As a Palestinian from Gaza residing in Taiwan, I value the nation’s commitment to democratic principles, education, family and freedom. These values resonate deeply with Palestinians and are rooted in our own traditions.
Yet, I must ask: Can a country that claims to uphold freedom and democracy sincerely do so while denying other people these very rights?
Israel’s representative in Taiwan describes a “mutual liberal democratic way of living.” However, this concept is undermined when Israel, as an occupying power, systematically restricts Palestinians’ freedom, denies them their right to return to their homes from which they were displaced and confines generations of families to refugee camps.
How can true freedom exist when one side imposes control over another, stripping them of autonomy and dignity?
The article speaks of Israel as the world’s only “Jewish state.” Yet, we must ask: What does it mean for a state to be defined by religion, granting citizenship to people based on faith, while denying fundamental rights to the native Palestinian population, Muslim and Christian alike?
The idea of a country built on exclusive religious identity, with laws that privilege one group over another, raises difficult questions about equality and human rights. This approach has created a two-tier system that deprives Palestinians of civil rights, something that does not align with democratic ideals.
The piece claims that Israel has made repeated efforts to pursue peace, yet it overlooks a crucial reality: Peace cannot exist without justice. Palestinians have witnessed repeated refusals by Israel to engage with internationally supported peace initiatives aimed at ending the occupation.
Calls for “peace for peace,” without addressing the occupation’s root causes, fall short of genuine reconciliation and contravene international resolutions that mandate Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories. True peace demands a commitment to end injustice, not to preserve it.
The representative writes about the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland, implying that Palestinians wish to “erase” Jewish presence from the land. This is an oversimplification that distorts history and ignores the fundamental issue.
Palestinians are not struggling against Jewish identity or faith; they are fighting for their right to live freely in their homeland, just as they have alongside their Jewish neighbors since long before the Zionist political project began.
The repeated narrative of survival is another point used to justify Israel’s actions, casting Zionist settlers as perpetual victims forced to “stand up and fight.”
Yet, it is crucial to remember that security does not require oppression, and survival does not justify the occupation of other people’s land.
The Palestinian cause is grounded in resistance against the injustice of displacement, not in erasing anyone’s identity or existence. Faulty readings of history should not be used to justify one group’s suffering over another’s.
Lastly, there is a call to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Indeed, humanitarian concerns are paramount, and the value of every life is unquestionable.
However, if Israel’s government genuinely values human life, then the world must also demand an end to the bombardments, mass killings and tragic scenes of people being burned alive in their own homes.
To speak of humanity, one must act with humanity on both sides, upholding the principle that all lives are equally valuable, Palestinian and Israeli alike.
The journey toward justice requires recognizing the humanity of all people involved, with neither side imposing its will at the cost of the other side’s freedom and dignity.
For peace to be real and lasting, it must be rooted in justice, equality and the acknowledgement of all historical truths — not selective readings designed to justify ongoing oppression.
The world, including Taiwan, must support a vision of peace that respects every individual’s right to live in their homeland freely and safely, and that brings an end to the tragedies inflicted by occupation and denial of fundamental human rights.
Hazem Almassry is a Palestinian from Gaza living in Taiwan.
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