My Skin Color Sucks

So, I recently had an Instagram argument with a friend of mine who is for a two state solution regarding the situation in Gaza. If that friend is reading this, I am sorry for how that conversation unfolded and hope all is well with you. But, during the conversation, we were both making assumptions and claims that ended up not being true. I learn through that conversation that while the majority of Israel is occupied by the Jewish people, not all of them are and labeling all of Israel as Jewish is anti-Semitic and I apologized for being wrong and changed my understand of Israel, while my stance on the situation in Gaza didn’t change. He made some assumptions as well, like saying that Israel stopped all violent acts once it’s hostages were released in October when they did an airstrike as soon a January 30th 2026, killing at least 28 Palestinians¹. There was also me using the Old Testament teachings to talk about the siege of Canaan and Bashan mentioned, but after researching today, it seems archeology doesn’t support those claims and only really supports small incidents and migration of the indigenous Jewish into Canaan during the Egyptian rule. So to my friend I argued with on Instagram, this is another apology I am giving because it does seem like the history of your race is a history of being a victim to multiple atrocities, including slavery and the Holocaust, and I was just unaware of that history and used whatever I was researching to continue my argument when the research in that moment was incorrect and misguided.

It is a sad history. Makes one feel bad for a race of people in all accounts. I definitely want peace for the Jewish population and I hope that whatever outcome that is brings peace equally to all individuals who live over there today. I did a lot of research regarding ethnicity as well within the Jewish community, assuming before my research that the majority of the Jewish population around the world was white. According to my research, about 55% at a minimum are what you would consider “white passing”²³⁴. That is a slim majority, but it can be confusing as Israel censuses doesn’t use Western labels that dictate skin tones. Which, looking at the surface, seems reasonable since the all Jewish individuals it seems have a complex family history and even some white-passing Jewish individuals wouldn’t consider themselves “white” due to family heritage. Unfortunately, due to Israel current infrastructure, this only really benefits the Ashkenazi of European decent, and I quote from Google Gemini “By not tracking race, the state can claim “equality” while Ashkenazim continue to hold a disproportionate share of wealth, academic positions, and political power”⁵⁶⁷. They even put those of different racial background (which happen to not be white in skin color) in disproportionally affected areas that aren’t getting the same support as the areas that support Ashkenazi Jews⁸

It is a system that supports a white majority, plain and simple. And while Israel is a diverse ethic pool of individuals, the majority of the ones in power are white people. So then when you realized that Palestine doesn’t have much of a whiteness to them whatsoever⁹, and that even within Israel the racial background of those who aren’t white are being mistreated on every front, including the police brutality against Ethiopian Jews¹⁰, it feels less like Israel’s goal is peace for all people. They seem to be using their white privilege and advantages to oppress others. It really sucks since the Ashkenazi were the main victims of the Holocaust¹¹. However, it seems the other racial groups under Israel are growing in population¹², so maybe in the coming century, things will be different.

If I’ve learned anything from observing history in the United States, white people usually end up being a majority and the most privileged, and unless serious actions are taken place in the laws to pay reparations to the minority groups in Israel and to Palestine in a two state solution, I fear it will result in the genocide of Palestine and a white majority in Israel will occur. I was talking to my friend about this eventuality and in that I said that due to the current actions Israel is showcasing, a general ceasefire and two-state solution would still disproportionally affect Palestinians and since a two state solution isn’t favored by either Palestinians or Israelies¹³, I would much rather all of Israel leave and find other places to live verses Israel continuing to eradicate the Palestinian state. Of course, if there is a “two-state solution” that would pay respectable reparations to the Palestinians and support within Israel to help the demarginalized communities, I am most in favor of that solution.

As much as the majority of the population of Israel is a victim, so is Palestine. They were ruled under the Ottoman Empire (which was terribly oppressive and a slave-based, outdated empire) until after World War 1 and then under British rule, they were cast aside in favor of Jewish individuals and weren’t even considered when the Balfour Declaration led to mass Jewish immigration, land purchases, and intense conflict between the local Arab population. All they wanted was to be left alone and grow an independence as Britain was tasked to help with. Instead, a bunch of white people (as the majority of the Jewish immigrates after WW1 were Ashkenazi of European descent¹⁴) start buying up land left and right from the Sursock family¹⁵(who didn’t even LIVE in Palestine AND ARE ALSO WHITE PEOPLE). Now, the Arab Nationalist were NOT in the right to fight against this with violence since the land was purchased legally, but it seems that these purchases displaced a lot of the local Arab farmers who were of a darker skin tone, and so it can easily be seen as white supremacy ostracizing a group of black farmers without even considering them or helping them out.

At the end of the day, everything that happened that lead to the current state between Israel and Palestine boils down to skin tone even if that is indirect and unintended. Which is just so sad. I wish there was more equality between white people and everyone else in these places, but there isn’t. Even if unintended, the ones who ended up in the most beneficial situation are white people. Not every country has a white majority, but white privilege finds itself in every culture around the world. India treats them as celebrities¹⁶, Japanese and Chinese culture dumps money into turning themselves white¹⁷, and while the number of white people overall declined in the last century or so¹⁸, they are the majority in 6 out of the 10 richest countries¹⁹. And by ignoring this when determining the fate of Gaza and Israel, we are ignoring the racial inequalities that will lead to individuals repeating the same historical mistakes of the past. We should look for policies and solutions to break the cycle, not continue it.

I am not Jewish and I have never been to Israel. Most of my claims regarding the state they are in is due to my own research and not personal experience. If a two state solution would occur and I find myself to have the finances to travel, I would love to visit. Everyone I know who has visited remarks it as a wonderful, peaceful place. Now, everyone I have spoken to about Israel is white so there is a bias there, but overall I am sure the majority of Israelites who live over there would prefer peace and the actions of the country itself do not speak for the people who reside in it. Just like how I live in the US and do not agree with DJT’s actions in the slightest. As a white person, the only way I wouldn’t benefit is if I was forced to give away my inheritances in the name of reparations. And, as a person who has lived in poverty his whole life, I aim to try and earn as much as I can from that property. Will my actions to raise my own wealth disproportionally affect minority groups? I hope not and I want to believe that every action I take will help raise other minority groups up as well as myself up. I recently donated to a fund that is helping children affected by the airstrikes against Palestine well before this article and I encourage you to look at the last link in my references to donate as well²⁰. If anything in this quick read was offensive in nature, racist or anti-Semitic, please understand that that is not my intentions and I blame it on my ignorance. Thank you for reading and have a good day! – DL

My Skin Color Sucks

REFERENCES