700 word Text

 Jake Harris

Critical Media Practice

Robert Apiyo

The Israeli-Palestinian war started on October 7, 2023 after 1400 Israelis were brutally killed, thousands injured and 239 hostages were taken by Hamas. “The Hamas terror attack on Israel comes amid the backdrop of a longstanding conflict over land and independence that has plagued the region.”It was during World War II and the Holocaust that led tens of thousands of Jews to migrate to Israel, an area still under British control.  In February 1947, the United Nations adopted a resolution to split Palestine into two independent states- a “Jewish State” and an “Arab State.” Jewish leaders loved the plan and the Arabs did not.  Jerusalem, because of its historical and religious significance to the 3 largest religions, would remain under international control by the United Nations. In 1948, the British left and the state of Israel was formed. Palestinians refused the resolution, Israel declared independence and the Israeli-Arab War began.

Palestinians were forced off their lands in a mass exodus and what began was an ongoing battle over land ownership. Israel won the war and the territory was divided into Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Until 1967, Egypt controlled Gaza and Jordan controlled the West Bank. On June 5, 1967, the Six-Day War broke out between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Israel captured lands in the West Bank and Gaza and the majority of Palestinians became refugees and a long Israeli occupation began.

“In 1993, Israel’s then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the leader of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) Yasir Arafat signed the Oslo accords, which declared the PLO as a representative for the Palestinian people and recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace.”Palestinians now have control over the West Bank and Gaza and Israel uprooted its settlements from the area. Yet, Palestinians continued to fight with their neighboring Jewish citizens and tensions continued. In 2007, Democratic elections were held by the Palestinians and they elected Hamas and kicked out the PLO. The Palestinians through free elections elected a known terror group whose stated goal was to destroy the state of Israel and kill Jews. This prompted a blockade on Gaza by Israel. Israel had to keep a close eye on Hamas because they were living in close proximity to Jewish citizens. 

After years of conflict, on October 7th, Hamas launched thousands of rockets toward Israel and about 1,000 on the ground fighters to kill Jews and capture hostages, both civilians and soldiers. “The Israeli government subsequently declared war on Hamas, launching aerial assaults on Gaza and a ground invasion of the territory.  More than 8,000 Palestinians reportedly have been killed.” The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu invaded Gaza with the full support of President Biden.  Netanyahu said he would launch a complete siege of Gaza.The Palestinians had lots of chances to live peacefully and independently but their hatred of Israel and their desire to kill Jews has been their downfall. “Neither the Palestinians nor the neighboring Arab countries accepted the founding of modern Israel.”

The Palestinians have been given many opportunities to live in peace side by side with Israel. When they elected a terror group to run Gaza their intentions to rid the world of Israel were clear. “Hamas says that Israel is an occupying power and that it is trying to liberate the Palestinian territories. It has over the years claimed many attacks on Israel and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.”In addition to Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah has engaged in an exchange of fire on Israel’s northern border.  

The problem is the way in which the media is covering these events. Conflicting stories and reporting adds to the growing tensions among Palestinians and Jews worldwide. According to Aljazeera, “as Western media organizations “dehumanize Palestinians” and “legitimize Israeli violations of international law” as Israel bombs Gaza, it is glaringly obvious that the vital historical context of the trauma Palestinians have been through for the past 75 years is being left out, experts say.” There is definitely media bias but terror groups take advantage of this to try and sway public opinion. Palestinians portray themselves as being oppressed and Israel as the oppressor, but it was  Hamas who attacked. “As a result, coverage is often selective, stories get framed in a misleading way, or certain perspectives go missing.” Media coverage needs to showcase the history of the conflict and what has led up to this violent attack on innocent Jewish people. History would show the truth behind the hate and that this is nothing new. The bottom line is that there is no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, that was freely elected by their own people, and openly seeks the destruction of Israel. Israel is a free and democratic state that does everything it can to minimize civilian casualties. Hamas hides behind and uses their own people as shields. 

 Kids on college campuses are rallying in support of either Palestine or Israel without having all the facts. Anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise and Israelis have been warned about traveling to the States due to anti-semitic attacks. “The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7-23, 2023, 190 of which were linked to the war in Israel.”“While the United States fully supports freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, we condemn antisemitic imagery and rhetoric, which can lead to violence,” Deborah Lipstadt affirmed, adding, “We emphasize there is no place for hatred of Jews, Muslims, Arabs, Palesinians, Israelis, or anyone else.”