Seven (7) things Palestinians want Americans to consider about US role on Israel’s offensive on Gaza

Oct 7 Anniversary — Suad Amin, a Palestinian graduate student, notes a growing optimism among Palestinians that American sentiment is shifting. Recent polling by the Institute for Global Affairs shows that majorities of Democrats (67%) and Independents (55%) now believe the U.S. should either end support for Israel's military efforts or condition that support on a ceasefire, reflecting a potential change in the public’s stance.

"Amin, … know that the American position, which is biased toward Israel, will not change overnight through a protest or a strike. Yet, she remains hopeful that the conflict will eventually influence public opinion in a more favorable direction.

Sari Jaradat, a West Bank-based Palestinian teacher, asserts, 'The American protests can exert pressure on their officials through their votes in elections. It is an opportune time for Americans to raise their voices against their governments and leaders that are not caring about humanity in the world, particularly in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.'

Jaradat, who was detained by the Israeli army for over three years, adds, 'I believe that humanity will win, and none of the criminals in the world will maintain their power. So, as Palestinians, we are looking forward to seeing the real impacts of the U.S. protests through witnessing changes in U.S. policy towards the Israel-Palestine conflict based on justice.'

Ibrahim al-Husaini, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian, shares this sentiment, emphasizing that 'this is the best time for the American people to raise their voices against the killings, destruction, and violations. They must prove to the Middle Eastern people that the American population still believes in humanity and in defending the right of self-determination for all peoples worldwide.'”

As the conflict in Gaza continues, Palestinians are urging Americans to consider their perspective on US involvement, particularly as the US elections’ date approaches, which could impact the Israeli war in Gaza.

Some Gaza residents believe that both major US political parties, Republicans and Democrats, are motivated to end the conflict to secure votes, but are constrained by pro-Israel lobbying efforts.

1. Palestinians emphasize their right to self-determination

Palestinians firmly believe that self-determination is a fundamental right guaranteed by international law and the United Nations. This belief is rooted in a long history of struggle for independence and recognition. Even before the concept of self-determination emerged as a principle in international relations, the Arab peoples under Ottoman rule had received assurances from the British government of their independence after World War I. These assurances were contained in the “Hussain-McMahon correspondence” of 1915-1916, which promised independence for Arab territories, including what many Arabs understood to be Palestine.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 turned the Zionist aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine into a reality when Britain publicly pledged to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” there. This declaration contradicted earlier British assurances of Arab independence after World War I, as outlined in the Hussain-McMahon correspondence of 1915-1916, setting the stage for decades of conflict over self-determination in Palestine.

Many Palestinians argue that their right to determine their political status and freely pursue economic, social, and cultural development has been consistently denied, particularly in contrast to the support given to Israel.

“Self-determination is a right guaranteed by law, the international community, and the United Nations to all countries, but Palestine is the only country that the world has not treated fairly,” said Youssef Taha, a Gaza-based journalist.

2. US military aid contributes to Palestinian casualties

A significant point of contention for many Palestinians is the extensive military aid the United States provides to Israel. They argue that this support has directly contributed to civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction in Gaza.

According to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project, as reported by the Associated Press on Oct. 6, the United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. This aid includes military financing, arms sales, at least $4.4 billion in drawdowns from U.S. stockpiles, and hand-me-downs of used equipment. Much of the U.S. weapons delivered were munitions, from artillery shells to 2,000-pound bunker-busters and precision-guided bombs.

The Council on Foreign Relations reports that the United States cannot provide security assistance to foreign governments or groups that commit gross human rights violations, as enshrined in the Leahy Law. However, some legal scholars and critics have alleged that the United States has not applied the Leahy Law to Israel as it has with other Middle Eastern countries. In May 2024, the Biden administration found it “reasonable to assess” that Israel has used U.S. weapons since Oct. 7 “in instances inconsistent with its IHL [International Humanitarian Law] obligations.”

“American bias was not only political but the unlimited American military support for Israel was the reason for the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including my brother,” Taha said. “The local authorities in Gaza informed us that the missile used by the Israeli war was American-made. It weighed about two tons. Can you imagine the kind or missiles provided by America to Israel?”

Four months ago, the Israeli army carried out a raid on Taha’s brother’s house in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City, killing him and his entire family, according to Taha.

