Here is what you need to know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

A belligerent Palestinian group known as the Hamas unexpectedly invaded Israel on the 7th of October 2023, killing over 1,000 Israelis. Since then, Israel has fought back, launching an attack on Palestine, killing over 1,200 Palestinians. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict began in 1948 and the root cause is related to a Europe-related decision that was made over a century.

The Western media is believed to be biased whenever the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is covered. Riyad Mansour, who is the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said the following in an address he made on Sunday:

“History begins for some media and politicians when Israelis are killed. Our people have endured one deadly year after another.”

Mansour’s statement was quite powerful as it highlighted that according to Western media, Israeli lives matter and Palestinian lives do not.

Examples of the West’s biases are evident in US President, Joe Biden’s recent remarks:

“The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend. The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.”  

“This was an act of sheer evil.”
 

“The brutality of Hamas — this bloodthirstiness — brings to mind the worst — the worst rampages of ISIS.”

“In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.”
 

“Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.”

“Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks.”

Let us look into the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What actually happened over 100 years ago, that ignited this ongoing conflict between these two nations? 

This conflict stems from a 67-word letter that was written on the 2nd of November 1917 by Arthur Balfour who was Britain’s foreign secretary at the time. This letter is known as the Balfour Declaration, and it was written to address a nominal leader of the British Jewish community, Lionel Walter Rothschild. 

What was the Balfour Declaration about?

The declaration stated that Jewish people were given the land of the Palestinians. This means that the British government practically promised the Jews land that was already occupied by its natives.

During the period of 1923-1948, Palestine started to experience an influx of Jewish immigrants, who were leaving Europe due to Nazism (National Socialism). The tension then started to rise as Palestinians started to feel agitated by the overwhelming influx. In 1948 the state known as Israel was created, which is what led to the very first war between Arabs and Israelis, which Israel won in 1949. Many Palestinians were left displaced after the war and the territory was divided into the State of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.

In 1967, Israel continued to occupy a lot of Palestinian land, during a six-day war against an alliance of Arab militaries. In this new social construct, Palestinians were oppressed by Israelis, meaning the Jews got to enjoy privileges while the displaced Palestinians were living in harsh conditions. 

In 1987, a collision between an Israeli truck and two fans transporting Palestinian workers, killing four of those workers, led to Palestine’s 1st intifada. The intifada involved protests in the Gaza Strip, and this was when the Hamas were established.

Oslo Accords in 1993 set-up a plan for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to rule themselves. In 2000 however, Palestine stood up against Israel having control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Israel approved to the construction of a blockade wall around the West Bank, as a response to Palestine’s 2nd intifada.

In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian Authority’s parliamentary elections, after years of the Fatah majority party being in power. Western governments were not happy with this victory, because they viewed the Hamas as terrorists. The following year, Israel inflicted a blockade on the Gaza Strip, meaning Palestinians were divided, and families were torn apart, due to the naval, land, and air barrier. This and many unsuccessful negotiation talks are what led to further unrest and conflict between Palestinians and Israelis till today.