In an attempt to put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into perspective, it should be noted that it all began with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 when the UK agreed to create a home for Jews who were being persecuted in Europe. Of course, Jews had historical links to the land in British-controlled Palestine, but it had been occupied by Palestinians for centuries.

The British intended for the land and the city of Jerusalem to be shared, and the rights of Palestinians protected. But Israel declared independence in 1948 and was recognized by the UN. That led to war with the five surrounding Arab nations and the displacement of roughly 750,000 Palestinians. Then in 1967, Israel captured more territory following a pre-emptive war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan leading to Israeli control of more than a million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. As years passed, violence from both sides continued with Israel tightening its control of Palestinians in Gaza and clearing Palestinians from large tracts of the West Bank.

The growing Palestinian frustration and anger eventually led to the horrific events of October 7, 2023. As a result, Israel was certainly justified in attacking Hamas militants in Gaza. But the response has been vastly disproportionate and indiscriminate. Instead of an initial ground campaign to root out and kill or capture the militants, Israel chose to execute a massive bombing campaign followed by a large-scale invasion that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Gazans.

Indeed, given the brutality of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, the conflict can no longer be called a war. It now meets the very definition of ethnic cleansing.

Here are the numbers:

• More than 52,000 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed
• More than 50,000 children have been killed or wounded
• More than 1.9 million of the 2.1 million Gazans are displaced
• At least 45 percent of the housing in Gaza has been destroyed
• 75 percent of Gaza farmland has been destroyed
• By January of this year, almost 7,000 Palestinians were being held on administrative detention (a practice that began long before October 7) without charges and without trials
• Since 2023, conditions for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have so declined that at least 70 prisoners have died
• US trauma teams have reported seeing dozens of Palestinian children as young as 2 who were shot in the head or torso by Israeli snipers
• 408 aid workers have been killed, including 280 from UNRWA
• 176 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces
• 374 medical personnel have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes
• Hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed by 1,644 Israeli strikes
• The entire population of Gaza is facing food insecurity due to Israeli blockades
• 250,000 Palestinians are currently facing starvation, and that number is expected to double
• 71,000 children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition
• 14,100 children under the age of five suffer severe malnutrition and death
• Approximately 18,400 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to need malnutrition treatment to prevent irreversible and life-threatening health problems for both mothers and babies
• At least 31 Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed by IDF soldiers at a recently opened food distribution site and hundreds more were wounded

Despite its nearly complete devastation of Gaza, no end of the conflict is in sight. Israel has announced plans to seize Gaza and stay for an unspecified time. And until very recently, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid to Gaza, with some Israeli officials laughingly saying, “it will end Palestinian obesity.”

At the same time, Israeli settlers have increased attacks on Palestinians on the West Bank and the Israeli government approved 22 new settlements with the explanation that it will permanently end any possibility of a Palestinian state.

Yet the Trump administration continues to supply weapons to Israel despite its obvious war crimes. It has even shown a willingness to violate our constitutional right of free speech for even speaking out about the plight of Palestinians claiming that any expression of such sentiments constitutes antisemitism. But there is a vast difference between telling the truth about a violent and repressive government and engaging in hate speech against those who follow one of the world’s largest and oldest religions.