Israel-Palestine Conflict: An unsolvable problem?

The current conflict between Israel and Palestine has had monumental consequences for the people of the region. There have been over 10,000 deaths, the vast majority Palestinian, as well as around 600,000 civilians who have been displaced in the past month alone.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has deep roots in history. The Balfour Declaration in 1917 (proposed by the British government, that in the aftermath of World War 1 had the mandate to rule the region) supported an idea to provide Jews with a homeland in the Palestinian region which caused a steady influx of Jewish immigrants over a number of years. After the Holocaust in World War 2, the USA, UK and France all supported the idea for a state for Jews in the Palestinian region. Eventually, via a UN resolution in 1948, the region was distributed

amongst the Jewish settlers and the Arab inhabitants of the region. However, this resolution was rejected by the neighboring Arab states, resulting in a war in the region. As a result of this war, Israel occupied more territory than the UN resolution had granted it, and millions of Palestinian Arabs became refugees. Most Arab states in the Middle East have refused to recognize the state of Israel and there have been a number of armed conflicts in the region over the past 70 years. Both the Jewish citizens of Israel and the Palestinian civilians have lived in the shadow of conflict over these many decades.

The immediate conflict began when a terrorist group called Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7th, killing 1,400 innocent civilians and taking more than 200 hostages. In response to this barbaric attack on its people, Israel has conducted a series of attacks on the Gaza strip in order to eliminate the Hamas organization. However, this has been disastrous for the Palestinian civilians living on the crowded Gaza strip, as they have not only had to face death via the incessant bombardment by Israel but have also been cut off from access to basic needs like fuel and water. The Hamas attackers are unfortunately living within the civilian population making it almost impossible to prevent innocent deaths in attempting to identify and root out the terrorists.

In the Middle East, Arab nations have traditionally had a hostile relationship with Israel with most of the countries refusing to acknowledge its status as an independent state. This led to decades of hostility and instability in the region. However, in the past decade or so, relations between a number of Middle Eastern countries particularly, UAE, Bahrain amongst others, have thawed.

In recent years, countries like Jordan and Egypt began what is called the process of normalization. The Abraham Accords signed in Sep 2020 were agreements for Arab-Israeli normalization of relationships. In the last year, Saudi Arabia (a major player in the region) showed interest in a trade agreement with Israel. Arab nations have shown interest in Israel’s irrigation technology before. The technology is especially important because of the dry climate in the area. However, all of these agreements were stopped in their tracks when Hamas managed to bring attention back to the plight of the Palestinian peoples. In response, the Arab nations have come together as a bloc and condemned the actions of Israel unequivocally and pledged unwavering support to the people of Palestine. As a result the Middle East is plunged back into conflict and instability. Also, the conflict in this region could have drastic effects on the world.

In my opinion, the Israel-Palestine conflict was caused by the western allies trying to solve a problem but creating a larger issue. In trying to create a Jewish state post the suffering of World War 2, they took land which did not necessarily belong to them and gave it away without concern for the current Arab inhabitants scattered around the region. Also, although Hamas’ terrorist actions are in no way justified, they have brought global attention to an issue which required solving. There does not appear to be a current plan for the region, with both sides currently preoccupied with thoughts of revenge, leading to the continued persecution of innocents in the region.

Though solutions have failed in the past and one will be very difficult to come to for both Israel and Palestine, I feel like an agreement is necessary for a stop in conflict and to create the possibility for long lasting peace in the region. A two state solution with concessions from both sides could lead to a possible agreement. This will require mediation by external nations and a willingness to negotiate from both sides and possibly the emergence of strong peaceful Palestinian leaders. Also, as agreed in the Oslo accords in 1993, I believe that Palestine should be made its own autonomous state.

The plight of the Palestinian people has been especially sad. Several children in the Gaza

Strip have become orphans due to the ongoing conflict and their futures look bleak. Therefore, Hamas’ offers for revenge are even more enticing. As a child myself, it makes me feel so privileged to be alive and well. It makes me wonder how people can just end the lives of thousands of others. Each and every human life is important, and none more than the other.

Overall, the Israel-Palestine conflict has displaced millions of people over many decades. The conflict has evolved over the years since the declaration of Israeli independence in 1948. A two state solution to this conflict is necessary with concessions from both sides to prevent any further conflict. The war wages on in Israel and Palestine and the people continue to suffer but to every problem, there is a solution.