The Palestine issue has been a century-old now. The fresh conflict started in April 2021 between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza Strip. Gaza has been claimed by Israel and Egypt for years. Hamas, a faction of Palestinians, has taken hold of the Gaza strip for a long time. Recently a ceasefire has been agreed upon between Israel and the Palestinian militant faction, Hamas.
The ceasefire was agreed upon after almost 11 days of fighting during which more than 240 people were killed. Most of the deaths have been reported in the Gaza territory of the Palestinian Muslims. Israel and Hamas both have claimed to be victorious in the latest conflict. The latest conflict started a month ago but the fighting has been taking place for many decades.
A Century-Old Conflict
The conflict of Palestine can be traced back to more than a hundred years following the public declarations of a Jewish homeland in Arab, the first Zionist congress in 1897, and the 1917 Balfour Declaration. After WWI, the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East along came under the control of Britain.
Britain already had made up their mind of making a new settlement for Jews. Palestine, which was an integral part of the Middle East because of the Holy Sites of the Muslims, was inhabited by Arab Muslims as majority and Jews as a minority. The International community pressed Britain to make a National Homeland for Jews in the Middle Eastern territory of Palestine.
The International community pushed Jews into emigrating into Palestine. With this, the population of Jews continues to rise in the Palestinian territory but still, they were a minority. It must be kept in mind that for Jews, Palestine was their ancestral home, but now Palestinian Arab Muslims were residing there and had laid claim to the land.
The Jews Immigration into Palestine continues to rise from the 1920 period onwards as many Jews fled from the persecution in Europe and also wanted to seek a new homeland following the Holocaust of WWII. Violence continues to rise between Jews and the Arab Muslims residing in Palestine. The United Nations, in 1947, voted for Palestine to be divided into two separate states: one for the Jews and the other for the Arab Muslims.
According to the UN, a two-state solution was the only way to resolve this conflict. The UN also declared Jerusalem an international city. This two-state plan was accepted by Jews but rejected by Arabs.
Al-Nakba and the creation of Israel
Following the 1947 UN plan, the British left the Colonial Empire and along with it the Middle East. The Palestine conflict stayed unresolved and the problem still exists. After Britain’s exit, many Palestinian Arab Muslims objected to the settlements of the Jews in the region and then War followed afterwards in 1948.
The Jihadi troops from neighbouring Muslim countries invaded the region and fighting continued. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes in what is called Al Nakba, meaning a catastrophe. Israel had taken hold of most of the territories by the time the conflict ended with a ceasefire the following year. Jordan and Egypt occupied West Bank and Gaza subsequently.
Jerusalem was divided into 2 parts, Jews in the west and Arabs in the east. In this manner, Israel came into being as the Jews named all the areas under their control as Israel.
In another war in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank and most of the Syrian Golan Heights, Gaza, and the Egyptian Sinai peninsula. Most of the Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in neighbouring Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
None of them has been allowed by Israel to return to their homes. Israel says this would threaten their existence. Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The US is the only country to recognize Israel’s claim to the whole of the city. In the past 50 years, Israel has built settlements in these areas, where more than 600,000 Jews are now living. Palestinians say these are illegal under international law and are obstacles to peace, but Israel denies it.
The latest conflict of April 2021
Gaza is ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has fought Israel many times. Israel and Egypt tightly control Gaza’s borders to stop weapons from getting to Hamas. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank say they’re suffering because of Israeli actions and restrictions. Israel says it is only acting to protect itself from Palestinian violence.
Things have escalated since the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in mid-April 2021, with clashes between police and Palestinians. The threatened eviction of some Palestinian families in East Jerusalem has also caused rising anger. There are several issues which Israel and the Palestinians cannot agree on.
These include what should happen to Palestinian refugees, whether Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank should stay or be removed, whether the two sides should share Jerusalem, and perhaps most tricky of all whether a Palestinian state should be created alongside Israel. Peace talks have been taking place on and off for more than 25 years, but so far have not solved the conflict.
Conclusion
In a crux, the situation isn’t going to be sorted out any time soon. The most recent peace plan, prepared by the United States, when Donald Trump was President – called “the deal of the century” by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu – has been dismissed by the Palestinians as one-sided. Any future peace deal will need both sides to agree to resolve complex issues.
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