Andrew Neria, Period 1, 10/13/2023

 SOCIO-POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS

CHOOSE a topic below and discuss your thoughts and feelings:

● Current topics around inequity, oppression, and/or power.

● Current events that incite strong feelings in you.

■ How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the topic in the spotlight these last couple of days following horrific acts of violence on both sides. I am not religiously or nationally involved in this issue, yet that doesn’t make it any less of an issue of humanity and justice.  

This conflict has been decades long. 2 million Palestinians were packed like rats in the Gaza Strip, enduring cruel embargos, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. The recent event in question was Palestine’s retaliation in the form of an alleged terrorist attack against Israeli citizens by Hamas. In my opinion, an oppressed people cannot be expected to remain complacent and peaceful in the face of a blatant refusal of basic human rights. However, this absolutely does not justify the actions of Hamas or any radical/extremist groups, especially against citizens. A nation of people should not be expected to answer for the actions of their government, especially not in blood. These acts of violence have been a devastating reminder of that.

The conflict at hand made me realize how powerful nationality, personal belief, and scapegoating can be. People will willingly ignore the years and years of oppression that Israel has enforced upon Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and it is unjust that this conflict reached headlines when violence was committed against Israel, yet the media remains silent amongst years of oppression against Palestine. Conversely, I was taken aback by the amount of people justifying this attack, disregarding the lack of humanity in retaliation because it was from their own people and not against their own people.  

However, as an outsider on this issue, my acknowledgment of this hypocrisy might be hypocrisy in and of itself. I have grown up in a place untouched by war, and I have not seen the horrors of war first hand like others have. I cannot truly understand the breaking point that people are pushed to through hardship and oppression. The truth is that this is a war, and war is so utterly wrong on so many levels, on all sides. It is possible that in my naivety, I cannot understand war and what it does to people. I can only see its effects and judge them with my out-of-touch perspective. I do not have family or religious affiliation to any of these places. I can talk about the injustices on people in general but I cannot judge those who have had these injustices befall their own family, their own people.

In my current understanding, I refuse the stand on a high horse and denounce anyone for supporting a side. However, as a person who can recognize the sheer amount of injustice being used to justify even more injustice, I will continue to educate myself further and to listen to the people who support either side, in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.