Under Siege: Unmasking the Aftermath of Israeli Attacks on Palestine
“I am not a lover of Israel, of course. I have no reason to be. But I don’t hate Jews.”- Mahmoud Darwish.
The vibrant nightlife of Ramallah- a city of West Bank has come to a standstill since October 7, 2023. It no longer echoes with the sounds of car honking, and youngsters singing songs while wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Now, one can hear the wailings of pregnant women, children, and the Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli forces have arrested students, journalists, activists, and even people, who are posting on social media in support of Gaza. The drone strikes continued to destroy the hospitals, houses, streets, schools, and refugee camps and also ruined the Al-Ansar Mosque of Jenin, a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
But this level of unfathomable violence for the Palestinians is nothing new. Through decades, they have been subjected to the annexation of their land and territories by Israel and Israeli settlers. This war did not happen overnight or a month ago, it has been a result of a continuum of systemic violence, occupation, and terror attacks. This story is not measured in weeks but in decades.
If we try to unravel this strife, then the roots can be traced back to historical, geopolitical, and religious tensions that encapsulated tensions in the Middle East region. This persistent flashpoint emerged in the late 19th century when a series of Zionist movements advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration of 1917, patronized by the British government, lent official support to this vision, which led to an influx of Jewish immigrants into the Palestinian territory. It has been described as an “original sin” concerning the failure of the British government in Palestine. On the other hand, some saw it as a divine providence; because this contributed to the rise of the Zionist religion amid the larger Zionist movements.
History has been absent from much of the Hamas-Israel war, as if the October 7 attacks were arbitrary. For instance, since the 1948 nakba- in which the entire Palestinian populace was wiped off and Israel was established, the wars of 1967 and 1973 have also shaped the present political tussle. As a repercussion of all these annals, the Palestinians have been split between Gaza and Israel.
Gaza, which is often referred to as the world’s largest open-air prison, the movement of Palestinians is very restricted. They are treated as second-class citizens- even if they are deemed as citizens at all. According to Israeli law, they do not even have the national right to self-determination, which is only reserved for the Jewish citizens of the state.
Many diplomats and politicians of Israel have hesitated to talk about the two-state solution, once seen as a pathway to success. Over the years, they have paid lip service to this peace process; but in reality, it’s their cover for inaction.
Against all insurmountable odds in the Middle East, Israel has emerged victoriously against its Arab neighbors, and also against the liberation organizations of Palestine. This has been possible due to the unflinching support of the Western world to Israel, particularly the United Kingdom, France, and in recent times the United States.
This support has been manifested in the reluctance of certain Western countries to call for a ceasefire. Couple this with strategic interests, political considerations, and a perceived unwillingness to take sides in this deeply divisive conflict. The United States has also been criticized for exercising its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, hindering the resolutions that are critical of Israel, and raising questions about its role as an impartial mediator.
During this heightened violence, it comes to the picture that children and pregnant women are bearing the brunt of Israel’s military rule. Reports and visual evidence attest that they have failed to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Even before the conflict, the generational trauma of losing family members, PTSD, and depression were pervasive in Palestinian homes.
In Gaza, these victims have virtually no legal recourse from the Israeli state. Many are abducted at night from their homes, beaten to death, or tried arbitrarily in military courts. Under the 16-year-old siege in Gaza, the Israeli government has decided the number of calories that Palestinians would consume before sliding into malnourishment. Many people from Gaza have risked escaping from here and tread on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, only to die en route.
As the international community continues to grapple with this indiscriminate nature of violence, a renewed commitment to human rights, protection of the most vulnerable, and diplomacy become paramount.
Any kind of future must have been better for the Israelis a month ago. But was there ever a state of peace for the Palestinians before the Hamas attacks? Maybe not.
By Ishpreet Kakkar, 2nd Year, B.A. (Hons.) Political Science
