Reality:

It is not complicated at all.

It is simple: Israel has been stealing Palestinian land for 74 years. Israel illegally occupies Palestine and is imposing apartheid on Palestinians.

 Palestinians are victims of Israeli aggression.

Reality:

 Describing this as a “conflict” is incorrect. The words we use matter. “Conflict” suggests there are two equal sides (Israel and Palestine) who are fighting.

But there are not. Instead, Israel which has one of worlds most advanced militaries, with a budget of $22.6bn in 2022 has been subjugating Palestinians and stealing their land for over 74 years. Israelis violently expel Palestinians and occupy more Palestinian land. Israel denies Palestinians their right to self-determination, as well as their right to movement and access to water. Israel denies and undermines Palestinian education, health and work rights on daily basis.

Palestinians resist against Israel’s occupation and apartheid.

Reality:

Land, not religion, is at the heart of the Palestine issue. Specifically Israel’s theft of Palestinian land.

Israel’s apartheid policies affect Palestinian Muslims, Palestinian Christians, and Palestinians of no faith.

For example Jerusalem and Bethlehem are the holiest sites for Christians. But for Palestinian Christians living in Bethlehem, it is almost impossible to visit Jerusalem due to Israeli checkpoints and the Apartheid Wall.

Israel’s apartheid policies discriminate against Palestinians based on their ethnicity, not their religion.

Reality:

 It is not antisemitic to defend the rights of Palestinians.

 Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews. There is no place for antisemitism in the movement to free Palestine.

 It is important to recognise the difference between antisemitism and criticism of Israel. Criticism of the Israeli state’s illegal occupation of Palestine and highlighting Israel’s apartheid policies is not antisemitic.

Reality:

Comparing the situation in Palestine with other places can be helpful sometimes.

 For example, South Africa experienced apartheid until the 1990s. The international community successfully used boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) to put pressure on the South African government to end apartheid.

We can do the same by using BDS to put pressure on the Israeli government to end its apartheid against Palestinians.

Reality:

Palestine was “blooming” long before Israel and Zionism.

In the 1800s Palestine experienced great exports. Palestinians were producing citrus fruits, olive oil, sugar cane and sesame seed. Production was rapidly increasing, and the economy was booming.

 There was also amazing progress in health and education. More and more Palestinian women started to receive an education and work outside the home.