For over 75 years, since the occupation of Palestine began, the Israeli apartheid regime has systematically engaged in ethnic cleansing. It has pursued a deliberate policy of settler colonialism and forced displacement of the native population. Since October 7, 2023, and as a consequence of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, more than 85% of its population, nearly two million people, have been displaced. To date, approximately 30,000 individuals, including over 12,000 children, have lost their lives.

The occupation has long pursued settler colonialist policies, systematically seizing both private and public Palestinian lands. Since 1948, the occupation has been relentless in destroying and abusing the environment to exploit Palestine’s natural resources. Israel pollutes and destroys these resources while consistently depriving Palestinians of their rightful access to them. This includes direct military actions, such as seizing water sources, uprooting trees, contaminating the soil, and constructing highly polluting factories. Moreover, the occupation attempts to greenwash its image by participating in environmental initiatives and events.

In this article, we address these environmental violations and focus on the ecocide committed by the occupation in both Palestine and Lebanon. This serves as a reflection of how military operations and occupation significantly impact the environment and climate, issues that often go unaddressed in environmental conferences like the recent COP28, held in the region.