By: Nyleve Eiram

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of The Metropolitan, its editors, or Metropolitan State University.

The genocide unfolding in Gaza did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023. That date marked a turning point, but the roots of this crisis stretch back decades, to the 1940s, when the world’s Jewish population was searching for safety after World War II and international powers reshaped Palestine without the consent of its Indigenous people.

After the Holocaust, antisemitism did not disappear across Europe. Jewish survivors faced hostility, destroyed communities and limited options for resettlement. Many lived in displaced persons camps while governments debated where they should go. At the same time, the United States maintained strict immigration quotas, and European nations largely refused to absorb survivors as citizens.

Zionist leaders argued that Jewish safety required a sovereign state. Palestinians, however, were never consulted about becoming the destination for Europe’s refugee crisis. Under British control, Palestine was placed under a mandate system, and the United Nations later proposed partition. When Israel declared independence in 1948, war followed, and more than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in what is known as the Nakba.

Palestinians were pushed into shrinking territories, primarily Gaza and the West Bank. Gaza quickly became overcrowded with refugees denied the right to return. This was not voluntary migration. It was forced displacement shaped by international decisions.

Israel occupied Gaza and the West Bank after 1967. Palestinians lived under military law, land confiscation, movement restrictions and economic control. These conditions fueled repeated cycles of violence and resistance.

Hamas emerged during the First Intifada, a mass Palestinian uprising against occupation. It combined political ideology, social services and armed resistance. Hamas does not represent all Palestinians, but its formation did not happen in a vacuum. It happened under occupation.

Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and several other countries due to deliberate attacks on civilians. Many people, however, point out what feels like a double standard. When Hamas kills civilians, it is labeled terrorism. When a state kills civilians, international law uses different terms, including war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

Since October 2023, several international bodies have accused Israel of committing serious violations of international law. The International Court of Justice ruled there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered provisional measures. Amnesty International concluded Israel is committing genocide. Human Rights Watch documented starvation as a method of warfare and later described Israeli actions as extermination and acts of genocide.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, became the subject of international scrutiny in May 2024, when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC is not part of the United Nations, but the warrants marked a historic moment for accountability.

For many people, including myself, watching Gaza feels personal. I come from enslaved ancestors in North Carolina and from Indigenous Choctaw lineage. Seeing Palestinians displaced, bombed and erased reminds me of histories my own family survived. Resistance is always judged differently depending on who is in power.

Many people ask what they can do. One response has been economic pressure through boycott, divestment and sanctions, known as the BDS movement, which began in 2005. Companies including Chevron, Intel, HP, Microsoft Xbox, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and others have faced boycott campaigns. Some are official, others organic.

Boycotts matter because they apply economic pressure, draw media attention and force conversations about corporate responsibility and human rights. My own church community, part of the United Methodist denomination, has supported divestment from companies tied to prolonged military occupation.

The bottom line is this: Gaza’s destruction did not start in 2023. It is the result of decades of displacement, occupation and international failure. History is repeating itself, and people across the world are demanding that it stop.