Choosing Empathy and Aligning Values

February 5, 2025

"Owning Gaza" and the colonial mindset

Yesterday, Trump and Netanyahu discussed 'owning Gaza' as though it were simply land up for grabs. This isn’t new. The Middle East has been treated as real estate for decades—its people dehumanized, history erased, and resources exploited. But Palestine isn’t just a piece of land. It’s home.

After months of relentless bombing, Palestinians are returning home. Despite the devastation, they are happy to be back, showing incredible resilience. They are deeply rooted in their land. When Israel claims the land is theirs, I have to wonder: why do Israelis struggle in the harsh sun of the West Bank, while Palestinians endure it with ease?

This war didn’t start in 2023, or even in 1948. It’s been a century-long project to erase Palestine. Here are seven turning points that shaped where we are now

1. The Balfour Declaration (1917): Britain Gives Away What Isn’t Theirs

The British, mid-World War I, decided to promise Palestine to the Zionist movement—without asking the millions of Arabs living there. The Balfour Declaration was a colonial power signing over land that wasn’t theirs to give. This set the stage for Jewish immigration to be prioritized, while Palestinians were treated like they were in the way of “progress.”

2. The 1948 Nakba (Catastrophe): Ethnic Cleansing Disguised as Independence

Israel’s creation wasn’t just about founding a state; it was about removing the people who already lived there. Over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled, hundreds of villages wiped off the map. They locked their doors thinking they’d come back—75 years later, the keys to those homes are still in their families, passed down like a wound that never heals.

3. The 1967 Six-Day War: When Israel Became an Occupation Machine

Israel went from an apartheid state to a full-blown occupying force. It took over Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, meaning millions of Palestinians now lived under Israeli military control. Settlements started popping up, like termites eating through what was left of Palestine. The world let it happen.

4. The 1982 Invasion of Lebanon: Exiling Resistance, but Not Killing It

Israel chased the PLO out of Lebanon in an effort to erase Palestinian resistance. What followed? The Sabra and Shatila massacre, where Israel watched and let their allies slaughter thousands of Palestinian refugees. The PLO was forced into exile, but the fight didn’t die—it evolved.

5. The 1987 First Intifada: The People Fight Back

Palestinians, sick of living under military rule, rose up. They threw stones at tanks, organized boycotts, and made it clear: they weren’t going anywhere. Israel cracked down hard, and in the chaos, Hamas was born—not as an outside force, but as a response to decades of brutality. Unlike the PLO, Hamas rejected negotiations, seeing armed resistance as the only answer left. It's important to know that Hamas have never invaded or fought anyone outside of occupied Palestine or Israel.

"Occupied Palestine" refers to the territories in Palestine, primarily the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, that have been under Israeli military control or settlement since the 1967 Six-Day War. This means Palestinians face restrictions on movement, economic activity, and self-governance, while Israeli settlements have been built in parts of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, often on land considered by international law to be Palestinian territory. This occupation has led to widespread human rights violations, displacement, and conflict, as Palestinians fight for their right to self-determination and for an independent Palestinian state.

6. The 2000 Second Intifada: A Uprising That Broke Everything

Ariel Sharon, Israel’s PM at the time, stepped onto Al-Aqsa Mosque like he owned it, setting off an explosion of protests that turned into full-blown war. Israel responded by building the West Bank wall, making the occupation even more permanent. Settlements tripled, and Gaza became an open-air prison.

7. The 2008 Gaza War and Beyond: Gaza is Unlivable, But Palestinians Won’t Leave

Hamas won the 2006 elections, and Israel lost its mind. They blockaded Gaza, cutting off food, water, and medicine. Then came the wars: 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2023. Each time, Israel flattens neighborhoods and kills civilians, then acts confused when the resistance doesn’t die.

"The entire Pacific Palisades looks like, you know, unfortunately, Gaza or one of these war-torn countries where awful things have happened." - Jamie Lee Curtis.

This mindset reflects a larger issue: people often only care deeply about issues when they hit close to home. While the devastation caused by fires in Los Angeles is undeniably tragic, comparing it to Gaza is both tone-deaf and narrow-minded. In Los Angeles, people fear losing their homes to flames. In Gaza, people fear losing their lives to bombs, enduring the destruction of their homeland with no safe refuge—all while knowing that the United States is funding much of their suffering.

The contradiction of supporting the cruelty occurring in Gaza while fearing immigrants or worrying about the possibility of World War III.

While standards and protocols are essential, It’s also essential to recognize the positive impact immigrants can have on revitalizing communities, especially those that face population decline. However, we cannot ignore the role the U.S. plays in destabilizing regions such as Central America, the Middle East, and Latin America, leaving millions displaced. Let's not forget, we are all living on stolen land, shaped by immense suffering.

