What You Need To Know About Gaza – Foreign Policy Youth Collaborative

To better understand this situation, there are some words that fit the rhetoric that need to be explained for further understanding. First is ethnic cleansing, which is the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society. The second is colonization, which is the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area. The third is genocide, which is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

These words are important to the rhetoric of the situation because it is the basis of what is occurring in Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah. The attack by Israel toward Palestine in this capacity has reached its pinnacle since 2014. Current reports on the attack have been biased in Israel’s favor. World leaders have gone as far as openly supporting Israel and funding it. This includes the United States, which sends Israel 3.8 billion dollars annually, and President Biden, who has openly wavered his support for Israel.

As far as condemning Israel’s actions, the New York Times stated that “The Arab world has broadly condemned Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and Israeli police raids this week on the grounds of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Leaders have spoken out, protests have taken place, social media is aflame. But at the government level, the condemnation so far is largely rhetorical. Since 2014, when Israel mounted a seven-week offensive into Gaza, the region’s concerns have shifted, with new fears about Iran’s influence and a growing recognition by Arab nations of the reality of Israel.”

Why The Conflict To Begin With?

Before World War I, the Middle East region, including the southern part of Ottoman Syria (which is regarded as Palestine), was under the control of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400 years. Towards the end of the 19th century, Palestine, which was divided between the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, Syria Vilayet, and Beirut Vilayet, was inhabited predominantly by Arab Muslims, both farmers and Bedouin (principally in the Negev and Jordan Valley), with smaller numbers of Christians (mostly Arabs), Druze, Circassians, and Jews (predominantly Sephardic).

The roots of the conflict can be traced to the late 19th century, with the rise of national movements, including Zionism and Arab nationalism.

According to Benny Morris, one of the first recorded violent incidents between Arabs and the newly immigrated Jews in Palestine was the accidental shooting death of an Arab man in Safed during a wedding in 1882 by a Jewish guard of the newly formed Rosh Pinna. In response, about 200 Arabs descended on the Jewish settlement, throwing stones and vandalizing property. Another incident happened in Petah Tikva, where in early 1886, the Jewish settlers demanded that their tenants vacate the disputed land and started encroaching on it.

It’s important to note that the current coverage of events has been covering Gaza and not the events leading up to it. Israel has made the decision to allow Israeli settlers to move into Palestinian homes. This means that the Israeli government is giving its people permission to colonize Palestinian homes and forcibly remove those who live there. This is leaving Palestinian people homeless; nearly 200 Palestinians at risk of displacement.

Palestinians have made appeals in Israeli courts to keep their homes, but Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem do not have equal rights. Because of this, it is not far off to say that their appeals will be thrown out.

What Started The Attack?

In response to the attacks, Palestinians have been peacefully protesting to support these families while Israeli forces have been attacking and shooting Palestinians.

The first attack was in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, which is legally on Palestinian land. The second was on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in the world for Muslims, which is also legally on Palestinian land.

In 1967, Israel illegally took control of East Jerusalem, where these attacks took place.

Where Does Ethnic Cleansing Come In? And What Else Is Involved?

The actions of the Israeli government are motivated by it. The second attack, which took place at a mosque, occurred while Palestinians were praying during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims.

The genocide of Palestinians and colonization of their land is ethnic cleansing. Although ethnic cleansing is the primary motive seen here, it would be ignorant to say it is the only motivation.

Much of civilization has been created by the hands of those who commit genocide to colonize land that they want for themselves. The crisis affecting Palestinians is, at its base, an attempt at genocide.

What Is Currently Happening in Gaza?

Currently, there are massive blackouts occurring on the strip in Gaza leaving chaos in its wake. Gaza’s current power crisis dates back to 2006, when Israeli airstrikes demolished all six transformers at Gaza’s only power station. This left the power plant only somewhat rebuilt while an Israeli blockade prevented parts and other required materials for reconstruction from reaching Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel continues to strategically target and destroy Gaza’s power lines, making the situation worsen.

“Gaza’s power shortage may be a relatively recent crisis, but it exacerbates older, underlying crises. This is especially true when it comes to Palestinians’ access to clean water – too scarce to support the Gaza Strip’s population to begin with.”

Also affected by the power outages is Gaza’s access to clean water. Over the years, Israeli middle strikes and ground incursions have damaged Gaza’s pipelines. The infrastructure of the sewage treatment system has similarly been degraded by the attacks. Plans to alleviate the amount of sewage spill into the water have been thwarted by the power outages.

It has been said that the blockade in Gaza has made life precarious for those who live there. Many families are receiving 3 to 4 hours of electricity a day at most according to Gaza’s power company.

“Distributing power to individual houses is another problem. Power company workers have scrambled to repair power lines, only to see them damaged again. Airstrikes have battered the area’s infrastructure, also splitting open sewage pipes and tearing up roads.”

More is expected to happen as the United Nations and foreign representatives seek permission for fuel to enter Gaza along with humanitarian aid and assistance.

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