An informative guide to understanding the situation in Palestine. I do not claim ownership of any multimedia referenced in this book-- attribution and sources provided as always.
Astoria E Greene
It has been seven months of Israel's siege on the Gaza strip. 212 days. In this time, more than 34,000 Palestinian men, women, and children have been senselessly murdered. To be honest, it feels as though there are very few words left to say. But the Palestinian people and their culture have endured for 75 years and their faith does not falter. Let their resilience be a reminder and an example to us all.
College students across the globe have been calling upon theiruniversities to divest their endowments from Israeli companies or defense companies supplying weapons to Israel. These university protests are not new by any means. The Vietnam anti-war movement of the late 1960's and early 70's was considered "one of the most pervasive displays of opposition to government policies in modern times". In the 1970's and 80's, students asked schools to withdraw from investments that benefited South Africa under apartheid rule.
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Sunday, May 5, 2024, Israel shut down Al Jazeera's local offices in the country and seized communication equipment. These actions were condemned by the United Nations and rights groups as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to further restrict press freedoms. Al Jazeera (based in Qatar) referred to the closure of these offices as a "criminal act" and sets a concerning precedent for other international media outlets operating in Israel. Since last October, the number of journalists killed in Israel's ongoing onslaught of the Gaza Strip to 142 journalists dead.
Targeting journalists constitutes a breach of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime under international law.
Currently the Israeli military has called on more than 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate southern city of Rafah ahead of a long-expected ground invasion, despite warnings from the United Nations of a "burgeoning humanitarian catastrophe and imminent bloodbath" (Independent). The United Nations agency serving Palestinian refugees said it would not comply with the evacuation order.
About 1.4 million Palestinians (over half of Gaza's population) are corralled into Rafah and its surroundings. The majority live in densely packed tent camps, overflowing UN shelters or crowded apartments, and are dependent on international aid for food, with sanitation systems and medical facilities infrastructures crippled.
Continue to speak up for Palestine.
#AllEyesOnRafah
Written by Astoria E Greene
Sources
"Another Palestinian Journalist Killed in Gaza, Death Toll Rises to 142 since Oct. 7." Anadolu Ajansı, www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/another-palestinian-journalist-killed-in-gaza-death-toll-rises-to-142-since-oct-7/3211270. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Irwin, Lauren, and The Hill. "Why Are College Students Protesting?" KRON4, KRON4, 5 May 2024, www.kron4.com/news/national/why-are-college-students-protesting/#:~:text=Students%20across%20the%20country%20are,ethical%20reasons%20isn't%20new.
"Israel Tells 100,000 Palestinians to Evacuate Rafah Ahead of Ground Invasion." The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 May 2024, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-rafah-evacuation-ground-offensive-b2540168.html.
"Israeli Forces Kill Hamas Gunmen in Raid near West Bank's Tulkarm." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 May 2024, www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/04/israeli-forces-kill-5-palestinians-in-raid-near-west-banks-tulkarm#:~:text=More%20than%2034%2C000%20Palestinians%20have,in%20the%20Hamas%2Druled%20territory.
Said-Moorhouse, Lauren. "Israel to Close Al Jazeera News Network in the Country." CNN, Cable News Network, 5 May 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/middleeast/israel-al-jazeera-closure-intl/index.html.
