It’s been a long time that problems and wars between Israel and Palestine have been ongoing. Unfortunately, the world is dividing into two supports, with the majority supporting Palestine, even though some of their support is only on social media. However, it is good that at least they are taking part. Another group supports Israel. In between, there is a lower group that doesn’t want to support anyone, and if you ask them about their view, they just keep quiet. But to me, these people are also supporting the oppressor. There is a saying:
If you keep silent in the time of war, it means you are supporting the oppressor.
Now who is the oppressor and who is the real victim? We will find out soon.
Because every side has their supporters and voices, they often come to an argument about who is right and who is wrong. Let’s finish the whole argument today. Let’s finish this right and wrong thing today. With this article i will share my view and also put some questions for you: answer this if you believe in humanity and soul. Answer the question without any bias and from a fair point of view. I hope your soul will come to the truth.
Fingers crossed.
A Brief Historical Overview
Ancient History and the Roots of Conflict
Let me touch on the story a little. The history of Israel and Palestine is so deep that it can take a few articles to write this complicated history, but for you, I am making things easy and short. Hopefully, you will keep patience and read patiently because it is important. Don’t worry, I will speak the truth only; you can check the facts with historians.
To tell the story, I need to take you back to the era of Prophet Abraham. Wanna go back? I don’t have a time machine though, but let me take you on a ride of imagination.
Abraham was one of the mightiest prophets of Judaism. Later, Christianity and Islam also accepted him as the same. So when Abraham became a prophet, God ordered him to move to Canaan to worship Him. And as usual, Abraham was the finest follower of God, following every command without question. God ordered him to go to Canaan, and Abraham took his people and went to Canaan. But you might be wondering, what is this Canaan?
Canaan was a region, a big region consisting of modern countries like Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. In the time of Abraham, all these countries were together in one, and it was called Canaan.
The Israelites and the United Kingdom of Israel
Abraham went to Canaan and started living there. Although he left Canaan for Egypt due to famine, he later returned to Canaan again and lived there with his family, including his son Isaac, all his life.
Isaac had a son, Jacob, who became a famous prophet also resided in Canaan. One of the names of Jacob was Israel. He got this name because, according to the Bible, he wrestled with a divine being. Jacob became Israel, and followers of Jacob started calling themselves Israelites. In his time, Jacob also left for Egypt due to famine and lived there with his people. Later, during the time of Pharaoh, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back to Canaan. When Moses went back to Canaan, they started calling it the region as United Kingdom of Israel.
Later, Saul, David, and Solomon became kings of the United Kingdom of Israel. Solomon was the one who built the first temple for the Israelites as a house of worship. It was in a place we call Jerusalem today.
After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into two parts: “the northern Kingdom of Israel” and “the southern Kingdom of Judah” around 930 BCE.
Invasions, Exiles and The Second Temple
Later, the Assyrians and Babylonians (two invaders from modern-day Iraq) invaded both parts of the region and expelled the Jews from the land. They also destroyed the first temple built by Solomon. This was the first major displacement of Jews from the land (the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah).
Unfortunately, the Assyrians and Babylonians couldn’t maintain control for long; they were eventually overthrown by the Persians (modern-day Iran). In 539 BCE, the Persians, under Cyrus the Great, conquered the Babylonian Empire, which included the territories of Israel and Judah. After Persia took over the region, they allowed the Jews to return and even helped them rebuild their temple, which they called the Second Temple.
Roman Rule and Further Displacement
Jews lived peacefully with their Second Temple until the Romans took over the land from the Persians.
The Romans defeated the Persians and took control of the land, displacing both the Persians and the Jews. After the Romans took over, they expelled the Jews from the land again and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE. This was the second major displacement of Jews from this land.
When the Romans took over the region, they renamed the land “Palaestina.” The name “Palaestina” was derived from the Philistines, a people who lived near the coast in Gaza long ago. The Romans chose this name to minimize Jewish identification with the land of Israel. With this we can clearly see that Romans were the real haters of Jews.
The Rise of Islam
When the Jews were expelled the second time, they had no power to come back and fight the Romans to retake the land. So, they started accepting their fate and lived in other countries for generations. Then, a significant event happened: Muhammad from Arabia became a prophet, and after his death in 632 CE, his companions went to Palestine. They made efforts to convert the Romans to Islam, and Muslims took over the land and started living there.
Muslim Rule and the Dome of the Rock
When Muslims ruled the land of Palestine, they allowed Jews to come, live, and worship. Muslims built the Dome of the Rock there in 691 CE. Jews could live and worship under Muslim rulers, but they never had the chance to rebuild their temple. The situation was peaceful, but Muslim rulers kept changing due to internal conflicts and greed.
The Umayyad (661-750 CE) were followed by the Abbasid (750-1258 CE), and eventually, the Ottoman Empire took over Palestine and ruled for many centuries until World War I. In 1917, during World War I, the Ottoman Empire was defeated, marking the first time the British and their allies took over Palestine from Muslims.
The Modern Conflict
The British Mandate and Betrayal
When the British took over Palestine, they immediately declared that they would partition Palestine and create a home for the Jews. On May 14, 1948, they made the partition and established a home for the Jews, naming it Israel.
When the British declared Israel an independent country in 1948, all Arab nations immediately denied it, calling it a betrayal. It is important to understand why they felt betrayed.
Before World War I, the British convinced major Arab countries to fight with them against the Ottoman Empire, under the condition that if they could together defeat the Ottoman Empire, the Arabs would take over the land of Palestine, which would be under Arab rule (the Ottoman Empire was under Turkish rule). The British and Arabs had a documented agreement called the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence.
