On October 7, in a deadly attack on Israel,
Hamas killed at least 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostages. The attack
by Hamas evoked strong reactions from the international community and Israel.
In a counter-attack, Israel has launched an operation against Hamas in Gaza, and
more than 8,000 people have been killed in strikes, including thousands of
women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.[1]
Every day, hundreds of people are losing their lives, leaving their homes, and
running away to survive the war. Whether it is Palestinians or Israelis, blood
is being spilled. It is the common innocent people who are suffering the most.
It is important to note that the attack by Hamas has brought new-found
attention to the Israel-Palestine question. The carefully planned attack by
Hamas was perhaps designed to bring attention to the Palestinian’s cause once
again.
Palestinians have been fighting a long battle
with Israel for the creation of an independent homeland. The Israel and
Palestine conflict is a territorial conflict between the Jewish Zionist project
and the Palestinian nationalist project. Both lay claim to the same land. Even
after decades of fighting and intermittent peace processes, no agreement has
been reached between Israel and Palestine. Both trace their claims to the land
to history. Though Israel was able to form an independent Jewish nation back in
1948, Palestinians are still fighting to establish their independent nation.
There are various reasons why Palestinians are still waiting to establish their
state despite many attempts and treaties. This will be discussed in this
piece.
The conflict can be traced back to the late
nineteenth and early twentieth century when Zionism started gaining traction.
In 1897, Some Jews founded the World Zionist Organisation. These people called
Palestine their national homeland.[2]
They do it on the basis of thousands of years old history. Almost 2,000 years
ago, most of the Jews were driven out of Palestine by the Romans. With the
constant rise in anti-Semitism in Europe in the 19th Century, Jews looked towards
Palestine for safe refuge. However, the problem was that significant population
of Arabs was already living in Palestine. Though gradually Jews were settling
in Palestine, they didn’t have sufficient numbers to alarm the Arabs.
However, after the defeat of the Ottoman
Empire, Palestine became the mandate of Britain which issued the Balfour
Declaration allowing Jews to form the Jewish nation for themselves in
Palestine. These two events alarmed the Arabs and the resistance started. The
1936 violent protests made the British suggest peaceful plans to resolve the
issue but plans were rejected. During the Second World War (WW2), thousands of
Jews arrived in Palestine and settled but after the end of WW2, Britain unable
to cope with rising tensions in Palestine, referred the matter to the United
Nations. The UN voted for a two-state solution, leading to the formation of a
Jewish state and Palestine.[3]
However, the situation became more complicated after Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon,
Iraq, and Syria attacked the newly formed Israel in 1948 and lost the war. Due
to this, Palestinian people suddenly lost 3/4th of their land, and West Bank
was acquired by Jordan and the city of Jerusalem was also divided between
Israel and Jordan.
The subsequent wars between the Arab States
and Israel made the peace settlement more complicated. For example, in the 1967
war, Israel captured the Gaza Strip and the whole of Sinai from Egypt, East
Jerusalem, and West Bank from Jordan, and Golan Heights from Syria. Israel also
ignored the UN order to return captured territories. This war further
complicated things because many Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their
capital. But after the war of Yom Kippur in 1973, a sign of peace appeared, and
in 1978 peace treaty was signed between Egypt and Israel at Camp David
(Maryland, USA). Though the treaty was signed between Egypt and Israel, it had
implications for Palestine as well because Egypt would no longer be able to
fight for the cause of Palestine, reducing support for the Palestinians.
The frustration of not reaching an agreement
on the formation of independent Palestine led to the First Intifada, a form of
civil disobedience movement against Israel.[4]
However, in 1993, a major peace agreement was signed between the
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel. According to this, Israel
and PLO recognised each other and the Palestinians were to be given limited
rule in Jericho in the West Bank and parts of the Gaza Strip. This is known as Oslo
Accord.
Israel demilitarised all of West Bank except
Hebron but this does not mean the peace was established and the path for the
creation of an independent Palestine state was cleared. The problem with all
these peace agreements is the subjectivity. The successive governments have
failed to honor these agreements in Israel. Too much discretion on the part of
the Prime Minister in this matter for domestic political gains has stalled the
peace processes. The right-wing governments of Israel often follow aggressive
policies, even giving statements about annexing the areas. These postures and
lack of continuity in Israel's policy on Palestine instill a sense of distrust
in Palestinians which makes them wary of any peace move by Israel in the
future.
Another main reason why Palestinians have not
got their independent state is the result of Israeli settlements. These
settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem started as an ideological process
but soon Israel introduced various schemes like affordable housing and
education which encouraged Israeli people to settle in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem. It is against the proposed two-state solution because according to
the two-state solution, the West Bank is supposed to be part of Palestine.
The Israeli
settlements are growing at a rapid pace. The number is so
high that without dismantling all the settlements, the two-state solution for
the creation of an independent Palestine state is almost impossible. This has
become a major issue in the peace process. The problem is Israel does not
recognise the ‘illegal occupation’ of the West Bank and
is not ready to dismantle the settlements.
Israel has built a massive wall around
Israeli settlements in the West Bank which has cut off
many Palestinians from accessing their livelihood sources like farms and
plantations.[5]
Israel does not even acknowledge this in the
peace process which is an important issue for Palestinians. This also stalls
the peace process. Another contentious issue in the Israel-Palestine conflict
is the question
of refugees. After the war of 1948, many
Palestinians were forced to move or migrate and became refugees suddenly in their own
country. The Palestinians want to go back to pre-1948 homelands
which Israel does not accept.
Thus, the lack of consensus on various issues
has made any peace settlement arduous. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians are
willing to concede. Israel has refused to talk to Hamas which has become a
major actor in the conflict. After the advent of Hamas and the violence
unleashed by it on Israel, it was designated as a terrorist organisation by
Israel. Besides this, Israel’s lack of consistency in any peace agreement
especially by the right-wing government has led to a lack of trust among
Palestinians. Israeli settlements in the ‘occupied West Bank’, massive walls,
and no acknowledgment of the right of refugees to return to pre-1948 land, have
stalled the peace process. Therefore, Palestinians are yet to get an
independent state despite various attempts.
Endnotes
[1] Israel-Palestine
crisis: Gaza’s north cut off from aid; death toll rising, UN News, Nov, 2,
2023, https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143107
[2] Origins and Evolution of
the Palestine Problem: 1917-1947 (Part I), United Nations, https://www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/part-i-1917-1947/#Origins_and_Evolution_of_the_Palestine_Problem_1917-1947_Part_I
[3] History of the Question of
Palestine, United Nations, https://www.un.org/unispal/history/
[4] The Origins and Evolution
of the Palestine Problem, Part V: 1989-2000 – CEIRPP, DPR study, United
Nations, New York, 2014, https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-209471/
[5] Israel’s
Occupation: 50 Years of Dispossession, June, 7, 2017, Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/israel-occupation-50-years-of-dispossession/
Shri Krishnaveer Singh Chahar is a blogger and holds a postgraduate degree in International Politics from Jamia Millia Islamia.
Article uploaded : 14-11-2023
Disclaimer : The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the organisation that he/she belongs to or of the USI of India.