Rafia Ali Abbasi
Israel-Palestine conflict is the most intractable and the world’s largest ongoing controversial dispute. The conflict is between two self-determination movements i.e. Zionist and the Palestinians both claiming the territories as their right to have held on and to practice their religious activities in the places like Al-Aqsa mosque- the third most prestigious holy place of Muslims and also the other parts of eastern Jerusalem. The conflict has more ideological, political, cultural, and religious interests of both the conflicting parties -Palestinians and Israelis. The origin of conflict can be tracked from the immigration of Jew during the British rule over Palestine and during World War-I Jews had faced discrimination, persecution, expulsion in the holocaust (1942-1945). After that the sectarian violence that had created chaos between both the religious and ideological conflicting parties over a piece of land. More importantly the United –Nation partition plan which was refused by the Palestinians soon after clashes were erupted to full-scale hostilities in the mid-20th century from 1947-1948 and also due to this plan miscellaneous wars that were fought between Jews and Arabs. Now the victims of the holocaust are attempting another brutal segment of holocaust over the innocent people of Palestine especially in Gaza, in Sheikh Jarah, and sheik Radwan areas. Launching airstrikes, rockets, and the Israelis are assassinating Palestinians without any hesitation. Medical assistance, humanitarian workers are also being tortured by the Jews forces, violating the protocols of the Geneva conventions. Likewise, Israel is fundamentally waging a war on truth by bombing the buildings and towers of media houses. Israel’s airstrikes flattened the al-Jalaa tower; where the offices of Associated Press and Aljazeera were smashed along with the other buildings like Al-Henday, Al-Jawhara, and Al-Shorouk towers, targeting the dozen local and international news agencies. Who were reporting the cruelties being done by the Israeli forces, just to manipulate the discourses to grasp the power as well as western sympathies with Israel’s meta-narrative as per they pretend that the sovereignty is being challenged by the Hamas and unarmed Palestinians in addition to this what ever the Israeli forces are doing, is legitimate. Israel’s bombardments in the last couple of days resulted in more than 219 Palestinians, including 63 children have been killed with 1,500 wounds of Palestinians. . Israelis and Palestinians both have strong beliefs on their religion, their values and on the Holy places. Jerusalem divided into four quarters the Muslim quarter, Christians, Armenians, and Jews quarter. So the prerequisites of Palestinians they want their 5-million refugees back to their homeland the land which has been promised to them. Where they would have religious freedom –access to Aqsa-Mosque, and most importantly Jerusalem is close to the Palestinians hearts, let them free to move to their holy place and they should have basic human rights specifically centering on the identity and sovereignty of Palestinians. In comparison to Palestinians; Israel’s interests in the expansion of territory, power and spreading out the Zionist ideology aiming to have full command on resources as well as over the Muslims. For instance, they considered them as an evil reflects the political and economic interests of Israel and his allies. Right now the locus impoverishment Palestinians to stop expansion and illegal settlements in Gaza Strips and Golan heights and stopover the violation of international human rights law as they have blocked the food, electricity, good supply to Gaza. The blockade has badly affected the life’s of Palestinian Muslims, today more than 1 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to feed their families they are facing explosive bullets. Massive deaths ultimate they occupied the west bank and Gaza during the first intifada, in suicide attacks more than 1500 Palestinian and 400 Israelis died. 1993 president Clinton brokered a peace treaty -Oslo Accords between Israel and PLO. Israel gave ostensible rights to Palestinians living in the west bank and Gaza strip but have control over air space, water resources, borders, and population registration. However they show the world that they have given them full right to live there but the reality is far most different than the apparent discourses which had been portrayed by the western media yet they are doing same these days. Even so, there were massive human rights violations in Gaza, and the west bank necessities of people were not fulfilled neither by the international community nor by the states. To get their rights the emerging force like Hamas a militant group works against Israel’s illegal curtailments in Palestinians. Clinton’s attempts for peace were abortive besides gave rise to the 2nd intifada from 2000 to 2005 alternative uprising to fight for their rights. In 2006 Hezbollah entered into the war and launched airstrikes on Israel. Hezbollah wanted to have self-determination of Palestinians and sharia law in the region. The attacks were on daily basis from both sides resulted in hundreds of causalities. Both parties do not want to compromise on identity, ideology and the holy land as the right of Jerusalem is the soul of the Palestinian struggle. The Israelis expansion is based on Zionism ideology and they are not ready to compromise on it. The current Israeli government has refused to do that. Palestinians want 7.5 million refugees to settle in Palestine but Israel denies that because that large number of Palestinians would be a great threat to their existence. Palestinians want eastern Jerusalem to be their capital in the future state. Peace can only be achieved by the diplomatic and political way of resolution in light of forgiveness, apology, recognition, and acceptance. Islamic countries and United Nations can play its constructive role to halt the further escalations that may result in human suffering. On the other hand, Israel should stop human rights violations and its punitive interference in Palestine’s internal affairs and no one should infiltrate each other’s territory thus maintaining sovereignty.
