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The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is one of the longest and bloodiest in the Middle East
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The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has reached unprecedented levels of tension in recent years.
Israel said on Saturday (October 7) that it had entered a state of “war preparation” after Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched a surprise attack earlier in the day.
Dozens of armed Hamas fighters entered southern Israel by land.
The Israeli army responded with attacks on targets in Gaza and left reservists on standby.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the country was “at war.”
While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that his people had the right to defend themselves against the “terror of the settlers and occupying forces.”
This is the latest escalation of a long and bloody confrontation with no immediate resolution that has characterized the Middle East for decades.
Below you can review eight questions and answers to understand the conflict.
1. How did the conflict begin?
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In one of the most violent episodes in recent years, clashes broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian forces in Gaza.
Under the influence of the antiSemitism of Jews in Europe, the Zionist movement, which wanted to establish a state for the Jews, grew stronger at the beginning of the 20th century.
The region of Palestine between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, considered sacred to Muslims, Jews and Catholics, was then part of the Ottoman Empire and was inhabited primarily by Arabs and other Muslim communities. But heavy Jewish immigration, encouraged by Zionist efforts, began to generate resistance.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the United Kingdom received a mandate from the League of Nations to administer the territory of Palestine.
But before and during the war, the British made several promises to the Arabs and Jews that were later not kept partly because the United Kingdom had already shared the Middle East with France.
This created a climate of tension between Arab nationalists and Zionists, which led to clashes between Jewish paramilitary groups and Arab gangs.
After World War II and the Holocaust, pressure grew to establish a Jewish state. The original plan called for the division of the territory controlled by the European power between Jews and Palestinians.
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After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the United Kingdom took over administration of the territory of Palestine
After the founding of Israel on May 14, 1948, tensions were no longer a local problem but a regional problem.
The next day, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq invaded the newly created territory. It was the first ArabIsraeli war, which Jews also refer to as the War of Independence or Liberation.
After the conflict, the territory originally planned by the United Nations to create an Arab state was reduced by half.
For the Palestinians, the Nakba began, the socalled “destruction” or “catastrophe”: the beginning of national tragedy. Around 750,000 Palestinians fled to neighboring countries or were driven out by Israeli troops.
In 1956, a crisis in the Suez Canal would confront the State of Israel with Egypt. The problem was not solved on the battlefield but through international pressure on Israel, France and England.
The fight ended in the Six Day War in 1967. What happened between June 5 and 10 had profound and lasting consequences.
It was a devastating victory for Israel against an Arab coalition.
Israel captured the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Half a million Palestinians became refugees.
The last ArabIsraeli conflict was the Yom Kippur War in 1973, which pitted Egypt and Syria against Israel and allowed Cairo to retake Sinai (which was completely abandoned by Israel in 1982). However, Gaza remained under Israeli control
Six years later, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign peace with Israel, an example only followed years later by Jordan.
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The State of Israel was officially founded on May 14, 1948
2. Why was the State of Israel founded in the Middle East?
Jewish tradition indicates that the territory in which the State of Israel is located is the land promised by God to the first patriarch Abraham and his descendants.
The area was invaded in ancient times by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Macedonians and Romans. Rome was the empire that gave the region its name Palestine and that expelled the Jews seven decades after Christ after fighting nationalist movements seeking independence.
With the advent of Islam in the 7th century AD, Palestine was occupied by the Arabs and then conquered by the European Crusaders. In 1516, Turkish rule was established and lasted until World War I, when British control was introduced.
The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), in its report to the General Assembly on September 3, 1947, stated that the reasons for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Middle East were based on “arguments based on biblical and historical sources” . in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which the British government advocated a “nation” of Jews in Palestine, and in the British Mandate over Palestine.
There the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and the foundations for the restoration of the “Jewish national home” in this region were recognized.
With the Holocaust of millions of Jews in Europe before and during the Second World War, international pressure for the recognition of a Jewish nation state grew.
Unable to resolve the polarization between Arab nationalism and Zionism, the British government took the matter to the United Nations.
On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly approved a plan for the partition of Palestine, which provided for the creation of an independent Arab state, a Jewish state and a special regime for the city of Jerusalem.
The plan was accepted by the Israelis, but not by the Arabs, who viewed it as a loss of territory. That’s why it was never implemented.
One day before the expiration of the British Mandate for Palestine, on May 14, 1948, the Jewish Agency for Israel, which represented Jews during the mandate, declared the independence of the State of Israel.
The next day, Israel applied for membership in the United Nations, a status it finally achieved a year later.
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Israeli Prime Minister David BenGurion at the official proclamation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 in Tel Aviv
3. Why are there two Palestinian territories?
In its report to the General Assembly in 1947, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) recommended that the Arab state should include “Western Galilee, the mountainous region of Samaria and Judea, excluding the city of Jerusalem, and the coastal plain of Ishdud” by the Egyptian border.
However, the division of the territory was determined by the 1949 Armistice Line, established after the creation of Israel and the first ArabIsraeli war.
The two Palestinian territories are the West Bank (which includes East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, which are about 45 km apart. They have an area of 5,970 km2 and 365 km2 respectively (see map below).
The West Bank lies between Jerusalem, claimed as the capital by both Palestinians and Israelis, and Jordan to the east, while Gaza is a strip 41 km long and between 6 and 12 km wide.
Gaza has a 51 km long border with Israel, 7 km with Egypt and a 40 km long Mediterranean coastline.
Originally occupied by Israelis, who still retain control of the southern border, the Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and was not evacuated until 2005, although an air, sea and land blockade remains in place today, restricting the movement of goods. Services and people.
