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Over the past week, our news channels have been flooded with the coverage of the war in Gaza. You might be seeing various conflicting news around but here’s what you need to know.
A brief history of Palestine-Israel war
You may have heard in the recent news that Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement, bombed Israel, and kidnapped over 150 hostages into Gaza. However, have you questioned what has been happening in Palestine over the past 75 years leading up to the October 7th attack?
In brief, Jewish people were refugees from all over Europe after the Holocaust, which ended in 1945. By accord of the British, who signed the Balfour Declaration in 1917, they established Israel, in Palestine, as a national home for Jewish people.
Image via: PalestinePortal.org
Over the next several decades, Israelites would expand their territories and settle in Palestinian land, by sheer force.
In 1948, they kicked out and displaced most Palestinians (commonly referred to as the “Nakba”) to an enclave on Palestinian land called the Gaza Strip. It spans just 41 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide.
My first time at the Free Palestine rally
Rallies and protests attract hundreds if not thousands of people, so being well prepared was essential. With a bag filled with my essentials – water, cap, sunscreen and snacks, I took the public transport.
Going by car is hectic, especially when thousands of people are going to the same destination. Most of the time, these rallies and protests are located in close proximity to public transportation so it’s definitely recommended to commute there.
I’ve been to three separate rallies so far, one was in front of Masjid Negara and the other in front of Surau Tabung Haji and the biggest one was in Dataran Merdeka.
What made me go for this demonstration?
Image: I met many different people from France, China, India, Sudan, Nigeria come together and show support as well.
A few of my closest friends in Malaysia are middle-easterners, and over the course of the past year, I’ve been hearing first-hand stories of their plight to our country. All of them left their homeland due to the ongoing political unrest that is happening there.
When the situation in Gaza escalated, I kept up to date with the situation there, by following social media accounts of freelance journalists in Gaza.
Most western media outlets seem to have their own narratives that are pro-Israel as there are political ties at play. However, the journalists I follow have shared that Israel has long been America’s incentive to have a hand in the Middle East to have control over the oil reserves.
When I started to see the bias of media reporting from the West, from reputable networks such as CNN & BBC, that was when I started to get outraged. For example, they only show the Israeli victims but neglect to mention Israel’s response to Hamas which leaves hundreds of innocents dead.
Feeling helpless, I knew the only way to contribute to what was happening was to go out and show support.
What I witnessed there
Image: There were many interesting protest placards at the event. Some of them were printed, but the most interesting ones were handmade and creative.
When I arrived, I met up with my friends, Dounya, Farah, A’isyha & Hossein, and we joined the peaceful protests. Four of my friends are from Palestine and have family in Gaza and the West Bank. They shared with me their stories of growing up in a refugee camp and fleeing from war.
The citizens of Gaza are deprived of water, food, medical supplies as well as being attacked every day. I witnessed the citizens of our country come together in solidarity with the people of Palestine that are going through what many would call a genocide right now.
As a country that has history under British rule, I was glad to see us Malaysians of different ethnicities unite against all instances of foreign invasion and imperialism. I also saw people of many different backgrounds come together in solidarity for the people of Gaza, and it brought me hope.
I believe in situations like these, when people on the other side of the world are suffering, it can be hard to show the right support. It’s easy to feel defeated and hopeless in an issue that feels bigger than us.
The best way is to educate ourselves and be a voice of truth. All in all the biggest lesson I learnt is there is power in standing up for what you believe in.
What do you think about the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Read also: I’m Dating A Syrian Refugee. Here’s What I Wish People Would Stop Saying.
I’m Dating A Syrian Refugee. Here’s What I Wish People Would Stop Saying.
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