Published by Alex Osintsev
ALEX_ ISRAELI - PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
The 100-year-old Gaza-Israel conflict has reached extremely high tensions in the last weeks. However, the origins of the conflict remain a mystery to many.
The Gaza-Israel clash originates from a Post-WW1, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, when the Palestinian land was claimed by Britain. The land was subsequently inhabited by a Jewish minority and an Arab majority. The problems began when Britain was tasked with creating a “national home” for the Jews. The Jews claimed that Palestine was their ancestral home, and so did the Palestinian Arabs. Throughout the 40’s, the Jewish population steadily grew, with many Jews seeking a homeland after the Holocaust. The growing number of Jews caused more unrest between the Jews and Arabs, as well as opposition against the
British rule. In 1947, the United Nations voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish
and Arab states, with Jerusalem becoming an international city. However, the plan was accepted by the Jewish leaders, but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented. The issue persisted until 1948, which caused Britain to essentially give up on the cause, and the Jewish leaders to declare the state of Israel. A war followed. More than 700,000 Arabs were evicted from their homes during the 1948 Palestinian Exodus, or the “Catastrophe”. After almost a year of fighting which ended in a ceasefire the following year, Israel came out on the winning end, being in control of most of the territory. As a result of the war, Jordan occupied what is known today as the West Bank, and Egypt occupied Gaza. Almost 2 decades later, in 1967, another war occurred in which Israel claimed the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
Palestinian refugees, now residing in Gaza, the West Bank, as well as in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan were never allowed to return to their homes, since Israel believed that this would overrun the state and threaten its existence.
Israel continues to occupy the West Bank, and the UN still deems Gaza to have been part of occupied territory notwithstanding Israel's retreat.
The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, while Israel claims the whole city of Jerusalem as its capital. Only the few countries, such as the US, recognise Israel's claim to the entire city. Over the last 50 years, Israel has established settlements in these areas, culminating in a community of over 600,000 Jews. Palestinians argue that such actions are illegal under international law and that they impede peace, but Israel denies this. Disputes between Israel and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank are frequently high. Gaza is run by Hamas, which is a Palestinian militant group that has contended against Israel repeatedly in the past. Israel and Egypt retain firm control over Gaza's borders in order to avoid firearms from infiltrating Hamas. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank claim Israeli actions and restrictions are bringing people suffering. Israel argues it is only acting in self-defence against Palestinian violence. Since the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in mid-April 2021, things have gotten worse, with nightly skirmishes between police and Palestinians. The potential of eviction for certain Palestinian families in East Jerusalem has sparked further outrage