Palestine-Israel Conflict

PALESTINE – ISRAEL CONFLICT
BACKGROUND: HOW DID THE CONFLICT BEGIN?

• When the British mandate ended in 1947, the United Nations proposed an
Arab-Jewish partition of Palestine - between Palestine and the new state of
Israel. This partition plan mandated 53% of the land to the Jewish-majority
state (Israel) and 47% to the Palestinian-majority state (Palestine).
• After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the Holy Land was divided into three
parts: the State of Israel (West Jerusalem), the West Bank and East
Jerusalem (under Jordan’s rule), and the Gaza Strip (under Egyptian rule)
• In 1964, PLO was formed to unite Israel and Palestine, but failed.
• In 1967, the Arab countries again refused to recognize Israel as a state,
which led to another war — known as the Six-Day War.
• Israel won this war too and occupied even more parts of Palestine. The
West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem came under Israel’s control. It
also occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
• Yom Kippur War in October 1973, when Egypt and Syria launched a
surprise attack on Israel because of Israel’s occupation of the Sinai
Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Israel won again.
• The conflict was calmed by the Camp David Accords in 1979, which
bound Egypt and Israel in a peace treaty.
• The 1993 Oslo Accords mediated the conflict, setting up a framework

for the Palestinians to govern themselves and establishing relations
between the newly established Palestinian Authority and Israel’s
government
• Settlements have become the hallmark of the Israeli colonial project in
Palestine. In the last 50 years, the Israeli government has transferred
between 600,000 and 750,000 Jewish Israelis to the West Bank and East
Jerusalem
• After a wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in 2015,

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that Palestinians
would no longer be bound by the Oslo Accords.
• Both Israel and the Palestinian authority have staked claim over Jerusalem
as their capital city. But the international community has broadly rejected
both claims and argues that the matter should be resolved through
peaceful negotiations.
THE ABRAHAM ACCORD - WINDS OF CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE

EAST:
• Trump celebrated the “HUGE breakthrough” as a “deal of the century”
• On 13th August 2020, the influential Arab country, UAE has signed a US-
brokered deal to fully normalize ties with Israel
• UAE is the 3rd Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to forge full relations
and abolish a 40-year boycott law of Israel
• Bahrain is the 4th and the front-runner Gulf country to follow footsteps of
the UAE
• Both countries stay committed to Arab Peace Initiative in exchange for
peace talks and full normalization of relations
• Israeli PM describes this as a new “Strategic Agenda for the Middle East to
expand diplomatic, trade, and security cooperation”.
• Under the peace declaration (supervised by Jared Kushner), there shall be:
1. Exchange of embassies with Israel
2. 70% WB to Palestinians and 30% to Israel, along with Jerusalem as the
future capital of Israel. Palestinians call it the “Fraud of century”.
3. US to construct housing societies over the disputed territories
4. Palestinians to receive a huge amount of financial aid and the promise of
connection routes among their enclaves if they agree to the deal, to which
they reject and refuse to accept US as a mediator.
5. Except a few only, Palestinians cannot return to their land as refugees.
Israelis fear that Jewish population will become minority in the future.
6. Both East and West Jerusalem belong to Israel. Palestinians can build their
capital in the slums of Israel.
7. Trump accepted Israel’s demand to demilitarize Palestine to be recognized
as a state.
8. Israel will control both security and foreign policy of Palestine. No major
deal can be signed for Palestine without the approval of Israel.
REACTIONS TO THE SO-CALLED “PEACE DEAL” FROM AROUND
THE GLOBE:
a) THE ARAB COUNTRIES
• Egypt and Jordan, the existing peace partners of Israel, have welcomed the
agreement.
• Bahrain has described the step as “historical”.
• Oman equally celebrated the deal as it’d stop the annexation of
Palestinians lands.
• Officials in Kuwait told local media that it would be the “last to normalize”
relations with Israel.
• KSA, one of the closest allies of UAE, has kept silence over the issue.
Although it did permit the first direct flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi
to fly over its airspace, prompting speculation it could consider a move
towards Israel.
• Libya called it a betrayal of the UAE towards the Palestine as it did with
Libya, Syria and Yemen.
• Vehemently rejected by the Palestinians as a “stab in the back” and
“betrayal”.
b) TURKEY
• Turkey said history will not forget and never forgive the “hypocritical
behaviour” of the UAE in agreeing to a deal with Israel to normalize
relations for the sake of its narrow interests.
• Erdogan also mentioned down swinging the ties with UAE and recalling its
Ambassador.
c) IRAN
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani decried the deal as a “huge mistake”.
• Iran’s FM called the deal a “dagger that was unjustly struck by the UAE in
the back of Palestinian people and all the Muslims.”
• FO denounced the deal as an act of “strategic stupidity from Abu Dhabi and
Tel Aviv.”
d) PAKISTAN
• Pakistan’s foreign ministry declared that this development is “with far-
reaching implications”.
• Islamabad said, “Pakistan’s approach will be guided by our evaluation of
how Palestinians’ rights and aspirations are upheld and how regional peace,
security and stability are preserved.”
e) INDIA
• Israel being a close ally to the Modi Government and the UAE, the deal has
paved a path for better diplomatic environment for India.
f) EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
• “The UAE and Israel’s decision to normalize relations is hugely good news,”
said UK PM Boris Johnson.
• France welcomed Israel’s decision to suspend its planned annexation of
areas of the occupied West Bank under the historic agreement calling it a
“positive step” and “the only option” to achieve peace in the region.
• Spain welcomed the agreement reached to normalize relations between
Israel and the UAE.
g) UNITED NATIONS
• “The secretary-general welcomes this agreement, hoping it will create an
opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to re-engage in meaningful
negotiations that will realise a two state-solution in line with relevant UN
resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.”
IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEAL:

