The Israel-Palestine Conflict: A War with No Solution

Written by Naiesha Yerneni on December 30, 2023.

    The origin of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stretches back to the late 20th century. In 1947, the United Nations devised a plan to divide British Mandate Palestine (The British rule in Palestine) into Arab and Jewish states, leading to Israel's establishment in 1948. The region's boundaries were shaped by conflicts such as the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 which attempted to achieve peace, and the Camp David Accords in 1979 and the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, which aimed to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

     However, challenges continued, leading to the Second Intifada in 2000–a major Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation–along with the construction of a barrier wall by Israel in 2002. Internal tensions among Palestinians increased when Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) won the 2006 elections, resulting in heightened disunity as those in the Fatah party refused to follow orders from Hamas. Attempts to reunite Hamas and Fatah were made in 2011, culminating in a confederation (groups that, by treaty, have given some of their powers to a central government) in 2014.

    Tensions resurfaced in 2018, stemming from the desire for control over the same territories and political divisions between Fatah (a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party) and Hamas persisted. The latest Israeli government, established in December 2022, emphasized settlement expansion, endorsed discrimination based on religious grounds, and restricted legal scrutiny in May 2023. It is important to note that during this period Palestine had no say over their own territories which were taken from them. IMEU states that soon after the establishment of the Israeli government in 2022, there was intensified violence and repression of Palestinians in Israel and the surrounding occupied territories, including the Gaza Strip. 

    According to the Global Conflict Tracker, United States President Joe Biden made a strong statement of support for Israel because it “supports the existence of a Jewish state”. The United States and Israel are concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions giving them common ground to agree on. As a result of these shared interests the United States has pledged to help Israel’s military. On October 19th in an Oval Office speech, he stated how he would be sending upwards of $14B in security assistance to Israel, stating the urgency of the situation but also failing to mention Palestine. In any case, $14B from the United States is a substantial amount of money and this kind of aid was not provided to Palestine. On October 7th, 2023 Israel declared war against Hamas,  and the United States announced it would send shipments of weapons to Israel. The UN Security Council hosted an emergency meeting to discuss the conflict but were unable to come to a consensus. CNN states in the first month of fighting alone, approximately 1,300 Israelis and 10,000 Palestinians were killed. 

     Congressional Research Service states, “In 2021, the Biden Administration resumed economic development, security, and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.”  This would be helpful as it can be seen as a diplomatic engagement to form good relations with Palestinian territories. 

    This was a reversal of the Trump Administration's 2019 decision to suspend all U.S. aid to the Palestinians. The suspension followed measures in 2018 aimed at pressuring Palestinian leaders to resume dialogue with the U.S., which had been cut off after President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have given less aid to Palestine than to Israel. Furthermore, the Taylor Force Act restricts economic aid to Palestine which has no “direct benefit” to the civilians who are harmed. According to the Pew Research Center, Republicans and Democrats have grown apart in their views of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The statistic shown says that over 76% of Republicans support Israel compared to just 27% of Democrats. 

    Palestine has been given less aid throughout the war and should be paid more attention to. Countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have repeatedly given their support to Israel failing to mention the grim conditions in Palestine and simply brushing past them. 

    In retrospect, the Israel-Hamas war has the potential to cause many conflicts between countries. It’s important to look at the bigger picture, but also pay attention to the finer details. In an issue as complex as this one, what can individuals do to help? There are many online resources that can be used to support and donate to those affected by the conflict. Remember to voice your opinions and know that how you express them matters.