Palestinian Statehood: A Victory For Us All

History

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been going on since the recreation of Israel in 1948. Thousands of Palestinians were killed by the incoming Zionists, and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homeland as refugees. In the Deir Yassin massacre of 1948, over 100 Palestinian civilians in the small village of Deir Yassin were murdered. In 1967, war broke out again and thousands more Palestinians were killed. It has been estimated that since 1948, 1.5 to 2 million Palestinians have been killed. Upon Israel’s recreation, Israel would occupy 57% of Palestine, and Palestinians would occupy 43%. Today, Palestinians occupy only 21% of their original homeland: the West Bank and Gaza. Most of this land is under occupation by the Israeli military.

An Independent State

Despite numerous tragedies, hope is on the horizon: On November 30, 2012, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a state in its own right. Palestinians, led by PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas, appealed to the United Nations to recognize them as a state independent of Israel. While it is the suicide bombers that catch media attention, this appeal was the epitome of the nonviolent movement in Palestine to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Nonviolence was practiced by Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Desmond Tutu; the result was freedom for India, blacks in America, and black South Africans. Soon Palestinians will be added to the list. I am anxious to see the leaders that emerge.
Recognition of Palestinian statehood is not merely a victory for Palestinians. It is a victory for the entire world. We all share the same planet, and what affects one person, affects us all. When Palestinians are suffering under an oppressive apartheid, we all suffer. We have suffered from terrorist attacks, organized by men who are trying, through unacceptable means, to make us aware of the suffering of Palestinians. We have suffered from not recognizing and appreciating the intrinsic value and gifts that every Palestinian holds — what if the person who would have discovered the cure for AIDS is languishing in an Israeli prison without any charges brought forward?
Many of the woes that we face as a society will begin to end when Palestine is a free nation. An important step towards that goal has been taken, and the precedent of nonviolence was firmly established. We recognize and congratulate Palestine on its victory. Now we must all work together to help build peace in Israel and Palestine, and help rebuild a nation that has been crippled by 65 years of war.

About the author

I grew up in conservative Christian circles in the American South, and majored in theology at an Alabama Southern Baptist college. Without really understanding why, I believed that Muslims were to be avoided at all costs, and we have to unilaterally support Israel. Like many young adults, after college I wasn't sure at all of what I wanted to do with my life, so I traveled to the Middle East for a year and a half. Most of the people I met were descendants of the Palestinian refugees forced out of their homeland in 1948, when Israel was recreated. I fell in love with Arab culture, and realized that on the world scene, Arabs have no voice. Living in the Middle East gave me fresh new eyes to read the Bible, and interacting with Arab Christians, especially Palestinian Christians who live in Jordan, caused me to question all the dogmas regarding Israel with which I had grown up.

Living in the Middle East also gave me the courage I needed to pursue my lifelong dream of being an author. My first book, A Theology of Chaos, will come out this next spring. I plan to use the profits from it to support organizations in the Middle East that are fighting for justice. I have written some short stories as well, which you can find on smashwords.com under my full name, Margaret Elysia McColley.

I now live in New York City, where emergency procedures for a potential terrorist attack are constantly updated, and where the sharp divide between Christians, Muslims, and Jews can be clearly seen on posters in the subways. My goal in life is simple: to end terrorism in my lifetime, by giving a voice to social injustices that compel terrorists to violence.

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