by Zillur Rahaman:

AMONG the recent global crises, the most complex and long-lasting is the Palestinian and Israeli crisis in the Middle East. Neither the United Nations nor any other international organisation is able to resolve this conflict due to the unequivocal support and patronage of Israel by the major superpowers. Instead of solving problems, new crises are created, and many hapless Palestinians and Israelis are joining the death toll. The Palestinians are the most hapless in this crisis, as the dominant states of international politics have single-handedly supported Israel. Their cries and wails filled the air, but their dream of establishing a free and sovereign Palestinian state remained elusive.

On October 7, at least 1,300 Israelis were killed and hundreds injured in a recent rocket attack by the armed group Hamas. This incident started when 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel. On the other hand, at least 1,900 Palestinians were killed and at least 6,000 were injured in the Israeli counterattack in the Gaza Strip. These casualties have increased alarmingly in attacks by both sides. Following the surprise attack by Hamas, Israeli forces cut off electricity in several areas of Gaza. In this ongoing war situation, about 2.20 million residents of Gaza have started living a blockaded life without water, electricity, or gas due to Israel’s aggression. Indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas continues. Israel intercepted most of the rockets fired by Hamas in mid-air. Hamas re-engages in conflict, demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners and captives. Israel has also made conditions for the release of soldiers.

Earlier in July this year, Israeli forces attacked the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The attack was the deadliest attack carried out by Israel in two decades. First drone attacks from the sky, then armored vehicles and bulldozers razed refugee shelters. Analysing the reaction of the international superpowers to these attacks, it can be seen that they have always been vocal in favour of Israel’s so-called right to self-defense.

Moreover, in 1967, Israel captured most of the West Bank during the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War, and as a result, millions of people in Palestine became refugees. In search of life and livelihood, a large number of people have become displaced and refugees and are living in different parts of the world, including neighbouring Arab countries. About 500,000 citizens of Israel have taken refuge there instead of the Palestinians who were evicted from their land.

It is known from history that since 1897, Jews have wanted to build a separate state for themselves. The 10,429-square-mile country of Palestine, east of the Mediterranean Sea, was under the Ottoman Caliphate of Turkey and allied against Britain in the First World War. The British sought the cooperation of the Palestinians in hopes of winning the war. In 1917, Britain captured Jerusalem from Turkish forces during the First World War. From then until 1948, the land of Palestine was under British control. On November 2, 1917, then British foreign secretary James Arthur Balfour announced Britain’s position in favour of the establishment of a Jewish state in the Palestinian territories. That Balfour Declaration was the beginning of the suffering of the Palestinians. Then, in the 1930s, Jews from Poland began to establish agricultural farms in the kibbutz area, two miles north of Gaza. Next to the Jews lived the Palestinian Arabs. Arabs also had agricultural farms there. They had been living there amicably for centuries. But gradually, the Palestinians realised that they were losing their land. Jews began to buy land there in groups, and their power increased. The Palestinians became helpless.

On the other hand, during World War I, the Jewish scientist Dr Hayes Bizeman invented artificial phosphorus, which was used as an ingredient in the creation of rare bombs. As a result, the British prime minister was delighted and wanted to award Baisman, but Bizeman refused to accept any cash reward and demanded a free piece of land in Palestine for his own nation. After winning World War I, Britain occupied the country for 30 years starting in 1918, promising freedom for the Jews. Basically, it was during this period that the Anglo-American forces used the Arabisation of Palestine. On the other hand, the British established Mandatory Palestine in 1920 through the United Nations Declaration. After the establishment of British authority in Palestine, Jews from different countries of the world began to settle in Palestine in groups. On the one hand, the British government opened up Palestine to the Jews; on the other hand, with the help of the British forces, the Jewish militia began to form organisations to expel the Palestinians and strengthen their position. The three main organisations were the Haganah, the Irgun and the Stern Gang and they forced Palestinians to leave Palestine through murder, terror, rape, and destruction.

In 1940, a ship called the SS Pantria was blown up in Haifa harbor, killing 276 Jews, and the killing was blamed on the Palestinians. The settlement of Jews with the help of the British and the eviction of the Arabs continued apace. On November 29, 1947, a vote was taken at the United Nations under British-American pressure to establish a Jewish state. About 33 states voted to establish a Jewish state in Palestine; 13 voted against, and 10 abstained from voting. Jews accounted for 57 per cent of the total population in Palestine, while Palestinians accounted for 43 per cent. The northwestern border of the Jewish state was undefined. Later, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started around this border.

The independent state of Israel was declared on May 12, 1948. In just 10 minutes after the declaration, the US recognised Israel as planned, as did other countries, including the Soviet Union. Israel’s hegemonic policy has made Palestine a colourless state. After a long struggle led by Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestine National Council unilaterally declared the independence of Palestine in Algiers on November 15, 1988. Palestine was declared a state in exile, while the territories claimed by the PLO were not under the control of the PLO at the time of the declaration of independence. When Britain provided an independent land for the Jews, it was essentially a two-state theory, but it has not been implemented to this day.

One of the conditions for resolving the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict was two independent states for both sides. The old two-state theory became more acceptable with the peace talks in 1993. Both sides continue to accept this theory. Although the United States, the mediator of peace talks, has always talked about the two-state theory, former US president Donald Trump unilaterally ignored international norms and protests and moved the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Palestinians, especially the armed group Hamas, were greatly angered by this incident. Gaza became a bloody wasteland in the Palestinian territories on the day the US Embassy was opened in Jerusalem. About 58 people were killed and nearly 3000 were injured in the attack by the Israeli forces that day.

The situation has changed a lot with the political tensions and mutual isolation of the Arab states. Many Muslim countries that had hostile relations with Israel have now normalised relations with Israel. Hamas says such ties are a major obstacle to the establishment of a free and sovereign Palestinian state, and its main demand is for Israel to cede territory illegally occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. In this case, it is uncertain whether the Israel and Palestine crisis will be resolved at all. Although there have already been many settlement agreements between them, virtually none have brought good news. Many analysts believe that Israel’s unwavering support from the superpowers has largely perpetuated the crisis. According to them, the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state is the only solution to the Middle East crisis.

Md Zillur Rahaman is a banker and columnist.