• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Election
    • US politics
    • Donald Trump
    • Brexit
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab world
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate change
    • Smart cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
    • Human Rights
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice
  • About
  • FO Store
Sections
  • World
  • Coronavirus
  • US Election
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sign Up
  • Login
  • Publish

Make Sense of the world

Unique insight from 2,000+ contributors in 80+ Countries

Close

War and Peace: The Youth of Gaza

By Nour Omar Shaban • Aug 01, 2014

Copyright © Shutterstock; All Rights Reserved

Palestinians and Israelis cannot keep fighting for the rest of their lives; they must make peace.

I have lived and grown up in the Gaza Strip, one of the most dangerous places in the world. Despite only being 16 years old, I have seen death and destruction, and lived through tough experiences that are full of painful memories. I wanted to write this so I can show the world a different view of people in Gaza, especially the youth.

The struggle between Palestinians and Israelis has been going on for over 60 years. However, I believe that nothing is permanent — one day, there will be peace. Actually, I think it’s possible to make peace at any point, if the will is there.

I have left Gaza only once in my life to visit Europe via Israel and Jordan. On route, I went to have lunch in an Israeli restaurant. When I paid the bill, the cashier, who was Israeli, couldn’t believe I came from Gaza. The look on his face made me feel like I was an alien or something, but I shook his hand and we shared some laughs. It made me feel so relaxed because, at the end of the day, we are both human and have the same simple desires of life: We want to grow up, have a job and live a peaceful life full of joy. This encounter made me feel hopeful that one day peace will be achieved.

But the problem is the Israeli blockade of Gaza as it doesn’t allow Palestinians to go outside the territory, especially the youth. What the entire world sees in Gaza in terms of resistance and extremists is a consequence of the siege — and occupation — because the situation in the Strip is extremely difficult.

Gaza has a population of almost 2 million people who are crammed into a tiny stretch of land. In the coming years, Gaza will be the most densely populated area in the world. Some 43% of the population are 14 or below and 21% are between 15-24 years old. In addition, we have one of the highest unemployment rates worldwide. When these young people reach working age and the economy doesn’t provide opportunities and emigration is blocked, the consequences will be dire: social tension, violence and extremism as possible outlets, due to a lack of meaningful prospects and brain drain. The youth will become radicals and they won’t care about their future or anyone else’s, because they have not seen any other place than Gaza.

As a Palestinian teenager, I want to make peace. I want to live a normal life like millions of people around the world in places such as London, New York and Tokyo.

This means that Palestinians and Israelis will continue to live in fear and insecurity. Israel must end the siege of Gaza and make everyday people interact with one another. Without a culture of peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, peace is not possible.

The siege is causing Palestinians in Gaza to suffer as a result of political decisions. In my opinion, the resistance is just a temporary phenomenon to achieve particular goals: to end the blockade and allow Palestinians to live in freedom and dignity in a state of their own.

But we cannot keep fighting for the rest of our lives. As a Palestinian teenager, I want to make peace. I want to live a normal life like millions of people around the world in places such as London, New York and Tokyo.

At the end of the day, Israel controls its future and ours. If Israel wants to make peace, then it should end the siege and make Israelis and Palestinians interact with one another. I am not saying it is going to be easy because both sides are full of hatred, but we cannot let our past control our future. Forgiveness starts today.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com

Share Story
CategoriesBlog, Middle East & North Africa, Politics TagsGaza, Israel, Palestine, Palestinian, Youth
Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Become a Fair Observer and help us make sense of the world.

READ MORE IN THIS 360° SERIES

Gaza's Demilitarization is Not the Way Forward
By Shairee Malhotra • Nov 07, 2014
A Birthday Wish From Gaza
By Nour Omar Shaban • Oct 13, 2014
Missile Defense and the High Cost of Living in Israel’s Fortress
By Zach Goldberg • Sep 13, 2014
Noam Chomsky: Ceasefires in Which Violations Never Cease
By Noam Chomsky • Sep 12, 2014
Norman Finkelstein: Israel, Settlements and the ICC (Part 2/2)
By Manuel Langendorf, Abul-Hasanat Siddique & Norman Finkelstein • Aug 22, 2014
Norman Finkelstein: Israel, Settlements and the ICC (Part 1/2)
By Manuel Langendorf, Abul-Hasanat Siddique & Norman Finkelstein • Aug 21, 2014
Gaza: Living Through a War
By Huda Kishawi • Aug 20, 2014
The Case for War and Peace in the Middle East
By Gary Grappo • Aug 20, 2014
The West Bank May Be On the Verge of Exploding
By Gershon Baskin • Aug 20, 2014
Maintaining the Siege of Gaza: A Crime Against Humanity
By Kourosh Ziabari & Richard Falk • Aug 20, 2014
Conversations About Gaza: “But Hamas…”
By Donna Nevel • Aug 18, 2014
Bombs and Screams: The Reality of War in Gaza
By Nour Omar Shaban • Aug 07, 2014
Gaza: A War of Hashtags
By Laila Barhoum • Aug 05, 2014
Gaza Protests in Paris: Pro-Palestinian or Anti-Jewish?
By Jennifer Helgeson • Aug 01, 2014
A Durable Ceasefire for Gaza
By Muriel Asseburg • Aug 01, 2014
Who Wins and Who Loses in Gaza?
By Drew Holland Kinney • Jul 30, 2014
Gaza: No Innocent Victims?
By Alia Brahimi • Jul 27, 2014
Middle East Conflict: Need for Credible Mediator
By James M. Dorsey • Jul 27, 2014
London Gaza Demo: Voices From the Street
By Fair Observer • Jul 27, 2014
The Gaza Conflict: Occupation, Rockets and War Crimes
By Manuel Langendorf & Abul-Hasanat Siddique • Jul 26, 2014
Consequences of the Israeli Blockade of Gaza
By Omar Shaban • Jul 25, 2014
Time for a Shift in the Middle East Peace Paradigm
By Gary Grappo • Jul 24, 2014
Human Rights Watch Whitewashes Israel: The Law Supports Hamas
By Norman Finkelstein • Jul 23, 2014
The UN, War Crimes and Israel’s “Right to Defend Itself”
By Manuel Langendorf & Josef Olmert • Jul 23, 2014
The Gaza Crisis: Timing a War
By Omar Shaban • Jul 18, 2014
Israel and Hamas: Locked in Conflict?
By Manuel Langendorf & Hillel Schenker • Jul 16, 2014
US Complicity in Israel’s Attack on Gaza
By Nora Lester Murad • Jul 11, 2014
Chants and Violence: Racism in Israeli Soccer
By James M. Dorsey • Jul 08, 2014

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Post navigation

Previous PostPrevious Euro Crisis Turning Point: Two Years of Banking Union
Next PostNext The Brazilian Street: Powers of Change
Subscribe
Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.
Publish
Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.
Donate
We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Authors
  • FO Store
  • FAQs
  • Republish
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Central & South Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • North America

Topics

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Environment
  • Global Change
  • International Security
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice

Daily Dispatch


© Fair Observer All rights reserved
We Need Your Consent
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Edit Cookie Preferences

The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

 
Necessary
Always Enabled

These cookies essential for the website to function.

Analytics

These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you.

Performance
Uncategorized

This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future.

Preferences
Save & Accept