Malak Abdalla.

Dear Chicago Academy students and staff:

The Israeli Occupation of Palestine is something I noticed that just a minority of people
know about. It’s a story of injustice, oppression, conquer, privation and much more loss of rights
and life. The only thing that I wish is that Palestine would be free, no occupation, no stealing of
land, no killing innocent people and no rockets raining on top the people’s heads. It’s just a right,
is it that hard to be applied? The Israeli Occupation started 1948, due to the World War I. The
Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour promised to give the Jews a country In the land of
Palestine, because they were oppressed and marginalized In Europe. Some of what Arthur James
wrote was, “​His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a
national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the
achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may
prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the
rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country” (Balfour). Which is good, and
seems that it will keep the rights of Palestinian people, and not hurt them in any situation. But
that wasn’t the thing that happened. Then, they said that Palestine was an empty land without
anyone living in it, that is why they sent Israelis to Palestine.
Everyone is saying, “Israel has the right to defend itself” but from what? from the
Palestinians? Those people don’t even have weapons. Israel has the support that it needs, It has
weapons, it has rockets, and it has bombs. Isn’t that enough? The situations in Palestine recently
were extremely unbearable, so they started to defend themselves with knives, and without
support from anyone. On Ramadan, families and relatives like to stay by each other, and eat
together, celebrating this wonderful month of year. Then Israeli tanks are going back and forth in
the village. Everyone gets disturbed, but what can we do? They can kill us without any mercy.
Then groups of boys around eighteen or less go and throw rocks and stones on them. Well, it
seems unbelievable, but that is what happens. Then the Israeli soldiers start throwing gas bombs.
And our house was almost around the entrance of the village. After suddenly the gas arrived into
every single area in the house, I felt that I am not going to survive, I felt that I am going to die.
And that was just when I’m in my house. How about people living in streets? People in Gaza
Strip that are under siege a long time ago, in addition to the multiple wars one after the other.
Then Israel has to defend itself?
Also, ​everyone now is talking about the two-state solution, and about make peace
together. What I want to mention is that Palestine never started war, and never started bombing.
With all my respect in my heart for Jews, and the Jewish religion, there is also a group of Jewish
people called (Neturei Karta) that are against the Israeli occupation, and say that their religion
never urged them to take other's country, or kill innocent people. And some of them mentioned
that the Israelis killed members of their family. But Israelis don’t show the real image about their
religion. A religion never forces anyone to steal other’s land, bomb their houses, and rain rockets
over their heads. Then count them as a poor group of people that never had the right to live?
Including cutting off water of most of Gaza strip and West-Bank, and in addition to cutting
electricity of the refugee camps. But still, The Palestinian does not have the appropriate tools or
weapons to defend his home or family. And then Israelis make an argument that they want
peace?
“​ The Palestinians won’t succumb to extortion; either we get the home and land peacefully, or
we will make sacrifices until we return." (Mahmoud Abbas).
Another thing, that Israeli people say that Hamas, which is a resistance movement in
Gaza Strip, isn’t responding to Israel’s truces. That Hamas kept bombing them, and throwing
rockets on them, then Israel’s air force was sent to kill Ahmed Jabari, who was one of the leaders
of Hamas. However, that wasn’t what really happened. The thing that happened was that there
was a truce between Israel and Hamas to end war and siege on Gaza Strip, and stop shooting
from both sides. Fishermen wanted to live, no electricity, no jobs, in addition to buildings that
got destroyed, so the fishermen went fishing to at least live, but the Israeli soldiers start shooting
on them. And the siege on Gaza wasn’t ended. Which made Ahmed Jabari throw rockets on
Israel because they violated the truce. But as always, all the blame goes on the Palestinians.
 That’s just a couple of situations I faced in Palestine, And Palestine is still under
occupation until this day, and no one knows how mystery and dark the meaning of occupation is,
except who lived through it. I tried to image the horrible life with no safe or even rights.
Palestine is suffering a long time ago, and just a couple knows what is really happening.
Everyone, PLEASE RESCUE PALESTINE!

Sincerely,

Malak Abdalla.

Works Cited

Matthew. “Israel's Right to Defend Itself.” ​The Electronic Intifada​, 12 Feb. 2017,

electronicintifada.net/content/israels-right-defend-itself/8004.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. “The History of the Balfour Declaration.” ​ThoughtCo​,

history1900s.about.com/cs/holocaust/p/balfourdeclare.htm.

Is a Two-State Solution (Israel and Palestine) an Acceptable Solution to the

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000632

May 15, 2010. Mahmoud Abbas.