Israel-Palestine Conflict & Pathways to Peace
History:
Against the backdrop of the UK’s withdrawal of its mandate over
Palestine, UN General Assembly Resolution 118 of 1947 divided the
contested territory into 2 parts: 55% of the land went to the Jews,
45% to the Arab Palestinians, and Jerusalem was put under separate
international authority. Despite being accepted by the Jews who
declared the creation of the State of Israel a year later, this
proposal was rejected by the Palestinians and Arab countries alike.
The tension eventually erupted into a war, in which Israel emerged
victorious, expanding its territory by 30%, and driving 700,000
Palestinians from their homes.
Numerous further wars and conflicts arose over the course of the
20th century, primarily centred around disputes over territories
claimed by both Israel, and its Arab neighbours or Palestinians,
including the Golan Heights, West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza and
East Jerusalem, all of which were occupied after the 6 days war of
1967.
Since 1977, the Israeli government has pursued a contentious
policy of establishing settlements on these occupied territories,
with approximately half a million Israelis currently living in
settlements and outposts on the West Bank, which are considered
illegal by most countries under international law, as established
by the Geneva Convention. Meanwhile, the PLO (Palestinian
Liberation Organization) was formed in 1964, with the aim of the
“liberation of Palestine” via armed struggle and guerilla attacks
on Israeli civilians. Despite efforts to reach a peaceful
settlement towards the end of the 20th century, and beginning of
the 21st, little headway was made, with repeated stalls and
restarts.
Current situation:
The Israel-Palestine situation has made headlines again recently
following former US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo’s unprecedented
visit to Israel in November 2020, during which he flew over the
occupied Golan Heights, and visited Israeli settlements on the West
Bank. The Trump Administration’s approach was unmistakably
pro-Israel: recognising Israel’s sovereignity over the Golan
Heights, orchestrating the normalisation of relationships between
Israel and Arab countries like Bahrain and the UAE, moving the US
embassy to Jerusalem, and proposing apparent Israeli annexation of
Palestinian settlements in the West Bank, as part of its “vision
for peace”. It remains to be seen to what extent the Biden
Administration’s policy will be a change from that of Trump.
The most widely agreed approach towards peace is a “two-state
solution”, in which separate Israeli and Palestinian states are
formed. Key sticking points are how to handle the division of
Jerusalem, ensure that both states recognise each other, and that
Israel withdraws from the occupied territories. A “one-state
solution” has also been proposed, though is considered a fairly
non-realistic, academic solution.
Other key issues for the UN to address are:
· Security in the region, given the current high level of
sporadic acts of terror perpetrated by both sides
· The plight of 4 million Palestinian refugees and their
descendants
· Control over Jerusalem
· Handling Israeli settlement and military involvement in
occupied territories
· The transfer of people & goods between Palestinian
settlements in the West Bank & Gaza
Further Reading:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/19/will-trumps-major-foreign-policy-legacy-be-israel-and-palestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-54999008
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-52756427
https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18079996/israel-palestine-conflict-guide-explainer
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2020-0089/
