Anyway, It’s easy to find the voices of Palestinians and Israelis who are directly affected, angry, afraid, and grieving over this conflict. These are people living the reality, not armchair commentators from faraway nations who think they understand because they’ve consumed media from profit-driven outlets. Most of these platforms publish content like advertisements, designed to polarize audiences and maximize revenue.
If your understanding comes solely from such 'news' sources, you’re profoundly disconnected from both Palestinians and Israelis. It’s like claiming to fully grasp America by echoing the talking heads on Fox or CNN or parroting government officials, all while ignoring the rich and complex diversity of American experiences.
The 'terrorist apologist' rhetoric being thrown around is not only pathetic but counterproductive. It mirrors the same black-and-white extremism found on both ends of this conflict and does nothing to bridge the divide or create understanding.
There are Jewish people who have Palestinian friends they deeply care about, people they haven’t heard from and are heartbroken about. There are Palestinians who feel conflicted about the violence because they long for freedom but abhor the suffering it causes. You might think I’m making this up, but that likely stems from how disconnected you are from both Jewish and Palestinian communities.
For example, did you know that for many Israelis, the term 'Palestinian' is seen primarily as a political identity tied to nationalism? Meanwhile, Palestinians view it as an expression of their peoplehood, a core part of who they are. Did you know that in Israel, speaking Arabic in public can sometimes evoke fear or suspicion? Or that Palestinians living in traditional households often face barriers even in participating in peace initiatives because those programs don’t account for their cultural realities?
But no, you probably read all of that clutching your, “Well, Hamas!” pistol. Just stop. I am not talking about governments or armed groups; I am talking about people, actual people. I’m not bringing these truths up to fuel polarization. I’m highlighting them because they are often absent from the narratives fed to you by your chosen media outlets.
You should already know these things. If you don’t, it’s because you aren’t paying attention to people, you’re just the product of the media you consume.
More inconvenient truths: in some parts of Gaza, a person can face violence or worse from their own family for being anything other than heterosexual. It’s a stark reminder that the oppression Palestinians face isn’t just external, it’s internal too. Similarly, Palestinian girls from traditional households in East Jerusalem or the West Bank often can’t participate in peace programs because these initiatives fail to account for cultural realities, like conservative views on gender segregation or the mistrust families feel toward activities perceived as too "foreign."
On the other side, consider the fear Jewish Israelis feel when hearing Arabic spoken in public, fear that stems from years of conflict, trauma, and a lack of real connection with their Palestinian neighbors. And yet, the disconnect is mutual: Palestinians are just as wary of programs led entirely by Israelis, fearing they’ll be used to advance Zionist narratives or portray them as token "good Arabs."
Both sides face pressures within their own communities. Jewish Israelis are shamed into silence if they express empathy for Palestinians (like some of you do here for so called terrorist apologist), while Palestinians sometimes feel pressure to mute their pain to avoid being labeled a "good Arab" or an apologist for Israel. These internal dynamics are often swept under the rug, just like the complexities of this conflict that your soundbite-driven worldview continues to ignore.
This conflict will never end as long as people on both sides resort to screaming "terrorist apologist." Such rhetoric only serves to deepen division and hatred, the very fuel that sustains groups like Hamas. In doing so, you are endangering the Israeli people far more than Hamas ever could by perpetuating the cycle of fear and hostility that extremists depend on to justify their actions.
