be The Focus of Our CriticismI. Introduction The unborn remain unborn; the morgues have overflown. A father collects his children’s body parts in garbage bags. It is 2023, and Deceased women, children, and men are being pulled from beneath the rubble in Gaza, Palestine. The Israeli government attempts to justify the killing of 13,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as reported by The Health Ministry of Palestine (The Guardian, 2023). The excuse remains that they are trying to eradicate a so-called terrorist organization that goes by the name of Hamas, which, according to Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari, uses civilians as “Human-shields” (YouTube, 2023). Israel has imposed the world’s largest open-air prison and blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2006, cutting off water, food, electricity, and internet from entering the Strip without approval from Israeli governance. They went as far as to make it illegal for Palestinians to collect rainwater in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, asserting their authority over the region (United Nations, n.d.). Israel has displaced at least 1.7 million Palestinians from the southern part of the Gaza region since October 7, forcing 2.2 million of them into the Northern part, further populating the already densely populated area (Relief web, 2023). On October 7, 2023, Palestinian resistance executed the operation, “Al-Aqsa Flood “. Gazans obstructed a fence that enclosed the Gazan population since 2002 (Pinkas, 2023). The operation was in response to 75 years of anger built up from the illegal ongoing occupation expansions and the abuse of the Holy Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, as well as wrongful imprisonment and murders of Palestinians in the West Bank. Hamas militants came into areas that were nearing the Gaza border on paragliders and automotive vehicles. They infiltrated military bases, Israeli Settlements known as kibbutz, as well as a music festival, which, according to Israeli security assessments, Hamas had no initial knowledge of (Breiner, 2023). Israel has reported 1,200 deaths from the October 7 attack, as well as the capturing of 240 Israeli hostages, which included civilians and soldiers (Haaretz, 2023). An Israeli newspaper outlet, Haaretz, reported that the investigation revealed an Israeli combat helicopter arrived at the scene of the Nova music festival and misfired at attendees, causing the fatalities of some. In response to the attack, Israel began intense airstrikes targeting places such as residential homes, schools, and places that are protected under international laws, such as hospitals, Refugee camps, and places of worship (Al-Jazeera, 2023). Israel’s response was not proportional. The Prime Minister of Israel has and continues to violate International law in an attempt to cleanse Palestinians from the region ethnically. Seven days into the state war, UN expert Francesca Albanese warned of an Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the region (United Nations, 2023). Palestinians have been wronged throughout history by being dispossessed of their land, displaced, and have been facing ongoing human rights violations to this day. The Israeli State made its place in the world through the violent annexation and massacre of native Palestinians, and that is why it is essential to educate ourselves on the history of Palestine before criticizing it. Before 1948, Palestine was a region bounded by Lebanon to its North, the Gulf of AL-Aqaba to its south, the Jordan region to its East, and the Mediterranean Sea to its west (“Modern Palestine Map,” London: Tallis, 1851.). During WW1, Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Empire. In a 1915 letter to Sharif Hussein of Mecca, Britain promised the liberation and recognition of Arab countries, which included Palestine (United Nations 1917-1947). They pledged to support their struggle for independencefrom the Ottoman Empire if the Arabs enlisted military and political support from Britain. After enlisting military and political support for Britain, Britain went on to promise a national home for Jews in 1917, which was referred to as the “Balfour Declaration.” In 1920, After the war ended, Britain received a mandate to colonize the Palestinian region (Onion et al., 2018). The Balfour Declarationexplicitly stated that the migrating Jews were not allowed to “infringe the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine,” yet that is precisely what we are seeing today. The Israeli government robs and limits Palestinians from their water as well as denies them access to natural resources (Institution for Middle East Understanding,2022). According to Israeli law, Jews from all around the world have more right to Palestinian land than Palestinian natives (Law of Return, 1950). Illegal settlers force Palestinians out of their homes with the assistance of armed Israeli soldiers. II. The “Nakba” and The Partition of Palestine The Balfour Declaration was the pulling factor for those identifying with Zionism worldwide. According to a Jewish studies journal article, Between 1933 and 1938, out of the estimated 161,100Jews who migrated out of Germany and Austria during and after the holocaust, 45,100 emigrated to Palestine (Wischnitzer 39), excluding the 83,794 Jews migrating to Palestine from 1882-1922 (Hadawi 15). Palestine, being one of the 46 countries that were grounds for Jewish migration, had the most Jewish migrant population. Before the establishment of the Israeli State in 1948, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and Christians who shared religious relevance to the region coexisted in Palestine. In 1947, after the increase in tension between Zionists and Palestinians, resolution 181(ll) called for the divisionof Palestine into two states, a nation for the Arabs and a nation for the Jews, with the capital being Jerusalem under UN