15 May 2021 Israel- Palestine conflict

Israel- Palestine conflict

Context

The current violence is due to conflicting claims over Jerusalem home to major holy sites of Islam, Judaism and Christianity

Current Developments

Israeli armed forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Haram esh-Sharif in Jerusalem, ahead of a march by Zionist nationalists commemorating Israel’s capture of the eastern half of the city in 1967. More than 300 Palestinians were injured in the raid. In retaliation, Hamas  fired dozens of rockets. The Israelis launched an airstrike on Gaza in response, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including nine children.

Background

Israel- Palestine conflict:Timeline
1) Conflict between Jews and Arabs over a piece of land between Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea
2) Between 1882 to 1948, the Jews from around the world gathered in Palestine. This movement came to be known as Aliyahs.

3) In 1917, Ottoman Empire fell after World War 1 and the UK got control over Palestine.

4) The Balfour Declaration was issued after Britain gained control with the aim of establishing a home for the Jews in Palestine. However during that period the Arabs were in majority in Palestine

5) Both sides claimed as their own land
6) Holocaust : Loss of life
7) In 1948 Britain lifted its control over the area and Jews declared the creation of Israel while Palestinians objected it
8) Neighbouring area was attacked by Israel
9) Jordan then went on a war with Israel and seized control over a part of the land which was called the West Bank, and Egypt occupied Gaza.

10) Jerusalem was divided between Israel in the West, and Jordan in the East. However, no formal peace agreement was signed, each side continued to blame each other for the tension and the region saw more wars.
11)Israeli forces captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank, various areas of Syrian Golan Heights, Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula in the year 1967.

12) Palestinian refugees and families lived in Gaza and the West Bank, along within the border areas of neighboring Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
13) They were not allowed to return after the Israeli forces captured the areas as they considered it a threat to Jews

Mediations

Camp David Accords: By the U.S. in 1978. It set the stage for peace talks between Israel and its neighbors and a resolution to the “Palestinian problem”. However, no concrete results were obtained.

Oslo Accords were also mediated by the U.S in 1993. Under this, Israel and the PLO agreed to officially recognize each other and renounce the use of violence. It would create a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, in exchange for an agreement by Palestinians to end any type of attack on Israel. They gave limited autonomy in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank to the Palestinian authority

India’s stand on Israel-Palestine conflict

India traditionally believes in the 2 state solution and supports the establishment of a sovereign independent and a viable state of Palestine

Prelims Keywords

1. Mapping around Israel
2. Gaza Strip
3. West Bank
4. Golan Heights
5. Mediterranean sea and Islands
6. Balfour Declaration
7. Hamas
8. Oslo Accord

Mains Practice Question

1. 1.Israel­ Palestinian clashes trigger fears of a full scale war. What are the implications of this war on India ?
2. Israel­ Palestinian clashes trigger fears of a full scale war. What ae the possible ways in which such escalation of war can be avoided ?

rahul123

Yojna IAS Current Affairs Team