For Palestinians, systematic violence is nothing new.
Any kind of shared future is most likely a longer way off than it was a month ago. But Palestinians already knew that. Was the day before Hamas's attacks considered peace? Maybe for Israelis it was, but for Palestinians it wasn't. |
 | | Pictures from History/Getty Images |
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For the past month, life in Ramallah, the vibrant city where I live in the occupied West Bank, has been upended. Since Hamas's deadly Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli forces have intensified their presence across the West Bank, carrying out airstrikes, distributing assault rifles to settlers and arresting a wide swath of our community — students, activists, journalists and even anyone voicing support for Gaza on social media. |
Before Oct. 7, Gaza already resembled an open-air prison, where more than half the population lived in poverty. Now, with more than 1.5 million people displaced, over 11,000 people reported dead (more than 4,500 of whom are children) and many more missing, and widespread wanton destruction of homes, livelihoods and infrastructure, it has become a living hell. |
As I wrote in my guest essay this week, the recent violence against Palestinians has laid bare the unsustainability of Israel's occupation, highlighting the glaring injustices in our daily realities. For the most part, Israelis enjoy security and decent living standards, while in the West Bank, a sense of helplessness pervades as we witness ongoing casualties and threats of further displacement. The psychological impact of the conflict on the community is profound. Many, especially children, suffer from PTSD and depression. In Gaza, people are living their worst nightmares every day. Peace, a distant prospect for us, remains shrouded in uncertainty and inequity. |
That will change only when the world recognizes Palestinians' humanity. Palestinian resistance, like the intifadas, does not happen in a vacuum, but rather is born from desperation against a backdrop of a brutal, unrelenting military occupation. These uprisings, often portrayed as senseless in the media, are reactions to dire circumstances. And unfortunately, they seem to be the only actions that draw attention to the Palestinian struggle. To chart a better path forward for everyone, we need first to understand how we got here. |
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