Témakiírások
The Israeli vs. Palestinian conflict, with particular attention to terrorism and the possibility of military solutions to the conflict
témakiírás címe
The Israeli vs. Palestinian conflict, with particular attention to terrorism and the possibility of military solutions to the conflict
intézmény
doktori iskola
témakiíró
tudományág
témakiírás leírása
Israel and Palestine have had a permanent conflict since the Israeli state was declared in 1948. In the last almost 80 years, several diplomatic negotiations have tried to reconcile the Israeli and Palestinian people, but all of them have been considered it failures. It was because the standpoints of the parties are so far from each other that it is impossible to make any compromise for a long time. Palestinians do not recognize the right of the Jewish to settle down in the territory of Palestine, nor to establish a state. The debated territory is thought, on the other hand, by the Jews to be the holy land for them, because the Jewish kingdom existed there for more centuries, until the Roman military defeated it in the 1st century B.C.
Regardless of the accords made by international mediations, e.g., in Camp David or Oslo, the idea “from river to the sea” for both parties has remained even in recent times. This saying means total rejection, which implies the aim of physically eliminating the other. Obviously, neither the Israelis, nor the Palestinians have coherent ideas how to share the territory of Palestine, e.g., only the orthodox Jewish political parties represent the idea to extend Jewish settlements in West Bank, occupying in this way the antient Jewish cities, such as Hebron, Jeriko, Nablus, Shiloh, Betar, Naaran, where the most important Jewish sacred places are located. This political view, represented by the orthodox Jews and far-right parties in the Knesset, does not recognize the right of the Palestinians to state sovereignty; however, the United Nations recognized it by a resolution in 2012.
It is true, on the other hand, that the Palestine State does not operate like a real state, because after the parliamentary elections in 2006, it split into Gaza and the West Bank, two hostile political entities. Gaza was controlled by Hamas, which is in fact a terrorist organization, but governed the territory, e.g., provided public services, education, food, security, and safety for the people. The internationally recognized Palestine Authority in the West Bank has democratic institutions, like elections, president, parliament, prime minister, law enforcement, etc., but in the practical reality, they do not work. No one in the West Bank would like to hold an election following the events in 2006, when Hamas won, and because it could not agree on the composition of the new government with Fatah, Hamas expelled Fatah sympathizers from Gaza.
The recent Palestinian government is located in Ramallah, which is the temporary capital of the Palestinian State, but its government institutions were not allowed to enter Gaza. There was a fear that Hamas would win in the next election, so the Ramallah government did not hold elections from that time. It should be noted that very few Western states have recognized the Palestine State until this time, but some of them, e.g., France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia have changed their mind, due to the aggressive Israeli war since 2023, which plans to eliminate or deport people in Gaza.
Besides the extreme standpoints of the parties, there were some solutions based on compromise, too, to manage the situation. The most important principle of the agreements was “land for peace,” which meant that the Israeli military would withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank; in exchange, the Palestinian terrorist organizations would stop implementing terrorist attacks against Israel. Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, ordered in 2000 the Israeli military to withdraw from Gaza, also the elimination of Jewish settlements there. Terrorist attacks, however, continued and the second intifada broke out on the Palestinian side.
The Israelis feel that they kept their promise, but did not get peace in exchange, so they refused to withdraw the Israeli military from the West Bank. Israel put most territories in the West Bank under Israeli military and administrative control, except the eight Palestinian cities, and surrounded the West Bank with a wall. Gaza was totally blockaded by the Israeli military to prevent terrorist attacks against Israel. The situation escalated when Israeli tanks regularly went to the Palestinian territories to destroy the houses of suspected terrorists and to arrest them. Gaza was dominated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but besides, there were several terrorist organizations in the West Bank, as well, called “factions”. Palestine terrorist organizations of Gaza and the West Bank did not stop attacking Israel by bombing, missiles, taking military as hostages, knives, and shootings, etc., although the Ramallah government led by the Fatah stood up for peace.
The reason why Palestinians used violence to reach their goals was that they rejected the Israeli military presence, law enforcement, and administrative control in the West Bank, but not at least the extension of Jewish settlements. Also, people in the Gaza Strip could leave the Gaza Strip exceptionally, and only with a permit of the Israeli authorities. They were prohibited from trading too, due to the economic blockade. Hamas played the Israeli blockade, and built many tunnels, through which they could acquire weapons, gas, or other goods.
