If you were at the
Bipartisan Discussion on the US Israel Relationship event, you might have
noticed a group of people walking out around 15 minutes in.
We were there so you'd pay
attention to an issue that consistently gets pushed aside by our country and by
our university.
It seems as though a lot of
attention is put on Israel for its technical advancements, false democracy, and
mask of progressiveness. This event, highlighting Israeli achievements and the
Israeli struggle, failed to mention the numerous struggles Israel causes.
What about the occupation?
What about segregated roads and schools, military brutality, administrative
detention, and the rising death toll?
You cannot have a
productive conversation about the US Israel relationship if you fail to mention
Palestine and talk about it in an honest way. Mentioning Palestinians as if
they're demographic threats doesn't count.
Let's a talk a little bit
about Palestine, a land under colonization and oppression.
A major part of the Palestinian
economy is agriculture. Last year, Israeli settlers uprooted 11 thousand olive trees from Palestinian land. 12.3 million dollars in profit yearly is lost in the olive harvest because of these
aggressions, which go unpunished by Israeli forces.
Every year, 500 to 700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12, are detained and
prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. The most common charge is
stone throwing.
Water access to
Palestinians is restricted, rationed, and unequally accessible.
Why should you care? If the
fact that this is a humanitarian issue isn't enough, it's worth noting that as
Americans, 3.1 billion of our tax dollars annually are sent to Israel for its military
alone. That's 8.5 million dollars every day.
It's up to us to speak out
because we directly fund this ongoing injustice.
As Students for Justice in
Palestine, we aim to spread information about the Palestinian narrative that is
largely missing from conversations about the issue.
Please contact us if you
want to know more about how you can help.
Signed,
American University Students for Justice in
Palestine