The Associated Press reports that Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.

The conflict extends beyond Gaza. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bullets in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7, according to official Palestinian data.

“The US does not care about how many innocent people were killed by the Israeli army but it only cares about how it should help Israel to end the Palestinian existence and even deprive them from their human right to determine their fate over their lands,” he continued.

3. US veto power obstructs peace efforts

Palestinians often express frustration with what they see as a consistent US bias in favor of Israel, particularly in international forums.

This bias is evident in the United States’ use of its veto power in the UN Security Council. According to a 2023 analysis by Blue Marble, the U.S. has vetoed resolutions critical of Israel more than any other council member – 45 times as of Dec. 18, 2023. This represents slightly over half of all U.S. vetoes since 1945.

Recent examples include the U.S. vetoing a Dec. 8, 2023 resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, and an Oct. 18, 2023 resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses.” In these cases, the U.S. delegate expressed concerns about Israel’s right to self-defense and the need to let U.S. diplomacy “play out.”

Historically, the U.S. has consistently used its veto to protect Israel from international criticism. The first such veto occurred in September 1972, blocking a resolution that called on Israel to cease its aggression in Lebanon. Between 1982 and 1990 alone, the U.S. used its veto in support of Israel 21 times, often to halt resolutions criticizing Israel’s actions in Lebanon and its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Many Palestinians interpret the US use of veto power in the UN Security Council as deliberately ignoring decades of Palestinian suffering and obstructing international efforts to address the conflict fairly.

“Over the months of war, the United States has thwarted several draft resolutions in the Security Council to stop the war on Gaza by using its veto power, ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian people that has continued for decades,” said Abdullah Masoud, a Gaza-based Palestinian displaced resident.

The 45-year-old father of five believes that “American bias” is not only political but that the unlimited American military support for Israel is the reason for the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians without distinguishing between civilians from militants.

“All the time, Israel raises its claims that it defends itself and its people, but the truth on the ground is totally different (...) Israel wants to end the Palestinian issue and not allow the Palestinians to live in peace on their lands,” Masoud said.

Masoud’s family was among tens of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled by Israeli settlers in 1948 from Jaffa. His parents and grandparents moved dozens of kilometers barefoot to reach the Gaza Strip, hoping they would return to their original cities soon.

However, more than 76 years have passed without their return to their houses and lands in what is now Israel. Instead, Israel established its state in 1948, with support from the UK and US, amid a conflict that resulted in widespread Palestinian displacement and casualties. This event, known as the Nakba or catastrophe, saw Zionist military forces expel at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands, capturing 78% of historic Palestine. Between 1947 and 1949, these forces attacked major Palestinian cities and destroyed some 530 villages, killing about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including dozens of massacres.

4. US supports an inaccurate “self-defense” narrative

Many Palestinians challenge Israel’s frequent invocation of “self-defense” as justification for its military actions. They argue that this narrative doesn’t justify attacks on civilians or the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Throughout the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the Palestinians have accused the United States of bias toward Israel and ignoring Palestinian rights. Hours after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, US President Joe Biden announced his support for Israel and its right to defend itself.

The UN Charter recognizes a country’s right to self-defense against “armed attacks.” However, what qualifies as an “armed attack” has been debated. Minor incidents don’t count, but actions causing significant harm to people or property do. Since 9/11, international law has shifted to include attacks by non-state groups like Hamas as potential triggers for self-defense, not just attacks by other countries.

Palestinians in Gaza question, after one year of Israeli war that killed tens of thousands and destroyed about 75% of their homes, why the Western world support Israel and its claims of self-defense while neglecting the Palestinian's right to self-determination?!

Mohsen Alian, a displaced academic, said: “What happened on Oct. 7 is the result of settler ‘extremism’ that has escalated under the auspices of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

He added, “Palestinians have been suffering from Israeli violations in the West Bank and Israeli settlement expansion, in addition to the Israeli blockade on Gaza since 2007, which has prevented more than 2.3 million people from living in peace.”

What made the matter worsen, Alian said, the Israeli army carried out more than six large-scale wars against Gaza, killing tens of thousands of residents in Gaza as well as destroying tens of thousands of buildings.

Alian argues: “Israel is using the term ‘self-defense’ incorrectly and unfairly, as self-defense does not give it the right to attack civilians in their homes inside Gaza.”

