Palestine
Gaza: a place where bombs awaken children rather than alarm clocks; a place where families call makeshift tents home; a place where father’s carry their childrens’ limbs in plastic bags; a place where mothers tuck their kids under blood-stained sheets, rather than warm blankets. Someone once said that “if you went to one funeral a day for the Palestinian children killed since October 7th, it would take over 27 years to attend them all”.
The events unfolding in Occupied Palestine are not only beyond words, but beyond imagination. However, the UnitedForOthers team hopes that this report helps the Palestinian people know that they are not alone and that they have the right to live, to experience liberation, and to get justice. Their stories will not go untold.
The crises in Palestine has never been about religion, rather a fight for land that’s been supported by the very principles of settler colonialism. The very settler colonialism that we have devastatingly seen repeated over the course of history, and the very settler colonialism that we have deemed morally reprehensible. Moreover, Palestinian suffering dates far back than just October 7th, rather 76 years ago, when Israel enacted the first Nakba, forcing at least 750,000 Palestinans out of their homes to capture 78% of Palestine, with the remaining 22% known as the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (Haddad, 2022).
Before 1948 however, Palestine was considered a former territory for the Ottoman Empire, under which Muslims, Christians, and Jewish people peacefully coexisted. This peaceful coexistence lasted until the end of World War One as the Ottoman Empire was forced to dismantle, leaving their former territories under the control of Britain, France, Greece, and Russia using the Armistice of Mudros (all of these territories, except Palestine would soon gain independence) (Ottoman Empire, 2020). Amidst World War One, the British government had originally promised Palestine to Sharif Hussein, a Meccan leader, in exchange for a staged revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Then, the British government promised the land to themselves during a secret exchange with France. And later, in 1917, the land was promised to Zionists under the Balfour Declaration. But, with the war coming to an end, Palestine actually remained under a British Mandate, whose policies and practices each created more divide amongst Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews, than unity (Green, 2015). At the same time, the British facilitated widespread Jewish immigration to Palestine. With Palestinian nationalism growing under British control, along with tensions amidst Jewish immigrants and Palestinian Arabs, the 1936-1939 Arab revolts ensued, leading to extreme repression from the British government and Jewish Militants (United Nations, 2023). In 1947, the United Nations proposed a Partition Plan that called for the end of the British Mandate and to split Palestine into two independent states, Jewish Israel and Arab Palestine, with Jerusalem placed under the jurisdiction of the United Nations, as stated by Resolution 181 (United Nations General Assembly, 1947). In 1948 however, Israel claimed independence and brutally seized much more of Palestine than originally laid out by Resolution 181 through the First Nakba. In 1967, the Six-Day War broke out, causing over half a million Palestinians to flee, while Israel annexed the remainder of Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. Though the United Nations called for a return of all land attained during the war and for the recognition of an independent Palestine and Israel, the fight continued (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 242, 1967). Ultimately, Yasser Arafat established the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was recognized as Palestine’s representative in the United Nations. Meanwhile, Israel continued to create illegal Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, all of which are Palestinian territories (United Nations, 2023). In 1987, Palestinians enacted the first Intifada which gave rise to a Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, as well as, the Oslo Accords, a document that served as the beginning of a short-lived peace process. Chairman Yasser Arafet, the head of the PLO, and Yitzhak Rabin, Israel’s Prime Minister, along with the United States's Bill Clinton facilitated this exchange, however the document resulted in little change. Israel continued to build illegal settlements in Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza, giving rise to the Second Intifada, leading Israel to build an illegal Wall of Apartheid in the West Bank to defend against Palestinian civilians (Green, 2015). In 2005, Israel launched a devastating land, sea, and air blockade on the Gaza Strip that has led to a severe humanitarian catastrophe (The Gaza Strip, 2022), In response to Israel’s unprovoked aggression, illegal Wall of Apartheid, and blockade, Hamas launched the October 7th attack, which has led to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.
