Squandrous

I haven’t written much about the Palestine-Israel conflict either here on Squandrous or on I Tell Stories because I’d much rather discuss politics in person than on the internet. That being said, I had to share this photo (via) with you all.

Palestinian boy Mohammed Kutkut, 14, right, covers his face as he sits next to the name sign of his killed friend Ahed Qaddas in the Fakhoura boys school in Jebaliya, northern Gaza strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Three friends of his class where killed when the Israeli army shelled Jebaliya in the past weeks. Tens of thousands of children have flocked back to schools throughout the Gaza Strip, days after Israel ended its fierce military operation against the territory’s rulers. Photo by Anja Niedringhaus, AP

The reason I wanted to share this photo is because it reminds me of one thing that is often forgotten in any discussion about political conflict: these kinds of conflicts are not about political groups and agendas. They’re about people. People who get hurt, who lose friends and family, and who have to see their lives torn apart and then pick them up again to keep on living.

Let’s never forget that.