Aims of the Conflict

We Palestinians want what Allah has given as a right to all people: freedom, dignity, and the right to self-determination on our ancestral lands. Our aims align perfectly with Islamic teachings about justice (adl) and defending our homes and sacred places. The goals of the Palestinian struggle are clear and reasonable – we seek to end the occupation, lift the Gaza blockade, stop illegal settlements, and live in peace in our own independent state.

The Quran establishes that freedom and human dignity are gifts from Allah to all humanity:

"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference." (Surah Al-Isra 17:70)

Our specific aims include:

1. End to Occupation: The complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Occupation is a form of oppression that Islam explicitly condemns, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Beware of oppression, for oppression will turn into darkness on the Day of Judgment."

2. Right of Return: Implementation of UN Resolution 194, which affirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and receive compensation for losses. This aligns with Islamic principles of justice and property rights.

3. Jerusalem as Capital: East Jerusalem (Al-Quds) must be the capital of the Palestinian state, with full Muslim control over Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said regarding Jerusalem: "Journeys should not be undertaken except to three mosques: Al-Masjid Al-Haram (in Makkah), my mosque (in Madinah), and Al-Aqsa Mosque."

4. Dismantling of Settlements: All illegal Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land must be dismantled, and the land returned to its rightful owners. The Quran states: "And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:188)

5. Sovereign Palestinian State: Establishment of a fully sovereign, viable Palestinian state with control over its borders, resources, and destiny.

In contrast, Israel's actions reveal their true aims – to maintain control over all historic Palestine while denying Palestinians their basic rights. They continue building settlements that carve up the West Bank into disconnected cantons, making a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

For us Muslims worldwide, supporting Palestine is not about opposing Jewish people – it is about opposing oppression, as Allah commands us to do. The Quran states:

"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives." (Surah An-Nisa 4:135)

We will continue our legitimate struggle until these aims are achieved – not out of hatred, but out of love for justice and our divinely granted rights to freedom and dignity on our own land.