[The United States role in destabilizing Central America]
[The United States role in destabilizing the Middle East]
[The United States role in destabilizing Latin America]

I also find it contradictory to be concerned about war, but when it comes to another countries complete demise we are funding, it's out of our control so we shouldn't give it attention.

The attacks on Gaza are killing so many children, yet I see people cheering for this. Over 46,000 innocent lives have been lost, 70% of the which have been children, women, and the elderly. The entire population has been displaced, and food and water are being used as weapons by restricting basic needs essential to survival. With 86% experiencing crisis-level hunger, and nearly half the population being children, I can’t imagine the suffering they must be enduring. They do not deserve this cruelty. [Al Jazeera]

Any innocent death on either side is a tragedy, and it’s crucial to recognize that this conflict is deeply rooted and filled with complexities that extend far beyond the events of October 7th.

As early as 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, the former mayor of Jerusalem, wrote to Theodor Herzl to express his concerns about the Zionist movement’s plans in Palestine. He warned that displacing the native Arab population would lead to conflict. Herzl responded with reassurances, but the realities Diya foresaw came to pass, setting the stage for the suffering we see today.

"Starting after World War I, the dismantling of indigenous Palestinian society was set in motion by the large-scale immigration of European Jewish settlers supported by the newly established British Mandate authorities, who helped them build the autonomous structure of a Zionist para-state. Additionally, a separate Jewish-controlled sector of the economy was created through the exclusion of Arab labor from Jewish-owned firms.."

"The indigenous population was further diminished by the crushing repression of the Great 1936-39 Arab Revolt against British rule, during which 14-17% of the adult male population was killed, wounded, imprisoned, or exiled, as the British employed a hundred thousand troops and air power to master Palestinian resistance. Meanwhile, a massive wave of Jewish immigration as a result of persecution by the Nazi regime in Germany raised the Jewish population in Palestine from just 18% in 1932 to over 31% in 1939. This provided the demographic critical mass and military manpower that were necessary for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948" — [The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: Rashid Khalidi]

Some people justify the displacement of Palestinians by claiming that the land belongs to Jewish people because it was “promised by God.” This idea is deeply ingrained in certain narratives, but it completely ignores the reality that Palestinians have lived on this land for generations, with their own history, culture, and deep ties to it. Using religion to justify colonization and oppression is not only harmful but also hypocritical when the same belief system is meant to promote compassion and justice.

This narrative overshadows the voices of many Jewish people who don’t agree with what’s happening and actively support Palestinian liberation. The idea of a divine right to land has been weaponized to excuse unimaginable violence, and it’s heartbreaking to see how that’s played out. No belief—religious or otherwise—should ever justify the destruction of homes, the deaths of children, or the complete erasure of a people’s existence. At its core, this isn’t just about land; it’s about human lives. Religion should inspire us to be better, to care for one another, and to uphold each other’s dignity—not be used as a tool to strip people of theirs.

When it comes to supporting or justifying this level of suffering — the targeting of innocent civilians, especially children, it’s impossible for me to reconcile. How can killing mostly children, women, and the elderly be self-defense? Even if the attacks stop, their lives and homes have forever been destroyed, everything has been ripped away from them. There is no going back to how things were. 

The cruelty we are witnessing in firsthand videos is unimaginable. These individuals are being treated as if they are not even human. Sadly, this is not surprising, as Palestinians have long been denounced and dehumanized—from Joan Peters's From Time Immemorial to the amplification of this sentiment in politics. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich once stated, "I think that we've had invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs." Similarly, the Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, claimed, "There's really no such thing as the Palestinians." How anyone can see these accounts and not have their heart break is beyond comprehension. How can someone watch videos showing innocent people burned alive or the brutal gang rape of a Palestinian man and feel anything but horror? To see comments claiming they all deserve this just shows how racist and hateful some people can be.

It often feels like a deep disconnect exists between what I believe and how others view the world. It's as though I’m seeing beyond the surface in some ways for the first time. Recognizing the complexities of life shape beliefs and actions. It’s about understanding that our values are often influenced by experiences, education, and exposure — (or, lack thereof).

If you feel helpless and wondering how you can impact change consistently, become more conscious of how you align your spending with your values.  Buying consciously can feel daunting and, at times, impossible. Many brands have monopolized the convenience and accessibility we rely on, and avoiding them completely isn’t always realistic. But I’ve come to see it differently. If I can cut back, even by half, on supporting brands that don’t align with my values, I’m giving them less power in the long run. It’s a small but intentional step toward a world that upholds empathy and ethics over profit, and these small shifts eventually create a ripple effect.