The sudden and recent explosion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict marks yet another conflict in the series of unrests that have been rocking the Middle East.

I must confess, I was sadly unaware of most of what has been going on as far as Israel and Palestine over the last several years. I learned the basics of the conflict over Gaza and the West Bank and gave little thought to it. My research in learning about this topic led me to several different sites, and I was surprised by how American-based news sources, like CNN, saw the conflict versus more international sources, like the BBC or the Gulf Times.

The US has thrown their weight behind Israel, which I already knew. We were one of seven nations to vote against Palestine’s upgrade in the UN, versus the hundred-something countries that voted in favor of it – many our allies, such as France – and the forty one countries that abstained – also many of whom are our allies, such as Germany and the UK.

The latest update on the conflict involves Israel continuing to authorize the building of a Jewish settlement between East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlement was given the go ahead directly after Palestine’s win in the UN, and seems a little bit like Israel is slapping them back in the face.

It is Israel who has been occupying Palestine, and Israel who is withholding millions in tax money collected on Palestine’s behalf for a debt that had not been settled to an Israeli electricity firm.

Israel was warned by numerous people – the UN council, Palestinian and Egyptian authorities, and the US to name a few – that continuing building would derail peace talks.

But the Israeli Prime Minister replied by saying, “We will carry on building in Jerusalem and in all the places that are on the map of Israel’s strategic interests”.

I may not be an expert on the Middle East, but even I can see this is wrong. My research has completely changed my opinion – I went into it thinking Israel was in the right, but now I am just vaguely disgusted with them.

Palestine’s win in the UN was largely symbolic. They now have about the same power as the Vatican as far as UN policy goes, and are nowhere near the level held by Israel itself.

Palestine is trying to make an attempt at peace, and its requests are reasonable and practical. Building a settlement where the Israeli’s want to will disrupt thousands of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and cut them off from the West Bank entirely.

The real kicker is that these settlements – of which there are 100, with a total of about 500,000 Jews living in them, are illegal under international law.

I don’t think the US should be supporting this the way we are. There is an opportunity here to step up and stop Israel in its tracks, if we just take it. They are not in the right here.