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Janine Abdelmuti
Mr. Marshall
American Government Block B
Civic Liberty Research Paper
March 9, 2015

Imagine being afraid to walk outside of your house to just pick up a few things
from the grocery store because your life may be at risk. This is the unfortunate reality
Palestinian children experience everyday due to the ongoing conflict on the rightful
ownership of the land. The amount of injuries these innocent children suffer from war
that is going on all around them is a life that no person should have to go through. With
such a low supply of medical supplies and inaccessible medical staff, it is difficult for the
children of Palestine to live healthy lives whether they were injured from war or born with
health defects. This issue is a matter that needs to be addressed by the global
community, and the first step to addressing this issue is to raise awareness of the pain
and suffering of Palestinian children.
World War II had a huge impact on the world but especially the Jewish
population. A total of 6 million Jews were killed throughout this war. After the loss they
experienced, the Jewish people were in search of a land to call home and their final

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destination was Palestine. In 1948 the state of Israel was created. The Jewish
community believed that the Palestinian land was their national homeland and that they
had a biblical birthright to the land. The Jewish people now had their safe haven where
they would be at a less risk of another genocide.
Due to the Jewish claim of land, present day Palestinians are living in a country
they are not welcomed in. The small parts of territory that they do have today have very
little resources that cannot provide to all the people living there. Jews moving into
Palestine in 1948 took a big hit on Arabs previously living there. This incident of
Palestinians losing their homes and land in 1948 is better known as the al Nakba or
the catastrophe. The al Nakba caused for many people to move to neighboring Arab
countries because the Jewish community recently moved in. In 1967 there was another
wave of Palestinians being displaced form their homes. During these six days of fighting,
Israel managed to capture the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza strip, the
Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. An estimated 500,000 people fled their homes
because they no longer had a place to stay and fear for the risk of their families. Most
Palestinians moved to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Throughout time many
outbreaks have occurred from Palestinians because of their anger for the settlements
Israelis built. These outbreaks have just made the Israeli military retaliate even more by

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creating checkpoints to control the movement of people and goods throughout the West
Bank.
The topic of children suffering in Palestine is something mainstream media needs
to focus more on. Media only focuses on the war itself but not what the people are really
thinking or experiencing. I believe that by making a website that would branch out to
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I could create a following of people who care about
this issue the same way I do. With a bigger group of people who care about the topic,
and want to see a change, mainstream media will have to listen. I have had the
opportunity to have a girl from Gaza Strip stay at my house for a year to go through the
process of amputating her leg. She was born with a leg disability and through the
organization Palestine Childrens Relief Fund was able to have this surgery. I know from
a first hand experience that this organization can do so many wonders for these
children. I would want to help raise money to support this organization in any way to give
support to children that do not have the same conveniences to a doctor as I do. By
creating a desire to see a change in the lives of the invisible Children of Palestine, a
change will finally come.