While lying in his bed at night, a Palestinian man is ordered to step outside his house so that it can be demolished (illegally) by the Israeli army to make way for Jewish-only villages on Palestinian land.
His wife and children are also ordered to leave; they’ve been given no warning and are now left homeless with no way of finding shelter. Evicted families aren’t entitled to alternative housing or compensation; many would face homelessness and destitution were it not for relatives, friends and charities.
The conflict in the Middle East between the Palestinians and Israelis transcends politics because it’s a humanitarian conflict. As a condition of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) recognized Israel as a state and renounced violence.
Israel for its part entered into peace negotiations that were aimed at providing Palestinians an independent homeland on the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem . This goal was never realized, despite more than seven years of peace talks (1993 to 2000).
During this period, Israel doubled the number of Jewish settlements and continues to build illegal settlements on Palestinian land. These settlements are illegal under international law, and they are seen as a serious obstacle on the road to peace by most Palestinians and a large portion of the international community. Israel cannot continue to rely on the right to self-defense or a state of necessity to build Jewish-only homes on Palestinian land.
According to the UN, in 2009, more than 600 Palestinians — more than half of them children — lost their homes after they were demolished on order from the Israeli authorities.
These demolitions are done without warning, leaving no time for the Palestinians to seek shelter elsewhere. According to Amnesty International, Israeli authorities have also issued demolition orders against Palestinian schools, clinics, roads, water cisterns, electricity pylons, sheds and animal shelters.
Not to belabor this point, but peace is not just talk — it’s action.
But in Gaza, it’s not the settlements the Palestinians are worried about, it’s the hopelessness that their freedom will never be reached because Israel has declared a blockade of goods and resources from entering the Gaza strip. Israel maintains that the blockade prevents countries such as Iran from handing nuclear weapons to a group such as Hamas.
But the blockade also sets up unnecessary obstacles to essentials such as food and medical supplies from entering the Gaza Strip. And while Israel does allow certain foods and medical supplies, building materials and cleaning supplies are not allowed into Gaza, where missiles from Israeli attacks have put holes into many of the existing buildings.
And while Israel does indeed have a right to defend itself from attacks, so too do the Palestinians. Israel cannot continue to use religious texts and archaic laws to justify a hostile blockade of their neighbors.
The blockade is not only depriving Palestinians of their right to life, it’s also a contesting point in justifying Hamas’ attacks on Israel. One of the tragedies of this conflict is that Hamas was actually supported and encouraged in its early years by Israel.
It’s about time that Israel recognizes the human rights of the Palestinians. They, too, should be allowed to pursue economic prosperity and psychological stability. By LUBNA SAFI IDS
It’s necessary that both sides concede, but what’s due in fairness transcends political gain. This is a humanitarian dilemma, and as citizens of the United States (and the world), we mustn’t let war between extremes ruin the lives of those caught in the middle.
This collective punishment of the Palestinians needs to be lifted if peace is to be taken seriously. Palestinians, similar to other nations, should have the freedom to build their communities, and the United States, with full support of Israel in the form of $3 billion annually in military aid, has an important role to play in ensuring that justice is done not only to the Israelis, but also to the Palestinians.
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