The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Faith, Power, and the Fight for Truth

The Israel-Palestine conflict is not simply a clash of two nations or ideologies. It is a legacy of colonial ambition, systemic dispossession, and moral neglect. It exemplifies the global consequences of unchecked power structures rooted in historical doctrines and reinforced by media narratives. Beyond political rhetoric, the conflict unveils stark realities: displacement, oppression, and the erasure of an indigenous people under the guise of statehood and security.

This article introduces a four-part series that delves into the roots of this conflict, its parallels with other colonial struggles, the manipulation of narratives, and the shifting tide of global accountability. Each installment aims to unearth overlooked truths, counter misleading narratives, and inspire informed action.

Colonial Foundations: A Global Pattern

The establishment of Israel in 1948 marked a critical turning point, where a state was founded on the systematic expulsion of Palestinians. The Nakba—or “catastrophe”—resulted in the forced displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians and the destruction of more than 500 villages. This event was not an isolated tragedy but part of a larger colonial framework that mirrored strategies deployed by Western powers worldwide.

Parallel Histories

During the same mid-20th-century period, colonial powers intensified their land grabs under the guise of progress and state-building:

India (1947): British colonial rule ended with the Partition, displacing over 15 million people and claiming over a million lives. The scars of that division persist in ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan, much like the unresolved tensions in Palestine.
South Africa (1948): Apartheid policies entrenched systemic racial segregation and land expropriation, forcing indigenous Africans into "homelands" that mirrored the bantustans of the West Bank and Gaza.
Australia (1901–1970s): The Stolen Generations policy removed Aboriginal children from their families to assimilate them into Western culture, erasing indigenous identity much like the cultural erasure of Palestinians.
Algeria (1830–1962): French settlers claimed indigenous land, sparking violent uprisings and retaliatory massacres. The psychological scars of colonization linger in Algeria’s collective memory.
Kenya (1952–1960): British authorities detained over a million Kikuyu people in camps during the Mau Mau rebellion, using torture and forced labor to suppress resistance—a grim parallel to modern detention practices in Israeli-occupied territories.

These colonial ventures operated under similar frameworks: exploiting indigenous populations, appropriating their land, and erasing their histories. Palestine remains a glaring example of these injustices continuing into the 21st century, underscoring how colonial legacies endure through modern state policies.

Doctrine of Discovery: The Blueprint for Dispossession

The ideology that enabled such exploitation finds its roots in the Doctrine of Discovery, a 15th-century legal and theological construct used by European colonial powers to legitimize the seizure of non-Christian lands. Declaring these territories as "terra nullius" (nobody’s land), this doctrine provided a moral and legal cover for dispossessing indigenous peoples globally.

Persisting Logic in Israel

While the Doctrine of Discovery predates Israel’s founding, its principles echo in the state’s policies. Palestinian land is routinely expropriated under the guise of legal settlements, military necessity, or national security. Consider these examples:

Settlement Expansion: According to a 2023 UN report, Israeli settlements in the West Bank have grown by 132% since 1993, violating international law and displacing countless Palestinian families.
Cultural Erasure: Historic Palestinian landmarks and neighborhoods are rebranded or demolished to solidify Israel's claims over contested territories. The erasure of entire villages is not just a physical act but a symbolic one, aimed at rewriting history.
Legal Frameworks: Just as the Doctrine of Discovery framed indigenous peoples as inherently subordinate, Israeli policies categorize Palestinian resistance as criminal or terrorist, effectively nullifying their legitimate claims to land and self-determination.

The world must confront how the logic of this doctrine persists—not only in Israel but in other nations that have normalized settler colonialism as statecraft.

Weaponized Narratives: Controlling the Story

Wars are fought not only with weapons but with narratives. The framing of the Israel-Palestine conflict, particularly in Western media, exemplifies how control of the story shapes global opinion and policy.

