The History Behind the Destruction

It is not new information that Israel and the Palestinian people have been in conflict, as their war has been going on for more than a century. The real question is, why? Why do they have all these violent conflicts? There have been a series of wars between Israel and Arab nations, with uprisings against Israeli occupations and crackdowns by Israel also taking place. These wars are based on disputes over land, borders, and rights.

Before 1948, Britain took control of an area known as Palestine during World War I, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled that part of the Middle East. An Arab majority and Jewish minority population lived there, as well as other ethnic groups. However, tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations increased when the UK agreed in principle to establish a “national home” in Palestine for Jewish people. Despite the Jews having historical links to the land, the British agreed with Palestinian Arabs living there because of their claim over land centuries ago.

 Between the 1920s and 1940s, the number of Jews arriving grew immensely, with many fleeing persecution in Europe. Furthermore, after the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust, it gave an urgency to demand for a safe haven. Therefore, after accommodation changes, the Jewish population reached 630,000, just over 30% of the population by 1947. Still in 1947, because of  growing violence between Jews and Arabs – and against British rule – the United Nations voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states. Consequently, Jerusalem would become an international city. This decision was not supported by any Arab nations, as  they argued the plan gave the Jews more land even though their  population was smaller. Since prior issues were already happening due to the separation of land, Britain decided to abstain their vote, and the session was adjourned at the end of May 1948. Jewish leaders in Palestine declared an independent state, known today as Israel, hours before the British rule over Palestine came to an end. Israel was recognized by the UN in the following year. 

1948 Arab-Israeli War:

     The day after Israel declared its independence, it was attacked by the armies of five Arab nations. The conflict came to be known in Israel as its war of independence. The fight ended with an armistice in 1949, with Israel controlling most of the territory. Agreements left Egypt occupying the Gaze Strip, Jordan occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Israel occupying West Jerusalem. About 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes on land–which became Israel–and ended up as refugees. In the following years, hundreds of thousands of Jews left or were deported from Muslim-majority countries across the Middle East and North Africa, resulting in many migrations to Israel. 

1967 Middle East war: 

     Also known as the Six-Day War, this conflict changed boundaries in the Middle East, and had major consequences for Palestinians. The war started because Israel feared an attack by Egypt and Syria, and launched a strike on Egypt's air force. By the time the fight ended, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt, most of the Golan Heights from Syria, and East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. Israel kept control of these areas until this day; however, the nation made a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, in return for the Sinai. Despite the conflict with the other countries, Israel annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, making them part of its  country, although it has not been recognized by most of the international community. 

Currently, the West Blank–once taken by Israel from Jordan–is home to an estimated three million Palestinians. Along with East Jerusalem and Gaza, it is part of what are widely known as the “Occupied Palestinian Territories.” The Palestinians have always opposed Israel's presence in such areas. Even though Israel still has most control over the West Bank, the Palestinian Authorities have run most of its towns and cities since the 1990s. 

Israel's boundaries today:

      There are about 160 Israeli settlements, with the estimate of housing 700,000 Jews, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. However, Palestinians want all Israeli properties to be removed and to become illegal under international law. Israel's government mentions that the biggest buildings and constructions are at the very least permanent, and that all of the settlements are rooted in its historical rights. The Israeli government announced its plans to expand settlements after coming to power in 2022, since in its point of view, the creation of a Palestinian state would be a threat to Israeli security. 

The dispute over Jerusalem: 

     The conflict already began when both Israel and the Palestinians claimed Jerusalem as their capital. Israel, which already controlled West Jerusalem, occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later declared the entire city as its permanent capital, claiming the city cannot be divided. After that, the Palestinians claimed East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. 

What happened in the Gaza Strip?

For context, the Gaza strip is a stretch of land surrounded by Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to about 2.1 million people, and it is one of the most densely populated places in the world.

  Even prior to the latest war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza held one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with many citizens living in conditions below the poverty line and depending on food aid to survive. However, Gaza’s boundaries were resettled as a result of the 1948 Middle East war, when it was occupied by Egypt. Later on, Egypt was driven out  from Gaza in the 1967 war, and the strip was occupied by Israel. Furthermore, in 2005, Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza, though it still had control of its shared border, airspace, and shoreline, giving it effective control of the movement of people and goods. Moreover, Hamas won the Palestinian elections in 2006, and ejected its rivals from the territory after brutal fighting the following year. In response, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade (type of locking/sealing a place) in response. In the following years, Hamas and Israel's controversial argument continued to grow, with major conflicts such as those in 2008-09, 2012, and in 2014. Every round of fighting has seen people killed on both sides, forcing local citizens to leave their houses and go stay in refuges. 

Despite the war not being over, thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to Gaza's north, as Israel's prime minister thanked Donald Trump for promising  Gaza security against attacks. Trump was able to create a sort of agreement between the nations to remove  any immediate threats. “Hamas has until 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday to release all Israeli hostages, while Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian detainees.” It is expected only the best for the further conflict, with many professionals claiming that the disagreement might have a solution and predicting its ending in about two years. All best regards for the hurt and harmed, however hope is on its core.