A very brief history of Palestine and the conflicts with Israel

Palestine is a country located in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Well known and religious cities in Palestine include Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Palestine vs. Israel issue is definitely considered a complicated and controversial subject. People who support Israel are considered "Zionists." The definition of Zionism is the movement for the protection of a Jewish state currently known as Israel. It was a political organization began by Theodore Herzl in 1857.

The United Nations imposed the Partition Plan of Palestine that decided it would break Palestine and Israel in half. 

The Arabs nor the Israelis were very happy with this, and so went many wars and conflicts the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, where Palestinians rejected the partition plan because they felt that they deserved the right to all of their land, and not just half. After the war, the 1949 Armistice Agreements established separation lines between the two. Israel controlled areas originally designated for Palestine, Transjordan controlled the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. The Six-Day War was fought between June 5th-10th in 1967, with Israel being victorious and seizing control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. The U.N. Security Council called for Israel's withdrawal from territories occupied, based on Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula. 

In 1974, the Palestine Liberation Organization was recognized as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The intifada was another resistance organization and uprising that was sparked by more than 20 years of military occupation, oppression, and confiscation of land. Between 1987 and 1983, over a thousand Palestinians were killed and more thousands injured, detained, or imprisoned in Israel or deported from Palestinian territories. 

Peace negotiations started in 1993, with the Oslo Accords. It was the first direct, face to face agreement between Israel and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) and was signed and intended to provide a process for relations and affairs between the two parties. However, in 1995 when Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Since then, many peace proposals, including the Camp David Summit (2000), Taba Summit (2001), the Road Map for Peace (2002), and the Arab Peace Initiative (2002 and 2007) have made no success. 

Many issues remain to be settled between Israelis and Palestinians before an independent state of Palestine is formed, but negotiations are ongoing. 

My first experience at a human rights protest

On July 24th, 2014, I attended my first pro-Palestine protest. The recent events in Palestine that summer ignited reactions from all over the world, whether in Japan, London, Chicago, or even Israel, people came together to demand an end to Israeli apartheid and the inhumane bombings in Gaza. One protest took place in Iowa City which was the one I was fortunate enough to go to.
It started with a friend who texted me about the information a day earlier. Because I wasn't able to go to a protest in Chicago I was originally planning on going to, going to the one in Iowa City instead seemed like a perfect opportunity. I told my parents and a few friends in Cedar Rapids about it who I felt would be interested. A friend contacted me back and we decided we would both drive to Iowa City to participate in this protest. I bought a poster and wrote "END ISRAELI AGGRESSION. Free Palestine." As pictured below. We took the 40 minute drive from Cedar Rapids to downtown Iowa City.

When my friend and I finally reached the Pentacrest, where the protest was held, we were surprised by the amount of people showing their support. There were a good 40-50 people which definitely wasn't as much as the thousands that showed up in Chicago or the hundreds of thousands in London, but it was definitely a strong group who made their voices heard. 

We chanted things such as "Free Free Palestine!" and "End the Siege on Gaza Now!" I was even interviewed on KCRG, and the protest was featured on the evening news. Despite our permit not specifically saying we could do this, we marched through the streets and continued assertively shouting slogans. Many people honked in support, raised their thumbs up, and shouted encouragement. Some also insulted, called us terrorists supporters, and threw things at us. 

Despite the little hate we got, coming together with people of all backgrounds and ages to unite for an important cause was a good experience. I met many people who were from Palestine, went to Palestine, or just merely wanted to show their support --like me-- and had very interesting stories and experiences there. I also met a few Veterans for Peace who shared their poems and experiences in the military and the Middle East. By the end of the event, my throat was scratchy and my legs were tired. 

Being at this protest made me feel proud to show my support. It was also a good experience to meet new people who shared my ideas. I would definitely like to attend more of these protests and maybe even organize a few of my own. 

I encourage you to join protests about causes you feel passionate for. Whether it's about exercising your freedom of speech, or standing up for a good cause, your support truly matters.