I want to talk about Palestine and about Gaza. I am writing this not only because I am an Arab. I have faced oppression under authoritarian governments, and I know how it feels to live under oppression. I know how it feels to face racism and systemic discrimination. And I have known from a very young age how it feels that Arabs are perceived as “Orientals” — someone who’s exotic and backward.
I suspect this ignorance has played into the West’s disregard for the lives of Palestinians.
Even though I have not faced what Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been facing, I grew up with them and heard their stories.
While the world has been inundated with news since Hamas’s October 7th attack on the Israeli kibbutzim and Israel’s subsequent brutal assault on Gaza, many are still unaware of the ongoing aggression committed against Palestinian civilians. Many others seem not to care (Palestinians are only Orientals, after all).
I offer here just a glimpse into the oppression and aggression Palestinians have faced for decades. Israel’s abuses, dehumanization and killings of Palestinian civilians are far more than simple casualties of war or “collateral damage.” The various acts of violence by the Israeli military and settlers against Palestinians provide undeniable proof of intentionality on the part of Israel.
Occupation and settlements in the West Bank
As of 2023, approximately 2.9 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, alongside around 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There are over 130 official Israeli settlements and more than 100 unofficial outposts in the Palestinian territory. These settlements and military zones control about 60% of the West Bank (Area C). In 2022 alone, Israel demolished over 950 Palestinian structures, displacing more than 1,200 people, highlighting the ongoing impact of the occupation and settlement expansion on Palestinian communities.
There has been an immense spike in settlements in the West Bank since October 2023, which chokes the Palestinians and seems intended to force them to leave their homes and their land. Over the past three decades, the Israeli government has continually approved new settlements, as well as the expansion of existing ones, in the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem. And just last month, it approved more than 5,000 new Israeli settlements and land seizures in the West Bank. This document is a notice regarding government property in the West Bank, issued in 1967. It declared on June 25 that this seized land would now be Israeli state land.
While all parties are aware that Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal by international law, there has been little international action to stop them (with the exception of meaningless sanctions on a few settlers).
While all parties are aware that the Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal by international law, there have been no international actions until now to stop them. Source here.
Forensic Architecture director Eyal Weizman, a Jewish anti-zionist, also says that research by his organization shows how the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) designs ecocide plans and executes them against Palestinian lands. Video here
Imprisonment and sadistic Israeli policies, in defiance of international law
The IDF uses systematic and what can only be called sadistic violence against the Palestinians. Since Israel’s assault on Gaza started in October 2023, there has been a dramatic spike in the kidnapping and imprisonment of Palestinians in the West Bank and the widespread killing of civilians. The Israeli military also often uses Palestinians as human shields — taking them as prisoners, giving them IDF uniforms, and distinguishing them only with blue bracelets. Source here.
Israel has for decades used what they call “administrative detention” to hold Palestinians for extended periods without charge or trial. Israel’s leading human rights organization B’Tselem reported that at the end of March 2024, Israel was holding 8,611 Palestinians in their prisons. Some sources now say that number has soared to more than 11,000. B’Tselem recently noted that the Israeli government has stopped providing figures of the number of Palestinians they’re holding.
While most of these civilians have committed no crimes, the Israeli system still holds them and often tortures them. Since October 2023, the situation has continued to grow dramatically worse. For example, there are now many more prisoners in jails without a trial, more torture to civilians, and more sadistic aggression toward the Palestinians, including the rape of prisoners. The problem is not only that these prisoners are innocent, but with the recent events there has been a surge in the Israeli news and public demonstrations to allow the rape of the Palestinians.
The treatment of Palestinians in Gaza is even worse. One Israeli soldier was quoted as saying: “The prisoners are handcuffed and they are not allowed to talk or peek under their blindfolds.” The punishment, if they don’t comply, is standing with their hands up for an unlimited period of time, and if they do not do so,” he continues, “we could zip-tie them to the fence.” Source here.
