Just Peace from the river to the sea
Victoria from Lebanon
February 20, 2024
In Palestine, ‘peace’ has become a euphemism for the prolongation of the status quo and the Israeli
occupation. Many peace activists prefer the term just peace [1] when talking about the conflict inPalestine and Israel. A just peace includes the end of Israeli occupation, equal rights for all citizens
living on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and the right of return to all
Palestinian refugees.

An asymmetric conflict
When we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, many people often have in mind a symmetric war
between two entities, the Palestinian entity, and the Israeli entity that happen to coexist on the sameland. However, although the conflict took different shapes throughout history, it was never symmetric.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict originated in the late 19th century when Jewish settlers, inspired byZionist ideals, began migrating to Palestine to reclaim their biblical homeland. From 1917, Zionist
activists, supported by powerful colonial forces such as Britain and the allies, aimed to establish aJewish state in historical Palestine, displacing the indigenous Palestinian population. At that time,
Britain had colonized historical Palestine and enabled the establishment of a Jewish state
disregarding the presence of the Palestinian people.
Between 1917 and 1948, Palestine witnessed great waves of the arrival of European Jews escaping
European antisemitism. The newcomers were a mix of refugees looking for a safe place and Zionists
claiming the land and aiming to expel the Palestinians living there. 150,000 Europeans arrived andsettled in Palestine during this period, representing around 20% of the overall population at that time.
British military forces suppressed Palestinians' protests against British rule and the Zionist agenda
with violence, imprisonment without charges, home demolitions, and collective punishment against
villages and families [2]. In parallel, Zionist groups sometimes violently emptied Palestinian villages
through violence or intimidation. By 1948, more than 200 villages were emptied.
Following the holocaust, the UN adopted a resolution in 1947 calling for the formation of an Israeli
and Palestinian state, dividing the historical Palestine in two. Palestinians and other Arab countries
were opposed to what they saw as a land grab from European colonial powers. Still, Jewish settlers
unilaterally declared the formation of the state of Israel the following year. The independence
declaration was accompanied by a war with Arab countries and the expulsion of the majority ofPalestinians living within the borders of the new country. At least 750,000 Palestinians - over 80%of the population- were made refugees, losing their land, homes, and other belongings in what1became known as the "Nakba" ("catastrophe"). Thousands of Palestinians were killed in dozens ofmassacres, 500 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed and or taken over by Israelis [2、3].
Today, refugees displaced during Israel's creation and their descendants number approximately 7.1
million people.

One state, unequal rights
Today, Israel is a powerful state that has almost complete control over the remaining majority ofhistorical Palestine including the Palestinian territories.
Since the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948, Israel has been attacked several times by Arabstates in support of the Palestinian cause. Each time Israel won due to the support of the US andtook more land as a result of what originally was supposed to be the Palestinian state. Today Israel
has almost complete control over most of the remaining Palestinian territory, imposing curfews,
checkpoints, and illegal imprisonments of dissidents, and completely controlling the movement ofpeople within the territory. Moreover, the Israeli state has been systematically supporting illegal
settlements of Israeli people inside the Palestinian territories of the West Bank. These settlements
happen at the expense of Palestinians living there, who are systematically expelled and their houses
destroyed.
Practically, what Israel has created today is one single state that is in control between theMediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It’s a state with great inequality, with some citizens having
all the rights and others none.

The path to a just peace
My perspective of peace is a democratic, secular, state where all citizens have equal rights. The
journey towards this vision is a long one that starts with an urgent ceasefire of the Israeli war on
Gaza which has already killed 28,730 as I am writing this article. It also involves halting Israeli
government-backed settlements and settler violence in the West Bank, implementing policies toensure equal rights between Palestinian and Israelis as well as enabling the return of Palestinian
refugees.
Drawing parallels with South Africa's transition from apartheid to peace, three key pressures
promoting peace emerge 1) Palestinian resistance against occupation and oppression, 2) Internalpressure from Israelis to end the occupation, and 3) International community pressure on the Israeli
government.