control. According to Arab Studies Quarterly, the plan of this resolution would divide Palestine into six parts: 56% of the area would be a Jewish state, while 43% of the area would be an Arab state (Nassar 79-80). The Nakba was an event from 1947 to 1948, where over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their lands and homes by Zionist forces with the use of force and violence (United Nations, 2023). The Violent Irgun and Stern Zionist militia committed the atrocities. The leader of the Irgun extremist party, Menachem Begin, was later given political authority as the Prime Minister of Israel in 1977 (Nassar 81). As my 6-year-old grandmother and her family watched the “Deir Yasin Massacre” in April of 1948 unfold, she recalled the testimonies of the few survivors who were dumped in nearby Arab neighborhoods to share what happened at the village. The survivors recalled Palestinian village men being lined up as they watched their sisters, mothers, and daughters be hung and raped in front of their eyes (Hogan, 2001). They asked the women who were pregnant if they wanted to know the gender of their babies, and then they would viciously cut her stomach open and expose the baby, leaving them both to die. They blew up homes and executed villagers with a bullet to the head and spared nobody (Hamoudi, n.d.). Being petrified is an understatement. When zionist militants entered my grandmother’s neighborhood, her Palestinian Jewish neighbor hid her beneath her bed. She was later put into a basketand lowered from her neighbor’s window to escape the city of Haifa to eliminate the possibility of being a victim of such heinous crimes. The British mandate was terminated in 1948, and the Israeli State was officially established that same year (University of Central Arkansas, n.d.). The UNGA adopted Resolution 273 (III), formally making Israel a UN member in 1949 (United Nations, 1949). III. 1967 Six-Day War and The Unification of Arab Nations For Palestine The 1967 war, also known as the Six-Day War, was evidence of the Palestinian occupation and abuse. Opposing the rise of the Jewish State, which cost the livelihood of Palestinians, tensions arose in the Middle East between Arab nations and Israel. The Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, was expecting an attack on his ally nation, Syria, and commanded military forces to advance to the Sinaipeninsula, where they expelled the UN peacekeeping force, which had been protecting the border along with Israel. He banned Israel from using the Straits of Tiran route. By early June of 1967, Israeli leaders voted to strike the Arabs. They decided that if they attacked, it would be much easier to defeat the Arabs due to their lack of preparation. Israel began what was known as Operation “Focus” on Egypt. Israeli forces were able to enter and occupy the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syrian Golan Heights, and the Egyptian Sinai (History, 2018). 500,000 Palestinians were additionally displaced (PBS, n.d.) The UN unanimously adopted resolution 242 in November of 1967, which stated that Israel must withdraw from the newly gained territory and that they must give the right to every State in the region to live in peace within safe and established borders, free from violence, as well as their territorial integrity and politicalindependence. Israel argued that the resolution was not specific over which occupied areas it must withdraw from and continue inhabiting the regions. However, resolution 242 clearly stated a “withdrawal of Israel’s armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict” (United Nations, 1967). IV. Palestinians right to Resistance and Revolt In 1974, the United Nations affirmed the Palestinian’s right to self-determination, sovereignty, liberation, and refugee return (Rabee et al. 2021). The First Intifada took place in 1987. The Intifada, translated to “the shaking off” or the “uprising,” was a resistance movement in response to the occupation and annexation of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinians took to the streets to riot. As a result, Israel mass arrested Palestinians and collectively punished those who rebelled against the occupation. By December of that year, 2,200 Israeli armed settlers permanently occupied 40% of the Gaza Strip, forcing 650,000 former occupants of that land into the remaining 60% of the Gaza Strip, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world (History, 2020). By 1988, Palestinian casualties were at 300, meanwhile, 11,000 were injured (History, 2010). In 1993, the Oslo Accords were signed by both Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Liberation Organization president, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, later assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist who did not want peace with the Palestinians. The Oslo Accords stated a withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from regions of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the established PLO to rule specific areas to create a resolution. This step marked the end of the first Intifada (Office of The Historian, n.d.). Within the 30 years following, we witness theexpansion of illegal Israeli settlements unfold in Palestinian territories (Youtube, 2023). The second Intifada began in 2000 after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited Al-Aqsa mosque with more than 1,000 heavily armed soldiers. Before the visit, Palestinians were already boiling over the broken Oslo Accords agreement, and they had enough. Sharon’s visit marked the anniversary of the “Sabra and Shatila” refugee camp massacre, which many blamed for failing to stop the bloodshed (Al-Jazeera,2020). In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip after pressure from the armed resistance and retaliation in the region. The Hamas organization was founded around the time of the first Intifada toliberate Palestinians