News from the current Palestine-Israel genocide has given rise to an uproar of misinformation throughout the world. In reality, this isn’t a conflict over religion, it’s a conflict over murders of the Palestinian people, the displacement of the Palestinians, and massacres by the Israeli government.
It started with a mass genocide that has lasted over 75 years known as the Al-Nakba Massacre in 1948. This day marks a haunting day for the Palestinian people when the genocidal Israeli government killed 15,000 Palestinians and the corrupt Israeli government began an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. This led to an estimated 700,000 Palestinians becoming refugees to make a home for the “Israeli people.” Abdallah Abutalib, a Palestinian student and junior here at Keppel, has a grandpa who had to flee Palestine and leave his heritage and home behind for his and his family’s safety.
Today, Western misinformation has shown signs of propaganda, through their exaggeration of events and the stories that they make up, this spread of misinformation has led to dangerous effects. People such as President Biden have spoken out about the topic claiming to have seen photos of beheaded children during his meeting with Jewish leaders at the White House. Later, in response to questions from the Washington Post, a spokesperson of the White House spoke out saying Biden’s comments were based upon news reports and claims from the Israeli government, not from seeing photos, ABC News said.
As we see news of Israeli officials, the White House and multiple media sources retracting their statements and being unable to confirm claims spread, it leaves a lingering impact on the spread of misinformation while the damage has already been done. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardments. Journalists in Palestine are also continuously facing threats, with Israeli forces being responsible for the confirmed deaths of at least 24 journalists in the region. Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has condemned the deaths of these journalists in her statement written in Common Dreams, “We solemnly call on the Israeli authorities to put an end to military practices that violate international law and result in the deaths of civilians, including journalists.”
Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old American-Palestinian boy in Illinois, was stabbed 26 times by his landlord, a white American man, dying on his way to the hospital, as seen in CNN and other news sources. A 6-year-old boy was murdered he and his family are from Palestine. This is impacting pro-Palestinians and anyone who stands up against the apartheid state of Israel. Abutalib says “75 years of their ignorance; ignoring the children killed, the women raped, the men slaughtered, and houses demolished. But we will not forever, never will. Palestine will be free.”
Many use the privilege that they have to speak up against the injustices that the Israeli government conducts. Noor Raad, a senior at Keppel says, “I know that I am privileged, and with this privilege, I decide to speak out against injustice and conduct well-thought-out research. How can I sit at home while the Palestinian people are being massacred?” With the privilege she has, she’s attended numerous protests to show support for the people of Palestine.
Those who know of the injustice plead with others to look past propaganda and do research on the topic. They ask if you can wake up without hearing war sirens or having bombs dropped on you, recognize your privilege or be educated, do your research, and use your voice to help the oppressed not fund the oppressors. It’s an immense privilege to be unaffected by war and genocide, to be able to turn off the news and go about your day without the suffering that others cannot escape. It is an even larger privilege to be neutral in this injustice against the Palestinian people, so they ask, please don’t allow yourself to be ignorant to the injustice of so many.