Currently, over 31,000 people have died, with over 70% of them being women and children. Sickeningly, many more have been deemed “missing”, or under the rubble. Those that have been able to survive thus far have been forcibly subjugated to extreme human rights abuses, many of which remain undocumented by mainstream media outlets. Gaza’s largest hospitals are no longer able to function (Al Jazeera, 2024). There are no medical supplies. No anesthesia. Children are having open surgeries. Women are having c-sections without painkillers. Girls are using tent scraps as sanitary products. On average, the UN has reported that 2 mothers are killed every hour in Palestine, while the miscarriage rate has increased by a staggering 300%. Food, the most basic necessity, is being used as a weapon as thousands face starvation. Countless aid trucks filled with the donations of millions of people have been stuck at the borders of Rafah and Egypt, however the little aid that has been able to reach inside the borders of Gaza has led to immense bloodshed. Israeli forces opened fire on those seeking humanitarian aid and humanitarian convoys in what is now being called the Flour Massacres (United Nations, 2024). The initial massacre took place on February 29th, but since then 8 more have followed (Quds News Network, 2024).
In the plight of the misinformation circulating across mass media outlets, Palestinians themselves have begun documenting and journaling their daily lives. Motaz Azaiza (@motaz_azaiza), Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1), and Plestia Alaqad (@byplestia) are only three of the countless civilians who have turned to social media in an attempt to highlight the current reality of Palestinans. Journalists have been some of the most targeted groups of people with over 95 of them killed by Israeli forces as of March 17, 2024 (CPJ, 2024). Amongst those include, Yazan al-Zeweidi, Mohamed Jamal Sbhi Al-Thalathini, and Ahmed Bdeir. So many have been killed, that children have begun documenting the ongoing genocide to help increase awarness and work towards a ceasefire. 9 year old Lama Abu Jamas is one of them who has begun documenting and covering the genocide on her mom’s phone. In response, there have been countless efforts to sensitize and undermine the voices of Palestinans through systematic censorship of content.
Given these current circumstances it remains all the more imperative for us to become active participants and to demand representation within the decision-making process. Action begins with awareness, and although this blog hopes to shed light on the current events unfolding within our global community, it also seeks to encourage you all to ask questions and to do your own research. In an attempt to empower those directly impacted, but also those who have the capability to enact change, we’ve linked all our resources below, but have also remained committed to donate all proceeds towards organizations that are able to operate within the Gaa Strip directly to help those in need. Further, UFO advocates for peaceful protest and resistance above all. As stated before, misinformation surrounding Palestine is widespread. Many deduct this conflict to be solely religious, when this is not the case. Palestine and Israel is not a fight between Islam and Judaism. In fact, some of the loudest voices and strongest advocates for Palestinian liberation have been Jewish people, making the rise in both Islamophobia and Anti-semitism all the more devastating. Anti-genocide is something we must all be.
Voting with our money is perhaps one of the easiest and most influential ways in which we can show both support for Palestinians and solidarity against genocide. The Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement (BDS Movement) ensures that we do not support products and companies that are complicit in the genocide of Palestinans. Through an economic lens, the movement seeks to deter financial investments with Israeli apartheid because it’s more profitable (@letstalkpalestine). Centralized boycotting makes the largest impact and currently the BDS movement is targeting McDonalds, which offered free meals to Israeli soldiers, Starbucks, which sued their workers’ union for their support of Palestine, and Disney, which donated over $2 million dollars to Israel organizations. In the past, boycotts have been faced with immense success with companies like Ben & Jerry’s and Pillsbury stopping sales in Israeli settlements. In addition to participating in the BDS Movement, you can participate in peaceful protests that show solidarity and condemn the killing of 31,000 people. Call your congress members, write letters, sign petitions, but most of all, do NOT become desensitized to Palestinian suffering. As each of us scroll on our phones, watch Insta stories, or even Tik Tok videos, it can become easy to ignore the current realities of our world. This is perhaps the most harmful because we lose our ability to empathize with others and to see them as human. In a time where those around us have seemingly lost sight of their morals and values, it remains all the more imperative that we stay true to ours.
