Understanding Violence: Colonization Breeds Decolonization Responses
Historical tensions have heightened between Hamas and the Israeli State; Israeli, Palestinian, and allied discussion through turmoil
The deadliest day for Israel in 50 years occurred on Saturday, October 7. At least 100 Israelis died from Hamas airstrikes, with over 1000 injured. What followed was then Israeli forces killing 200 Palestinians, and again over 1000 injured. The deathtoll is unprecedented for Israel but take into consideration how many more innocent Palestinians have died at the hands of the Israeli state, and the reality is staggering. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs has recorded 6,407 Palestinian fatalities since 2008. Via the same statistics, this is in comparison to 308 Israeli citizens dying from extremism like Hamas since.
Understanding Palestinian - Israeli tensions requires an understanding of historical colonizing. After World War l, and the Treaty of Versailles, the British empire colonized Palestine, Transjordan (now Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq), Iraq, parts of Cameroon, and Togoland (now Ghana), and Tanganyika (now Tanzania). The British Mandate for Palestine established a provision for establishing a Jewish national homeland in 1923.
Since, naturally, there has been Arab resistance to this. This is what happens when colonizing occurs. Turmoil ensues. Transjordan splintered into confusing sovereignty following the Treaty of Versailles. Iraq underwent a 1920 revolution, then experienced 100 years of turbulence. Britain’s invasion of Cameroon was a transfer of power from Germany, which then was reassigned to France, and then Nigeria, and then gained independence in 1960. Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest 15 countries. These are just examples of fallout that occurs from colonization, in the very same treaty, and this happened globally over a colonial period lasting hundreds of years.
As for Palestine, Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza can’t gain legal status in Israel, or occupied East Jerusalem, through marriage. This has forced thousands of Palestinians to live in fear of arrest or deportation while there are dire shortages of housing, drinking water, electricity, medicine, medical care, food, educational equipment and building materials in Gaza. This coincides with a 16-year Israeli blockade where people cannot leave nor enter. It is government-mandated oppression on a group of people, apartheid, and a plethora of human rights violations on behalf of the Israeli State.
Violence towards the innocent is one of the most heartbreaking things we witness as human beings, and it is certainly always tragic. Violence is, however, not created in a vacuum and in order to prevent such tragedies, it is vital we begin to understand how these violent responses occur. Colonialism created long-lasting upheaval. Borders created wars. Colonizing creates response. Violence arises from material conditions imposed by oppression, which often begins at the hands of colonizing.
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