The IDF has often unleashed dogs on detained Palestinians. One well-publicized example was that of a young Palestinian with Down syndrome who was mauled by an IDF dog and left to die.
Videos uploaded by Israeli soldiers show their glee as they kill, maim, steal and desecrate. This is not about territorial disputes alone.
According to the Relief web, detained Palestinians have faced what they report as “horrifying” treatment and deep emotional and physical wounds which have affected their mental health.
Starvation as a weapon of “war” (NB: this is not a war)
One of the cruelest weapons being used by Israel against the civilians of Gaza is starvation. Israel has embarked on a policy of intentionally starving the Palestinian population in Gaza by blockading aid coming in. Obviously, the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, suffer the most. Israeli protestors are often seen destroying the aid supplies coming to Gaza, restricting the flow of badly needed food, medicines, and other humanitarian supplies. At least 34 children have already died of malnutrition, though the number is thought to be far higher than that and is surely growing by the day.
Imagine being born in Gaza this past year, and growing up amidst such fear and destruction. For the past ten months, video footage provided by Palestinian and Al Jazeera journalists shows dramatically malnourished children and the sheer terror of civilians being targeted.
Targeting the media
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the CPJ, at least 113 journalists and media workers were among the more than 41,000 killed since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. Despite what appears to be Israel’s clear attempt to conceal from the outside world what is happening in Palestine, social media has emerged as a powerful tool for ordinary citizens and activists. It is able to bypass censorship, with shared videos and photos of what the people are experiencing. This unfiltered content has made it easier for the world to see the abuse and the suffering.
The restrictions imposed by Israel on international media access to Gaza have made it nearly impossible for independent verification of Israel's claims regarding the ongoing conflict. By barring international journalists from entering Gaza, Israel severely limits external scrutiny and obstructs unbiased reporting on the situation. This media blackout contributes to a one-sided narrative controlled largely by Israeli authorities. Al Jazeera, one of the few media outlets with a presence inside Gaza, has been a critical source of information. However, Israel has directly targeted the network—killing several of its journalists and even forcing the closure of its offices within Israel. These actions again appear to be part of a broader effort to suppress reporting that challenges Israel's official narrative and exposes the realities of the conflict, further hindering global awareness of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
But Israel’s shocking crimes against civilian Palestinians did not begin in October 2023. The Palestinians have been bleeding at Israel’s hand for more than 75 years. They have been starved, ethnically cleansed and tortured. They and their loved ones have been killed, forced from their lands, their houses destroyed in front of their eyes, their children kidnapped, and much more.
Moreover, international legal bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have issued decisions and launched investigations regarding Israel's actions, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories. The ICC has been investigating potential war crimes committed by both Israeli and Hamas actors, including Israel's military actions in Gaza and its settlement policies in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Israel, however, has rejected the ICC's jurisdiction, arguing that Palestine is not a sovereign state and, therefore, cannot bring a case before the court. The ICC has ruled otherwise.
Similarly, the ICJ has previously ruled against Israel, notably in its 2004 advisory opinion declaring the construction of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank illegal under international law, stating that it should be dismantled and reparations provided to affected Palestinians. Despite these rulings, Israel has largely ignored the ICC and ICJ decisions, continuing its policies and practices, further complicating efforts to hold it accountable on the international stage.
Human rights organizations, independent media, and the world’s young people are protesting and reporting. In this age of social media, it’s impossible to hide the truth of what’s happening. Videos taken by Israeli soldiers, documenting their own actions and intent, provide much incontrovertible testimony.
But Western governments for the most part continue to support Israel’s assault on Gaza, which by now clearly amounts to genocide. As they issue meaningless expressions of “concern,” the United States, Germany and the UK continue to supply Israel with weapons, without which the violence would have to stop.
The future of Gaza's children depends on a global commitment to justice and humanity.
I am a young Arab professional, and I want to know: How do we force the US and Germany to close the arms spigot?
