Aundréa Henry
- May 27, 2021

The Iranian Green Movement and Its Relation to the Palestinian Struggle

The Situation and Significance to Society

June 2009: an Iranian election was rigged and the Iranian Green movement was formed. Iranian citizens came together to protest because of the electoral fraud which caused Mousavi (presidential candidate) to lose to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (president-elect). The citizens protested to demand their civil liberties be delivered as their votes were not counted properly. They set out to try and change the political and social aspects of the environment in Iran. The Iranian government resorted to violence because citizens were standing up for themselves. This conflict is reflected as the Israeli government threatens violence towards Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, but this is no surprise as they have been doing this in the Middle East for decades. In Sheikh Jarrah, four Palestinian families faced eviction from their Jerusalem homes in the neighbourhood in May and six more families are being forced out in August. Israeli courts have allowed Israeli settlers to move into Palestinian homes that are occupied and force them out. When the Iranian Green Movement was going on, courts evicted families from their homes as well. Israeli settlers want to take over the Palestinian neighbourhood to strengthen their hold over Jerusalem where Palestianians do not have equal rights. The government allowed Palestinians to gather outside the Damascus Gate after he prohibited the action on April 13, 2021. Due to the evictions, Palestinians gathered there to protest which resulted in police being violent with the crowds and raiding houses. The community leader in Sheikh Jarrah states, “this is about pushing every Palestinian out of Jerusalem” (Salah Diab, 2021). Forced evictions are leading to ethnic cleansing, recurring systemic racism, apartheid and settler colonialism.

The Breakdown

The Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood is in the occupied East Jerusalem area. The reason why it is labelled as occupied is because under international law East Jerusalem is a Palestinian territory but Israeli peoples’ don’t care and have been illegally controlling the land. The government has been backing Israeli settlement organizations steal Palestinian homes with the help of Israeli soldiers. If Paestinans don’t leave or fight back, they are escorted off the land with the use of force. The Palestinans have tried to take legal action against the claims that the court has ruled but their appeals have not been granted or denied. In 2009, 67 Palestinians were kicked out of their homes therefore this news is not new. The Nahalat Shimon Settler organization has publicly claimed ownership of Sheikh Jarrah and has stated their intentions to evict every Palestinian out of the neighborhood. During the last few weeks of Ramadan, peaceful protests were going on and Palestinians were breaking their fast. The Israeli military force came to disrupt what was happening and sprayed protesters with skunk water (chemically enhanced sewage water). Their goal is to make East Jerusalem just like West Jerusalem, in other words, they want an all Jewish neighbourhood.

The Factors that have led to the Current Situation

There are a number of factors to be considered in the Isralei-Palestunian conflict. First, the lack of access to holy sites and mosques during and after Ramadan is a problem. Clashes between worshippers and the Israeli police force have been getting worse since the police have been resorting to violence. It has been hard on the Palestinian Muslims who go there to pray in peace. During these clashes, there have been more than 500 Palestinians wounded by the police force. On top of this, Israel and Gaza have been coming into conflict which has now resulted in airstrikes being launched on Gaza. To elaborate on the current situation, Israel is using laws that are biased and do not accommodate the rights of Palestinians. The politics are not organized as elections have been postponed and a new government has not been formed. The importance for Paestinians to vote is not recognized by the government and goes unnoticed. Israeli politics has excessively become right-winged and radicalized. Fair justice and politics are not a priority in Israel.

A Link Between Columbia and Palestine

The United States has been backing these governments' issues through funding. They have ties with Colombia and Israel because of their foreign policy and geopolitical positions. The forceful militarization is not by accident as they are meant to control the population (Palestinians) and the rebellion of Venezuelas’. The United States often train and exchange tactics with the Israel forces. Every year the US sends around three billion dollars to Israel for peace and security but it turns out to be used for violence. Columbia also receives funding from the US and it is all invested in the military. The reason I draw these links is because the role that the United States plays in these issues are in support of the violence and silencing any resistance or rebellion.