5. US ignores international law on occupation and its support enables its continuation

The legal status of Israel’s presence in Palestinian territories is a crucial point that Palestinians want Americans to understand. This legal interpretation is significant because it means that Israel’s presence violates the principle of self-determination and the human rights of Palestinians.

Amjad Atallah, a professor of international law, points out: “The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel is the occupying power throughout the Palestinian territories and that as an occupying power, Israel cannot claim self-defense as a justification for military attacks in Gaza, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem.”

The court also ruled that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories violates the principle of self-determination, the principle of non-acquisition of territory by force, and the human rights of the Palestinian people and that it must end its presence promptly and compensate the Palestinian people for the losses they have suffered.

However, none of the world powers have been able to pressure Israel to stop its war against the Palestinians. The Security Council has held several meetings to adopt resolutions to stop the war, but the US vetoed the resolutions and Israel ignored them, which means that Israel is acting as if it were a state that is above the law, according to Attalah.

The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict multiple times. In 2004, it said Israel’s wall in the West Bank was illegal. More recently, in 2024, the court declared Israel’s control over Gaza and the West Bank unlawful. It also said Israel’s actions in these areas break international laws against racial segregation and apartheid. Despite these rulings, little has changed on the ground, frustrating Palestinians.

6. US policy disregards human rights

Palestinians believe that US involvement in the conflict often overlooks or minimizes violations of Palestinian human rights.

Even before the events of October 7, Israeli policies toward Palestinians in the Occupied Territories were marked by serious human rights violations. In 2023 alone, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinian civilians, including children, in a May offensive on Gaza, and demolished over 1,100 Palestinian buildings in the West Bank, displacing more than 2,200 people, according to Amnesty International. The human rights organization documented incidents of forced displacement, settler violence, and the expansion of illegal settlements. Arbitrary arrests and detentions without trial reached record levels, while policies rooted in systemic apartheid continued to segregate and dispossess Palestinian communities.

Taha expresses this sentiment: “Unfortunately, when Israel assaults Palestinians in the Palestinian territories, including the war-torn Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem, all the world particularly the United States ignore the Israeli violations against our people and mostly provide the justifications to Israel that it is defending itself. However, the reality is completely different. Israel often kills civilians, destroys civilian facilities and infrastructure, and seeks to end Palestinian existence.”

7. American public opinion can influence US policy

Suad Amin, a Palestinian graduate student, believes: “Palestinians are betting that the war on Gaza will change the American people’s position toward the Palestinian cause in the coming years.”

During the first months of the war, a wave of protests and strikes spread across some American universities in an attempt to pressure the Biden administration to urge Israel to stop “the excessive use of force and the war of extermination” against Palestinians in Gaza.

However, the wave of protests go up and down in America, while Israel continued to use “excessive force” against the people of Gaza. Despite this, Amin notes a growing optimism among Palestinians that American sentiment is shifting. Recent polling by the Institute for Global Affairs shows that majorities of Democrats (67%) and Independents (55%) now believe the U.S. should either end support for Israel’s military efforts or condition that support on a ceasefire, reflecting a potential change in the public’s stance.

Amin, who lost her scholarship to Tunisia because of the war, says that Palestinians know that the American position, which is biased toward Israel, will not change overnight through a protest or a strike. Yet, she remains hopeful that the conflict will eventually influence public opinion in a more favorable direction. Sari Jaradat, a West Bank-based Palestinian teacher, asserts, “The American protests can exert pressure on their officials through their votes in elections. It is an opportune time for Americans to raise their voices against their governments and leaders that are not caring about humanity in the world, particularly in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.”

Jaradat, who was detained by the Israeli army for over three years, adds, “I believe that humanity will win, and none of the criminals in the world will maintain their power. So, as Palestinians, we are looking forward to seeing the real impacts of the U.S. protests through witnessing changes in U.S. policy towards the Israel-Palestine conflict based on justice.”

Ibrahim al-Husaini, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian, shares this sentiment, emphasizing that “this is the best time for the American people to raise their voices against the killings, destruction, and violations. They must prove to the Middle Eastern people that the American population still believes in humanity and in defending the right of self-determination for all peoples around the world.”

Ahmed Masood is a journalist based in Gaza.