An advocate for her community, Palestinian, senior Nicole Nassaura is challenging everyone including the Monte Vista community to remain educated and aware of the Palestinan-Israeli conflict with her peaceful protests. 

    Through her instagram account @nicolenassoura, Nassoura has amassed over a thousand followers who are shown a glimpse of the brutality among Palestinain lives with her reposts of content from the account @eyeonpalestine a news source local to Palestine. 

    Amongst her own content and opinions, she uses the news source @eyeonpalestine as a means of credibility, trying to prevent misconceptions and skewed perceptions of what is truly going on in Palestine.

     Nassoura has been to very few protests supporting the Palestinians with in her community but channels most of her advocacy and opinion through social media because it’s more accessible.

    “I went to a small protest in San Francisco, but I don’t go to many because of how intense they can become” Nassoura said.

   With social media as her main platform, Nassoura’s followers have an insight on the brutality and cruelness that has emerged from the war between Israel and Palestine.

   Even online though Nassoura, has received backlash due to varying opinions and perspectives but it doesn’t deter her. 

    “People have confronted me through direct messages, that disagree with me and dislike the way I raise awareness but I’m just sharing the truth,” Nassoura said. “I do it through social media because it reaches a broader range of people, young and old.”

    The territorial conflict between Israel and Palestine which left Palestinian citizens refugees within their own land, inspires Nassuara to understand the importance of awareness within a society.     

     “I think it’s important for people to know what’s going on in the world,” said Nassoura. “People are dying daily, but a lot of other people don’t really see that.”

      The lack of awareness and misperception of Middle Eastern cultures (specifically Palestine) is what prompts Nassoura’s need to take action and ensure her voice is heard and perspective is seen.

    “I think people are just more comfortable being like ‘Okay, that’s not my problem, I’m not going to worry about it,’” Nassoura said. “It doesn’t really directly affect many Monte Vista students which is why I think it’s so easy to not care.”

     Regardless of whether or not the conflict directly affects us, Nassaoura wants to remind people that it’s still important to remain educated, and not desensitized to the reality of others’ daily lives.

     “Destroying homes and taking lives happens every day, every hour, and every minute,” said Nassaura. “It is important for us to show compassion and empathy for everyone, not just Palestinan people.”

      Notoriously known for reposting uncensored and considerably graphic content, Nassoura refuses to let reality escape from people’s fingertips. Videos reposted from @eyeonpalestine, that broadcast the  shootings of Palestinian citizens and bombings of their homelands that are censored to our society is what Nassoura wants people to see.  

       For example, one video in particular reposted by Nassoura follows a Palestinian man being confronted by Israeli soliders on his way home through an alley only to get shot repeatedly without any apparent justification to do so. 

       “I mainly just post it because it’s real, that’s what’s happening, that’s a big part of it,” said Nassoura. “It’s difficult to make people understand when their views have been so influenced by American media, which is why I choose to repost from ‘eyeonpalestine’ via Instagram.”

    This tactic helps Nassoura show her followers the brutality of the Palestine-Israel conflict, while emphasizing the importance of understanding the issue, specifically in relation to ethics and morality.  

     “It’s unjust and unfair,” Nassoura said. “There are so many people still staying in that land.  Nobody wants to leave their home,no matter how things get because that’s where you build your community, your family.”

      Nassoura understands that a conflict of this magnitude isn’t something to be settled over night. She is fully aware of the time it would take but is adamant on continuing promoting the severity of the situation and the importance of awareness throughout our society.

    “It’s been decades of this [conflict],” said Nassoura. “[A] solution is just so difficult because these are two cultures that strongly believe they belong to the land but just remaining aware will go a long way.” 

    Desperate for understanding, peace and acceptance, Nassoura emphasizes the possibilities of solutions to problems once you’ve listened and learned.

    “ I want people to see that I understand all sides,” Nassoura said.  “That I’m not just pro-Palestinian. I’m pro-peace.”