The Israeli and Palestinian War from a Student’s Perspective

Western news sites have been focusing on Israel and the “victory” against Hamas, while ignoring the genocide of an entire people group. This article is meant to shed light on not only current events, but the history behind why they happened, from the viewpoint of someone who is currently living in a Middle Eastern country.

Over two million Palestinians are permanent residents of Jordan. Some have grown up in Jordan, and others were displaced from their homes in Palestine. Jordanians and Palestinas are connected in this way.

The people in Jordan are mourning for their brothers and sisters that are being murdered daily. Since Saturday, October 7, living in Amman has been heavy; in a city of four million heartbroken people, many who have family in Gaza, Jerusalem or the Westbank, people are grieving.

The war between Israel and Palestine did not start on October 7, 2023, but rather at the defeat of the Ottoman empire. When the Ottoman empire was defeated by the British in the early 1900’s, people were looking for a place where suffering Jews could build a new life, so they chose Palestine, even though the land was occupied by native Arabs. Tension between Palestine and Israel began then and has never stopped.

During the years 1922-1935, the population of Jews grew in Palestine from nine percent to 27 percent, pushing even more Arabs out of their homeland. Then, in 1947, when the UN voted for the land to be split between the two people groups, Jewish leaders agreed while the Arab side never fully accepted.

Soon after, war broke out between the Jews and Arabs, which led to Israel's independence day, known to Palestinians as Nakba, which translates to ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic. During that war, 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and at the time, that was over half the population of Palestine.

Many people moved to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt and were promised by the UN that one day they would be allowed to return home, but 75 years later the rights of the Palestinians continue to be denied.

According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), “more than 5 million Palestine refugees are scattered throughout the Middle East. Today, Palestinians continue to be dispossessed and displaced by Israeli settlements, evictions, land confiscation and home demolitions.”

Today, the remaining population in Palestine live in the West Bank, Gaza and Eastern Jerusalem. Five million people live within 2,324 sq. miles (about the size of the state of Delaware). The city of Gaza is 25 miles long and averages at six miles wide, yet two million people live there. Since the early 1900s, Jewish leaders, in hopes of inhabiting a land for themselves, have forced a native people out of their land and homes. The war between Palestinians and Jews has been a long and painful battle of oppression.

The missile attack on Israel was not right, but after years of Palestinians being arrested, displaced, killed and forced to leave their homes with no hopes of ever returning, it was an act of an oppressed people speaking out.

As of Saturday, October 28, 7,703 people have been killed in Gaza (3,195 of which are children); 19,743 have reported injuries; 6,179 buildings have been destroyed; food and water are nearly nonexistent; there is a complete internet blackout; and the entire city is on the verge of running out of gas.

Aid is getting into Gaza but slowly and with little urgency. The borders in Jordan and Egypt are closed or difficult to open. Although many countries and the UN itself have requested a ceasefire, Israel refuses to stop the massacre. Every night for the past 22 days airstrikes have relentlessly rained down on the innocent people of Gaza, and the death toll continues to rise.

Western news outlets portray Palestinainas as terrorists and pawns of Hamas that need to be removed, but as I write this on November 1, over 8,000 people have been killed, and Israel is still refusing a ceasefire.