However, when the Ottoman Empire was defeated, instead of following the agreement, the British created Israel. It was a big betrayal to the Arabs. The Arabs were totally against this, and the first battle between some Arab countries and Israel took place on the same day Israel declared independence.
1948 Battle
In the battle, more than 5,000 Israeli Jews died, more than 10,000 to 15,000 Palestinians died, and more than 700,000 Palestinians became homeless due to the British decision to establish Israel as a country. Israel won the battle against the Arabs with the help of its allies, taking over major lands of Israel and Palestine. The suffering of Palestinians and the hatred between Palestinians and Israelis started then.
The Six-Day War and its Aftermath
Now, moving on to 1967. Arabs were always against Israel and never accepted it as a country, so the tension was always present. From 1948 to 1967, Israel became stronger with the help of huge financial donations from its allies. In 1967, Israel fought in the Six-Day War against Arab nations and took over East Jerusalem. Although the UN declared that Jerusalem should be an international city, Israel didn’t adhere to this and took over East Jerusalem because it is a historical holy land for them. It is the place where they had their First and Second Temples. In the 1967 war, around 800 Israelis and 20,000 Arab forces were killed or went missing.
Between the battles of 1948 and 1967 until 2024, many smaller and larger attacks happened between the two countries, with most of the significant operations being carried out by Israel.
Key Points to Notice:
- Jews were first expelled by the Assyrians and Babylonians, and then by the Romans.
- Jews were expelled from their land for the second time by the Romans in 70 CE, and Muslims came to that land in the 7th century, almost 600+ years later.
- The British forcefully made Israel a country without considering what would happen to the Palestinians who were already living there.
If you think logically, Muslims had nothing to do with Jews being expelled. Muslims actually allowed Jews to come back to the land and follow their rituals. Jews leaving and Muslims coming to Palestine had more than a 600-year difference but still Israel is doing everything to take revenge from Muslims. It is like: 600 years ago someone took your forefathers’ home away, and now I am living there and i had nothing to do with your forefathers, but still you are coming and forcefully dividing my house and living there. How does it make sense, how is this fair?
Another thing is, from a human point of view, Jews have suffered a lot. They were expelled from their lands twice, which was not fair to them. However, destroying an entire country in the name of combating terrorism is also one-sided arrogance and is equally unfair. Right?
Statistics
Time to show you statistics now. Hopefully, you will understand who is the oppressor and who is oppressed. Before I go to the statistics, I must openly declare one thing: Hamas or any groups in Palestine that kill or hurt any innocent being, any civilians, are terrorists. Obviously, they are criminals, and I condemn them. But as a human, I should condemn the opposite side too, right? I can’t be one-sided biased. When I call Hamas terrorists and condemn every innocent killing, then when the Israeli army is killing civilians from Palestine, killing children, I must call them terrorists too. They are war criminals, inhuman, and must be punished by law like Hamas. Simple and fair, right?
Is this fair?
Did you see all the photos above?; they are taken from different well-known websites. According to all sources, one thing is common: Palestinian civilians have died and been injured 60+ percent more than Israelis. Don’t forget I am talking about civilians. Secondly, a major part of these civilians are children and women. Now, if you ask an Israeli journalist or officer, they might say Hamas is hiding among civilians, so they have no choice but to hurt civilians. They call it collateral damage. But these are just excuses. We all know Mossad and the Israeli army are very capable of various techniques to infiltrate enemy land and find culprits. They have done it before. According to many online news articles, you can clearly see how many covert operations were done by Mossad very swiftly without the enemy knowing, such as Operation Entebbe (1976), Operation Wrath of God (1970s-1980s), Operation Orchard (2007), the capture of Adolf Eichmann (1960), and Operation Diamond (1966).
When Mossad and Israel are fully equipped and receiving top-tier support from their allies in every way, why haven’t they been able to eliminate Hamas members in the last 40 years? Despite Israel’s extensive military operations, civilians continue to suffer while Hamas persists. How is this possible? Think about it. Israel has all the power; Palestine is powerless. Israel invades Palestine with armies, jets, tanks, and indiscriminately kills from the sky and the land. How is this not torture to you? Wake up and see. Go to Google and search the photos. Israel is inhumanly stripping Palestinians of their rights. The United Nations is shouting, the world is condemning it, but Israel refuses to listen. If this isn’t arrogance of power, then what is? How can anyone support this arrogance? How can you even think to support it?
No child or innocent person should suffer anywhere in the world, regardless of their country or religion. Everyone has the right to live. Israel is pursuing its own agenda to remove or silence all people in Palestine to build the third temple. The whole world is witnessing this open genocide. The oppressor country thrives, while the victims die from bombs and even lack basic necessities. According to reports, Palestinians are eating grass, cat food, and dog food. Is this a life?
It is not right to defend
Some say Israel has the right to defend itself, but what does defense mean? Defending doesn’t mean invading another country that is already devastated and has no means to fight back and then destroying it further. That is not defense; hurting a weak person is not defense, it is cowardice. That is not war; that is torture. Defense means enhancing security within your own country. Defense means neutralizing the enemy without harming civilians. But, I don’t think Israel even cares about Hamas. They just show their hatred towards a community, the Palestinian community. In response, Palestinians are just asking for our support: financial support, support through writing about them, support through talking about them, support by standing with the truth, and support by boycotting Israel—nothing else.
The Questions
A rational person can clearly understand the pain of victims, just as I understand the pain of Israelis who have lost their lives. But I also understand the pain of Innocent Palestinians. Terror occurs in Israel occasionally, but it happens in Palestine every day. Is this fair? Ask yourself who is the biggest terrorist? Terrorist means someone who terrorizes civilians for political gains, so who is terrorizing whom here? Who is showing illegal power? I told you I would ask some questions to your soul, go and answer these questions to your soul, and be truthful because the truth will set you free.