The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not as evenly matched as you may think...

Hi. I’ve never posted in this sub before, and I know I don’t usually post anything political on my Instagram. But I feel like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not as well understood as it should be. Everyone knows who each side is, and that there’s a war going on, but not much more than that. The conflict gets a lot of attention, but the way the media presents it is unfair and inaccurate. Here are a few things that you may not know about the conflict:<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Most of the countries surrounding Israel employ strict authoritarian regimes, and don’t have the same respect for human rights as Israel does.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*According to Amnesty International, Gaza is the only country in the world that has**more NGOs per square mile than schools, clinics, and hospitals.**A lot of Palestinians that work for these NGOs do so just for the paycheck, and most of the money they get goes to funding terrorism. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*Israel is not occupying Gaza or the West Bank. The last Israeli settlement in Gaza was dismantled in 2005, and any Israelis living in the West Bank live in cities that were established by the Israeli government, with the understanding that they would be evacuated if a peace treaty was established. This is what happened in Gaza, and the plan is to do the same thing in the West Bank.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*Palestinians are not subject to Israeli law. While Israel does maintain control of the Gaza and West Bank borders, Palestinians who live there and in Jerusalem are subject to the PA government and to PA law. Palestinians are free to travel in and out of the country, work, study, and do whatever they want in Israel. But Israel has to regulate who gets in and out to ensure that terrorists don’t slip in and start shooting. This is what the checkpoints at the borders are for, and it’s to keep both Israelis and Palestinians safe that we do this. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>**Israel is NOT an apartheid state.**This is one of the things that gets me the most upset, and one of the things that people that don’t know any better are likely to employ as their primary argument against Israel. Palestinians are not subject to Israeli law, and therefore are not under apartheid. They have their own government, and they have control over internal Palestinian affairs.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*The Israeli government sends aid shipments to Gaza every day, including food, water, and medicine. These shipments often get hijacked by Hamas fighters, who sell them on the black market and use the money to buy weapons. This is why there is such a severe shortage of supplies in Gaza. The problem isn’t that Israel won’t let anything in. It’s that Hamas steals it all before it reaches people who need it.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*Hamas has been using Palestinians as human shields since the war started. They hide their fighters in civilian neighborhoods, and when the IDF finds them, Hamas uses innocent Palestinians that live nearby as human shields to prevent the IDF from shooting back. Israel will often send warnings to civilians to evacuate the area before they start firing, and Hamas will prevent them from leaving so that they can use them to prevent the IDF from shooting back.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*Israel is willing to make peace, but the Palestinians aren’t. The Israeli government has offered several peace treaties to the PA that would end the war and create a Palestinian state. Each of these offers has been declined, and the war has continued.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>\*The media is promoting a false narrative. The Hamas and the PA propaganda machine**has a stranglehold on the media.**The media is just as unaware of how the conflict REALLY works as the rest of the world. They don’t know any better, and because of this, the media often spreads misinformation about the conflict. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>**So, what can you do?**You can’t change the world in a day. But you can start here. Start by educating yourself. Go to the IDF Instagram page and read their stories. Check out pro-Israel subs like this one. Learn as much as you can, and talk to others about this. If you see people spreading misinformation or just things that are flat out untrue, educate them. Show them the sources you’ve found, and explain the reality of the conflict. This is the best way we can combat misinformation and educate people about the real Israel.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>And hey, if you got this far, thanks for listening. I know I went off on a bit of a rant here, but my heart is breaking to see what’s happening in my home. Stay safe out there, and stay informed.