It’s much easier for us to be aware of the things that directly affect us, a large part of our focus going towards watching what lies closely beyond our homes’ doors. On the other hand, it’s more difficult to pay attention to what is not directly surrounding us, and we tend to be somewhat oblivious until something comes knocking on our own doors.
Sophomore Izzy Hufty said, “I think I can be pretty well informed at times about national news, I can watch the news and read stuff. However, Hufty also said that she doesn’t really keep up with foreign news, and she believes this is because she doesn’t live in other areas: “If it isn’t on my news channel or something, it will probably take me a while to find out about it.”
Now, instead of resigning ourselves to unawareness, let’s take the time to look through the doors of others, understanding the issues affecting others around the globe. After all, no matter the distance or the differing times, the very thing that connects us all is simply our humanity. We must acknowledge our humanity, as well the fragility of this concept, for that is the way we stay aware and connected. Here are a few, of many, events occurring on a global scale.
Caught in the Middle of Conflict: Israel-Hamas War Continues
A year has passed since Hamas launched an attack against Israel on October 7, 2023–Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responding to this with aerial campaigns and ground operations within the Gaza Strip. However, this conflict stretches back to the later years of the nineteenth century. In 1947, the United Nations’ adopted Resolution 181, also known as the Partition Plan, and the British Mandate of Palestine was split into Arab and Jewish states. With the State of Israel’s creation on May 14, 1948, the first Arab-Israeli War commenced. Israel won the war, but the end of this conflict resulted in 750,000 Palestinians being displaced and the territory being divided into three parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. After this war, tensions rose and erupted in multiple other violent engagements–including the Yom-Kippur War, first intifada, second intifada, and other hostile encounters. Then, when Hamas–an Islamist political and militant movement–won the Palestinian Authority’s parliamentary elections in 2006, even more conflicts arose within both Israel and Palestine as well as across the Middle East.
Now, with anxious, agitated feelings at every corner, a war between Israel and Hamas is in motion. After the initial outbreak of war, President Joe Biden made a statement of support for Israel, and the United States announced that it would move its warships in the Mediterranean Sea closer to Israel along with sending more shipments of arms. And, while an emergency meeting was called for by the UN Security Council, in order to discuss the recent violence, there was failure to create a consensus statement. However the main concern was clear: the safety of civilians in Israel and Palestine, the safety of hostages being held by militants in Gaza, and the overall increased loss of life. Israel–while being pressured by their main ally, the United States–announced that soldiers would begin to be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip in January, 2024. However, while it is speculated that the IDF has pulled out at least 90% of troops that were in the territory, Israel’s Prime Minister–Benjamin Netanyahu–is firmly stating that taking an offensive stance in Rafah is necessary to remove Hamas.
Both Hamas and Israel have refused to agree to the terms laid out by President Biden for a hostage release and ceasefire, while attacks continue to be orchestrated. In the midst of all the fighting, tens of thousands of people are being killed or wounded, and Gaza is in desperate need of water, fuel, and supplies. The situation surrounding both Hamas and Israel make it difficult for aid to reach those in need; operations of many humanitarian agencies have been suspended after seven World Center Kitchen employees were killed by an Israeli airstrike; famine is now imminent in Gaza, according to The World Food Programme; and very few hospitals in the strip are staying partially functional. Ultimately, while it’s unclear when this dangerous dispute will come to an end, there are many different people who are caught in the middle of this war.
There Is No Final Curtain: Instability in Afghanistan Continues
The U.S. war in Afghanistan went on for decades. The war started when former U.S. President George W. Bush pledged to “win the war against terrorism”, authorizing the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the infamous 9/11 attacks–where Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial aircrafts. Three planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, while the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Since then, the war continued all the way until 2021, which was when U.S. troops were finally withdrawn from Afghanistan.
However, while this was the end of the longest war that the United States had been involved in, the story does not truly come to a close here. After U.S. troops left Afghanistan in August 2021, control of Afghanistan and the government in the nation’s capital, Kabul, was quickly repossessed by the Taliban–a predominantly Pashtun, Islamic fundamentalist group–at a shocking speed. Despite the Taliban’s earlier promises to respect human rights when they took over control in Afghanistan, any advancements in the Afghanistan people’s democratic rights and freedoms over the past twenty years are disappearing. The instability in Afghanistan is becoming overwhelming and the humanitarian situation in the country is severe. Aggravated by economic shocks and climate change’s worsening effects, there is widespread displacement, poverty, and food insecurity; harsh restrictions to women’s rights have been put in place once more, with consequences to those who protest; strict punishments have been reimposed, including floggings, amputations, and mass executions; even music has been banned. These pressing problems are also accompanied with a difficulty to send over much relief to those living in Afghanistan.
It is clear that, even with the U.S. leaving Afghanistan, true finality is not something that is in clear sight, and a final curtain can not be dropped just yet.
Ultimately, this report does not fully encompass all the factors that are affecting these different locations, or the entire world. All we can do now is be more open to being more aware, for we owe it to ourselves as an overall people to do our best in the situation we find ourselves in.
Resources for more information about today’s global conflicts:
