This article is from the students news paper (student direct)

Before you read the following article ask yourself some questions. Why in two weeks were over a 110 Palestinians killed in Gaza? Why were buildings and infrastructure bulldozed and completely destroyed? Why, in June 2006, did the UN World Food Program report that over half of the Palestinian population were unable to meet basic food requirements? Why does the US veto any responses made by the UN to the killing and destruction? Why? Why? Why? The most important question, however, is what are you doing about it? The least that can be asked of anyone is to educate themselves on the true injustices that occur in Palestine every single day. Many of these atrocities are happening because of people’s ignorance and lack of knowledge of the real situation. Well you can start right here and right now, the following article is a quick guide to the history of the conflict in Palestine and the brutal, illegal, occupation.

The Palestinian issue first arose towards the end of WW1, when the British government (through the Balfour Declaration) first established Palestine as the ‘official’ home for the Jewish people. The Declaration had a massive effect after WW2 when the horrors of fascism and the Holocaust led to large scale Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. The new immigrants walked into a country at war with British colonialism – both Jews and Arabs were carrying out terrorist actions against the British presence in their country. In 1947 Britain turned the problem over to the United Nations who, in turn, proposed the partitioning of Palestine into two
independent states: the Jewish ‘Israel’ and the Arab ‘Palestine’. However, Israel decided it wanted more, occupying over 80% of what was legally Palestinian territory. The Palestinians were left with only two regions, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Many Palestinians fled to neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria creating the world’s largest refugee population, still today Palestinians are found all over the world without the right to return to their homeland.

During the Lebanese war thousands of Palestinian refugees were massacred in the camps of Sabra and Shatila, a war crime that Ariel Sharon was involved in. In December 1987, the uprising against the Israeli occupation began in the occupied Palestinian territories, an uprising known in Arabic as the Intifada. This resulted in heavy loss of life and mass injuries among the Palestinian civilians thanks to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) inability or unwillingness to distinguish between civilian and military targets. A quote made by an Israeli General at the time, Ahron Ze’evi, director of military intelligence said: “Better Palestinian mothers should cry than Jewish mothers.”

It’s this kind of attitude that explains the Israeli State’s lack of remorse towards their cold blooded and brutal treatment of the Palestinians. Unfortunately the present situation is still as dire as it ever was, as the conditions in Gaza demonstrate today: the extreme desperation of the Palestinians and the dreadful conditions in which they live are forced to live. In terms of the economic structure of Gaza, the IDF has
deliberately destroyed power stations, water supplies, bridges, roads, offices of the Palestinian Authority and other aspects of civilian infrastructure – all of which are violations of international law. What’s more, the closing of cross points, and the almost complete closing of the Erez cross point, has limited food supplies, gas and accessibility to healthcare. In hospitals and healthcare centres, water supplies are insufficient and fuel for generating electricity is in short supply. Loss of innocent civilian life in Palestine is astronomical. In just the past months, 24 Palestinians are said to have been killed in just 24 hours between 6th and 7 July. Since the incursion began in the summer, 47 civilians have been murdered and 120 injured in Gaza alone. This collective punishment of a civilian population is expressly forbidden under the Geneva Convention and constitutes a war crime. The arrest of members of the democratically elected Palestinian government further blocks the progress of the
country and any moves towards peace. As does the daily random arrests of civilians who are imprisoned without trial, or even conviction, for an unlimited time with no legal rights. Continuous bombing of the Gaza strip again results in tremendous loss of life and damage to infrastructure, thus preventing Palestinians from ever recovering. In parallel to this military operation, the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian population is dramatically worsening. In 2006, the Israeli government decided to cease the restitution of VAT taxes and customs duties which it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, in violation of its legal obligations. On top of that the Western governments, as well as the Council of the European Union, have decided to stop their aid, contributing further to the Palestinian plight. Close to 41% of the Palestinian population has been deprived of resources since January, as a result to the non-payment of civil servants wages. Many banks in fear of legal or political sanctions for having contacts with ‘Terrorist Organisations’ have shut down accounts of Palestinian organizations and individuals, therefore the payments of salaries to the Palestinian public servants in schools and health care departments are not guaranteed.

The latest humiliation heaped upon the Palestinian population is the Apartheid wall or, as it is known by the Israelis, the ‘separation fence’: a concrete wall eight metres high and 650feet long, equipped with surveillance posts and electric barbed wire, bordered by trenches and patrolled by soldiers! It is being built through the West Bank in an attempt to isolate Palestinians from each other and as a cynical land grab on the part of the Israelis. As any action taken by the Israelis, the wall will hurt the development of the Palestinians immensely – it will hinder accessibility to water resources, separate Palestinians from their land, divide families and cut off workers from their jobs. Even the olive trees weren’t spared as over 100,000 were removed to allow access for the monstrous wall.

Aren’t these flagrant and widespread violations of international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights by the Israeli government enough to make you at least question why is this being allowed to happen? Doesn’t it offer some explanation as to the radical actions of many Palestinians in their desperate call for help? If you are interested in learning more and educating yourself further on the suffering of the Palestinians join the Action Palestine Society. Action Palestine is a relatively new student society, whose main aim is to bring to light the situation in Palestine and educate people on the injustices that are occurring every day as a result of a brutal Occupation. Action Palestine is an independent group set up to campaign for the rights of Palestinians, their right to basic essentials, their right not to be shot, tortured, bombed or arrested and their right to live a life of human dignity. If you want to know more, come to our meeting ‘What’s Really Happening in Palestine?’ on Wednesday 22nd November at the Student’s Union or contact manuni@actionpalestine.org. Whatever you do, don’t just turn away – we must fight for justice and peace.