The past week has been a nightmare for Palestinians in Jerusalem, and one that is only all too familiar to them. At the time of writing, there have been at least 24 Palestinians killed. Nine of those were children. Over 700 more have been injured by Israeli forces, while Hamas has returned fire in Gaza. How did this happen? And why is it at breaking point now?
Unfortunately, the history of Israel, Palestine and Jerusalem is one of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid. That has taken another step recently on May 2nd, as evictions have begun again in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighbourhood in Jerusalem. Videos went viral online as Israeli forces forcibly removed Muslims from their homes in the district.
Palestinian families rightfully owned the deeds to the land, given to them to the Jordanian government in the 1960s, but since peace talks in 1967 between Israel and Jordan, the former has refused to recognise the deeds. What has followed is court actions that have ruled in favour of evicting Palestinians from their homes, while Israeli settlers look to move in and expand their control.
The oppression has only escalated, though, as the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end. As Palestinians went to worship outside of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Eid, they were attacked and beaten by Israeli forces outside. There have been videos circulating online of further attacks inside and outside of the Mosque, with batons, tear gas and stun grenades used on unarmed Palestinian civilians.
Israeli settlers have been celebrating the chaos and calling for “death to Arabs“. Tempers have only been flared even more with Israelis celebrating “Jerusalem Day” on May 10th, the anniversary of their conquest of the city, which has intensified division between the two sides.
Since then, the fighting has taken the shape of missile bombardments from both sides. Hamas, operating in Gaza, fired rockets into the cities of Jerusalem and Ashkelon, although no casualties have been reported. Israeli forces have responded in turn, which has killed 24 Palestinians.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is complicated, clouded in the media, and has been ongoing since 1947. Often, oppression in the area goes under or misreported by western news organisations thanks to ties between the Israeli state and Governments in the US and UK.
Israel represents a large lobbying group in American politics, while the US spends billions in aid to the country since it is a crucial ally in the Middle East against countries that are seen as threats such as Iran. Social media sites have allegedly censored or removed media about what is going on, and US and UK newscasters suggest that the issue is two-sided, with blame on both sides.
Attacks, evictions and restrictions on Palestinians have been ongoing for years, since 1947. There are demonstrably oppressive efforts against Palestinians that affect the way they live in such a way that the conflict can never be equal and two-sided.
Even recently, while Israel’s Covid-19 vaccination program was among the best in the world, Palestinians have received far fewer doses and their vaccine efforts are far slower. There are far more cases of Palestinian deaths, lower quality of life and evictions. This is not to say that all Palestinian conflict is justified or acceptable, but framing the turmoil in Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem as equal conflict is unfair and wrong.
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