By Celine Zeineldine | Staff Writer

War is well known to be the ultimate source of destruction. War is typically defined as an “armed conflict between two or more parties, usually fought for political ends.” Doesn’t that mean that two sides should be fighting each other for it to be called a war? So how come it is called war when it comes to Israel and Palestine? Genocide is defined as “​the murder of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group, with the aim of destroying that nation or group.” Now that sounds more like what is happening to Palestinians in Gaza, doesn’t it?

Imagine that your people are being cleansed off the Earth and that there is nothing you could do about it. Among countless others, this is what Palestinian-Chilean singer and songwriter Elian Marjieh, stage name Elyanna, is experiencing. While most of the world is merely a bystander, she decided to use her voice to express the pain that her land is going through.

With the help of her brother and mother, Elyanna wrote the Arabic song “غصن زيتون” or “Olive Branch.” On December 15th of 2023, Elyanna posted a video of her performance opening for the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt. Her brother played the piano alongside her. Though resilient, her voice broke when she performed this song. In her post, she confirmed that she had never gotten this emotional on stage before. Not only was her pain expressed through this performance, but a fragment of the suffering that Palestinians are enduring was conveyed as well.

Palestine is known to be the land of olives and vines. It is not a coincidence that olive branches are also a symbol of peace. This explains why Elyanna sends her regards to Palestine through an olive branch. Though the song is quite short, it expresses the hopelessness that she feels being away from Palestine while it is being destroyed. She vocalizes the fact that peace has died in the land of peace and sends her prayers and an olive branch in hope that it might contribute to saving her land. Elyanna also expresses that the world is a quiet witness by saying that the world is sleeping on a wounded child. This pushes for action to be taken against the Palestinian genocide.

Art is a great way to convey feelings that are being ignored. In this case, Elyanna raises awareness towards Palestinian suffering through the means of music. Music is one of the best ways to reach people who won’t listen. Once one finds a harmony they like, they start hearing the lyrics. Having had the song “Olive Branch” on repeat for the past week—including while writing this article—I know that the harmony is immaculate. I do hope that after hearing this song, people will start to listen to the words. Not only the lyrics of this song, but the words of those of the Palestinians being killed by Israel.