2Palestinians themselves have tried resisting in so many ways and forms and have been documenting
their oppression both in Gaza and the West Bank. Here are some Instagram accounts to follow to
get more familiar with the situation:@mohammedelkurd – Palestinian writer from occupied Jerusalem@sbeih.jpg – Palestinian posting resources and updates@anat.international – Palestinian with family in Gaza right now – for education, sharing
stories@letstalkpalestine – For updates, history, and infographics@byplestia – Palestinian journalist in Gaza
@wizard_bisan1 – Palestinian journalist in Gaza
@motaz_azaiza – Palestinian journalist in Gaza@hindkhoudary – Palestinian journalist in Gaza
Additionally, here is a compilation of political and cultural resources about Palestine:
https://actionnetwork.org/user_files/user_files/000/098/772/original/All_Out_Palestine_Toolkit_3.0.pdf

http://www.passia.org
https://palopenmaps.org/en
https://decolonizepalestine.com
https://www.visualizingpalestine.org
As it is now, the Israeli public often remains uninformed about the extent of their government'spolicies, as mainstream media tends to dehumanize Palestinians, labeling them as terrorists.
Realities, such as civilian casualties in Gaza, are downplayed, and journalists face threats from theIsraeli government. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports growing numbers ofjournalists arrested, killed, injured, or threatened by Israel[4]. Additionally, Popular social media
platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have been systematically censoring peaceful support ofPalestine as documented by Human Rights Watch [5].
The international community's perception of Israel has shifted, with growing awareness of theongoing occupation and oppression of Palestinians. Major cities have witnessed substantial protests
advocating for a ceasefire and the end of the occupation. However, the global response to the current
situation in Israel has been restrained, influenced by the unconditional support the U.S. provides toIsrael and Germany's historical guilt from the Holocaust, which affects its stance on the Palestinian
issue.

How can people from Japan contribute
When it comes to such big violence, it is often hard for individuals to know how to contribute.

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Some ways that can help from Japan are:1- Protesting. Gather and distribute leaflets to explain the situation.
2- Contacting elected officials. Write letters and messages to the elected officials asking them totake a stance against Israel
3- Boycotting Israeli products. The BDS movement is an international campaign called for boycott,divestment, and sanctions against Israel by Palestinian citizens to end Israel's apartheid policy. The
BDS movement uses targeted boycotts, a method that has been historically successful in many partsof the world, including the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, the civil rights movement in theUnited States, and the anti-colonial struggle in India.
Initially, the BDS guidelines for Japan [5] include the boycott of Itochu Corporation due to its ties witha major Israeli defense company. Itochu received multiple calls from the civil society to end its
collaboration with the Israeli defense company. In February, Itochu finally announced the plan to end
the collaboration due to the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the top court of theUnited Nations — and the guidance that is given by Japan’s Foreign Ministry to observe the court’s
findings in “good faith”.
Additionally, BDS call for a boycott of Israeli agricultural products and processed products from Israel.
It might also be useful to request major supermarkets that handle products from Israel to stop doing
business with them by sending emails, inquiry forms, or protesting in front of the supermarket.
Examples include ビック酒販, エノテカ, and リカーマウンテン which sell wine produced in Israeli
settlements.
4- Donating. to associations helping on the ground such as Palestine Children’s Relief Fund,baitulmaal.org, Doctors Without Borders
5- Sharing information on social media. Spreading awareness through social media could makeother people curious to understand more the situation.
[1] Justpeace："Peace based on justice, just peace." The word "Just" in Just Peace means "fairnessand justice," but it includes not only fairness and justice in one's own region, but also fairness andjustice in other regions, societies, and countries. In other words, "peace that is built at the expenseof some people or regions is not just peace,'' and "peace that is built at the expense of others is notpeace.''[2] Rashid I. Khalidi (2017) Historical Landmarks in the Hundred Years’ War on Palestine, Journal ofPalestine Studies, 47:1, 6-17, DOI: 10.1525/jps.2017.47.1.6[3] Pappe, Ilan. A history of modern Palestine. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
[4]https://cpj.org/2024/02/attacks-arrests-threats-censorship-the-high-risks-of-reporting-the-israelhamas-war/[5] https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/20/meta-systemic-censorship-palestine-content[6] https://note.com/bdsjapan/n/n9fef3f7e00a4

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