"Israel-Palestine Conflict: History, Present Realities, and the Role of Hamas"

"Diving into the Israel-Palestine Conflict: A Comprehensive Overview with a Focus on Hamas"

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a long-standing and complex issue with deep historical roots. Summarizing it in one blog post can be challenging, but I'll provide an overview of the key points, historical background, and information about Hamas, along with some general statistics as of my last knowledge update in September 2021.

Historical Background: The Israel-Palestine conflict can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Jewish and Arab nationalist movements emerged in the Ottoman-ruled region of Palestine. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, issued by the British government, expressed support for a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. This declaration laid the groundwork for Jewish immigration and settlement.

After World War II and the Holocaust, the United Nations adopted a plan to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states in 1947. This plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by Arab nations. In 1948, Israel declared its independence, leading to a war between Israel and neighboring Arab states.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The conflict has seen multiple wars, uprisings, and peace processes over the decades. Key issues include the status of Jerusalem, the rights of Palestinian refugees, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and ongoing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The conflict has resulted in significant loss of life and suffering on both sides.

Hamas: Hamas is a Palestinian political and military organization that was founded in 1987. It has a complex history and is seen differently by different parties. Some view it as a resistance movement fighting against Israeli occupation, while others label it a terrorist organization. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, a territory that is separate from the West Bank and ruled by the Palestinian Authority. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have had tense relations, which further complicate the Palestinian political landscape.

Current Situation (as of my last update in September 2021): The Israel-Palestine conflict continues to be a source of tension. Conflicts and violence have erupted intermittently, with the latest major escalation being in May 2021. These conflicts often result in civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza and southern Israel. Efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement have been repeatedly stalled, and the situation remains highly complex and sensitive.

Statistics (as of September 2021):

• Total Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Approximately 5.3 million.
• Total Israeli population: Approximately 9.3 million.
• Number of Israeli settlements in the West Bank: Over 130.
• Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA: Over 5.6 million.
• Number of Palestinian and Israeli casualties in the 2021 conflict: Several hundred Palestinians and over a dozen Israelis.

many nations are interested in this attack and the reason behind it. I have no particular solution to this war but here comes the entry of Hamas a renowned terrorist group. Although Hamas is doing wrong with lot of people are defending Hamas. The reason can be :

They either don’t know what Hamas is, or they despise Israel, and/or Jews with a preoccupying hate.

If you read the official Hamas charter, you see their goals spelled out plain as day. It calls for:

1. The complete destruction of Israel is an essential condition for liberating Palestine.
2. The need for a jihad (holy war) to achieve this.
3. The dismissal of any negotiated resolution between Jewish and Muslim claims.
4. The reinforcement of historical antisemitic tropes.

There isn’t a sane country on Earth that would want to share a border with a country controlled by Hamas.

You can be pro-Palestine and also acknowledge that there isn’t a world where Hamas is going to be beneficial to Palestinians. The optics of kidnapping women and beheading babies will hurt the Palestinian desire to be free and prosper.

Even worse, Hamas intentionally embeds themselves within civilian populations when they fire and draw in more attacks that kill Muslims.

Israel isn’t a perfect actor in this story. But they have no choice but to retaliate and address the situation, which then plays into Hamas’s hands too because it will villainize Israel as more civilians are killed.

The whole situation is so screwed up. It is called the “forever conflict” for a reason. Glad I don’t live there.

As far as I am concerned about it, Hamas is a very powerful terrorist group.

There is a very disastrous consequence as it can lead to WWIII.

People in cars are burned supposedly say that is done by a group of Hamas. I thought it could be disturbing so I didn’t post it here.

How many casualties in Israel and Palestine?

• The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that at least 413 people had been killed and nearly 2,300 wounded so far in Israeli attacks.
• The Israeli death toll due to Hamas attacks rose to at least 700 people, according to the latest reports by Israeli media
• Israel’s health ministry has updated the number of Israelis wounded in the ongoing violence, saying 2,382 have been treated in hospitals so far.

Hamas has said it was motivated to launch the attack essentially as the culmination of long-building anger over Israeli policy, including recent outbreaks of violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, but more generally over the treatment of Palestinians and the expansion of Israeli settlements.

what actually is Hamas?

Hamas, officially the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Sunni Islamist political and militant organization currently governing the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories. While it is headquartered in Gaza City, it also has a presence in the West Bank, in which Fatah exercises control.

What is the Hamas fighting for?

Hamas subsequently signaled it was willing to accept a two-state solution based on Israel's borders as they were before 1967, but the group continued to reject Israel's right to exist and opposed the Oslo Accords negotiated by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s.

