We’re a group of activists in a Western country where most have been brought up with either “Israel = good, Hamas = bad” or “It’s a sad, but unsolvable conflict between two equal sides”. The media heavily skewed to the Israeli perspective, and our politicians want to condemn protests in support of Palestinians. Therefore, unless you purposefully seek out information on what’s going on in Palestine, you won’t really encounter information about the occupation, the apartheid or the human rights violations. There are a lot of gaps in people’s information and understanding of the situation.
Atm there’s a lot of dehumanization, a lot of “Well, what can you do? Hamas keeps attacking Israel, what are they supposed to do?”. I think the Israel=Good is deep-rooted in a lot of westerners. I know it was in me.
We’ve asked ourselves and each other what finally broke through our previous perception, so we could see the inequality and realize that what’s happening is not right
One mentioned seeing a journalist in the back of an ambulance being handed a one-year-old that had passed
One mentioned seeing a video of a caring father saying goodbye to his little girl, kissing her eyes before she was wrapped in the materiale they wrap their dead. The father clearly in denial, smiling and wishing for her to wake up.
A big one for me was being told that it’s not an equal fight. It’s not two equally strong countries. It’s one country with a huge military, and another with barely any. Another was hearing about the human rights violations that’s been going on for decades - the fabricated water shortage, the children in Israeli jails.
I believe these are the moments we need to collect and present to those who are still wary on where they stand.
What broke through to you?
I (early GenX) grew up with: it is an ugly conflict between two evil sides who do not hold back to kill. When agreements are reached, there is always one side who breaches the agreements. Periodic killing returns in a continuous cycle. At the end of every period the conflict hardens and borders are moved.
I have not changed my opinion. I have not seen an eye opener in the past months.
SNAFU: Situation Normal, All Fucked Up
The one caveat is that the sides are not equal. The Israelis have the resources to set up a 2-state solution unilaterally if they wanted, while the Palestinians are in an active famine right now. They’re just not willing to bear the economic and security costs of that, so the cycle continues.
Yeah, plus that hardly describes just Palestine and Israel, more “humanity, as a whole”. It’s just rarely as openly on displayed that it’s all fucked up. Plus, as long as ideologic and religious believes can hold any sway in organizing states or populations, this will never ever ever cease.
I mean, democracy is an ideology too. If you want to see a place with no ideology, think of somewhere with openly corrupt mafia-like rule. I’d point the finger more at tribalism.
No I meant believes in particular ideologies. I should have been more specific that I mean the fervor-type belief that is also exemplary with religion usually, but of course also shows up with Trumpsters a lot. I used both right to one another but didn’t specify, sorry.