Massacre, Genocide, Holocaust - these are words that we hope to never mention. However, they are vividly present in our history. Native American killing sprees in American history are a clear example of a series of massacres. The Tutsis genocide in Rwanda is a dark memory of the early 1990's. The infamous Jewish holocaust in Europe is forever etched in our minds.

Today, history has managed to repeat itself. The overall situation in Israel, over land disputes between the Israelis and Palestinians, have caught the world's attention. However, the sub-issue of humanitarian rights violations of Palestinians has not gained as much publicity worldwide. As a result, several signals and comparisons to other dark times in world history can conclude that Israel is now home to a modern day holocaust against Palestinians.

The first sign of a holocaust deals with actions that are justified on religious grounds. Israel, formerly known as Palestine, was chosen on the religious belief that Abraham, considered the father of Jewish people, had promised the area to his children in biblical times. They claimed their home of Israel, given by Abraham, was taken away from them during the imperialistic era of Rome.

Palestinians held that religion should not be brought into the debate. However, there is another biblical argument that Israel seemed to have completely disregarded. This argument stems from the story that the birth of the Palestinian nation occurred when Abraham fathered a child by a slave, who was later sent away by his wife. Therefore, Abraham is also the father to the nation of Palestinians, meaning that they too were promised Israel.

The power of religious beliefs proved itself to be extremely strong in 1947. During this year, the British withdrew it troops and the state of Israel was proclaimed. This is the key to the beginning of the complex conflict that is occurring today – the fact that Israel was recognized as a state and Palestine was not (as promised by the British).

Putting aside the issue of terrorism for a moment, the anger of extreme groups, such as Hamas and Jihad, is understandable. Their anger originates from the despair of lost battles (such as the Six-Day War), broken promises and oppressive Israeli leaders. It is this downward history that pushes the frustrations of Palestinians to a point where extreme groups take desperate measures in terrorism. As a result, Israel continues to be engaged in many security measures to prevent the bloodshed of innocent people. This, of course is very understandable. However, it is the kind of control Israel has enforced on Palestinians that greatly impairs their quality of life.

The numerous curfews are one of the main concerns in the harsh Israeli stronghold over Palestinians. The curfews themselves are extremely restraining, but nothing can compare to the way these curfews are enforced, categorizing them as human rights violations. In July of 2002, 600,000 Palestinians in the West Bank were confined to day curfews (Anderson). These curfews were so harsh that housewives could be killed for merely going outside and hanging up wet laundry (Anderson). These curfews do more than place more anger and fear in the hearts of Palestinians. They are also clear signs of another Holocaust.

The problem of curfews fall short of the theft of property Palestinians have witnessed. Israel has relentlessly taken Palestinian land during times of war and still does today. A fact even more disturbing is that Israel presently rules Palestinian land illegally due to Resolution 242 passed by the United Nations Security Council on November 26, 1967. Resolution 242 states that during wartime a country cannot claim the territory of another; they must return any captured land after the war. Needless to say, Israel still occupies Palestinian land.

The growth of Jewish settlements spells out another defeat in Palestinians eyes: "their land is disappearing the villagers say, and only the settlers have the army on their side," (Golden). As settlements grow, it is clear that this modern day Holocaust is different from past ones. This modern day Holocaust seeks to exterminate Palestinians by the gradual theft of their land, ultimately pushing them into refugee areas where nothing awaits them. This is a faith worse than outright mass murders. This is a slow death.

Palestinian restrictions are clearer through the many checkpoints Palestinians must go through to travel. These checkpoints have always caused immeasurable amounts of problems for Palestinians; they can be described as borders where Palestinians cannot pass without paperwork. The restrictions on travel prevents Palestinians from visiting families, getting proper health care and working regular jobs among other things. Such is the case of Awad Massar, a double-heart attack victim, and his wife, who went for treatment at a hospital out of their village and now cannot go home: "Every time the couple came to an Israeli checkpoint, he would show them his hospital records and plead to pass, but they would wave him away, forcing him back to the countryside," (Anderson). Massar and others like him are trapped where they stand.