Undercurrent

A recent study released by the United Nations Development Programme found that nearly 70 percent of Palestinian youth do not feel acts of violence are a productive way to bring an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

There is great precedent for the use of non-violence in the struggle for equal rights and overcoming oppression. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi have proved this to the world. But could it work in Palestine? Gaza especially?

According to the study, only eight percent of the 1,200 Palestinians over the age of 17 interviewed – both on the West Bank and Gaza – believe violence is an important tool in solving the ongoing conflict.

The study also found high levels of depression among Palestinian youth, especially in war-torn Gaza, where 55 percent said they were “extremely depressed.”