Palestine’s History: A Product of Subsequent Injustices!

The bloodshed in Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues as the clock quickly runs. The conflict in Gaza strip has been controversial but what we do not understand is the real grievances felt by the Palestinians. Their homeland for over a thousand years was taken, without their consent and mostly by force, during the creation of the state of Israel. The rest of the terrorist acts are just part of the inevitable acts of injustices.

The Conflict between the two territories did not just started at the year 2006 but it is actually a product of what have happened in the History of Palestine. It started when there were Europeans (Zionist) who went to Palestine and their goal was to create a Jewish homeland, and they considered locations in Africa and the Americas, before settling on Palestine. More and more Zionists immigrated to Palestine – many with the express wish of taking over the land for a Jewish state – the indigenous population became increasingly alarmed. Eventually, fighting broke out, with escalating waves of violence. It was also during this time that Hitler rise to power. Most of the Muslim countries Sided with Hitler (one of which where those who were in Palestine-the Zionist), however the Muslim countries were never defeated in WWII; they were merely pacified, and are still fighting the war to kill all the Jews. This is not something that just started, this has been going on for a very long time, decades there was never peace. There are only cease fires so that Palestinians could re arm and attack again.

The conflict doesn’t end in the Historical Background of Gaza Strip. The conflict began on June 24, 2006, when in light of ongoing Qassam rocket attacks on Israeli cities, Israeli operatives seized suspected Hamas members Osama and Mustafa Muamar in the Gaza Strip. On June 25, a Hamas attack in Israeli checkpoint resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and the capture of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. In turn, Israel launched Operation Summer Rains on June 28. Why do the Israeli’s constantly fires back against Gaza? The Reason goes back to WW2, the Palistinians, and other Muslim Arabs, sided with Hitler in WW2; they want to exterminate the Jews. Hamas itself, in its charter, calls for the complete destruction of Israel, and to replace it with a Fundamentalist Muslim Nation. Hamas is the Party in power within Palestine and they are the most Extreme and Violent of the Palestinians as of today. Israel is a close ally of the United States of America, thus, having a new leadership in USA will this contribute in resolving the conflict? The administration of Obama might take some time before they meddle into this issue because in his inaugural speech he didn’t mention any plans of mediating in the current status of the said conflict. However, the former President of the United States, George W. Bush had plans regarding the conflict during his second term however it did not push through.


Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, and one of the three-strong team, admitted there had been a "failure of diplomacy" in response to the Gaza crisis so far. The UN Security Council had agreed on a resolution—with America abstaining-calling for a ceasefire and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. The lack of an American veto was notable. Earlier, America had seemed willing to block a UN resolution, in order to let Israel continue to pound Gaza, at least as long as Hamas continued to launch rockets into southern Israel. By abstaining America may be indicating, however tentatively, that an international consensus is forming that the bloodshed has gone on long enough. If only Hamas and Israel would agree. Israel called the ceasefire “unworkable”; Hamas representatives in Beirut and Gaza scoffed, too, noting that they had no hand in its drafting. Meanwhile, Israeli forces battle on in Gaza, taking life. In another incident the United Nations human-rights agency suggested that Israeli forces may be guilty of a war crime, after a report from Red Cross officials suggesting that Israeli soldiers had failed to assist wounded civilians in Gaza. Israeli bombing continued through the night after the UN resolution, and Hamas rockets continued to fly. In view of United Nations stand regarding the conflict is keeping this going by constantly telling israel (who has the fire power to end it for good) to stop fighting back when they are attacked. In Modern times, it can be said that the United Nations have something to do with this conflict because The United Nations only condemns Israel, and never The Palistinians. the UN could force an Embargo on Israel, so they have to comply. Hamas is never held accountable by any external forces except the USA (minimal intervention). The best thing that the United Nations should do is to back out of it all together, and let the reasonable State (Israel) handle the problem. If Israel, Eradicate Hamas and its supporters, that time the problem will be solved. Fairness perpetuates a war, let Israel take care of the problem.

The Department of Foreign affairs have reported that only six out of some 108 Filipinos residing in Gaza agreed to be pulled out under the Philippine government's evacuation plan as most of the others chose to stay behind with their families in the Palestinian territory even though Israeli forces stepped up air and ground strikes. Initially, 70 have agreed to be evacuated to Amman, Jordan where they will be flown back to Manila. But a day before the evacuation began, many have backed out and the figure dwindled to six. Philippine Ambassador to Israel Petronila Garcia said in a report that many backed out because they can't leave behind their Palestinian spouses and their children, who are not allowed by the Israeli authority to leave under the Philippines' evacuation plan.

In an article written by Bradley Burton he considered Negotiation with Hamas as one of the better solution. He argued that Hamas is not only the democratically elected ruler of Gaza, it also still enjoys broad, if somewhat dimished, popular support in the Strip. Because it trades on an ideology of martyrdom and steadfastness in the face of attack, it will be defeated neither by economic sanctions nor military confrontation. There is no alternative to talks toward a cease-fire, which Hamas has been proposing for years, holding out the offer of the return of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in an exchange for jailed Hamas men. But personally and in my own opinion the end really justifies the means - it really breaks down to: Hamas will not stop until the jews are dead. Israel will stop when they are no longer attacked.


*note this articles was done for Reaction purposes on Gaza Strip conditions for Asst. Prof Jennifer Aquino's Class*