Israel Palestine
Unfortunately, it really is that simple
I need you to be honest with me, how many of you posted “Kony 2012” after watching that on YouTube? Don’t try it – some of you did for sure. Keep it real please, I just beg you don’t make this “Pal-y 2021”, at least promise me that.
The reason why I sat down to write this came about because of a piece written by Bari Weiss on this very platform. And if she can chat some shit, why not me?
My only promise to you is that I am using standard, mainstream institutions, media and the views of human rights groups. Trust me, I’m under no illusion that a lot of the same issues discussed here can be aimed at others including my beloved Türkiye.
Housekeeping
I have to start with the qualifications, the admin, the housekeeping just to make sure that you know exactly where I stand. This will only be shared with a few of my friends and even less will read it (sorry mum, my Turkish isn’t good enough to type more than a few sentences on Whatsapp) but this will live on the Internet, and this will be an indictment in the future.
This will never be a platform used to contribute to antisemitism. Any action by a person or even a group should never be used against the whole or even the conflation of the two together – what Israel is doing currently, be it the response to rockets from Gaza to perpetuating the blockade of it, has absolutely nothing to do with the Jewish people. Jewish people do not need to answer for anything, to justify Israel or even bloody talk to you in the first place.
I know about this first-hand as a Muslim, we’re well versed in this, where our identity has been repeatedly questioned because of the actions of a tiny, tiny minority – we’re routinely met with suspicion for a random act of terrorism, berated that our religion not only preaches this but demands it from its believers. I’ve been told that I share the same creed as those that had terrorised Paris. Or that ISIS is the true manifestation of Islam (one that took 1400 years to mature, mind you – some vintage). And before you envisage the worst of society spouting this nonsense, it wasn’t, they’re working in the law courts of the UK or reinvented themselves as a mindfulness guru that sends his listeners to sleep.
I will say this and it might get me in trouble with my own mandem, it’s also ok to be a proud Israeli. That doesn’t mean you automatically embrace all the actions and history of that country – I'm a proud Turk and I’m afforded that opportunity to say that without controversy (for most). That doesn’t mean I’m proud of the Armenian genocide or the population exchanges post-WW1 or the other atrocities that’s taken place throughout our history but there’s plenty else that I can embrace as being a part of my culture and identity. And there’s plenty to be proud about when it comes to Israel too, I’ll just list out the top 3 for you guys– Natalie Portman, Bamba and that spoon molester, Uri Geller.
What this all rests on, is the concept of universalism – what is right for me is right for you and what is wrong for you is wrong for me. We are all equal when we are all subject to the same expectations, enforcements and punishments. And this is precisely the issue that is going on in Israel Palestine today – universalism is disregarded, where one group is able to enforce their rights to the direct detriment of the other.
You can’t talk about this region without a bit of history for context. This will be brief, too brief but in the hope you guys will finish reading this, I have to keep it trim.
Jerusalem – the Holy City
The most contentious issue involves East Jerusalem as the Old City is located within it.
And in the Old City, you’ll hear the phrase “The Temple Mount”. This is an area where the holiest Jewish temples were once located. One is mentioned in the Bible that was destroyed by the Babylonians. The 2nd Temple was destroyed by the Romans, Titus specifically, during the 1st century after the Great Revolt. After a second big revolt, the Romans scattered the Jews out of the region. It’s also believed that 3rd temple will be established by the returning Messiah.
For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammed is said to have travelled there on the Night Journey, upon a back of winged white horse like animal to the “farthest mosque” which is believed to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It’s the third holiest Mosque in Islam and was the original direction Muslims would pray to until it switched to Mecca.
I also have to say as it often goes unmentioned, even if the Night Journey turns out to be a vision or something during a dream state, Muslims revere the Prophets that became before Muhammed. It’s not like we have our mans and that’s it; Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses and Jesus are all essential to Muslims and so there will always be an affinity to this specific region for the Muslim community. We rep them so hard, we’ve even built Mosques on the tombs of Abraham and Moses (both in the West Bank).
Now, I need a little more attention for some history. Two more dates you need to hold in your minds – 1948 and 1967. Yes, I know there’s more, much more – just google it bruv, if you’re inspired after this.
1948
The year started as the British Mandate for Palestine and by May, we see Israel declared independent, after the UN called for the establishment of an independent Jewish and independent Arab state with Jerusalem designated as an international city. The very next day, the surrounding Arab states invade. Amongst all of this, the Palestinians are forced out or leave, which is also known as the “Nakba” or Catastrophe. Jewish people were also forced out of some areas and relocated in the expanded Israel.
At the end of this war, we have a new boundary known as the “Green Line” or “Pre-1967 borders” or confusingly “1967 borders”. This is the Israel and Palestine that you see on the maps today which now constitutes what is also known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories – including East Jerusalem.
1967
The Six Day War – basically, Israel rinsed the surrounding Arab states again, expanding north into the Golan Heights, taking Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula and expanding east – to capture East Jerusalem as well as the West Bank.
This is the occupation that people refer to – even with Israel withdrawing from some territories, they’ve always maintained some sort of control of these Palestinian territories.
Today’s Events
Sheikh Jarrah
No, not Cockney Rhyming slang for Que Sera Sera, this is what has seemed to kick off this latest round of violence. It’s the name of a part of East Jerusalem, where refugees from the Nakba resettled and were given land and money to build their homes. The land wasn’t registered as theirs, mainly because in 1967, the Israelis took over and occupied East Jerusalem.
What we’ve seen since the 1970s, is the slow displacement of Palestinians and their replacement with Israelis, almost all exclusively Jewish Israelis.
Bit illegal to do that init. An occupying force cannot forcibly transfer populations out of occupied territories. No reference to Israeli courts matters here – they have no jurisdiction. Imagine if I said that a decision was declared from the Supreme Court of Baklava Baba, that you must transfer your money to me – how many of you are listening? More accurately, how many of you must listen?
