This past summer, I traveled to Jordan for the first time since I was a child. I was brimming with excitement in the months leading up to the trip, wrapping up my second semester of college while daydreaming about seeing family for the first time in over a decade and walking the streets I only remembered through faded memories and old photos. But what was supposed to be a trip about roots and reconnection became a reminder of the fragility of peace.

While the rest of the world condemns these abominations, the U.S. stands and applauds. We send instruments of death to Israel’s genocidal project. Our weapons level their cities, with nearly 60% of all buildings in Gaza damaged or destroyed. And as generations of Palestinians are slaughtered, Israel sells property on their graves.

The Middle East has always been a politically and religiously volatile region. Whether you stick to recent history or look toward the past, you will see a region stricken with a variety of wars and issues that need to be addressed by not only countries in these areas, but also the West and other developed countries throughout the world.

A network of tunnels Palestinian militants have dug from Gaza to Israel — dubbed “lower Gaza” by the Israeli military — is taking center stage in the latest war between Hamas and Israel.

It seems as if the world is talking about the violence and protests in the Middle East. With so much news flying around, it can be difficult to make sense of what is going on.

The protests in Libya received the most initial focus, due to the tragic deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The cause for this attack was first attributed to an offensive anti-Islamic video that had been posted on YouTube. However, reports have recently surfaced that suggest otherwise.