Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which rekindled a century-long conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Death Tolls (Accurate to Time of Publishing)
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli attacks have killed at least 320 people every day in Gaza since Oct. 7. Since the attack, there have been at least 11,240 killed in Gaza, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women. At least 27,490 people in Gaza have been injured, 8,663 of whom are children. In the West Bank, at least 183 people have died, and more than 2,400 people have been injured. In Israel, at least 1,200 people have died, and at least 5,600 people have been injured. (All numbers according to Al Jazeera’s “Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live Tracker”.)
Seidel: When did This Start
Professor of Peacebuilding, Development, Global Studies Timothy Seidel, he also led the Intercultural trip to Israel and Palestine this past summer. Has studied the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine for a significant time and even lived in Palestine for a number of years. “Where do we begin? Oct. 7, 2023? Or 2006? Or 1967? Or 1948? Or 1917? See what I mean?” He then went on to say, “All of these historical moments are critical to understanding the catastrophe of the current moment, not an ahistorical episode but as a historical continuity and even structure of settler colonialism.”
Seidel emphasized that the conflict did not begin on Oct. 7 with Hamas’s attack on Israel;there has been tension between Israel and Palestine ever since 1917, when Great Britain signed the Balfour Declaration. This declaration was made by Lord Balfour of the British Empire, the foreign secretary of the time and said that the British Empire supported creating a Jewish state in the Palestinian region and that the empire would work with Jewish leaders to accomplish this. While the recent attack from Hamas has brought the tension back into the public eye, Sidel stressed that the public must recognize that the fighting did not start on Oct. 7: While the recent attack from Hamas has brought the tension back into the public eye, Sidel stressed that the public must recognize that the fighting did not start on Oct. “The events of the past month must be understood within a larger historical context of settler colonial domination of Palestinian life and land that goes back a hundred years.”
Seidel further explained that “settler colonialism is a particular kind of colonialism characterized by a ’logic of elimination’ of the Indigenous population.” Some examples of settler colonialism include the actions of the British in Australia, India, and South Africa, to name a few. Seidel explained that the process of settler colonialism continues to oppress the Palestinian people.
Seidel: Is There Anyone to Blame?
“Remember, Israel has been militarily occupying Palestinian territory since 1967.” Seidel explained, “For example, Israel is responsible for the welfare of Palestinians living under its military occupation, including those Palestinians in Gaza. This includes ensuring basic necessities are provided like adequate access to food, essential supplies, medicine, and medical care.”
According to international Humanitarian Law, since Israel is the occupying force, it needs to treat the Palestinians that live in Gaza with respect and dignity,and the Israeli government, according to Seidel, has not been doing that for a long time. Seidel explains that “the Gaza Strip is a small strip of land 25 miles long and 7 miles wide that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians” –thus crowding the Palestinian population into the small strip of land. At the same time, Seidel explained, “We should also look to Hamas as an armed actor and hold it to the same obligations, for example, calling its targeting of civilians a war crime.” Therefore, Seidel says it is essential to remember that both sides have committed many wrongs; it is important to remember that people are dying on both sides.
Seidel: Reliable Sources
As it is difficult to find reliable sources on such a heavily-debated topic, Seidel recommends two sources: BBC and Al Jazeera. He also recommended more analysis and looking at the Middle East Eye, Jadaliyya, Al Shabaka, and The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for more information.
EMU’s Institutional Response
Eastern Mennonite University has held some campus-wide events in response: The first was a Prayer Vigil in Thomas Plaza on Oct. 18, 2023, led by Seidel. The prayer read at the vigil was written by Rick Cober Bauman, the Executive Director of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada, and Bauman sent this prayer to EMU to found at https://emu.edu/prayer-for-peace. The second event was a Teach-In held in the Student Union on Oct. 24, 2023. This event was set up by Student Government Association senators Genesis Figueroa, a sophomore, and Esme Martin, a first-year. SGA set this up alongside Seidel, the main person who shared information at the teach-in. Towards the end of the event, Greta Schrag, a senior, spoke about her personal experiences in Israel and Palestine this past summer as part of her intercultural trip. The third and final event was a second Prayer Vigil that was held on Nov. 1, 2023.
Student Responses
In addition to the EMU institutional events held in response, these recent events have also been the focus of many discussions between students and faculty. Micaiah Landis, junior,also participated in the. Landis initiated a movement encouraging students to sign a letter calling for EMU as an institution to create a statement supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. One of the main reasons Landis created this was, since “the US is a large supporter of Israel and is giving extra funding right now supporting this Genocide[, part] of the request was to look into Israeli companies that EMU could be buying from without necessarily knowing they are Israeli companies. I hoped EMU would make a statement saying this just to state that we do not support Israel’s actions or that of our government.”
Landis has since talked with the administration on this issue, and they told him they would look into different ways to address it. However, Landis said that “the EMU board does not believe that a statement should be issued. [They are] saying that statements are both not as effective as they used to be and can be polarizing. We are still discussing ways that EMU can ‘do more’ on this issue.” Landis noted that his intercultural experience in Israel and Palestine has changed the way he sees this conflict: “During my time in Palestine, I spent a lot of time around Christian and Muslim Palestinians. I learned that they are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met…This always was very humbling to me because even though they knew I was American, and they know our country is supporting the settler colonial state of Israel. They never ceased to show hospitality to us in their homeland.”
Figueroa, also feels passionately about this topic, noting why she helped organize the teach-in a couple of weeks ago. “I wanted to [help organize the event] because I knew how so many people barely knew what was going on, and the information that was out was not reliable,” Figueroa explained. “I knew that Tim Seidel knew a lot about the situation, so Esme and I coordinated the event with him on behalf of SGA,” wanting to help create a place for people to have a conversation, learn, and be open about this complicated topic.
Seidel appreciates the students’ efforts, saying, “I really appreciate the letter students sent to the EMU Board last Friday, asking them to issue a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. I support this, and I continue to be grateful for the courage and leadership students are demonstrating regarding this ongoing catastrophe.”
In the midst of the atrocities being committed and then deeply-tragic loss of life, it is worth returning to the MCC prayer written by Bauman: “O God, whose heart breaks for the world, May your justice dwell in the land, May your righteousness abide in fruitful fields, May the effect of righteousness be quietness and trust forever. May the effect of justice be peace—enduring peace.”