So, what transpires? Palestinians reacted by throwing stones – who would have thought that a country so devoted to David might inspire the use of rocks?
The Israelis forces including the police handled it with the care and sensitivity you’d expect – by storming Al-Aqsa Mosque, using rubber bullets and stun grenades.
And, where do we end up next?
Gaza
I promised there wasn’t going to be much more history but again, just enough here to make it seems like you know what you’re talking about so when you’re out on that Tinder date and you can prove your profile isn’t completely full of shit.
The Gaza strip is absolutely tiny, it’s also immensely populated.
In 2005, Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister and the inspiration for the Simpsons fish, Blinky, withdrew all the Israeli settlements in Gaza. Hamas elected, Hamas fought against, Hamas wins in Gaza. They’re a terrorist group with a political arm – I'm not here to try and contort myself into a pretzel trying to justify Hamas and their aspirations.
They were also created by Israel.
In 2007, Israel creates the blockade of Gaza along with the help of Egypt. Complete domination of land, sea and air, every import and export tightly controlled, materials, including cement, are under extreme scrutiny. David Cameron, that trusted ally of Muslims, described it as a “prison camp”.
Dov Weisglass, advisor to Ehud Olmert (former PM of Israel), said the “[idea] is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” They even calculated the minimum number of calories needed for Gaza’s population (~1.5m) to avoid malnutrition. O, they also routinely stopped the requisite number of trucks going into Gaza, often only permitting half the trucks needed to hit that calorie goal. Might help explain why there’s chronic malnutrition being reported since early 2008.
Remember, this blockade has been in place since 2007. Pay attention.
Back to the present, Hamas fires thousands of Iranian supplied rockets indiscriminately into Israel which has tragically killed 12 people. I’m never going to justify the killing of innocent civilians – that's the whole point of universalism and us adhering to international law. However flawed or inconsistent it can be in its enforcement (trust me, when it comes to Palestine, the UN have been inconsistent) it is the very standard we must refer to. In fact, it’s the standard Israel refers to when it talks about innocent civilians being fired upon – the appeal to international law is what allows people to be designated “innocent”. Otherwise, we’d live in a world where militant or terrorist can be so broadly defined, almost anyone can be included in it. Like any military-age male in a strike zone unless explicitly proven innocent or babies/young children on No-Fly lists.
It is precisely by accepting an objective standard can we be outraged when innocent civilians are slain. It is the embodiment of all lives matter and there is nothing wrong with that phrase per se.
The problem with “All Lives Matter” arises when you fail to account for all lives. In the US, when that phrase is used only to silence the increased focused on police brutality of Black people, mostly young, Black men – that is actively contradicting the commitment to all lives mattering – precisely because they do matter, we need to protect those that are vulnerable at this stage in time.
So, Israel responds in kind – using missiles to strike their targets. No reasonable person should disagree with Israel being able to act in self-defence, every state (and person) is permitted to use violence when faced with imminent danger or threat to life. The issue isn’t about force, it’s about the disproportionate use of it. In this conflict, we’ve once again seen how disproportionate it can be. The number of Palestinians killed is now over 220, including 64 children. When you fire missiles into densely populated areas, you hit more than you might think. The bombs being so accurate makes the case worse for Israel, no room to pretend you hit the wrong thing, be it militant figures, a building housing international press, a Covid testing facility or the roads that lead to a hospital. Hard to hide behind an “oops” when your precision-guided munitions are as smart as Einstein.
And so, when President Biden reiterates Israel’s right to self-defence, you can see how it comes across as an international version of screaming “All Lives Matter”. For those that truly believe in the equality of the other and a commitment to a two-state solution – what does the Palestinian right to self-defence actually look like?
Can we also deal with this notion of the IDF being the most moral army in the world that does the most to ensure the avoidance of civilian casualties? An army declaring themselves the most ethical is like a rapist reassuring you they’re not racist.
O before I forget, Israel’s appeal to the right of self-defence rests on international law – it's not like religion guys, you can’t just cherry pick.
I thought you said it was simple?
It really is that simple. East Jerusalem is Palestinian Territory – recognition by Trump as Israel’s capital isn’t enough to sway that. Israel continues to occupy Palestinian territory – no amount of settlements built changes the fact it’s on Palestinian territory. It doesn’t matter what law courts Israel refers to domestically, moving Palestinians out of Palestinian territory is illegal under the very same laws Israel uses to justify the use of force and hold Hamas accountable.
And by not affording the Palestinians the same rights, say for example, not allowing them to return to their homes whilst allowing Jewish people to displace Palestinians for the same reason- there’s a word to describe that.
You know, former Prime Ministers of Israel use that word too in describing where Israel is headed as an occupying force. Human Rights Watch even used it most recently – Apartheid.
Where are we today?
Thankfully, a ceasefire has been largely listened to in Gaza, with clashes again seen on the Temple Mount. But that’s just a ceasefire of the current use of force. The slow starvation of Gaza continues and so does the occupation. And for every year a two-state solution isn’t fought for, the size of the Occupied Palestinian Territories dwindle. In other words, this issue continues – we haven’t achieved victory by posting on our Instagram stories or liking Bella Hadid’s posts, that status quo carries on.
What we’ve just seen is “mowing the grass” i.e. Israel’s policy to take out the top brass of Hamas, kill civilians and hit Gaza just to knock it back a few years. A devastating cycle on repeat, just as we saw in 2014, 2012 and 2008-9. A disproportionate killing of Palestinian civilians and drip feeding of resources for its recovery. The more I’ve kept up with this (since 2000) the more despondent I feel.
The issues are simple, the solutions really aren’t.
Great read!