So my uncle just called me and we began talking about Palestine. He was claiming all the usual “anti-violence” points and such. Condemning both sides yadayada. Perpetuating the war propaganda about eating babies and shit. But then he began saying that the conflict is super complex and saying it’s gone back millenia and that it’s about religious land and stuff. I personally don’t know much other than 1947 to now, and that seems to be a problem because I can’t refute or agree with anything he was saying.
It’s making me feel like I’m uneducated and shouldn’t be supporting Palestine. He was saying that they both have legitimate claims to the land and many other things I can’t quite remember.
He said that my argument that the Palestinians were being oppressed worse because they are dying at such a greater rate is the same as saying the South in the American Civil War were the oppressed because most people who died were in the south.
He’s a very staunch catholic liberal but he delivers things pretty well and is older than me so I feel stupid around him lol. Basically I’m just kind of unsure about my position now? Do I not know enough? Can anyone validate or invalidate what he was saying or give an explanation and sources for what the history is?
I thought I knew enough but clearly not.
https://youtu.be/m19F4IHTVGc?si=tPm9RN5YhfWyoNJZ
He linked this video. Haven’t watched it but he says it’s unbiased. I don’t necessarily believe that.
Help
Despite what a lot of people here would say, the conflict in Palestine is indeed extremely complex and does go back quite a long time. But the current state of affairs is not complex. Liberals usually cite this complexity as a means to end conversation and are, unwittingly or not, serving the interest of imperialism by not questioning further. But your uncle is right though. You should learn as much as you can about the region’s history in order to be more well informed. You don’t have to know everything. Studying the complete history of ANY region on earth, no matter how small or insignificant, could fill lifetimes of study and research.
Both Palestinians and the Israeli citizens have “claim” to the region, which has strong cultural and religious significance to both groups. For starters, investigate why the Palestinian region is significant to these groups. But like all history, this is not black and white. You will inevitably find simplistic histories that claim the Jews or the Muslims are the only peoples to have any historical claims to the region. This denies history and anthropology. You might what to investigate the Zionist movement that arose in western Europe and Britain in the mid-nineteenth century. You’ll discover a more nuanced understanding of why the state of Israel was established where it is today after WWII. From there you might also want to read more about things like the Suez Cannel, British colonial India, and the US armaments industry post WWII. I’m sorry I can’t give specific reading recommendations. As long as you read even liberal sources with a keen eye you’ll be good.
But again, this history and research will only contextualize the current situation. You can still use a thorough material analysis to arrive at the conclusion that Israel is ethnically cleansing the Palestinians. Don’t let claims of “complexity” make you feel like your compassion for the Palestinians is misplaced.
Edit: Just wanted to point out that other comrades are coming in hot with great tales and sources. I’ve got some reading to do.