With a mortality rate over 21 000 deaths and an estimated injury rate of 60 000 people, the Israeli-Palestine war is being coined a modern day genocide. However, it isn’t a modern war existing through spontaneous combustion nor an overnight coup. To understand this conflict, we have to understand its history and the context behind its nature. This war has occupied time and history in the Middle-East for over seven decades, with its roots developing since the late 19th century.
Pre-1917 Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, with around 6-percent Jewish residents. Upon conquering Palestine in 1917 and ending the Ottoman-Turk reign, Britain implemented the Balfour Declaration - which was a pledge to establish a home for the Jews in Palestine. As a result, and in tandem with evading Nazism in Europe, many Jews began to migrate to Palestine. This trans-migration further incited the Zionist movement which had already existed as a political ideology since the late 19th century. Zionists advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The movement argued that Jews had a historical right to the land, and that they needed a state of their own in order to be safe and prosperous.
With the Zionism expansion and influx of Jews (population rose from 6 percent to 33 percent in just 3 decades), tension grew between the Palestinians and Jews leading to the Palestinian revolt in the late 1930’s. Due to the increased tension, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. At this time, Palestine was given 45% of the land, whilst Jerusalem remained under International control. The Jewish community accepted the plan, but the Arab community rejected it as Jews were given the majority of the land (55%). However, to Palestine's disappointment, the State of Israel was established which led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The war ended in 1949, with Israel being the victor and 750 000 Palestinians being displaced (Nakba) and the land being divided into 3-parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and the Gaza Strip. Hence, West-Jerusalem is majority Jewish whilst East-Jerusalem has a majority Palestinian population. Further tension grew within the Middle-East, particularly between Israel and other Arab states like Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Thus, these countries signed mutual defense pacts in anticipation of an Israeli invasion subsequently after the 1956 Suez crisis and invasion of the Sinai Peninsula. Through actions of the previous Egyptian president, Israel planned an attack on Egyptian and Syrian air troops. This initiated the 1967 Six-Day war where Israel captured East-Jerusalem: taking control over the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt; the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and East- Jerusalem from Jordan as well as the Golan Heights from Syria. This led to a further 300 000 Palestinians being displaced. The capture of East- Jerusalem had a significant religious impact for Christians, Muslims and Jews as it houses the Old City (a World Heritage Site). Furthermore, the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Muslims: al-Haram al-Sharif; Jews: Temple Mount) is also located here.
To regain the territory lost, Egypt and Syria launched attacks on Israel during the Yom Kippur war. Although they were not victorious, Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords following consecutive ceasefires and peace negotiations. Although this improved relations between Israel and its neighboring countries, it did nothing for Palestine’s self-governance. This led to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (Palestine Liberation Organization) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signing the 1993 Oslo I Accords, which allowed Palestinians to self-govern in the West Bank and Gaza. These Accords aimed to achieve peace within 5-years and was the first time either side recognized one another. In 1995, the Oslo II Accords partitioned the occupied West Bank into three areas: Area A, B and C. It mandated that Israel withdraw occupation in 6 cities and 450 towns in the West Bank. This only granted the Palestine Liberation Organization 18% of the land (Area A) as Israel would continue to occupy the majority.
The Oslo Accords tended to fade away as Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, increased in the West Bank (250 000 to 700 000 people). Due to this, Palestine launched its second intifada in 2000 which lasted for five years. Israel responded by building a separation wall around the West Bank in 2002, opposing the International Criminal Court and Court of Justice. This generated Factionalism amongst Palestinian communities and restricted mobility as there are approximately 700 road blocks, consisting of 140 checkpoints in the West Bank. Factional Palestinians also increased once Hamas won the elections in 2006, removing long standing party Fatah. However, the World did not acknowledge this electoral triumph as western governments viewed Hamas as a terrorist organization since the late 90’s. There were multiple disputes between Hamas and Fatah before Fatah later joined into a unity government with Hamas in 2014.
Following Hamas coming into power, Israel had imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 which still exists today. This 16-year long blockade over Gaza has restricted goods and people from travelling in and out of Gaza. It has allowed Israel to take full control over Gaza’s airspace and waters, resulting in strict land, air and sea control. This has left over 2-million people in Gaza trapped in an area of 365km2, leaving an unemployment rate of 45% and food insecurity within households at 65%. This blockade has destroyed Palestine’s societal and economic standing. As a result, multiple military confrontations between Israeli military and Hamas ensued. In 2014, Hamas fired 3000 rockets at Israel, with Israel retaliating on offense. After a series of violence between the two nations, former Palestinian president (Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah) stated that Palestinians would no longer follow the regional partitioning mandated by the Oslo Accords.
This resulted in a series of airstrikes, death accumulation and heightened violence between Hamas and Israel in 2018, which also bore political tension between Hamas and Fatah. Consequently, this ended the unity agreement culminating in Fatah controlling the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority Organization and Hamas controlling the Gaza strip. The USA terminated their funding to UN agencies which assist Palestinian refugees and relocated their embassy to Jerusalem. In addition, they supported the Abraham Accords which Fatah and Hamas rejected. In 2021, an 11-day series of air bombardments caused major destruction to both military and non-military infrastructure with a death toll of 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
The causes of the conflict between Palestine and Israel are complex and multifaceted:
Religious conflict: Palestine is a holy land for both Jews and Muslims. Jews believe that it is the land promised to them by God, whilst Muslims believe that it is the site of the third holiest mosque in Islam (Al-Aqsa mosque). This religious conflict has led to violence and bloodshed on both sides.
Land conflict: The land of Palestine is scarce, and it is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. The two sides have different historical claims to the land, and they have been unable to agree on a fair division of the territory.
Political conflict: The Israelis and Palestinians have different political aspirations. The Israelis want to maintain their state, while the Palestinians want to establish their own state. This political conflict has made it difficult to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is a complex and long-standing one. It has its roots in religious, land, and political disputes. The conflict has been marked by violence on both sides, and it has caused immense suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians. There is no easy solution to the conflict, but it is important to understand its causes and history in order to find a peaceful resolution.
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