A brief history

Starting in the early 1900s, around the time of World War I, Great Britain had allied with Palestine. Because there were many cultures and peoples, oftentimes there was conflict because the fight for a holy land was in high demand. Great Britain had promised the Palestinian Arabs independence in return for their assistance during the Ottoman wars, yet the British seemed to back out from their word and internationalized the land. A massive influx of Jews began to immigrate in 1920 and World War II, forcing many Palestinians out of their homes. Political tension continued to rise due to the warring Zionists and Palestinian Arabs, resulting in grave death tolls on both sides. Despite the Palestinians’ defiance and fears of Jewish immigration, the state of Israel came to existence and the Palestinian Arab social and political identity was obscured; and this is only the mere beginning of the Palestinians’ silent suffering.

In 1948, Zionist forces ethnically cleansed and destroyed over 530 Palestinian villages and towns, killing more than 10,000 Palestinians in a series of civilian massacres. These tragic events are referred to as the “Nakba,” meaning “catastrophe” and symbolizing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. As the opposition continued to intensify, the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 (the “Six-Day War”) took place. Unsurprisingly, Israel defeated the Arab forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip, causing more than 250,000 Palestinians to flee. However, many Palestinians were unable to flee, leaving 3 million Jews in control of 1.2 million Palestinians. To this day, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank do not have the right to vote in Israeli elections, nor do they have any say in political affairs. It is an open-air prison, breeding a home for apartheid.

*to learn more about the history of Palestine, scroll to the bottom

What’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank today?

Since October 7th, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed from Israeli forces, more than 40% of them being children. The IDF has obliterated hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. Civilians have been ordered to seek asylum in northern parts of Gaza, but Israel chooses to continuously bomb these “safe”zones, pushing them farther norther until they’ve reached the wall of the prison cell. At least 20% of people trapped in Gaza face extreme levels of starvation, creating another source of death apart from the violent bombings. People in northern Gaza survive off of 245 calories a day, 9 times less than the average recommended caloric intake. There is very little clean water and medicine to treat the many injured and ill, warranting this a humanitarian emergency. An IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, admitted that the Israeli army’s stress is on “damage and not accuracy,” proving that their efforts to find Hamas are unjust and inexcusable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli representatives continue to misunderstand that the ends do not justify the means; especially since the end seems beyond the vanishing point.

Due to the amount of children affected by these atrocities, 100% of the proceeds from these tumblers will be donated to help the cause. UNICEF, the organization in which we will be donating to, continues to provide health services, combat starvation, and improves sanitation for the children in Gaza.