I sometimes answer questions on a website called Quora. Most of the time, I answer questions about Linux and computer programming. However, when I received this question in my email, I read the other answers and found them lacking in substance. Some people are picking on the use of the word “genocide,” and others are saying it was not “millions” but hundreds of thousands.
My hope in sharing this is that other people will learn a little bit more about what this conflict between Israel and Palestine is about. I have included some links to books and videos to learn more, from people who know far more than I do.
But I have a responsibility to say something because to be silent on this topic could be misinterpreted as approval of what is happening in the Middle East. I do not stand with Israel nor Hamas. I stand only with innocent people who have not wanted to fight but have been killed by the actions of violent groups.
Depending on who you ask, it is sometimes considered genocide, and other times, it is considered self-defense. I am no expert, but for what it is worth, here is my take based on what I was taught growing up and the books and documentaries I have read and watched in the past few years.
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Israel thinks the land of Palestine is the promised land, which was promised to them in the Old Testament by God. The Old Testament is also full of violent, bloody wars, sometimes assisted by miracles from God. The validity of these claims is entirely dependent on religious belief and belief in these texts. Also, some of the jews were killed and taken captive by Babylon in the Old Testament, while a few have remained in other parts of the land outside of Judah.
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The people who have lived in Palestine for thousands of years, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims, were pushed out when the modern state of Israel was founded in 1948. Palestinians and Jews have both killed each other in conflicts ever since. Palestinians see the Jews as invaders, much like the Native Americans saw the British settlers who came and founded the United States of America. The Palestinians want to remain on the land they have been on for generations. The Jews who came to Israel after World War 2 want to come back to what they think is their homeland, given to them by God in the Old Testament.
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There are many good Jews and Palestinians who would like to live in peace and not fight wars. However, the powers that be in the Israeli government and Palestinian groups like Hamas prefer to fight. Meanwhile, innocent civilians suffer. Innocent men, women, and children who have their homes, schools, churches, and hospitals blown up by bombs constantly.
My opinion is this: I do not care about who is “right” in this never-ending war. I do not care who the land belongs to based on holy books or whatever other arguments are made. I would like the fighting to stop. I don’t want the innocent people to suffer and die slow, painful deaths by starvation or have their limbs blown off when bombs are dropped on them.
And as an American, you might think my opinion doesn’t matter. However, when I discovered that the USA government is funding the Israeli military and has been sending billions of dollars to Israel, most of which was before October 7. According to a government document I found, they have received 174 billion dollars from the US.
“Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II. Successive Administrations, working with Congress, have provided Israel with assistance reflective of robust domestic US support for Israel and its security; shared strategic goals in the Middle East, and historical ties dating from US support for the creation of Israel in 1948. To date, the United States has provided Israel $174 billion (current, or non-inflation-adjusted, dollars) in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding.”
https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL33222/RL33222.51.pdf https://www.notmytaxdollars.org/
Do I want the Palestinians killed? No!
Do I want the Jews killed? No!
But more importantly, do I want my tax dollars supporting wars and the military of a foreign country? HELL NO!
I think maybe we should handle things the Old Testament way. If the God of the Old Testament really were on the side of Israel, we would see miracles on their behalf, just like in the book of Exodus. These divine acts, like plagues, parting the Red Sea, pillar of fire, food like manna, and water from rocks, all happened without modern technology or military weapons that we see in modern times. Our tax dollars should not be required and should instead be used to help Americans who have been paying them.
The following are some resources that I recommend for more information on this conflict.
Resources on Israel and Palestine
Movies
1948: Creation & Catastrophe (Full documentary)
https://youtu.be/Bwy-Rf15UIs?si=nw3BSr1HDUEKH3rs
Israelism: The awakening of young American Jews | Featured Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq6J7Q6L0yw
Books
Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation by Sim Kern https://www.amazon.com/Genocide-Bad-Palestine-Collective-Liberation/dp/1623716365
Palestine Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter https://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter-ebook/dp/B000MGAU4S/
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLYPNJN
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT5W342
Chastity White Rose 
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