Israel has been a very integral part of the news recently due to overwhelming violence. Many people are weighing in with their opinions on the conflict, likely due to the fact that the conflict creates a serious ethical dilemma for some. The source of the violence in Israel stems from a long history of conflict, and is a very serious and complex issue.
The area that is now occupied by Israel was originally a country called Palestine. Palestine was occupied by the Ottoman Empire until the end of the Empire in World War I. At the completion of World War I, control over Palestine and the surrounding countries was given to Britain. The intention behind this decision was that Britain would preside over these countries, including Palestine, until they were ready to become fully independent states. In other words, Britain was supposed to provide supervision of Palestine and guide it towards becoming an independent nation while also taking into account the people’s wishes. This, however, did not end up happening. Even though the surrounding nations under Britain’s control became independent, Britain had other plans for Palestine. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration which declared that Palestine would become a national home for Jewish people, who claimed historical and religious ties to the land. The declaration did not sit well for the people of Palestine, the majority of which were Arab and of the Muslim faith, who claimed different religious and historical ties to the land. (More information can be found on un.org.)
From 1922 to 1947, a large number of Jews immigrated to Palestine after Britain had issued the Balfour Declaration. The number of Jewish immigrants especially increased during World War II and Hitler’s persecution of Jews. Violence soon broke out between the Palestinians and Jewish immigrants who both held very different religious and world views, especially when it pertained to Palestinian land. There was also equal violence against British rule in Palestine. Due to all of the violence in the area between the two groups, in 1947, the newly formed United Nations (UN) decided to split the area into two independent states: one being Palestine Arab and the other being Jewish. The United Nations also decided to split the city of Jerusalem between both states, as both Muslims and Jews have intense religious ties to Jerusalem. While Jews in Palestine agreed to the plan, the Arab Palestinians did not. Unable to create peace between the two sides, Britain withdrew their control of the country in 1948. Following this withdrawal, Jewish leaders declared statehood and declared that they would be the nation of Israel. Following this declaration of statehood, five of the Arab countries surrounding Israel attacked the country. (More information can be found on un.org.)
After being involved in the war for a year, by 1949, Israel occupied all of the Palestine area, except for the West Bank and Gaza. The West Bank was occupied by Jordan, and Gaza was occupied by Egypt. The Arab Palestinians living in Israel were forced to flee to these areas occupied by Jordan and Egypt, or to the countries surrounding Israel due to violence inflicted upon them by Israel. Even after this claim of territory, the wars and violence in that area did not stop. After further war, by 1967, Israel had claimed all of the land that was once called Palestine, taking both the West Bank and Gaza. Despite everything, the Arab Palestinians and their descendants were still unable to return back to their homes and they stayed in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel began to build Jewish settlements in Gaza, until 2005 when they withdrew from the area. Nevertheless, Israel still managed to retain majority control over Gaza. (Information found from BBC.)
In recent decades, there has been an effort to create peace between the two groups of people mixed in with occasional violence. Israel currently still has control over the West Bank and continues to build settlements there. After winning elections in 2006, an Islamist group, Hamas, currently controls Gaza. Many other nations view Hamas as a terrorist group. There has been a lot of violence between Gaza, represented by Hamas, and Israel, with both sides attacking one another. Israel has used the control that it has over Hamas to severely restrict the civilians/refugees living in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a fatal attack on Israel. More than 900 lives were claimed and around 100 people were taken captive. In response to this attack, Israel launched attacks on the Gaza area killing 680 people as of October 10, with this number including many civilians. (Information found on The Washington Post.)
It seems as though many are talking about the recent tragedies in Israel. In an opinion article from the newspaper Al Jazeera, Mazoz Inon, an Israeli peace activist whose parents were killed in the attack by Hamas, said in reference to Hama’s attack and Israel’s brutal retaliation, “Today, Israel is repeating an old mistake it made many times in the last century. We must stop it. Revenge is not going to bring my parents back to life. It is not going to bring back other Israelis and Palestinians killed either. It is going to do the opposite. It is going to cause more casualties. It is going to bring more death. We must break the cycle.” A different opinion article published by El País claimed, “…there is no contradiction between staunchly opposing the Israeli subjugation and occupation of Palestinians and unequivocally condemning brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians… Those who refuse to condemn Hamas’s actions do immense damage to the prospects of peace becoming a viable, relevant political option.” Both opinion articles seem to share the view that the violence rampaging through the country is inexcusable.
The problems in Israel right now are by no means simple. They are extensive and complicated. There are many different opinions going around, so it is important to understand the entirety of the issue. When hearing about the conflict, one should approach the subject with empathy and discernment.
