by Tyler Johnson

Humanity has once more found itself at a critical moment. Future generations will look back on our reactions and judge us accordingly. The Israel-Palestine conflict is no ‘war’; it is an ethnic genocide perpetrated by a settler colonial state. History will not absolve us for our compliance in this act of inhumanity. We must disassociate ourselves with it and disavow it.

It must be first stated that you are not anti-Semetic for questioning Israel’s actions. This idea that protests are anti-Semetic is perpetrated by the media to manufacture consent to violate the First Amendment rights of protestors. There are plenty of Jewish figures who disavow the actions of Israel as well, such as Holocaust scholar Norman Finkelstein, political intellectual Noam Chomsky, and Marxist economist Richard Wolff. 

But how do we begin to question Israel? We must first remove ourselves from bias. It is time for us to take a sobering look at the situation in Gaza. It is what could be considered an “open air prison”; many would also refer to this as a concentration camp. This may seem like a rough term, but let’s look at the facts of the situation. The Gazans are walled in on the Israeli border. The Palestinian people were slowly pushed out of their own land into a smaller and smaller area. In this area, Israel has complete control over their water, food, and electricity. The Gazans cannot escape across the Egyptian border, as Egypt refuses to take them. This is a completely controlled place where the people have no escape and are ruthlessly terrorized, making it by definition a concentration camp.

These are not livable conditions; these are not humane conditions, and these are not conditions we should be okay with. They have been trapped in this space and ruthlessly bombed. Homes, schools, churches, hospitals, all bombed in the name of fighting terrorism. Is this not terrorizing? 

It hasn’t always been like this. Palestine used to consist of a much larger area before 1967. But then, the Israeli settlers asserted they had a biblical claim on the land and began to colonize it. Subsequently, over the decades, the Palestinians have been pushed out of their own land. If the situation were reversed and it had been the Palestinians claiming Israeli land, westerners would have asserted it to be a radical jihad. Why is that the Israelis get to do this free of scrutiny? Why do we act surprised when the oppressed begin to fight back in radical ways?

The uncomfortable truth of the situation lies in its all too familiar excuse of “fighting terrorism.” As Americans we know what it’s like to be affected by terrorism. But we also know what it’s like to lie for the sake of imperialism. When Colin Powell lied about Iraq having WMDs to justify invasion, the public began to distrust government powers, and we need to bring this skepticism to Israel.

Yes, October 7 did happen. Yes, it was a tragedy. But this could have been avoided. The decades of the Palestinian people’s oppression bred this hatred. To terrorize a people and be surprised when they retaliate in a violent and radical way is ridiculous. It is not to say Hamas’ actions are justified or that they are a group of freedom fighters. It is to say that the hatred and violence they perpetuate was born from their own history of being oppressed and terrorized. The Israeli government has then weaponized this tragedy against the Palestinian people. There is absolutely zero justification for the murder that has occurred in Gaza. 

46,009 people, including 17,492 children, have been massacred, and more than 11,000 are missing. How could you say that this is all done in the name of counter-terrorism? Israel can say it’s limiting casualties, but it is clear as day right in front of our eyes that they are not, as Israel designated safe zones in Gaza and then proceeded to bomb those as well. Israel denies, denies, denies, and relies on the weaponization of October 7 to substantiate these lies.

But what is to be done about this tragedy? Well, it’s hard to say, as the West stays a strong ally to Israel. Especially America, with Israel being essentially an extension of American interests in the Middle East. 

The best course of action is the use of the First Amendment to rally more people to this issue. We must show the government that we will not stay silent for genocide. We cannot repeat the mistakes we made in the 30s and 40s. 

We can find solidarity as a people and fight back against imperial forces. To free Palestine is to free everyone.