Free Palestine: Why It's Really Not That Complicated
- yusufandmarriam
- Aug 20
- 5 min read
Listen, we get it. Every time Palestine comes up in conversation, someone inevitably says, "Well, it's complicated." But here's the thing – it's really not. As someone whose father is an original refugee from Palestine, whose family lived through this history (and still does 75 years later), I want to break down why people think it's complicated and show you the simple truth underneath.
The reason people think Palestine is complicated isn't because the facts are confusing. It's because there's been a massive, decades-long effort to make it seem confusing. When you steal someone's land, the best way to avoid accountability is to convince everyone that actually, nobody can understand what really happened.
But we can. And we should. Because once you see the timeline clearly, everything else makes sense.
Palestine Facts That Change Everything
Before 1948: Palestine was a country. Real place, real people, real cities, real culture. Palestinians lived in Jerusalem, Gaza, Haifa, Jaffa, Ramallah, and hundreds of villages throughout the region. They were farmers, teachers, doctors, artists – you know, people living normal lives in their homeland.
My father was born in one of those villages. His family had olive trees that his grandfather planted. They had neighbors, community traditions, a whole life built over generations.
1948: The Nakba (catastrophe) happened. Over 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes to make room for the new state of Israel. Entire villages were destroyed. Families like mine became refugees overnight.
This wasn't a natural disaster. This wasn't some mysterious conflict that just erupted. This was systematic ethnic cleansing – a deliberate plan to remove Palestinians to make room for European Jewish colonists.
1948-Today: Palestinians have been living under military occupation, apartheid conditions, or as refugees for over 75 years. The same families expelled in 1948 still can't return to their homes, while Jewish people from anywhere in the world can immigrate to Israel and receive instant citizenship.
That's it. That's the "complicated" situation.
Why Palestinian History Seems Complicated (Spoiler: It's Not Your Fault)
Think about how Palestine gets discussed in mainstream media. You'll hear phrases like:
"Ancient conflict"
"Both sides"
"Complex historical grievances"
"Cycle of violence"
"Religious conflict"
This language is designed to make you throw your hands up and think, "Well, I guess it's too complicated for me to understand." But imagine if someone described slavery in America as a "complicated disagreement about labor practices" or the Holocaust as "complex tensions in 1940s Europe." You'd immediately recognize that this language minimizes clear moral wrongs.
The same thing happens with Palestine. Simple theft and ethnic cleansing gets rebranded as "complex geopolitics."
The Questions That Aren't Actually Complicated
"But don't both sides have legitimate claims?"
Sure, everyone deserves safety and dignity. But one "side" has one of the world's most powerful militaries, nuclear weapons, and billions in international aid, yearly. The other "side" has been living under military occupation for 75 years. These aren't two equal parties in a dispute – this is an oppressor and the oppressed.
"But isn't this about religion?"
Nope. This is about land. Palestinian Christians face the same occupation as Palestinian Muslims. Jewish people who oppose Israeli apartheid get called "self-hating Jews." Religious identity has been weaponized to justify colonization, but the core issue is simple: some people took other people's land and won't give it back and wont stop.
"But what about Hamas/terrorism/security?"
When you lock people in what international human rights organizations call "an open-air prison" for decades, resistance is inevitable. Every occupied population in history has resisted occupation. The question isn't why Palestinians resist – it's why we're surprised that people fight back against their oppressors.
"But Jews deserve a homeland too, right?"
Absolutely. Everyone deserves safety and self-determination. But you don't get to build your safety on someone else's displacement. Jewish safety was never dependent on Palestinian suffering – that was a choice made by political leaders, not a historical necessity.
What This Means for You
Here's what I wish more people understood: You don't need a PhD in Middle Eastern studies to recognize injustice. You don't need to memorize every date and treaty to understand that people living under military occupation deserve freedom.
When someone tells you Palestine is "too complicated" to have an opinion about, they're asking you to ignore your basic moral instincts. The same instincts that tell you apartheid was wrong in South Africa, that colonization was wrong in the Americas, that ethnic cleansing was wrong in Europe.
Your instincts aren't wrong. Trust them.
Free Palestine: The Conversation Starter You've Been Looking For
This is why we started The Yuma Project. Every time someone wears one of our [Free Palestine designs], they're making a statement that Palestine isn't too complicated to understand. They're saying that Palestinian culture deserves to be seen, that Palestinian people deserve dignity, that Palestinian stories matter.
When someone asks about your shirt, you're not being pulled into a complex geopolitical debate. You're sharing a simple truth: people deserve to live freely in their homeland.
What You Can Do Right Now
Understanding Palestine isn't complicated, but supporting Palestinians is simple:
Educate yourself and others. Share this post with friends who think Palestine is "too complicated."
Support Palestinian businesses. Every purchase from Palestinian-owned companies like ours helps sustain our community and culture.
Make Palestine visible. Wear solidarity gear that starts conversations and normalizes support for Palestinian rights. Browse our Palestinian solidarity apparel designed to spark meaningful conversations
Trust your moral instincts. When you see children being bombed, families being displaced, people living under military occupation – your instinct to say "this is wrong" is correct.
The Truth Is Simple
My father didn't become a refugee because of some ancient, mystical conflict that nobody can understand. He became a refugee because other people wanted his land and had the military power to take it.
Palestinian children aren't living in poverty because of some complicated historical grievance. They're living in poverty because they're not allowed to control their own resources, movement, or futures.
Palestinians aren't asking for anything complicated. We want the same thing every people wants: to live freely in our homeland, to control our own destiny, to raise our children without fear.
That's not complicated. That's human.
Ready to make a statement? Our Free Palestine collection features designs that honor Palestinian culture while starting important conversations. When you wear Palestinian solidarity gear from The Yuma Project, you're not taking a side in some incomprehensible conflict. You're standing with oppressed people against their oppressor. You're saying that Palestinian lives matter, Palestinian culture deserves respect, Palestinian freedom is worth fighting for.
And honestly? That's the least complicated thing in the world.
Ready to wear your values? [Shop The Yuma Project's Free Palestine Collection →] – designs that carry Palestinian culture into every conversation and make your solidarity impossible to ignore
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