Forum Post: Israel vs. Palestine

Israel is conducting a brutal and vicious occupation of Palestine. This occupation, which has been going on for many years now, is illegal; it’s in violation of international law, and condemned by the UN and virtually the entire world – except, of course, for the United States and Israel.

Now, when a state is conducting an illegal occupation, the ones who are being occupied have the right to defend themselves – including with the use of arms. In this conflict Israel is the aggressor; the Palestinians are therefore the ones who have a right to defend themselves. This is fully in accordance with international law. It’s called self defense – an obviously logical and reasonable right and principle that must apply to all human beings. It is the ones who are being occupied that have the right to defend themselves against the occupier, not the other way around.

This does not, however, mean that the Palestinians have the right to do whatever they want when fighting back against the aggressor and occupier. Although the crimes and killings done by Israel vastly exceeds that of the Palestinians, Hamas and many militant Palestinians have, during this conflict, committed crimes as well, like killing civilians with rockets, for example.

It is however Israel that has the responsibility and obligation to pull out of the occupied territories, and stop the atrocities. It is Israel that has the main responsibility and must end their illegal activities.

The United States is also an important factor in this conflict. Israel could not have done all these crimes without the support – politically and militarily – of the U.S. Israel is dependent of this support. The United States has the power to stop more or less all Israeli bombing, terror and occupation.

So what must be done? Well, there is a solution that virtually all Palestinians and Palestinian groups and organizations accept. This solution is also accepted and supported by virtually the entire world and the United Nations: The two-state solution based on the 67-borders.

If the state of Israel decides it wants to start accepting international law, and stop conducting illegal occupation and bombing of Palestine, they must withdraw from the occupied territories and accept the 67-borders.

It is the occupation that is the root cause of this conflict; the occupation must end.

Palestine Is Still The Issue by John Pilger

US/Israeli Crimes Against Palestine by Noam Chomsky