from ongoing oppression. Although Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, their authority remained. After Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas as their central governance in 2007, Israel imposed a blockade on the Strip controlling the Sea, Air, and Ground.Borders enclosed the Gazan population (UNICEF, n.d.). No food, water, or electricity entered the Strip without approval from the Israeli government. They have continued to occupy other areas claimed during the Six-Day War, most notably the Golan Heights and the West Bank. Controlling many aspects of the Palestinians’ lives, creating an atmosphere full of suffering and psychological warfare for Palestinians was an apparent goal. (Onion et al., 2018). V. Conclusion Context is crucial to approach an understanding of any type. October 7 did not happen in a vacuum. Palestinians are currently suffering ongoing airstrike bombardments in Gaza, where half of thepopulation are children (PRB, 2002). Not to forget that Israel has been claiming they are only striking areas that are suspected of being Hamas operation Bases with no sufficient evidence to prove suchclaims. On October 13, Israel commanded the southern Gaza population to evacuate within 24 hours before they began severe shellings. They provided them with two “safe routes”. As a vehicle was evacuating Palestinians to the North from the south of Gaza, Israel sent a deadly airstrike that actively targeted those fleeing on that convoy, killing many. At the same time, the majority were children (The Guardian, 2023). The United Nations released a statement saying it “considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences” (United Nations, 2023). If Israel was only targeting Hamas, what is the justification for the 186 people, including more than 30 children, who have been killed in the West Bank by Settlers and the Israeli military since October 7, where Hamas does not reside? It was even reported that there were Palestinian deaths that the Israeli government did not take any fierce action against. The killer of Palestinian farmer Bilal Muhammed Saleh, 40, was released days after his arrest. This serves as evidence of the lack of care the Israeligovernment has for Palestinians (Inskeep et al., 2023). The injustice towards Palestinians is not something we can graze over. We cannot expect peace to form suddenly. Liberation is the prerequisitefor peace. Without the liberation of the Palestinian people and the repossession of their homes and livelihoods, […] “Palestine-Israel; How Palestinians Rebel Against Apartheid Should Not be The Focus of Our Criticism”
The artist who lives by Art By: Raya Mustafa October 18, 2023 “I don’t think I’d really have much of a personality without art.”, an idea that manifests in every aspect of Alonzo Gonzalez’ life. Alonzo was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, New York. Growing up he felt indifferent when it came to writing. Nothing about writing captured the interest of Gonzales. Finding a secret path to writing through art is what allowed him to check off writing as a personal development. Alonzo enjoys drawing. Unlike his peers, he was not gifted with the ability to draw on his own, he instead had to work his way up to have the ability he carries today. Thank you, Alonzo Gonzales, for giving me the opportunity to provide a peer review for your language literacy journey. The narrative written by Alonzo focuses on his struggle with writing, being overcome with the help of his artistic abilities. The journey highlighted Alonzo impressively connecting his drawing progress, to his ability to story-tell/write. In a brief conversation with Alonzo Gonzales, I learned that art has played a major role in different aspects of his life. “I went over how watching this video taught me how to take things step by step and I put that in my drawings and then I correlated it to a lot of other things in my life.” He revealed that art was used as a tool to mold out other abilities he lacked strength in. Alonzo starts off by acknowledging that writing was not the focus of his improvement, but drawing allowed him to improve by doing both simultaneously. Art was the means that allowed Alonzo to get better in both writing and storytelling. Alonzo shares that his transformation, did not happen overnight but instead was a step-by-step process. He exemplified this by referring to a video that taught him how to draw a boy. Applying this technique to growth made Alonzo realize that this was the approach that was most effective in his learning journey. From precision to focus, Alonzo was able to achieve his goals through art. He shares a technique used in art, “lining in art actually made me a better writer when I want to be, not all the time. And it just made me more precise in my thinking and made me take my time with things”. Art did not stop at story telling with Alonzo. Art and the strategic approach Alonzo took to get better at art was affected by other aspects of his life, like video games. With his approach to art, Alonzo was able to plant a seed of patience that benefits him throughout the breadth of life. His strategic approach to improve in art captured other aspects of his life that he feels has been an accomplishment. When Alonzo was asked about what he would be without art, he expressed that art was his personality and identity, and that he would not feel like a fulfilled person. “Without art, I don’t think I’d really be much of a person”, he says. Just as someone’s life can be filled with sleep, gaming and sporadic workouts, art fills a void in Alonzo’s life. Through this response, Alonzo emphasizes the importance of art in his life. Alonzo underscores the influence of art in his approach to various life challenges, through personal development, precision, strategy, demonstrating the power of creativity and perseverance he can recognize himsel […] “Alonzo Gonzales Synthesis with Art”
