By: Jiya Jain
The Birth of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are deeply intertwined with the history of World War I and the period that followed. During the war, the British took control of Palestine after defeating the Ottoman Empire. The British government, under the Balfour Declaration of 1917, expressed support for establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire. As Jewish immigrants began arriving in increasing numbers, tensions between Jewish settlers and the indigenous Arab population began to rise.
The situation became even more complex after the Holocaust in World War II. Millions of Jews had been systematically murdered by Nazi Germany, and many survivors sought refuge and a fresh start. With immigration restrictions in place for many countries, including the United States, British-controlled Palestine became a sanctuary for Jewish refugees. As Jews flocked to Palestine, the tension between them and the local Arab population, which already opposed the influx of settlers, escalated.
On May 14, 1948, Israel's founding father, David Ben-Gurion (the Executive head of the World Zionist Organization [WZO is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism- an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine], he was also Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and later First Prime minister of Israel), declared the establishment of the State of Israel. This marked the culmination of the Zionist movement, which had sought a Jewish homeland in Palestine. His declaration was met with immediate resistance from neighboring Arab countries, who sought to prevent the creation of a Jewish state in what they viewed as Palestinian Arab land.
The Arab-Israeli Wars and the Division of Palestine
In the wake of Israel’s establishment, the surrounding Arab states launched military operations against the new state, leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Israel not only survived the war but also expanded its territory, while the West Bank came under Jordanian control, and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip, which were the only 2 habitats of indigenous Arabs. For Palestinians, this period marked the beginning of the refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes. The Gaza Strip and West Bank became areas of contention, both for their strategic value and for their symbolism in the broader Arab-Israeli conflict.
In the following decades, multiple wars and skirmishes occurred between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the Palestinian territories continued to be a flashpoint of conflict. Throughout this period, Palestinian politics remained fragmented. However, the issue took a more internal turn when Hamas, an Islamist militant group, rose to prominence in the late 1980s.
The Rise of Hamas and the Split with Fatah
Hamas emerged in 1987, during the First Intifada, as a militant offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. While Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction, was secular and focused on negotiations with Israel, Hamas advocated for an Islamic state in Palestine and rejected any compromise with Israel. Over the years, Hamas gained popularity among Palestinians, particularly for its stance against Israeli occupation and its social welfare programs.
The situation took another dramatic turn in 2006. Following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in November 2004, political tensions between Fatah and Hamas escalated. In the Palestinian Legislative elections of 25 January 2006, Hamas won a decisive victory, defeating Fatah, which had long been the dominant party. This political shift led to increased factional violence between the two groups, and relations between them soured.
On 29 March 2006, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh formed a new Palestinian Authority (PA) government, largely made up of Hamas members. Fatah and other factions had refused to join, especially as Hamas refused to accept the Quartet's conditions, such as recognition of Israel and earlier agreements. As a result, a substantial part of the international community, especially Israel, the United States and European Union countries, refused to deal with the Hamas government and imposed sanctions.
The Fatah-Hamas Split
Calls for the implementation of the Cairo Declaration, including the formation of a unity government and the cessation of violence between Fatah and Hamas, were made in the Fatah–Hamas Mecca Agreement of 8 February 2007. Despite international calls for unity, internal divisions within the Palestinian leadership continued to deepen. Following a series of violent clashes between Hamas and Fatah, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, remained in control of the West Bank. This division left Palestinians politically fragmented, with Hamas ruling Gaza and Fatah governing the West Bank.
On June 14, 2007, Abbas declared a state of emergency and dismissed the Hamas-led government. Hamas fighters, on the other hand, had solidified their hold on Gaza, ousting Fatah officials and installing their own leadership. This marked the beginning of Hamas’s de facto control over Gaza, a situation that remains today.
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