The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most long-drawn and tragic periods of history, with an untold number of casualties and victims. Yet the core reason behind this seemingly endless stand-off is simple – it is a case of occupation of land. Of course, with this fight over land has come countless other problems, including the displacement of countless families on both sides of the border, accompanied by their loss of home and livelihood. The tales of civilians in Gaza and other affected areas nearby are indeed terribly sad and depressing, and sometimes shocking and atrocious.
There are multiple players in the Gaza Strip conflict. The Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization are two parties that are engaged in direct negotiation. Within Palestine, there are two major factions: Fatah and Hamas, which represent two political parties in the region. There are also several international players, including the United States, Russia, and the European Union, that operate with their own vested interests and influence the situation through the supply of aid, etc. Of course, the United Nations has played a big role in attempting relief efforts in the region, and has Gaza high on the list of human rights violations. After the 2006 elections, the Hamas came to power, causing the US and EU to drop much of their funding to Palestine. In 2007, Hamas forces occupied the Gaza Strip, causing a rift in the area, with the Gaza Strip occupied by the Hamas and the West Bank occupied by the Fatah. While there have been attempts at peace talks on several occasions, these attempts have generally resulted in extending the conflict, and with the violence carrying on unchecked, there are an increasing number of delays to the possibility of resolution.
The last two weeks saw the escalation of attacks and some of the deadliest conflicts that have happened in Gaza, with the death toll rising to an unprecedented number over the weekend. With Israel expanding their offensive against the Hamas militants, scenes of families ripped apart and parents and children suffering alike have flooded the media and social networks. The violence continues unabated, causing relief efforts and medical treatment of the victims to only get harder. As usual, people on both sides of the issue have strong opinions on the whole matter. This is not to say that these debates and discussions are bad, they are in fact a healthy way to inform more people about the situation at hand.
The unfortunate truth, however, is that there is no black and white in this situation; both sides have reasons to feel that they have been wronged. It goes without saying that killing of innocent civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, is unquestionably immoral. It is also clear that both sides have participated in these acts, sometimes even to their own people. Individuals choose to fight for their side not because they wish to cause harm to the enemy, but because they wish to protect their own families. This has created a vicious cycle, with people who have lost dear ones to the conflict to help escalate it even further. As long as hard-liners are in charge on either side, it does not seem that the Gaza conflict will be resolved anytime soon.
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