A lack of nuance in campus discussion of the Gaza conflict

Written for my CAMERA on Campus Fellowship application

Since the October 7th massacre, the Israel-Palestine conflict has become a hot topic of discussion on UK campuses. Students have been weighing in on the situation, particularly Israel’s military tactics and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, there seems to be little comprehensive understanding of the conflict and no room for alternative voices, creating an oversimplified narrative of a deeply complex issue. Student papers have been publishing articles lacking nuance and pushing a blatant anti-Israel rhetoric which has been inhibiting constructive debate. On November 23rd, The Glasgow Guardian, the University of Glasgow’s official student paper, published an article about how students are affected by the situation in Gaza. This article is an example of the problematic discussion being had on campuses. 

The article quotes several prejudiced individuals and organisations to comment on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, one of them being UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has reportedly described the situation as “a graveyard for children.” Guterres has recently been accused of antisemitism by attempting to rationalise the October 7th massacre, demonstrating his sympathy for terrorism and his discriminatory bias against Israel. The Red Cross is also cited, describing the situation as a ‘humanitarian disaster’. The Red Cross has a history of antisemitic bias by serving as a mouthpiece for Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and more recently by making no effort to access the civilian hostages kidnapped on October 7th by Hamas. 

The article also insinuates Israeli responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and fails to mention any context underpinning why the living conditions are so poor. When Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, 750 acres of greenhouses were left intact to enable agricultural development, only for them to get looted and dismantled by Palestinians when Israel withdrew from the land. Gaza has also been given billions of dollars in aid since 2005, yet more than 65% of Gazans live below the poverty line. Israel also permitted more than 15,000 Gazan workers to cross the border into Israel in order to work and encourage economic growth. Gaza had the potential to become a model Palestinian state with all it has been provided, but Hamas’ totalitarian regime has proven to prioritise jihadist terror over Palestinian liberation. Instead of using the billions of dollars of aid to provide for Gazan civilians and develop the economy, Hamas has funnelled all the aid into building rockets, drones, and a network of terror tunnels. More recently, a UN investigation has exposed that Hamas has been diverting humanitarian aid to fuel terror and its billionaire leaders. It would be naive to believe that the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not a result of over 15 years of oppressive leadership by a terrorist organisation that disregards the well-being of its civilians.

It is mentioned that Gazan education facilities have been hit by airstrikes; however, there is no acknowledgement of Hamas’ use of schools and hospitals as terror bases. There is a sufficient amount of evidence demonstrating that Hamas uses human shields and intentionally builds their military bases either inside or within proximity of civilian areas. The IDF has recently published a video showing a school being used as a terror base, and a senior member of Hamas has confirmed their use of human shields. This is a war crime under International Humanitarian Law, and by using these civilian areas as military bases, the IDF’s attacks are legitimised. 

An overwhelming number of student groups and papers advocating for peace in Gaza are calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. On the surface, a ceasefire seems to be a legitimate solution to the war; however, it is an enemy of peace, and advocating for one only demonstrates a lack of understanding of the conflict. There have been 15 ceasefires between Israel and Hamas, and every single one has been broken by Hamas or the PIJ. It is naive to believe that Hamas would abide by another ceasefire when they’ve been very clear about their intention of repeating the October 7th massacre until Israel is eliminated. A ceasefire would also just prolong the suffering of Palestinians living under Hamas’ totalitarian regime in Gaza, which deprives civilians of basic human rights. Instead of calling for a ceasefire, students should be calling for Hamas to surrender and release all remaining hostages. If they did this today, there would no longer be a need for the siege to continue, and the war would end. This would be the truly peaceful option and would protect civilian lives on both sides, as well as pave the path to peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. 

Academic institutions must ensure that discussions surrounding the conflict are nuanced and informed to encourage critical thinking and debate. It is also important to note that alongside the disinformation about the war circulating on social media, articles like these can isolate Jewish and Israeli students who may feel unable to contribute to the unbalanced conversation.