When I returned to my hometown near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in January, the tension was palpable. It reminded me of the second intifada, of which I witnessed first -hand when I was a child. There was fear and anxiety and an increased feeling of uncertainty due to the constant attacks of Israeli colonists. The roads to and from the city have been blocked by control points, leading to expectations of several hours and humiliation for the Palestinians who try to enter or leave.
A few weeks before visiting, the Israeli settlers had set fire to my family’s land during the olive selection season. This follows a similar attack last summer and two others the previous year, which destroyed goods, cultures and ancient olive trees.
My father told me that he was helpless, unable to put out the fire because the armed settlers were protected by Israeli forces. Even if the soldiers had not been there to prevent an action to save the property, there would not have been enough water available to extinguish the fire because it is diverted by nearby illegal colonies.
The situation through the occupied West Bank has been worsening for years, but violence has increased sharply after October 7, 2023. Almost half of all the Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces or the colonists since the start of the files have been killed in the past two years only.
So far this year, this violence has seen a two -year -old child in the head by an Israeli sniper inside his family home, and a 23 -year -old pregnant woman killed by Israeli fire. These are not isolated incidents, but part of a wider diagram where the Palestinians are killed in an unprecedented manner, at unprecedented rates.
Israeli military raids on Palestinian homes and arbitrary detention have become a daily event. Of the 10,000 Palestinians who lingered in Israeli prisons, more than 300 are children, most of whom are not accused and have no way of knowing whether or when they see their family.
The villages are attacked, the houses are demolished and the goods are destroyed at accelerated rates. The architecture of the occupation – control points, barriers and permit – intensified and made daily life unbearable for the Palestinians. Nearly 900 new military and barriers’ control points have been installed since October 7.
What was in the past unprecedented has become “routine” – and the world seems to get used to it. Our new reality includes Israeli air strikes on refugee camps, besieged hospitals, children drawn in front of their homes. Such incidents of brutal violence have become regular events, just like in Gaza.
Remember the first hospital attack in Gaza? The first targeting of a school housing the displaced? The first fire of an Israeli air strike tearing the tents of the displaced and burning lively people? Now try to remember the last. Such violent incidents have become so standardized that they are finally accepted as a dark reality in a distant country.
The same goes for occupied West Bank.
As a representative of the United Nations children, I see how this dynamic is reflected on the international scene. The persistent lack of significant responsibility for Israeli forces has favored a culture of impunity – allowing acts such as bombing schools, burning houses and murder of journalists and humanitarian workers to become perceived as “normal”.
And even when the spotlights are thrown on Palestine at world events, it does not seem to make a difference. Earlier this month, the Palestinian-Israeli film that no other land won the Oscar for best documentary.
Accepting the prize, the Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra expressed his hope that his little daughter would not have to live the same life he currently lived – always fearing the violence of the settlers, demolitions at home and forced trip.
Although the film wins the highest distinctions (or perhaps because of this), the attacks of Israeli soldiers and settlers on Masafer Yatta, in the Adra community, were only intensifying. There was no significant action for the international community on this subject.
People can be forgiven to be overwhelmed in the face of relentless brutality that has been going on for over a year and a half now. It is only human to feel numb. In addition, so many people have been exposed to media coverage that systematically dehumanized the Palestinians and dismissed their voice, breaking human connection and empathy.
But governments cannot be forgiven not to take any measure. They have the legal obligation to respect international law. Its standards are not relative; They are not ready to negotiate.
The truth is that the shocking violations taking place in Gaza and the West Bank have been standardized because they are accepted by those responsible for respecting the standards of international law.
We must demand that international organizations and governments take concrete measures to hold the perpetrators responsible for their actions. This includes the suspension of weapons transfers and support mechanisms that question impunity for those who flout international law.
The global community must act decisively to restore respect for international law. States that ignore these laws undermine the very foundation of a world -based order. While those who violate children’s rights and international law have an ultimate responsibility, all the United Nations member states have a duty under the Geneva conventions to ensure adhesion to these principles.
Weekly massacres are not normal. A population brought to the edge of an artificial famine is not normal. Air strikes on refugee camps are not normal. A two -level rights system based on ethnicity is not normal. The detention, imprisonment and death of children are not normal.
The passive observation time has passed. The world must demand responsibility, support humanitarian efforts and refuse to accept the unacceptable. Each delay costs more lives; Each delay weakens the system designed to ensure people’s safety around the world. It is only by collective action that we can break this cycle of violence and ensure a future where children in Palestine and Israel, regardless of their ethnicity or their religion, are protected and appreciated.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.