We're a group of activists in a Western country where most have been brought up with either "Israel = good, Hamas = bad" or "It's a sad, but unsolvable conflict between two equal sides". The media heavily skewed to the Israeli perspective, and our politicians want to condemn protests in support of Palestinians. Therefore, unless you purposefully seek out information on what's going on in Palestine, you won't really encounter information about the occupation, the apartheid or the human rights violations. There are a lot of gaps in people's information and understanding of the situation.
Atm there's a lot of dehumanization, a lot of "Well, what can you do? Hamas keeps attacking Israel, what are they supposed to do?". I think the Israel=Good is deep-rooted in a lot of westerners. I know it was in me.
We've asked ourselves and each other what finally broke through our previous perception, so we could see the inequality and realize that what's happening is not right
One mentioned seeing a journalist in the back of an ambulance being handed a one-year-old that had passed
One mentioned seeing a video of a caring father saying goodbye to his little girl, kissing her eyes before she was wrapped in the materiale they wrap their dead. The father clearly in denial, smiling and wishing for her to wake up.
A big one for me was being told that it's not an equal fight. It's not two equally strong countries. It's one country with a huge military, and another with barely any. Another was hearing about the human rights violations that's been going on for decades - the fabricated water shortage, the children in Israeli jails.
I believe these are the moments we need to collect and present to those who are still wary on where they stand.
What broke through to you?
I had the opposite journey. I used to be more sympathetic to Palestinian side until this war started. Most people and media around me are pro-Palestinian.
But it's not the whole story. This is a situation where no side is clean or innocent. So many Palestinians support Hamas that it's hard to have sympathy. Yes, they lived under occupation for decades, but learned all the wrong lessons - how to be just as bad as Israel.
The fight is more evenly matched than you suggest. Israel may be winning militarily, but Hamas has the better media presence, and is winning hearts and minds of people around the world. Every dead Palestinian benefits Hamas more than it benefits Israel. They know it, and use it to the fullest extent.
Don't try to make sense. They wanna hear "choose-your-side" opinions