Issue #8

Wed., May 26, 2021
What’s going on between Palestine and Israel?
BY SEREENE DARWIESH
Staff Writer
The history of Palestine and Israel
starts in 1940 when Jews were “given”
the land of Palestine by the British
and American governments after the
Holocaust. It was well known that the
Palestinians housed many Jews during
and after the Holocaust to keep them
safe.
It was to their surprise that things
would quickly change soon after. In
1948, over 750,000 Palestinians were
kicked out of their homes by the Israeli
government and this tragic event
was named the “Nakba,” meaning
catastrophe in Arabic.
Many Israelis feel that they have a
right to Palestinian land because their
ancestors lived in that land over 3000
years ago so they are coming to “re-claim
their holy land,” but the only issue with
that is there’s an entire country of
people already living there.
Due to the Israeli occupation,
Palestinians were pushed to smaller
cities within Palestine called the West
Bank and Gaza. The living conditions
within those cities have been absolutely
terrible and inhabitable. Many
Palestinians describe it as an “openair
prison.” This is because the Israeli
government bombs and airstrikes those
cities very often and they have no escape
since their entire cities are surrounded
with borders and Israeli checkpoints.
From 1948 to present day, things
have been extremely hard for the
Palestinians due to the fact that they are
getting their homes taken from them by
Israeli settlers, Gaza continues to get
bombed by the Israeli government, and
they innocently get arrested every time
they speak out against the occupation.
Recently, Israeli settlers tried to take
the homes of Palestinian families in the
neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah located
in East Jerusalem. This sparked an
outburst of support and protests all over
the world.
The family that lives in the
neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah were
Sophomore Sereene Darwiesh snaps a picture of a man waving a Palestinian flag.
INTERNATIONAL 11
Around the world
India
Many are calling to the
government to demand a
nationwide lockdown. The
Indian Medical Association
believes that a 10 to 15
day lockdown will give the
health system enough time
to replenish. Currently
millions are practicing locallyimposed
restrictions since the
government won’t implement
the nationwide lockdown.
extremely stunned by the fact that they
may get their family home taken away
from them even though they’ve lived
there for countless years.
that situation turns as genocidal and
blatantly inhumane as it has now,”
sophomore Corrrene Bellem said. “I
don’t think that it will be easy or even
Soon after the Sheikh Jarrah possible to simply end the conflict
incident, the Al-Aqsua mosque was
attacked by the Israeli government
during the holy month of Ramadan
while many Muslims were praying. Not
only was this a violation of international
law, but they attacked the third most
holiest cities in Islam.
There are famous Muslim prophets
buried in that mosque and it holds a
very special place to many Muslims so
this brought even more anger to people.
Since the attack on Al-Aqsa mosque
and the attempt to take Palestinians
homes in Sheikh Jarrah, there have
been hundreds of protests in countries
like America, Canada, France, Brazil,
Yemen, and many more.
“I think that the conflict has been
going on for thousands of years and is
incredibly complex, however it is the
job of other countries to step in when
but the Palestinian people do need to
be protected and Israeli government
needs to have consequences for the the
blatant human rights violations they
are committing.”
At these protests, thousands of
people have come out to show their
support for the Palestinian people and
fight against the occupation. There has
also been a lot of anger towards the
United States government since they
fund the Israeli government with $3.8
billion.
When President Biden was asked to
speak on the Israelis’ actions, he said
they “have a right to defend themselves
against terrorists.” He also recently
approved an auction of weapons worth
$750 million for the Israeli government.
Politicians AOC and Bernie Sanders
have been working against this sale of
D.C. stands up for Palestine on May 11
SEREENE DARWIESH
weapons.
“I think what is happening in
Palestine is awful. Innocent people
are dying, including children, which is
upsetting in any situation,” sophomore
Ellie Davis said. “It’s also upsetting to
see people say both sides are at fault,
because based on the information and
statistics I’ve seen, it is clear Israel
has more resources than Palestine and
they are using that to their advantage
in a highly unfair way. It has been and
always will be Free Palestine.”
There has recently been a ceasefire
between the Palestinians and Israelis
which many people are celebrating
because that means the continuous
11-day bombing in Gaza has come to an
end.
