Palestinians living in the Houston area offered a different perspective on the war in Israel.
Activists said they had a different point of view from Jewish leaders, rather than terrorism they see the attacks as a rebellion against years of Israeli oppression.
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“We can have a conversation about the morality of taking prisoners of war, but we have to put it into the context of this war, Israel already has prisoners of war,” said Mohammed Hisam, director of education and advocacy for the Palestinian American Cultural Center.
Hisam says the current war between Israel and Palestine is a manifestation of deep-rooted tension.
“Before the cameras were turned on two days ago on what’s happening in Israel, Palestinians have been experiencing daily military raids into their refugee camps,” he said.
Actions Hisam said display continued Palestinian oppression by the Israeli government.
“Over 300 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of this year including children. You have Palestinians who are languishing in Israeli prisons. 5,000 of them. A thousand of them haven’t even been charged with a crime,” Hisam said.
Like Hisam, Fouad Salah with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Houston chapter, said the current war in Israel is an expression of frustration from what he calls the past 75 years of colonization, and more recently over a decade and a half of siege.
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“For the last 16 years the Gaza Strip has been under a complete land air and sea siege by Israel, meaning no materials or food or basic necessities are able to get into the people of Gaza,” he said.
We asked about support for the Hamas attacks.
“We support the right for Palestinians to defend themselves from inhumane besiegement, collective punishment, and colonial violence, with all of the means available to them,” Salah said.
With such a deep-rooted history of opposition, we asked the activists if they ever saw a resolution. To put it in plain terms, the response is “no justice no peace.”