Over 5,000 miles away, a war is raging in the Gaza Strip. Since 1948, Israel and Palestine have been in conflict due to land. As the war intensifies, the world’s view on it also changes. The U.S government supports Israel, but Gen Z Americans show Palestine an overwhelming amount of support. A little bit closer home, the war is indifferent to Pottsville students.
Despite a majority of Gen z supporting Palestine, not all of Gen z is aware of the war. Out of 25 PAHS students, only 2 were aware of the clash in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel has been bullying Palestine for years and almost nothing has been said about this until recently. It’s so gross what Israel has done and is continuing to do to Palestinians.” says junior Jailene Grajeda, “The people of Palestine just want to live their lives. If Israel is really just after Hamas, then why are so many innocent Palestinians dying?”
“Students are extremely privileged to not have to care about a war,” sophomore Miranda Sieger said. “In dire times of need like this, there’s no time to be neutral. A ceasefire is desperately needed”
Even if the country doesn’t border America, it can still affect us. In 2021, the war between Russia and Ukraine heavily affected gas prices in the U.S. Now, with the war in Gaza, the U.S has given Israel around 3 billion dollars. This causes the government to surpass its budget, causing other government funded projects to not receive as much money as they need.