“As a Palestinian myself, it breaks
my heart to see what’s happening in
my country and I believe that it is not
a conflict but rather an oppression,”
freshman Susana Aburish said. “I think
it’s disgusting that our own government
is funding this genocide and I pray for
peace in Palestine.”
The most coverage and support
in Palestine lies on social media from
millions of users. There have been live
videos and pictures of what’s going
on in Gaza, the West Bank, and other
Palestinian neighborhoods which give
people an insight of what’s going on.
“I think that there needs to be justice
for the Palestinian people and what’s
going on right now is inhumane and
the Israeli government needs to be held
accountable for what they’re doing,”
sophomore Ruftana Beyene said.
It is very important to make it
clear that what’s going on in Palestine
and Israel is not a religious war and
there should be no anti-semitism nor
islamophobia when fighting on either
side. Many Palestinians have made that
blatantly clear since Jews, Christians,
and Muslims have all lived together in
harmony since before 1940 and there
has never been any issue regarding
religion. When fighting for Palestinians,
it’s important to make it clear that the
Israeli government is to blame and not
Jews.
United Kingdom
The U.K. is being publicly
criticized for dumping its
plastic waste in Turkey.
According to Greenpeace, 40%,
which is about 210,000 tons,
of the U.K.’s plastic waste was
exported to Turkey last year.
Investigators reported that the
waste was dumped by roads,
in fields, and in waterways
instead of being recycled. The
plastic waste is also said to be
burned there as well.
Colombia
Continued protests in
Colombia have caused for 42
deaths and thousands to be
injured. The citizens’ anger
began with a tax reform
proposal during the pandemic
and has now escalated to
rage over police violence as
inequalities and disparities
rise in the country. There have
been over 1,800 cases of police
brutality since the start of the
protests in late April.
Protestors chanted and marched with signs
from the Washington Monument all the way to
The United States Capitol building.
SEREENE DARWIESH
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SEREENE DARWIESH
JAMILEH HAMADEH
Immigrant stories: coming to America
Freshman Ishika Saini immigrates to America from India
BY LEEN ALAWNEH
Staff Writer
Freshman Ishika Saini moved to the
United States in 2019 from her home
country India. Due to her father’s current
job, her family moves countries every
three years or so. In 2019 his job relocated
him to the U.S.
Ishika’s lifestyle changes often due to
her family’s frequent living changes. It’s a
normal recurrence, but it still fills Ishika
with an anxious feeling everytime.
“Since I’m traveling often it wasn’t
very new. Although I was anxious about
how my life would change in the U.S.,”
Saini said.
Despite the constant change life puts
in front of her, she never feels homesick
for her roots.
“Since I go back to India frequently,
there is no reason for me to feel homesick.
Wherever my family goes, I go, so it just
felt like it was another day,” Saini said.
Her family was planning to visit India
next month but due to the pandemic they
refrained, however they plan to move
back next year.
Aside from the change in the countries
she lives in she feels that she didn’t
struggle when it came to moving to the
U.S.
The change became normal so I was
learning to adapt. She learned to adapt
very quickly, she is taking honor classes
and making new friends.
Language for her was never an issue
since English was always the primary
language wherever she went.
The cultural differences between the
U.S. and India are very different though.
The people, ideologies, and religions
differed from the U.S. When thinking of
any similarities she says, “When it comes
to how the U.S. and India are similar I
can’t think of many things.”
Even though the cultures have their
differences she still loves to indulge in all
the cultural aspects of the U.S.
“I love how open minded people in the
U.S. are. The music, the people, the food,
there’s so much to enjoy here,” Saini said.
However there is no place like home.
Ishika still loves all the things her culture
has to offer. Whether it’s big family
gatherings, the music, or her cultural
values all of which shaped her to the
person she is today.
The pandemic put a stop on a lot
of things for Ishika like visiting India,
seeing her friends, or going to school
normally. She likes to stray away from
people because of the pandemic.
Due to this it was hard for her to join
any clubs. She wanted to stay safe so she
only goes to school virtually currently.
To keep herself preoccupied she keeps
at her homework and a couple of her
hobbies. She likes to play guitar and video
games.
Even though life brings her change
after change and challenge after the
other, Ishika learned how to deal with
everything.
She still goes about her life normally
learning, growing, and evolving. No
matter the obstacle she hopes to continue
whatever life has in store for her.
Freshman Ishika Saini takes a selfie in the sunlight.
Ishika Saini