Understanding Palestinian conflict through history, literature
Date
11/28/2024 5:59:52 AM
(MENAFN) To gain a deeper understanding of the Palestinian issue, I turned to literature, finding insight in works like Roald Dahl's memoir Going Solo, published in 1986. This led me to explore the historical roots and impact of the conflict.
On February 15, 2003, I joined a convoy of 15 vehicles from Portsmouth to London, led by the late John Molineau, to attend an anti-war rally in Hyde Park, which attracted one to two million people. As an English literature student, I was especially excited to hear Harold Pinter, the playwright of The Birthday Party (1958), speak at the event. A few years later, in 2006, Pinter and other notable figures like Arundhati Roy, Noam Chomsky, Tariq Ali, and Toni Morrison signed a letter criticizing the media's portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The letter stated: "Each provocation and its reaction triggers controversy, but the ensuing distractions—controversies, accusations, and promises—divert attention from a long-standing military, economic, and geopolitical strategy aimed at the systematic elimination of the Palestinian nation."
On June 24, 2006, Israeli forces kidnapped two Palestinians from Gaza. The following day, Palestinians captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes and ground invasions. The signatories of the letter highlighted the media's bias, focusing on the Shalit kidnapping as a "terrible crime," while barely covering the abduction of Palestinians, except in Turkish media.The recent wave of violence in Israel and Palestine began on October 7, 2023, with Hamas's attacks. Israel's response has been disproportionate, with airstrikes and ground assaults killing over 14,000 Palestinians and destroying vital infrastructure in Gaza. This has resulted in significant loss of life, particularly among children, and widespread devastation. Meanwhile, violence by Israeli settlers continues in the West Bank.
The Israeli government's failure to protect its citizens on October 7, 2023, has led to its justification for an ongoing bombing campaign in Gaza, falsely framing it as self-defense, while committing acts of violence and destruction that violate international law. While Israel and its supporters condemn Hamas's attacks, they often downplay the massive destruction and loss of life caused by Israeli military actions in Gaza, attempting to present the conflict as starting only on October 7, 2023. To understand the roots of the conflict, I turned to literature, including Roald Dahl's Going Solo and the book God Cried, co-written by Australian journalist Tony Clifton and French war photographer Catherine Leroy.
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