Palestinians still hope to get back East Jerusalem as their capital, the liberated Gaza and West Bank, perhaps their former lands in the territory of Israel, and their confiscated assets. However, it does not seem realistic to eliminate Jewish settlements in the West Bank, because in the practical reality, these settlements have become bigger cities with five hundred thousand inhabitants. The Palestinian idea is called “Two State Solution” in the international political usage, but nobody has an idea about the details, especially because the Israeli government does not wish to stop the war in Gaza, nor to hear the sovereignty of the Palestinian State.
Regardless of the accords made by international mediations, e.g., in Camp David or Oslo, the idea “from river to the sea” for both parties has remained even in recent times. This saying means total rejection, which implies the aim of physically eliminating the other. Obviously, neither the Israelis, nor the Palestinians have coherent ideas how to share the territory of Palestine, e.g., only the orthodox Jewish political parties represent the idea to extend Jewish settlements in West Bank, occupying in this way the antient Jewish cities, such as Hebron, Jeriko, Nablus, Shiloh, Betar, Naaran, where the most important Jewish sacred places are located. This political view, represented by the orthodox Jews and far-right parties in the Knesset, does not recognize the right of the Palestinians to state sovereignty; however, the United Nations recognized it by a resolution in 2012.
It is true, on the other hand, that the Palestine State does not operate like a real state, because after the parliamentary elections in 2006, it split into Gaza and the West Bank, two hostile political entities. Gaza was controlled by Hamas, which is in fact a terrorist organization, but governed the territory, e.g., provided public services, education, food, security, and safety for the people. The internationally recognized Palestine Authority in the West Bank has democratic institutions, like elections, president, parliament, prime minister, law enforcement, etc., but in the practical reality, they do not work. No one in the West Bank would like to hold an election following the events in 2006, when Hamas won, and because it could not agree on the composition of the new government with Fatah, Hamas expelled Fatah sympathizers from Gaza.
The recent Palestinian government is located in Ramallah, which is the temporary capital of the Palestinian State, but its government institutions were not allowed to enter Gaza. There was a fear that Hamas would win in the next election, so the Ramallah government did not hold elections from that time. It should be noted that very few Western states have recognized the Palestine State until this time, but some of them, e.g., France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia have changed their mind, due to the aggressive Israeli war since 2023, which plans to eliminate or deport people in Gaza.
Besides the extreme standpoints of the parties, there were some solutions based on compromise, too, to manage the situation. The most important principle of the agreements was “land for peace,” which meant that the Israeli military would withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank; in exchange, the Palestinian terrorist organizations would stop implementing terrorist attacks against Israel. Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, ordered in 2000 the Israeli military to withdraw from Gaza, also the elimination of Jewish settlements there. Terrorist attacks, however, continued and the second intifada broke out on the Palestinian side.
The Israelis feel that they kept their promise, but did not get peace in exchange, so they refused to withdraw the Israeli military from the West Bank. Israel put most territories in the West Bank under Israeli military and administrative control, except the eight Palestinian cities, and surrounded the West Bank with a wall. Gaza was totally blockaded by the Israeli military to prevent terrorist attacks against Israel. The situation escalated when Israeli tanks regularly went to the Palestinian territories to destroy the houses of suspected terrorists and to arrest them. Gaza was dominated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but besides, there were several terrorist organizations in the West Bank, as well, called “factions”. Palestine terrorist organizations of Gaza and the West Bank did not stop attacking Israel by bombing, missiles, taking military as hostages, knives, and shootings, etc., although the Ramallah government led by the Fatah stood up for peace.
The reason why Palestinians used violence to reach their goals was that they rejected the Israeli military presence, law enforcement, and administrative control in the West Bank, but not at least the extension of Jewish settlements. Also, people in the Gaza Strip could leave the Gaza Strip exceptionally, and only with a permit of the Israeli authorities. They were prohibited from trading too, due to the economic blockade. Hamas played the Israeli blockade, and built many tunnels, through which they could acquire weapons, gas, or other goods.
Palestinians still hope to get back East Jerusalem as their capital, the liberated Gaza and West Bank, perhaps their former lands in the territory of Israel, and their confiscated assets. However, it does not seem realistic to eliminate Jewish settlements in the West Bank, because in the practical reality, these settlements have become bigger cities with five hundred thousand inhabitants. The Palestinian idea is called “Two State Solution” in the international political usage, but nobody has an idea about the details, especially because the Israeli government does not wish to stop the war in Gaza, nor to hear the sovereignty of the Palestinian State.
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jelentkezési határidő
2025-12-31