Ibrahim Ghazal ‘22
The tragic conflict between Palestine and Israel has been raging for the past several decades. Before 1948, Palestine was a region located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. People of all beliefs and religions peacefully lived in Palestine. After the conclusion of World War I, the Ottoman Empire had fallen, therefore, Great Britain took control of the Palestinian region. Great Britain ruled Palestine until 1948, which is when the United Nations suggested a partition plan to divide Palestine into two sections. These two sections were to be divided into Jewish territory and Arab territory. Several Arabs were frustrated with this plan because approximately 55% of Palestine was being stripped away from the Palestinians. After Great Britain had withdrawn from Palestine, the 1948 Arab-Israeli war took place.
Between 1948 and 1949, “Zionist military forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians, destroyed over 530 villages and captured 78 percent of historic Palestine” (Al Jazeera News). One year later, the United Nations declared Israel to be a member state, however, Palestine wasn’t recognized. In the matter of just one year, Israel increased its land control from 55% to 78%. By June 7, 1967, Israel began its military occupation of Palestine. The Israeli-Jews took control of 100% of historic Palestinian land. The tensions have constantly been increasing as numerous wars broke out between Palestine and Israel. One of the major events occurred in 2014 when Israel issued “Operation Protective Edge”. During “Operation Protective Edge”, more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, which included over 500 children. In addition, 70 Israelis were killed and 64 of them were soldiers.
As of recently, there has been another outburst of conflict between Palestine and Israel. On April 13, 2021, which was the first day of Ramadan, Palestinians suffered as their homes were demolished. In addition, Israeli forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and cut the cables to the Mosque’s speakers, which prevented prayer recitals throughout Jerusalem. Approximately four weeks after this incident, Israeli courts gave themselves the authority to evict Palestinians from their homes, however, this Israeli ruling is internationally illegal. The United Nations urged Israel to halt their evictions, however, they disregarded all warnings. Russia, Turkey, and several other countries continuously warned Israel to discontinue these evictions. At first, President Biden remained silent on the issue, however, President Biden later announced that he supports Israel. President Biden then increased foreign aid to the Israeli government. From 1948 to 2020, the United States has provided 146 billion dollars in aid to Israel. Throughout most of May, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has continued to escalate.
Approximately two weeks later, at least 256 Palestinians have died in Gaza, and 12 Israelis have died in their territory. Of the 256 Palestinians who were killed, 66 of them were children. The justification of innocently killing anyone is evil, however, the amount of children that have been killed in Gaza is heartbreaking. Of the 256 Palestinians who were killed, approximately 66 of them were children. It is immensely sorrowful that innocent people of both territories are having their lives taken away due to this raging conflict.
The Salesian Spectator 