Al Jazeera 10/7/23 Report – article detailing the events of October 7th
Al Jazeera – Netanyahu Remarks on Gaza – article detailing Netanyahu’s words on Gaza and its occupation
CFR – What is Hamas? – Council of Foreign Relations description and brief history of Hamas
Palestine UN – About the PLO – Palestine United Nations description and history of the Palestine Liberation Organization
NPR – Interview with Netanyahu – National Public Radio interview and summary of operations post October 7th
The violence surrounding the Nakba never truly stopped, but it has only grown as of October of 2023, when Israel launched a defensive attack against the Iranian backed group, Hamas. This group is widely known as a terrorist group. The initial attack is said to have been in response to continued threats and violence to Al-Asqa mosque in Jerusalem, which has long been a target for harassment of Palestinian Muslims. The Hamas attack on 10/7/23 was retaliated by Israeli bombings which have yet to stop, as of 11/19/23.
Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has made many comments inciting and condoning violence against Hamas; it is clear that in these statements, he is conflating Hamas with all of Palestine. For every attack that Israel’s military makes on civilians, including homes, hospitals, and schools, he claims that the deaths were justified because they were “human shields.” Giving in to bias for a moment, I feel that a human shield does not equal a target, and that the goal in a conflict is to achieve your goal while causing as few deaths as possible.
Much of the media surrounding the current conflict does not consider the complete imbalance of power between Palestine, a quickly diminishing group of people who is actively displaced and is being defended by a very small group of militant activists, and Israel, a global superpower who is being funded by another global superpower, both of whom have access to nuclear weapons.
It is extremely difficult to find unbiased information about Palestinian leadership, including Hamas – a highly controversial group classified as terrorists by most world organizations. It is important to note that Palestine is split into multiple sections, some cities being overseen by Hamas and some by the Palestine Liberation Organization, a largely peaceful democratic leadership. The PLO itself encompasses many smaller organizations, as well, from individuals to councils to the nation’s official military, the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA). The heavy bias around the entire nation of Palestine makes it exhausting to research the present conflict, especially as there is so much history to unpack.
Nuance aside, please try to keep in mind the objective facts that Netanyahu and his team are committing war crimes – firing on ambulances, bombing refugee camps, collective punishment as a whole, and more – in the eyes of the Geneva Conventions. There is an extremely skewed power dynamic. The people of Palestine are overwhelmingly posting and reporting on their struggles in English, a language that is not otherwise common, in an attempt to garner sympathy and attention from western audiences. The Israeli media specifically is banking on xenophobia in western audiences to spread misinformation and justify the crimes of Netanyahu and his team.
Floral Print and Bumblebees 