What happened and when?

• Early on Saturday morning, the #Palestinian armed group #Hamas against #Israel in the most serious escalation since their 11-day war in 2021.
• Hamas said it had fired 5,000 rockets, while Israel confirmed that the group’s fighters had entered its territory.
• Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesperson, said that the group attacked from the land, sea, and air.
• The first round of rocket was fired at 6:30am local time (03:30 GMT).

• The Israeli army also said it launched “Operation Iron Swords” against Hamas in the #Gaza Strip.
• The early-morning attacks occurred on Simchat Torah, a holiday that falls towards the conclusion of the weeklong Jewish festival known as Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles.

Where did the attacks take place?

• The rockets were fired as far north as Tel Aviv. Hamas also sent fighters into southern Israel.
• Israeli media said that gunmen had opened fire on passers-by in the town of Sderot, and footage circulating on social media appeared to show clashes in city streets as well as gunmen in jeeps roaming the countryside. One report claimed Hamas fighters had taken control of multiple Israeli civilian population centers, where residents were begging for help from their government.
• The Israeli army says dozens of fighter jets were carrying out attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
• Gun battles are ongoing in several towns in southern Israel.

The conflict in question is perhaps one of those chapters of History and present-day politics that might startle humanity. It is extremely difficult to point out the origin, the right, and the wrong. The more you read about it, the more you start to question the source of the information.

From 1882 to the end of the Second World War, a large-scale movement of Jews took place from around the world to a place called #Palestine.

In 1917, by the time the British took over Palestine, it announced that Palestine would be established as a national home for the Jewish people. It was known as the Balfour Declaration. After the widespread horrors of the Holocaust, the case for an independent Jewish state became even stronger.

The Arabs around Palestine were not particularly happy with the decision. Things intensified after the Second World War when the United Nations announced to split of the territory into three parts: Jews, Arabs, and an international trusteeship in Jerusalem. The Arabs, of course, were not willing to accept this decision.

An Israeli-Arab war broke out and a lot of undocumented events took place following it. According to Israelis, a lot of Arabs left voluntarily from Palestine, and according to another narrative, the Israelis forcefully began to vacate Arabs from their homes.

In 1948 alone, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled from their homes which is known as “Nakba” (Arabic for “Catastrophe). However, there were many Arabs who refused to move and stayed back.

After the war, Israel gained control of the majority of Palestinian territory except for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In 1967, another war broke out which lasted for 6 days. Israel took over control of the West Bank from Jordan by defeating Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian forces. Since then, peace talks have never ended in a peaceful conclusion. While those who fled in 1948, demanded that their homes be reinstated, Israel has been adamant with its demands.

In 1993, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed, and it was recognized as a representative of Palestinians by Israel. It was given some governance powers in the West Bank and Gaza. This was a temporary arrangement that was to initiate peace in the region but that like always, did not happen.

Israel’s to-be Prime Minister visited the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem which irked Palestinians as they saw it as a statement of Israel’s supremacy over the Al-Aqsa mosque (holy site for Muslims). this again led to a lot of violence.

Things heated up after this event, and there were thousands of casualties, the majority of them through suicide bombings.

The Israelis retreated from Gaza, and a terrorist organization, Hamas, a Sunni fundamentalist group took over the territory. Meanwhile, another group known as Fatah remained active in the West Bank.

Hamas wreaked Havoc through rocket and mortar attacks over the Border, and this led to Israelis refusing any kind of peace agreement. Israelis put Gaza under a blockade that limited basic food and energy supply for its population.

The Two-state solution kept forward which proposed an independent Palestine state west of the Jordan River also was a failure. Israel is not ready to let go of East Jerusalem which would have been the capital of the proposed Palestine state.

Three wars have been fought between militants in Gaza and Israelis since 2008. The next war is always on the cards.

The problem, as I see it is that Hamas, Israel, and every small group involved in this dispute seems to feel all the territory belongs to them. Honestly, the involvement of US in this issue only makes it worse.

There are only three ways this conflict can end.

One State Solution: Everyone lives peacefully forgetting the past in the territory.

Two-State Solution: Both sides accept split territories, and live peacefully.

Destruction: Human rights are abused from all angles, and one of the involved parties wipes out the other.

We can only study and comment on the situation, and as I see it, I do not see any peace in the region for a lot of the coming years. Israel is far ahead in terms of military prowess, and Palestinian outfits are too hardened by their past to give up.

I hope this war will soon be ended in peace.

Thank you