1st Place, In-Depth Feature
2023-24, Division 3, News Writing
By Michaela Quinn & Dominik Mitchell
Focus
Midland HS
The Israel-Palestine dispute has gone on since 1948, when the State of Israel was established under the conditions of Resolution 181 adopted by the United Nations, which partitioned the existing state of Palestine into two states: Palestine and Israel. Jerusalem, a major religious and historical city, was designated a corpus-separatum, a region existing separate from the two created states, and controlled by the United Nations. The choice to create a Jewish state in the region was based on Judaism having originated in that area and having religious ties to the region.
The plan was rejected by the Arab states, which soon initiated war against the newly-created state of Israel intending to destroy it; marking the beginning of persistent conflict between Israel and its neighbors. Through a series of wars and crises initiated by both the neighbors of Israel and Israel itself, territory has changed ownership on multiple occasions. As a major ally of Israel, the United States has often found itself entwined in the discussions and debates. This has taken on new relevance since the events of last October.
October 7 marked the beginning of a new period of conflict for Israel and Palestine, after Hamas fighters crossed the nation’s border and killed more than 1,000 Israelis. Since then, Israel has officially declared war against Hamas.
Junior Nizi Hussen, who is Palestinian on her father’s side, encourages teens to be more aware of the conflict, as well as conscious of the extensive disinformation online.
“The best sources to go find information are people that are in Palestine right now,” Hussein said.
What Hussein fears is happening is that Israel is being overly destructive against the Palestinian people. Hussein said that Hamas was just an excuse to attack the Palestinians.
“Hamas went after Israel and then Israel went after them, but they didn’t really go after them, they went after everyone,” Hussein said.
However, as Hussein noted, many students in her generation don’t know what is going on, and that it is important for them to be aware. When asked if she experienced any changes in how she has been treated at school since Oct. 7, she said many high schoolers don’t understand.
“I feel like it’s the same for my age group because many people don’t even know what’s going on,” Hussein said.
Juniors Sarah Iqbal and Graham Plishka both echoed a similar sentiment. Iqbal, who is Muslim, and Plishka, who was a former resident of Dubai, both expressed their frustration with recent events in the region. Iqbal explained that she supports Palestinian liberation, but not because of her faith. She believes that it is simply the right thing to do. Plishka quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
They believe it is necessary for American citizens to be appropriately informed about the conflict and to voice their opinions to the government and its representatives. U.S. tax dollars are being used to fund Israel and its military forces.
“When the United States Government is sending weapons to Israel and supporting them, it’s the citizens’ obligation to let the government know our opinions,” Plishka said. “Our government needs to know that we are not okay with the U.S.-backed government killing 25,000 innocent civillians. While I do not agree with the actions of Hamas, I can’t remain silent about the Israeli occupying force ‘accidentally’ killing 25,000 people with U.S.-funded weapons.”
Freshman Calico Isberg believes that people don’t need to be Palestinian, Arab, or Jewish. to be educated on what is happening in the Middle Eastern countries. Americans should care about the basic human rights that have been violated.
“This is not about being Muslim, or Jewish, or any religion,” Isberg said. “People of all religions reside in Palestine.”
Iqbal said the United States can’t change the narrative of recent events.
“When it comes to news reporting, we need to not change the narrative,” Iqbal said. “And we need to call it a genocide and not a war or the Palestine-Israel conflict. There’s so many innocent people that have gotten killed.”
Plishka and Iqbal encourage students to look for information from multiple sources, and reliable outlets, because the actual facts will remain consistent across multiple sources.
“All media has bias. The biggest mistake you can make is getting information from one source,” Plishka said. “If you go to multiple sources, the facts become clearer. They might all say something different. You can read three different articles from three different news organizations, and the facts will always remain the same. It’s the narrative that will be different.
Plishka says that it’s important to remember where he stands in the situation.
“This situation is not political,” Plishka said. “It’s not about taking sides. It’s not about being Palestinian or Israeli. The side that I am on, and will continue to be on, is the side of humanity.”
Social studies teacher John Mulvaney explains that when he gives his students information on a topic currently in the news, he makes sure to provide a variety of sources to express a different point of view. Mulvaney teaches Modern Global Issues, where Mideast conflicts are a frequent topic of discussion.
“Here’s an example of two different sources: On the left side I might give them something from MSNBC and on the right, I might give them something from Fox News,” Mulvaney said. “But I will always try to give them a somewhat academically-respected source that will give them at least two different perspectives.”
Mulvaney talks about how it’s important to keep an open mind with situations like the Israel-Palestine dispute. He says that people should never fully pick a side because it’s key to remain unbiased.
“Never get 100 percent stuck on an answer,” Mulvaney said. “You can get 90 percent stuck on an answer saying, ‘I think this is this way or that is that way.’ But you always want to leave a little opening for new things.”
Mulvaney said the two countries didn’t just suddenly decide to go against each other. He said it has been an ongoing conflict, and it’s important to understand the history behind it.
“Palestine didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘Oh, I know what we’re gonna do, we’re going to invade Israel and kill 1000 people,” Mulvaney said. “Israel didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to put millions of people in the Gaza Strip.’ People who don’t know the context of the background are not speaking with enough understanding about the cause and effect, why we are where we are today.”
Mulvaney said that it’s important to understand the depths of the situation and actually take in all the information. It’s all about understanding that not one person’s opinion on the situation is right or wrong, he added.
“The important part is to get some historical context, learn something about it, understand there’s different perspectives, and then have an informal discussion,” Mulvaney said. “There can be different perspectives and it’s not so much who’s right or who’s wrong, but understanding that civilized people can have a different opinion.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is so contentious that one Jewish student agreed to discuss the topic only on the condition of anonymity. They say that it’s important for both countries to find a peaceful resolution, but that tensions threaten it.
“I hope we are able to find a peaceful solution that is mutually beneficial for both Palestine and Israel,” they said. “But I fear it will soon no longer be possible.”
When asked about how the situation has influenced the way they have been treated, the student said that they feel safe. However, despite not facing any in-person hostility, they have had a different experience online.
“I have not faced any direct anti-semitism in person,” The student said. “Online is a different story, as there are constant anti-semitic comments that I see daily.”
They say that it’s important for students to be educated on what’s going on overseas.
“I want students to know that there is a difference between Israeli, Zionist, and Jewish,” the student said. “I do not support any of the violations of human rights on either side. The constant killing of Palestinians is awful and completely immoral, as well as the Jewish people, [who] should have a place they should be able to call their own, that isn’t a place owned by another people.”
NW-11. In-Depth Feature
The entry should be a single story. Judges will not consider sidebars, infographics or other elements packaged with the story. The story must stand on its own. Entries should concern subjects of a substantive and contemporary nature and go beyond the surface facts, give the reader detailed background information with interpretation based upon the facts and background information and often (but not necessarily) an analysis as to its meaning. It is an elaboration of the WHY. Multiple sources are necessary.
Judging Criteria
- Lead captures attention, arouses curiosity
- Topic relevant to interests and/or welfare of school or students
- Extensive, intensive and thorough investigation
- Effectively combines basics of good news and feature writing
- Effectively organized with smooth transitions; carefully outlined
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar
- Balanced and fair presentation
- Story relies on information from primary sources gathered/interviewed directly by the journalist(s); general Internet sources and secondary media reports are used sparingly