i. Regional division of Middle East: some countries welcoming the deal while
the others completely opposing it.
ii. Division between the Muslim Ummah: It will leave a major setback to
Muslim nations as they will now follow different directions. As Mahathir
Mohamad said, “UAE-Israel deal divides the Muslim world into warring
factions and in this the Israelis will add fuel to the fire.”
iii. Return of violence: Reaction from Palestinians is a sign of a prolonging war
in the Middle East.
iv. Deep-rooted hostilities against Iran: Two biggest rivals in the region are Iran
and Israel. Now the equation will be Israel and Arab countries VS Iran.
Following the Chanakya philosophy of realpolitik i.e. “Enemy of my friend is
my enemy.” Israel will be the supplier of modern weaponry to counter Iran.
v. Annexation of the settlements: if made, would prevent the mutually
agreed two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from ever
becoming possible. The WB annexation is currently pending as Jared
Kushner said, “Somewhere between a long time and a short time. That’s
what temporary means.” But the US Ambassador to Israel says that Israel
doesn’t need to wait as keeping the settlements is part of the deal.
vi. Trans-Atlantic divide: Europeans threaten to sanction Israel if it annexed
the settlements without permission of the Palestinians as the ‘occupation
of a territory by war’ is against the International law and hence, illegal.
ISRAEL’S ANNEXATION OF THE WEST BANK: AN ILL-CONCEIVED

MOVE THAT VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW
• In line with Trump’s “Middle East Peace Plan”
• The act is condemned by the rest of the world except for USA.
• Annexation of a third of the West Bank, including settlements and the
fertile Jordan Valley
• Annexation is a bad idea; giving rise to wars, economic devastation, political
instability, systemic human rights abuses, widespread human suffering etc.
• Clear contravention of IL, UNSC & UNGA resolutions, and Geneva
conventions
• Netanyahu sees it as his golden chance to: expand Jewish settlements, win
Israelis support against his corruption charges, extend Israeli sovereignty
with USA approval, gain support of Arab countries
WHAT DOES EACH SIDE HOPE TO GAIN FROM THE PEACE DEAL?
1. UAE
• growing political and military role in the region
• purchase advanced US weapons, specifically warplanes; long-sought F-35
stealth fighter jets, Reaper drones and EA-18G Growler planes
• intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Israel would be strategic
against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen
• allies with Israel against Hamas, militant group that runs Gaza, and is an
offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the main enemies of the UAE
• Israeli-Emirati relations could have a much greater impact on Israeli and
American export permits on sensitive military software and hardware
2. BAHRAIN
• gain greater access to purchases of US air defence systems
• reap the benefits of trading openly with Israel, which is home to one of the
world’s most advanced tech sectors
3. USA
• Trump wants to gain support before the elections by claiming the peace plan
as an unprecedented success
• wants to conceal his failed policies of curbing the pandemic which led to
ravaged US economy, police brutality and huge wildfires under his victory of
the middle east peace plan
• Trump’s son-in-law is a Jewish
4. ISRAEL
• Uplifting of bans paving path for trade in the middle east
• Extend Israeli sovereignty with the expansion of Jewish state
• Netanyahu believes that annexation will gain him support against the
corruption charges when he appears before the court
• Signing deals with two Gulf states is a major diplomatic win for the Israeli PM
at a tricky time
• Premier should bear in mind that Trump might not be re-elected, and Biden
says that he will reverse the deal
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:
• United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo encouraged Saudi Arabia to
recognise Israel, in what would be a massive boost for the Jewish state amid
normalisation by two other Gulf Arab kingdoms.
• “They reflect a changing dynamic in the region, one in which countries rightly
recognise the need for regional cooperation to counter Iranian influence and
generate prosperity,” Pompeo said.

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PALESTINE – ISRAEL CONFLICT

BACKGROUND: HOW DID THE CONFLICT BEGIN?

• The 1993 Oslo Accords mediated the conflict, setting up a framework

• After a wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in 2015,

THE ABRAHAM ACCORD - WINDS OF CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE

IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEAL:

ISRAEL’S ANNEXATION OF THE WEST BANK: AN ILL-CONCEIVED

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