SHOULD authority figures like teachers be allowed to speak their mind? Many people have wondered this, but due to laws, teachers cannot disclose personal beliefs/ideologies so as to prevent “indoctrination”. However, many problems just need to be spoken about, such as the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
THIS conflict has been going on for a while. Jake Housel (US History and Govt.) disclosed that, “The current war happened after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, and Israel launched a large military response in Gaza. Since then, the violence has led to devastating civilian casualties.” But this conflict didn’t begin with Hamas, in fact, Hamas is a more or less recent addition to the conflict.
IT all began with Jerusalem. As explained by Amanda Hurd (English and Debate), the conflict is about, “Land and control of Gaza strip and parts of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, according to Vox, is the holy site that holds significant religious importance, and was originally located under the Ottoman Empire where Arabs, Christians and very few Jews lived.
EVENTUALLY, the British took over the land and established the “British Mandate for Palestine.” More Jews began entering this area, angering the Arabs living there. After several conflicts, the British established the state of Israel, this took over most of the “British Mandate for Palestine” except for the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which were under Palestinian control. The city of Jerusalem was free for everyone and had international borders, but this arrangement didn’t last forever.
RIOTS, attacks, and wars between Arab states and Israel continued and got more violent every time, and often ended with Israeli triumph. Soon, all of what was once the “British Mandate for Palestine” became Israel, including the entirety of Jerusalem.
MANY years later, in the 1990s, Hamas was born. Hamas is an extremist, terrorist group with the end goal of getting Palestine back to its original land ownership via violence like the first attack of the current war. October 7th, 2023 marked the beginning of the modern conflict, a war that has since been named a “genocide” by the UN according to BBC.
GIVEN this information and the mass media coverage of the topic, it’s imperative that people understand the true feelings of the international community so society can act accordingly. Therefore, Amanda Hurd, Jake Housel, and Miriam Castle (World and US History) were interviewed about the subject.
WHEN asked if they believe the issue is a genocide, the answers were pretty similar. Castle agreed with the UN, even citing the fact that they gave that statement, Hurd said, “I think that it’s on its way to be there,” and Housel stated he believes the decision should be up to experts.
THEY were questioned on their knowledge of the background of the conflict, if they participated in protests or donations, and any new additions to the timeline of events. Each of them were very well informed on the topic and had well organized thoughts on each question. Castle believes that Israel says they’re motive is to eliminate Hamas but, “I [Ms. Castle] do feel like this is more of a genocide.”
HOUSEL claimed, in regards to a question about what countries would do about the issue, “The U.S. and other countries should push for a ceasefire and work to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.” This is a common response to that question, and after interviewing four, anonymous students, none believe that Israel’s attacks and actions are justified. And it’s not just Kearns- according to an article from Pew Research, “In 20 of the 24 countries surveyed, around half of adults or more have an unfavorable view of Israel.”
ISRAEL has taken drastic action, as well as Palestine. Neither have clean hands here, but many believe Israel’s hands are the bloodiest.