On Oct. 7, Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza strip, attacked bordering Israeli towns and killed hundreds of civilians. In response, Israel launched airstrikes that have destroyed neighborhoods and killed thousands of palestinian civilians. This ongoing conflict has become the most deadly war between Israel and Hamas.
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is a complicated issue with many people feeling passionately about one side or the other. Getting unbiased information about the topic is hard, but Project Peace is attempting to make it a little easier.
Project Peace held an informational meeting about the conflict on Oct. 27 in room 302.
“We decided, as Project Peace, we wanted to educate our student body,” said Henry Baker, Project Peace advocate. “It can be hard to really feel connected or understand what’s going on when it’s happening on the other side of the world. [We decided to] set up an informational meeting, basically to let people know exactly what contributed to this conflict.”
There is a lot of complicated history between both Palestine and Israel. Baker believed that, due to this complicated history, sharing accurate information about the issue was the most important part of the presentation.
“I really tried to focus on the facts of [Israel and Palestine’s] history,” said Baker. “I wanted solid evidence so that people could determine their own opinions from the facts that were presented.”
Both Palestinians and Israelis have suffered many losses. Since Oct. 7 there have been 17,700 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and about 1,200 deaths in Israel, with 240 people being held captive by Hamas. During this time of tremendous suffering for Jews and Muslims, both in the Middle East and around the world, it’s important to remember that we’re all human beings who deserve respect and decency no matter what our beliefs may be. Project Peace will hold another informational meeting about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict next semester, but a date has yet to be determined. Baker also recommended getting information about the conflict from impartial sources like the Red Cross and AP news. Project Peace meets every other Friday in room 302 from 2:30-3:30.