Impact(s) of Change

The world heard about the difficulties with their government and everyday life for people in Iran when the Green Movement was alive and now the world is standing up for Palestinians. The demand for a new style of government came about and Jerusalem needs to respect the rights of all people as Palestinians aren’t even given the basic human rights. It shows the opposition of the regime and it is deeper than the corruption before the evictions. The moral corruption is revealed in this movement and shows the lack of human rights and democratic rights. Conflict theory is the work of Karl Marx which explains the significance of power and oppression establishing the social order in society. This theory is widely represented in the Green Movement and the Palestine struggle as the government shows that their power over society is important. The morality of others are not considered or cared about. If anyone acts out of line, they are arrested, beaten or killed. This causes social imbalance meaning that the society is not working together, it is more like a struggle for the Palestinians.

The Global Applicability

The Green Movement and Palestinan struggle can be applied globally as other countries are in a similar situation. As mentioned before, Columbia is going through a similar crisis. Some governments are overriding societies and are not considering their best interests. Human Rights Codes and the Rights and Freedoms are not up to the expectations it should have. Peaceful protesting results with unlawful force and violence, jail time, the freezing of assets, disappearance, closed businesses or torture. Many individuals are rejected from having a fair trial including a chance to be tried by a judge, the right to a lawyer, forced confessions and ridiculous convictions and sentences. Authorities around the world fail to seek justice for the violence that is occuring. Many people who learn about this topic see that there is injustice and this social environment needs to be fixed.

Palestinians, the United States Foreign policy, governance in Israel and the whole of the Middle East are affected. The evictions are causing homelessness which affects Palestines. The agreement of the foreign policy between the United States and Israel is not being lived up to as people fear. The governance in Israel is in trouble because of the unfair treatment and the rest of the Middle East have to deal with the decisions being made which citizens fear that their government will be influenced to do the same. The whole world has taken interest in this issue and is conducting protests. Many are speaking out, spreading awareness and organizations are asking for donations to help because of the destruction.

The Responsibility and Results

The Israeli people and government are responsible for the resolution because this conflict started with their violent actions and decisions. They govern the country of Israel therefore it is their responsibility to solve this conflict.

Attempts Made to Resolve the Issue and the Results/Achievements

The United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres calls for the unified security to represent “ a strong, unified voice for de-escalation, for a cessation of hostilities and a push to get parties back on track to find a political solution to this conflict that has been going on and on and on” (Stephane Dujarric, 2021). One member of the security council blocked the proposal after the United Nations pledged in support of multilateralism. The United Nations would like to see its members put forth action moreover on May 7th, 2021, a debate was held on multilateralism and all were in support. Although the United States blocked the proposal for a security council meeting, the council later agreed. The prioritization of rights and human security is calling for urgent attention. Israel is committing crimes such as persecution and apartheid against Palestinians.

Principles or Concepts for the Basis of the Resolution

There are many areas that need to be resolved in order to come to a resolution. Issues regarding the security, the decision on the “Right to Return Solution” for Refugee Palestinians, the border line division of Jerusalem. Confederation could help with the resources, security and economic issues. The right to the freedom to move between the two states and voting for their own elections would also be granted in this instance. The one-state solution allows both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs to live with equal citizen rights. This solution promotes peace and allows the two communities to live alongside each other within one international border. Many Israelis dislike the solution because it would “ destroy the state's Jewish character and undermine the security of Israel” (BBC Persian Television, 2021). Granting citizenship would eliminate the world's only Jewish state. Others favour the two-state solution which would allow that Israel State remained Jewish and the Palestinian State remain Muslim Arab. Most of the worlds’ powers/leaders support this solution but the details are difficult. The borders between the states would be hard to figure out, Jerusalem is a city that is important to both communities, and the future of the Palestinian refugees aren't determined.

Strategies used by the Persons or Organizations Responsible for Resolving the Issue

The two-state solution is a plan on what to do to end the conflict. The first strategy is to bring in forces to assist the Israeli government and de-escalate the violence. When this is done, the government needs to regroup and manage their actions properly because In This Moment, it is disorganized. While the government is regrouping a temporary plan needs to be discussed and put into action as soon as possible. While the temporary plan is bringing a sense of peace and stopping the violence, a permanent plan can be prepared and conducted.

Conclusion

The Green Movement has not only influenced politics in Iran but around the Middle Eastern region. Going back to the Palestinian struggle, the conflict theory is represented throughout both crisis’. They have both proved to be democratic, right based and sustained in the way to push back repressive policies and practices that the government chooses to stand by. The fight for basic civil rights has influenced the Middle East and will continue to do so.