Is This Fair? How Is This Justified?

Is this fair? How is this justified?

Reposted from @wissamgaza 🇵🇸#Palestine || “ Is my my mom fine?

The moment of rescue a little Palestinian girl burried under the rubble of residential buildings that bombed by Israeli warplanes in Al Remal neighborhood in Gaza, without any warning.

"ماما كويسة؟ بعرفش”.. لحظة انتشال طفلة من بين أنقاض المباني السكنية التي دمرها جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بحي الرمال على رؤوس ساكنيها دون سابق إنذار . https://www.instagram.com/p/CO6uT9qJ-g5/?igshid=djybbeyq75lh

[Images description: A ten part Twitter thread by Suhail Matar. The tweets read as follows:

1) Because I mostly user twitter academically, let me share my experience as a Palestinian in Israeli academia. A thread.

2) I attended the Technion (In Haifa, my city) between 2004 and 2011. This coincided with Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon, 2008/9 war on Gaza, and 2010 attack on the flotilla headed for Gaza.

3) This meant many protests at the university’s gates. We were usually some 150 students, chanting support for Gaza, say and condemnations of Israeli aggression.

4) Across the street, without fail, was always a 10x bigger protest: huge Israeli flags, enraged Zionists jumping up and down yellow “DEATH TO ARABS! DEATH TO ARABS!” Our chants were 100% drowned The blind hatred in their eyes could have probably powered the campus.

5) These weren’t just random people. These were my Physical Chemistry professor, for example. He used to show up to lectures in full settler regalia. Imagine a US professor showing up to class in Proud Boys or KKK regalia.

6) It was that shy, tall, bespectacled student from year 2 who’d asked me for tips (having recently finished the bachelor’s program) only a few weeks prior. He was also there chanting “DEATH TO ARABS!” Oh, yes, he knew I was Palestinian.

7) We then had to go back to the lecture halls and literally sit with people who chanted for our death. Disciplinary action, you suggest? Hahahaha

8) Not to mention that, a few weeks later, those Israeli students who were recruited for the reserve army for whatever was it was would come back to university. We were sitting next to snipers and pilots who killed people, our people, in Gaza and Lebanon.

9) In the Technion we were “lucky” it didn’t go further. Other campuses are much more politically active, and Palestinian students are routinely harassed, attacked, arrested, expelled for simply raising a flag, or expressing their Palestinianness.

10) This is what your fancy collab with an Israeli university looks like, under the surface. This is the grim reality of Israeli academia. Yes, it has top-notch education and great researchers. But it is severly lacking in basic humanity towards even its own Palestinians.]

Israel is currently bombing and launching ground ops against a majority refugee population - where nearly 70% are under the age of 29 - and who are completely trapped with nowhere to run. And they're doing it on Eid and right before the anniversary of the Nakba.

Sometimes I think about life goals and aspirations and instead of motivating me it just makes me feel a lot of pressure. Like I should be more strategic about the things I'm doing and I should be putting more effort into upskilling and career development etc. But then I remember the things that give me the most fulflilment are things like laughing a lot and having meaningful conversations with people I love. Waking up early to read a book that gives me a new perspective. Going for a walk and looking at the trees. Eating sweet oranges that peel easily. Listening to my favorite people talk about things they're excited about. All of it has nothing to do with my career. And that's what makes me feel like hey maybe I'll be okay. Maybe as I grow older all I really need is some trees some fruit some books and some people to love and love me back.