With nearly 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, brutally killed by the Israeli army, and thousands more believed to be trapped under the rubble, the genocide has undeniably taken a toll on humanity. In an age where we claim to have evolved and conceitedly float notions of empathy to the world around us, the reality of the 21st century is in fact quite the opposite.
We are faced with a heavily documented genocide which has left humanity as a whole in a very vulnerable state. There are two sides to this helplessness. One side consists of those who see it, oppose it, and actively raise their voice against it. The other side seems to be willfully ignorant, only forwarding narratives they want to believe are true, wholly resorting to their confirmation biases.
Statistics show that civilian support and sympathy for Israel has significantly fallen in most countries over the past month. Protests, riots, and hunger strikes world wide prove that most of humanity is deeply disturbed by the incidents of the genocide.
But no matter what the claims to freedom of speech and democracy the western world may make, the harsh truth remains to be just this — in spite of the magnitude of opposition to the genocide, or the quantity of petitions signed against it, it is a mere number to the power-hungry leaders of today, the ones who hold the reins to this barbarianism. The double standards surrounding compliance to international law stands in plain sight.
The global populace may have a voice, but absolutely no power to act on it. A feeling of helplessness prevails in the global community, as an overflow of digital footage of the transgressions against Palestine circulate the web. Not only is this constant live coverage disturbing and unreal, but also instigates guilt and helplessness among those who see the truth, those who possess the innate human ability to tell right from wrong.
Forums discussing the situation and debates over it dominate every social media platform, and the compassionate among us have come together to do what little they can to help the terrorized and displaced victims in Palestine.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is one of the organizations working tirelessly towards this cause. The UNICEF club at Knox College has also been very active in its efforts to do the same. The executive council of the club has arranged multiple fundraisers throughout the academic year, collecting almost $1500 in donations for the cause.
“UNICEF is sending their employees to help aid the people of Gaza, helping with resources like water, food, trying to give them shelter,” Co-President of UNICEF Knox College, senior Diya Goyal, said.
The club directly donates all funds raised to the Gaza cause through the UNICEF website. All of the club’s events and fundraisers for the academic term 2023 to 2024 have been dedicated solely to the Gaza cause.
In winter term UNICEF at Knox held a formal speakeasy ball, as well as selling cards and macarons for Valentine’s Day to raise funds. For spring term, the club plans on selling cake pops for the cause.
“We are not allowed to just get the money from campus life and just donate all of that, we have to fundraise, which is why we have to host events for people to come and pay,” Goyal said.
The student body at Knox is very active in speaking for Palestine and holding weekly discussion sessions on the issue. Meetings are held every Thursday in the Abolition Lab of Seymour Library, where students gather to strategize ways to help the cause.
There is an Instagram page dedicated to the cause as well (@knoxstudents4palestine), where progress updates on their work is posted. You can also access the boycott pledge on this page, which is a step to remove products affiliated with Israel from campus stores. The pledge lists companies and organizations supporting Israel, including Sabra and Starbucks.
The Instagram page also links a student compiled resource document to answer questions or concerns regarding the Palestine cause, and the action Knox students are taking against it.
Operation Olive Branch is another part of this movement. The idea of this operation is to not only make donations to Palestine as a whole, but to donate specifically to a family that resonates with you. Also, to take it one step further by becoming a part of the social media movement for the cause.
All these resources and petitions are a way for every individual on Knox grounds to take a step in the ethically correct direction and be on the right side of history. Drastic change may not be achievable over night, but one donation at a time can make strides for the cause.
A modicum of humanity on the part of the alleged leaders of the world could have the power to cease this bloodbath once and for all, but until that awakens within them, our voices will echo at their zenith.
From the river to the sea, we will not rest till Palestine is free.
