Opinion: Palestine Persists
If Americans knew what was happening in Palestine every day, they would be mortified.
You’ve skimmed the headlines, you’ve seen Hamas’s tunnels, you’ve seen the Gaza flotilla raid, “Three Israelis Killed in Palestine,” and “Operation Pillar of Cloud,” the qassam rocket attacks and suicide bombers.
But I mean really knew what was going on.
Do you know why Gaza’s aid flotillas are organized and Hamas builds tunnels to the West Bank?
The Gaza Strip is under siege. There is a land, air, and sea blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel since 2007. Items denied include food, lightbulbs, clothing, shoes, and building supplies: The essentials of everyday life.
The West Bank is surrounded by 26 foot wall, occupied by the Israeli army, and cut into pieces by checkpoints buttressed by barbed wire, machine guns, and tanks.
While you hear about Israeli deaths, you almost never hear about Palestinian deaths. Statistically, you’re four times more likely to hear about an Israeli death than a Palestinian death.
I can only imagine the silence is because Palestinian deaths are just par for the course.
Since September 2000, 9128 Palestinians have been killed to the 1195 Israelis.
Palestinians are just grass on the field.
Graves in the ground.
Quiet.
The 2012 invasion of Gaza known as “Operation Pillar of Cloud” resulted in 159 Palestinians killed to just 6 Israelis.
In fact, most of the damage is done in Palestinian territory.
No Israelis have been ejected from their land, no Israelis have had their homes demolished, no Israeli territory has been razed to make way for Palestinian settlements. Those are all crimes committed by the Israelis upon the Palestinians.
98.9% of Palestinian deaths are on their land. 46.2% of Israeli deaths are on Palestinian land.
There is a war between Israel and Palestine like there’s war between guards and inmates in a concentration camp.
The Qassam rockets and suicide bombers are as desperate measure against an invading and occupying army.
Hamas has been accused of using Palestinians as human shields. It is impossible to build anywhere isolated. The population density of the West bank is 1075 people per square mile and 13069 in the Gaza Strip.
Why should you care?
Because these are not just numbers. These are people. Real flesh and blood people like you and me.
Because as an American taxpayer, your dollars are shoveled into Israel.
The United States government gives $8,000,000 to Israel every day.
Your dollars build Palestine’s fences, turn Palestinian homes into Swiss cheese, and children into pulp.
Whenever you hear someone support Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, speak out.
Remember that foreigners are human beings, and that liberty is not a one-way street.