Amnesty International. “ISRAEL’S OCCUPATION: 50 YEARS of DISPOSSESSION.” Amnesty.org, 7 June 2017, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/israel-occupation-50-years-of-dispossession/.
“Israeli Attacks Wipe out Entire Families in Gaza.” Amnesty International, 20 Oct. 2023, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/.
“Conflict in Israel and Palestine: Crash Course World History 223.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw&t=2s.
Haddad, Mohammed. “Nakba Day: What Happened in Palestine in 1948?” Www.aljazeera.com, www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/15/nakba-mapping-palestinian-villages-destroyed-by-israel-in-1948#:~:text=Zionist%20military%20forces%20expelled%20at.
History.com Editors. “Ottoman Empire.” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, 3 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoman-empire.
Human Rights Watch. “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution.” Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, 27 Apr. 2021, www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution.
“Meta’s Broken Promises.” Human Rights Watch, 21 Dec. 2023, www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/21/metas-broken-promises/systemic-censorship-palestine-content-instagram-and.
Jones, Kathy. “Journalist Casualties in the Israel-Gaza War.” Committee to Protect Journalists, 3 Jan. 2024, cpj.org/2024/01/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/.
UNICEF. “The Gaza Strip | the Humanitarian Impact of 15 Years of Blockade - June 2022.” Www.unicef.org, June 2022, www.unicef.org/mena/documents/gaza-strip-humanitarian-impact-15-years-blockade-june-2022.
United Nations. “History of the Question of Palestine.” United Nations, United Nations, 26 Feb. 2019, www.un.org/unispal/history/.
#Publisher. “Women in Gaza Having C-Sections without Painkillers as Girls Use Tent Scraps for Period Products.” Sky News, Sky, 21 Jan. 2024, news.sky.com/story/women-and-girls-in-gaza-using-scraps-of-tent-material-in-place-of-period-products-13053083.
“Gaza’s Nasser Hospital ‘completely out of Service’ as Israeli Attacks Mount.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 18 Feb. 2024, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/18/gazas-nasser-hospital-completely-out-of-service-as-israeli-attacks-mount.
“Israel/Palestine: Unprecedented Killings, Repression.” Human Rights Watch, 11 Jan. 2024, www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/11/israel/palestine-unprecedented-killings-repression.
“Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza.” Human Rights Watch, 5 Apr. 2024, www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza.
“Israel: Unlawful Gaza Blockade Deadly for Children.” Human Rights Watch, 8 Dec. 2023, www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/18/israel-unlawful-gaza-blockade-deadly-children.
“Israeli Authorities’ Cutting of Water Leading to Public Health Crisis in Gaza.” Human Rights Watch, 16 Nov. 2023, www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/16/israeli-authorities-cutting-water-leading-public-health-crisis-gaza#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20UN%20however,to%20the%20Palestinian%20Water%20Authority.
“Israeli Authorities’ Cutting of Water Leading to Public Health Crisis in Gaza.” Human Rights Watch, 16 Nov. 2023, www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/16/israeli-authorities-cutting-water-leading-public-health-crisis-gaza#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20UN%20however,to%20the%20Palestinian%20Water%20Authority.
“Journalist Casualties in the Israel-Gaza War.” Committee to Protect Journalists, 26 Apr. 2024, cpj.org/2024/03/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/#:~:text=As%20of%20March%2017%2C%202024,and%201%2C200%20deaths%20in%20Israel.
“Meet Gaza’s Youngest Journalist, 9-Year-Old Lama Abu Jamous.” Sky News, news.sky.com/video/meet-gazas-youngest-journalist-9-year-old-lama-abu-jamous-13053630#:~:text=Lama%2C%20began%20capturing%20what%20she,has%20more%20than%20750%2C000%20followers. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
