Five decades of occupation is what led an Israeli soldier, Elor Azaria, to shoot an incapacitated Palestinian man lying on the ground in the head, with 67 per cent of the country now supporting a pardon for his conviction. It is 50 years of occupation that drives someone to take a knife and stab a person in the chest while they wait for their friends by the walls of Old City. It's what leads to a truck being driven into a public bus stop killing four people. It is what causes a Palestinian woman to tell me she’s terrified of getting into a car accident in Jerusalem, in case the police think she’s a terrorist and shoot her on the spot in front of her children.

The constant slew of violence coming out of Israel and the occupied territories is a having a detrimental effect on how young Jewish people, like myself, relate to Israel, its history and its politics.

Research produced in 2015 shows that 87 per cent of Jews in the UK feel a connection to Israel and believe in its right to exist. But among my peers there is also a growing frustration and distress at a constant cycle of oppression, violence and retaliation; at a political system headed by a recalcitrant Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who would rather spend his days swapping tweets with Donald Trump than move forward with a peaceful vision for Israel and a just alternative to the status quo.

Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 /12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as I’m still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17

My generation hasn’t lived through an existential threat to Israel’s existence. For me, my relationship with Israel began with the Rabin assassination, the second intifada, and two wars in Gaza – all episodes of extreme aggression that, in my view, seem underpinned by the dehumanisation of Palestinians.

The problem with the status quo in Israel is that in order to sustain it, you must believe that the people you are ruling over are going to try and hurt you. There is growing generation of young people whose only interaction with the "other side" is through violence and mistrust, whether that be a suicide attack carried out against Israelis or settlers cutting down olive trees owned by Palestinians in the south Hebron Hills.

Last summer I spent time in the West Bank with a Jewish group carrying out solidarity work with Palestinian communities. It demonstrated the power of human relationships in challenging narratives that are created around the "other". It is fundamentally important that those of us who care about finding a resolution to the conflict build human relationships across dividing lines, to facilitate empathy and understanding among the resentment that overwhelms conversations about Israel and the occupied territories.