The Gaza Strip is currently controlled by Hamas, the largest Palestinian Islamic group, which has never recognized agreements signed between other Palestinian factions and Israel.
The West Bank, on the other hand, is ruled by the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized government whose main faction, Fatah, is not Islamic but rather secular.
4. Have the Palestinians and Israelis never signed a peace agreement?
After the establishment of the State of Israel and the displacement of thousands of people who lost their homes, the Palestinian nationalist movement began to regroup in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, controlled by Jordan and Egypt, respectively, as well as in refugee camps set up in other countries. Arabic states.
Shortly before the 1967 war, Palestinian organizations such as Fatah led by Yasser Arafat founded the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and launched operations against Israel, first from Jordan and then from Lebanon.
These attacks also included Israeli targets on European territory, such as aircraft, embassies or athletes.
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The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993, were the first peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians
After years of Palestinian attacks and targeted killings by Israeli security forces, the PLO and Israel signed the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, in which the Palestinian organization renounced “violence and terrorism” and recognized Israel’s “law” to “exist in peace and security.” .”
The Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas has never accepted this recognition.
According to the agreements signed in Oslo, the Palestinian Authority was created to represent the Palestinians in international forums.
The president of the authority is elected by direct election and in turn elects a prime minister and cabinet members. Civil and security authorities control urban areas (Area A according to Oslo), while only civilian and not security representatives control rural areas (Area B).
East Jerusalem, considered the historic capital of the Palestinians, is not included in this agreement.
Jerusalem is one of the most controversial points between those involved.
5. What are the main points of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis?
The delay in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the construction of Israeli colonies in the West Bank and the security barrier around this area condemned by the International Court of Justice in The Hague have complicated the peace process.
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Jerusalem has always been a major point of contention and a constant source of violence between Israelis and Palestinians
But these are not the only obstacles, as the failure of the last peace negotiations between the two groups at Camp David in the United States in 2000 made clear.
The then American President Bill Clinton was unable to reach an agreement between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
The seemingly irreconcilable differences are:
Jerusalem: Israel claims sovereignty over the city (holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians) and claims it is its capital after conquering the eastern part in 1967. This is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to become their capital.
Boundaries and terrain: The Palestinians demand that the future state respect the borders before June 4, 1967, i.e. before the start of the SixDay War. Israel rejects the proposal.
Settlements: The colonies, illegal under international law, were established by the Israeli government in the territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war. More than half a million Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinian refugees: How many refugees there are depends on who does the math. According to the PLO, there are 10.6 million, almost half of whom are registered with the United Nations. Palestinians maintain that refugees have the right to return to what is now considered Israeli territory. Israel, on the other hand, says opening the doors would destroy the identity of the Jewish state.
6. Is Palestine a country?
The United Nations recognized Palestine as a “nonmember observer state” in late 2012. The country thus ceased to be an “observer unit”.
The change allowed Palestinians to participate in General Assembly debates and expanded opportunities for membership in UN agencies and other bodies.
But the vote did not actually create the Palestinian state. A year earlier, the Palestinians tried but did not receive enough support in the Security Council.
More than 70% of the members of the UN General Assembly (138 out of 193) recognize Palestine as a state.
7. Why is Israel the most important ally of the USA? Who supports the Palestinians?
First, one must consider the existence of a significant and powerful proIsrael lobby in the United States. This results in public opinion being generally positive towards the Israeli position. Therefore, it is virtually impossible for an American president to withdraw support for Israel.
In addition, both nations are allies in the military field: Israel is one of the largest recipients of American aid, most of which comes in the form of subsidies for the purchase of weapons.
However, in December 2016, during the term of President Barack Obama, an atypical step was taken in US policy towards Israel: the country did not veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s colonization policy.
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With Trump, Netanyahu had a strong ally in the White House
But Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House gave new impetus to USIsrael relations, reflected in the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
As a result, the United States became the first country in the world to recognize this city as the capital of Israel.
In the final months of his presidency, Trump managed to persuade four rich Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel.
Current American President Joe Biden came to power with the intention of escaping the risky IsraeliPalestinian conflict and also saw it as a problem requiring great political capital.
The Biden administration continues to support recognizing Israel but has moved toward more cautious diplomacy.
The Palestinians have no open support from any power.
In the region, Egypt stopped supporting Hamas after deposing the Muslim Brotherhood, which was historically linked to the Palestinian group.
Syria, Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah are Palestine’s main supporters.
The Palestinian cause has many supporters around the world, but so far no concrete progress has resulted from it.
8. What must happen for lasting peace between Israel and Palestine?
On the one hand, Israelis would have to support a sovereign state for the Palestinians, including Hamas, that ends the blockade of Gaza and restrictions on movement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
On the other hand, Palestinian groups should renounce violence and recognize the state of Israel.
Another reasonable point of agreement would have to concern borders, Israeli colonies and the return of Palestinian refugees.
However, many things have changed since 1948 (the year the State of Israel was founded), most notably the configuration of the disputed territories following the wars between Arabs and Israelis.
For Israel, these are fait accompli. Palestinians disagree and insist that the borders must be those that existed before the 1967 war.
While things on the battlefield in Gaza are becoming more and more uncontrollable, in the West Bank there is a kind of silent war with the continued construction of Israeli colonies that is shrinking Palestinian territory in the autonomous areas.
But perhaps the most complicated issue because of the symbolism is Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinians and Israelis.
Both the Palestinian Authority, which rules the West Bank, and the Hamas group in Gaza claim the eastern part as their capital, even though Israel occupied it in 1967.
Without resolving this delicate issue, a final agreement will never be possible.