Since 1948, millions of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the name of Zionism. Now, famine has been declared in Gaza, with many of its civilians starving to death as I write. The war has been going on for decades, and the conflict has spanned a century, but it’s in the past two years that conditions have severely intensified for Palestinians. Though Israel denies it, multiple reliable news sources (BBC, Al-Jazeera, Amnesty International) claim that humanitarian aid is being heavily restricted. Multiple organizations attempting to help innocent Palestinian citizens (Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières) are being told they are not authorized to provide aid.
Recently, a flotilla with 100 activists was intercepted trying to provide aid to Gaza. Among these activists was Greta Thunberg, a prominent young woman who has made waves speaking out for human rights and environmental action. She told Swedish officials that she was severely mistreated while she was detained in Israel — physically harmed, humiliated, and forced to stay in a bug-infested cell. This is a message to all those trying to help Gaza, intended to silence and threaten those speaking out against Israel’s genocide.
Whether they are willing to admit it or not, Israel is strictly limiting the amount of aid being allowed into Gaza, and the aid that is actually being allowed to reach civilians is well below what is needed. This is one of the genocidal tactics Israel employs on the people of Gaza. Another is the forced evacuations. The Human Rights Watch has found that Israel’s forced evacuation system has no justifiable reason and serves only to harm and weaken the population. They have been known to bomb supposed safe areas and evacuation routes, directly contradicting the narrative that these evacuations are to reduce civilian harm.
On this campus specifically, I have seen a lot of misinformation and false narratives surrounding the war. I see people equate anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism. But anti-Zionism is not rooted in a hatred of Jewish people. Zionists preach superiority, claiming Palestinian land belongs to them because they are the chosen people. It can almost be equated to the colonial idea of Manifest Destiny — the idea that the westward expansion of the United States was inevitable and justifiable, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands of Native Americans. I would argue that Jewish people, as one of the most largely persecuted peoples in history, should recognize this as a genocide. Deliberate starvation and the withholding of food is a tactic used in many known and recognized genocides, as is forced relocation — the Irish Potato Famine, the Holodomor, the Cambodian genocide, and the Holocaust, to name a few of many.
Additionally, when I express disgust for the war crimes and human rights violations committed in Gaza, I am in no way attributing this to Jewish people or assigning blame to Jewish people. Another problem I have begun to see, especially online, is an uptick of anti-Semitism as Israel is criticized, and Nazis agree, thinking it’s a criticism of Jewish people as a whole. It is not. The Israeli government is entirely to blame. Israel’s war crimes are undeniable, and an abundance of reliable sources detailing the extent of them exists — you just have to look.
I would first urge everyone to educate themselves on the entire history of the conflict, starting in 1917 with the Balfour Declaration. Use reliable news sources and organizations providing unbiased information. Form your own opinion. Advocate for the rights of Palestinians. We are watching a genocide unravel before our eyes — videotaped, documented, broadcasted. We will not be able to say we didn’t know. Palestine is running out of time. Donate, share videos, anything you can do to help. And if you have nothing to give, remember — you have a voice.
