A full rundown on Palestinians and their Israeli oppressors
By: Zainab Lawal
Over 100 years ago, one of the biggest myths about the Israel and Palestine conflict is that it has been going on for over centuries now. During World War 1, after the Ottoman empire was defeated, Britain took over a homeland to all Palestinians which is known as Palestine. This land was inhabited by the Jewish minority and an Arab majority. The tension began between the two when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for the Jewish community. Later down the line, Israel occupied Palestinian territories and the Israelis were moving into the West Bank and Gaza, without even acknowledging what the Palestinians thought about them moving in. Some may have moved for religious purposes, claim the land for Israel, or many other reasons. Israel has control over Palestine; however, no country wants to hold Israel accountable for its actions. (voxdotcom, 2016)
In April 2021, Muslims' holy month of Ramadan began all over the world, including for Muslims in Palestine.There’s violence daily between the Israeli police and Palestinians. Throughout this holy month, there has been pressure from Jewish Israelis to evict Palestinians from their homes. The Israeli court has ruled that six Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem have to leave their home in May and seven have to leave their home in August of this year. This eviction led a lot of Palestinians to protest and fight for the rights of those families who are being forced to leave their homes. This protest is not violent, it is just Palestinian chanting, praying together, and eating since it is Ramadan. This peaceful protest led the Israeli police to arrest people, causing dozens of protesters to sustain injuries from rubber-coated bullets and breaking into peaceful Palestinian protestors' houses. Palestinians are forcefully displaced from their home, and some people are saying that Israel has the right to defend itself. People around the world are also protesting to support Palestinians, they are all protesting to make sure their voice is being heard, and the government is willing to do something and to show that the Palestinians are not alone and they all understand what they are going through. This is not an isolated issue or something that isn't affecting other countries.(TLDR News. 2021)
May 7, 2021, happened to be the last Friday and one of the last ten days of Ramadan. During every Friday, Muslims around the world gather together and observe a Jummah prayer (Friday prayers). During this day, there is a blessed hour when your supplication is filled, and whatever you ask will be granted to you. This also happens to be one of the last ten days of Ramadan, which are the most important days of the month. These days are the most sacred, blessed days. (Ansari, 2020) On this holy day, Israeli police broke into the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, threw grenades, and destroyed parts of the building. This beautiful place is known to be one of the three holiest sites in Islam, and it’s a site that is blessed from within and around. The reason why Muslims see the Al-Aqsa mosque as important land is because they believe it purifies their hearts, as it is land that their Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) stepped on. Even though Muslims pray towards Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Aqsa mosque is still extremely important to their religion and beliefs. This is why Israel targeted this mosque specifically. (Dr. Suleiman, 2021)
In conclusion, now that we have all seen what Palestine is facing from Israel, we cannot just sit down and watch the Palestinians be oppressed by Israelis and not do anything. Their human rights have been taken away from them.Thousands of children were killed not only this year, but ever since Israel has taken over Palestine. Children are scared that they won't wake up the next day, or scared that any day might be the last day. Palestinian children aren't waking to birds or beautiful sounds, instead, they are waking up with grenades or bombs. This isn’t about being a Muslim, there are Palestinians of all faiths, living peacefully is a human right. The government might not say anything but people will speak up, and with millions of voices raised across the world to support Palestinians, we will be sure our voice is being heard. Israel might win with grenades but everyone around the world is ready to speak up and fight along with brave, courageous Palestinians.