Our contributors on #FreePalestine

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Let's talk about Palestine and Israel. If you studied in a Western based institution, you probably learned this: The rise of ethno nationalism in Europe gave birth to Nazism. Nazism fueled anti-Semitism and it was directly responsible to the pogroms and tragic holocaust that nearly eradicated Jews from Europe. In response to 19th century anti-semitism in Europe, Zionism was founded. According to Jewish Voice for Peace, “Zionism is a political ideology that emerged in a moment where Jews were defined as irrevocably outside of a Christian Europe.. [it] is a form of Jewish nationalism, and is the primary ideology that drove the establishment of Israel.” Zionism is a settler-colonial political movement that called for establishing a Jewish nation-state with a Jewish majority. This state had to be in Palestine as it is largely considered in Judaism as ‘the promised land’ in the Torah.

This information is all true. However, you probably did not learn about Palestine or the Palestinian perspective. There are numerous myths told to describe the founding of Israel. But there is a difference between saying the Palestinian cause is a matter of opinion and between learning a fabricated history that is divorced from reality.

By the end of World War I and fall of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine found itself under British rule. It became known as the British Mandate of Palestine. The Balfour Declaration in 1917 announced formal acceptance of Britain to the Zionist agenda. And through British support, European Jews started immigrating to Palestine in large numbers and began acquiring arms, weaponry training and resources by the British. Between 1917- 1948, crucial historical events such as the 1936 revolt and the partition plan of Palestine occurred that produced a highly volatile political climate. On May 15, 1948 Israel was declared a state. And since then, the geographic and political makeup of the region has changed dramatically.

Let’s tie this back to June 2021. How can a nation state like Israel maintain its demographic Jewish majority when there were other religions and ethnic groups already living in Palestine? The answer is in two words: ethnic cleansing.

Between 1947 – 1948 Zionist terrorist militias such as the Haganah and Irgun began their mass murdering campaigns of depopulating and ethnically cleansing Palestinians to pave way for a Jewish majority nation state. Over 15,000 Palestinians were massacred, approximately 40,000 Palestinians became internally displaced and 800,000 Palestiniansfled Palestine becoming refugees in neighboring countries. Only 150,000 Palestiniansremained. ‘Nakba’ which means catastrophe is the word used by Palestinians to describe their forced exodus. These Palestinians and their direct descendants (currently numbering to over 6 million) are still considered refugees. Till this day, they are not allowed to return to their homes. 73 years later, the Nakba is still ongoing.

Currently, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, six Palestinian families face forced expulsions from their homes. Palestinians are required to give up their homes to Jewish settlers backed by American multi-billionaire dollar organisations.

Between 2002 - 2017, Israeli authorities displaced 43 Palestinians in addition to three Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah and resettled Jewish settlers. In May 2021, Israel came for the El – Kurd family. But they miscalculated the presence of two of its outspoken members: Muna El Kurd and Mohamed El Kurd are 23 year old twins who took a video of a Jewish settler named ‘Yacub’ trying to take over their home. The video was posted on social media with the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah.

The video went viral on social media platforms and received global outrage. Palestinians in the diaspora and non-Palestinians alike began resharing and posting about Sheikh Jarrah. A virtual Palestinian uprising began. Individuals who had no knowledge about Palestine or the Nakba started educating themselves on the matter. Within a few weeks, a sharp shift of mindset has been reached. Unprecedent support from the US Congress calling for conditioning aid to Israel started echoing, anti-Zionist Jews marched hand in hand with Palestinians, talks about a ‘two state solution’ are being dismantled and Palestine is trending on most social media platforms.

Stay tuned for our next newsletter, where we will tackle common questions asked about Palestine. In the meantime. Check out below resources:

Diala Ghneim is a US based WiFP contributor. She is a Middle Eastern Affairs researcher and a communications professional. In June 2021, Diala co-founded 'Arabs in International Affairs (aia)', the only Instagram platform dedicated to connecting, supporting and highlighting the professional journeys of Arabs working in the international affairs sector.