The October 7 Attacks and Media Spin

Following Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, global headlines painted a stark picture: Israel as a victim defending itself against unprovoked aggression. This narrative, while highlighting the human toll on Israelis, sidelines decades of systemic violence against Palestinians. Context is deliberately omitted:

Indiscriminate Bombing: Gaza has endured relentless aerial bombardments, reducing neighborhoods to rubble. More than 10,000 Palestinians, including 4,000 children, have been killed in recent months. These deaths are framed as collateral damage in a defensive war.
Midnight Raids and Detentions: According to Human Rights Watch, over 4,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons without formal charges. Testimonies of torture and abuse are systematically ignored in mainstream coverage.
The Siege of Gaza: The blockade, now in its 16th year, has turned Gaza into an open-air prison, where basic necessities like food, water, and medicine are scarce. UN reports describe the humanitarian crisis as “unprecedented,” yet these realities are overshadowed by narratives that criminalize Palestinian resistance.

Dehumanization as Strategy

Media narratives dehumanize Palestinians by reducing them to faceless aggressors or collateral damage. This dehumanization enables the world to turn a blind eye to systemic oppression, much like colonial narratives portrayed indigenous resistance as barbarism or savagery.

Global Accountability: A Shifting Consensus

Despite decades of impunity, the tide of global opinion is shifting. International bodies and human rights organizations are increasingly calling for accountability:

The ICC's Intervention: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for alleged war crimes in Gaza, a significant step toward holding individuals accountable.
Apartheid Label: Organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have declared Israel’s policies akin to apartheid, forcing global powers to confront uncomfortable truths.
Grassroots Movements: Protests across Europe, the Americas, and Africa demand an end to the occupation. Social media has amplified Palestinian voices, breaking through traditional gatekeeping by mainstream media.

AI Warfare: Gaza as the Testing Ground for the Future of Conflict

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare, epitomized by Israel’s doctrine known as "The Gospel," has transformed Gaza into a testing ground for cutting-edge military technologies. AI systems like Fire Factory automate the selection and sequencing of bombing targets, ostensibly enhancing precision. However, the devastating civilian toll and ethical concerns expose a far darker reality.

In Gaza, AI processes vast amounts of data in real time, deciding where and when to strike with little human oversight. While marketed as tools of precision, these systems blur the line between combatants and non-combatants, reducing human lives to data points and removing the moral judgment essential in life-or-death decisions. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, killing thousands of civilians—including over 4,000 children—despite claims of accuracy. This dehumanization of warfare shifts responsibility from human actors to algorithms, enabling more frequent and destructive strikes with minimal accountability.

The implications extend beyond Gaza. Israel’s military-industrial complex uses the conflict to "field test" AI systems, branding them as "battle-proven" to attract international buyers. Global defense corporations collaborate in these efforts, prioritizing profit over human rights and using occupied territories as laboratories for future conflicts. This confluence of corporate interests and military strategy not only perpetuates the occupation but sets a precedent for a future where AI-driven warfare becomes the norm, free from the constraints of ethical oversight or international accountability.

The use of Gaza as a testing ground reveals a chilling trajectory: the normalization of AI warfare, backed by powerful corporate and state actors, threatens to erode the moral and legal frameworks governing conflict. As AI technologies spread globally, the precedent set in Gaza could redefine warfare, making it even more lethal and detached from human conscience. This is not just a Palestinian issue but a warning of what lies ahead if these practices go unchallenged.

A Global Moral Test

The Israel-Palestine conflict is not an isolated event; it is a mirror reflecting the global struggle against systemic oppression. The parallels with colonial histories in India, South Africa, Australia, Algeria, and Kenya highlight a shared legacy of dispossession, exploitation, and resistance. These histories remind us that the scars of colonialism do not fade; they persist in the economic, cultural, and political inequalities we see today.

As the series progresses, we will explore:

Chronological Histories: Tracing the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict and its global colonial counterparts.
Theological Justifications: Examining doctrines like the Doctrine of Discovery and their modern manifestations.
Narrative Manipulations: Unpacking how media framing shapes global perceptions and policy.
Global Accountability: Analyzing the growing movement for justice and the role of international law.

The Responsibility of Action

History will remember not only those who perpetrate injustice but also those who remained silent. As individuals, we can no longer afford to turn away:

Demand Accountability: Advocate for international investigations and sanctions where appropriate.
Support Independent Media: Seek out voices that challenge dominant narratives and amplify them.
Educate and Engage: Understand the historical and systemic dimensions of this conflict to challenge misinformation.

The scars of colonialism teach us one crucial lesson: silence enables oppression. The question before us is not whether we will act but whether we will act in time.

The Balance Sheet