We Need to Talk About Gaza in Israel

This article was submitted to the Circle in response to a previous opinion article titled, “There is an Unequivocal Truth About the Houthis.”

In the Feb. 6 edition of the Marist Circle, an article was published titled “There is an Unequivocal Truth About the Houthis,” which subsequently garnered harsh criticisms from members of the Marist College community. Palestinian-American activist and co-president of the Marist Muslim Student Association Sereen El Jamal ‘24 collected these criticisms in an email sent to President Kevin C. Weinman and Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Edward Antonio.

“I spend much of my time criticizing the Western media’s role in the genocide of my people,” said El Jamal, who has been on the frontline of protests in New York City demanding a ceasefire and the end of the Israeli occupation of Gaza. “I have come to find that this problem exists at my institution as well.”

Criticism of the article has arisen concerning its singular focus on the actions of the Houthis, without acknowledging the Israeli war crimes that incited the Houthis’ escalation of hostilities in the first place. The Houthis have been explicit in their messaging that their hijacking campaign of commercial ships in the Red Sea is a response to the genocide being committed in Gaza by the Israeli government. The Houthis are undoubtedly a contemptible group, and there are certainly potential incentives for their behavior outside the cause of Palestinian liberation.

For years now, the international community outside the U.S. and Israel has been raising the red flag concerning Israel’s conduct in Palestine. A report from Human Rights Watch published in September 2022 found that “Israeli authorities' practices, undertaken as a part of a policy to maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians, amount to the crime against humanity of apartheid and persecution.” Despite the widespread condemnation from the international community, Israel has always been able to avoid justice by leveraging their close relationship with the U.S. to block attempted legal action towards them. This has allowed Israel to act with impunity against Palestinians, subjecting them to inhumane living conditions, restricting their ability to travel freely, impeding their right to worship, and inflicting senseless violence upon them.

In the wake of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the world watched with bated breath as the Israeli government laid siege to Gaza, promising to eradicate Hamas no matter the cost. As of writing this article, the cost of this war so far has been tens of thousands of civilian deaths (a majority of whom are under the age of 18), with thousands of injuries on top of that. There has been a complete obliteration of the remaining infrastructure in Gaza, coupled with an incalculable amount of human suffering.

The slaughter shows no signs of slowing down either. The Israeli Defence Force announced its plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, a city at the southernmost border of Gaza, which is currently overflowing with displaced civilians from the north. This past week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the IDF would fight until they had reached “total victory.” I shiver at the idea of what “victory” looks like in the eyes of a man who so brazenly defends the massacre of children.

As previously mentioned, the U.S. government is the world’s number one supporter of Israel, and it is an annual aid package paid for by the average American taxpayer that Israel lays siege to Gaza. Since Oct. 7, the IDF has demonstrated a pattern of disregard for human life in Gaza through deliberately targeting civilians and attacking humanitarian sites. The IDF has bombed U.N.-operated refugee camps and schools in Jabalia and Al-Maghazi. They have also bombed and raided major hospitals in the region, including in Al-Aqsa and Al-Shifa, and bombed the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East convoys carrying humanitarian supplies throughout the region. Not to mention the fact that the IDF is responsible for making this war the most deadly for journalists in recent memory.

While the coffers remain ceaselessly open for the Israeli war machine, the U.S. and its allies pulled funding for UNRWA based on unsubstantiated accusations made by Israel that a dozen employees of UNRWA’s staff of more than 13,000 took part in the Hamas attack. Foreign policy experts, diplomats, and activists agree that without the support of the U.S. government, Israel’s genocide campaign would be unfeasible. It is our government that not only provides Israel with the military capability to carry out its campaign but also with political support and protection from persecution on the international level. As such, the atrocities of the Israeli government are also the atrocities of the American government. How can this nation claim to be the flagbearer for freedom worldwide while the world watches as it enables genocide?