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The current conflict and the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza is not that began with October 7 Hamas raid on southern Israel, as believed by many with little or no knowledge of history or its myopic view, but began more than a hundred years ago with the evolution and pronouncement of the Zionism and the beginning of its implementation since late nineteenth For having an objective view and impartial understanding to what happened prior to 1948 and thereafter till today is an imperative.
The hardcore rightwing Israelites would even insist on going back to Abraham to whom Yaweh or Jehova (God) promised the land of Canaan (known today as the land of Israel) which included the territory of southern Levant covering the present day Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordon, the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon. Since this land according to them belongs to them, all other races and people who have been here for the past 2000 years, mainly the Palestinians, have to be expelled by force and their land and property expropriated.
In the late nineteenth century Zionism emerged as the philosophy and dogma for establishing and independent Jewish State of Israel in Palestine. The Palestine was at that time a part of the Ottoman Empire. As part of the Zionist plan the European Jews with money started migrating to the Ottoman Empire for finally moving to Palestine to settle down there by expropriating land of the native people. The process of migration and colonization began in the late nineteenth century, continued and accelerated with the conquest of the Palestine territory by the British Empire from the Ottomans in 1917. The British conquerors provided patronage and legitimacy to the colonization through Balfour declaration that endorsed the establishment of Israel in the land of Palestine. The Jew immigrants either bought land form the poor Palestinians or expelled them through the armed militias they formed with the ultimate objective of outnumbering the Palestinians. They set up their economic sectors and developed settlements gradually (even now ongoing). In 1890 the population of the Jews was 7 percent in Palestine, which rose to 18 percent in 1931, and 31 percent in 1939.
By this time a conflict had already started as opposition to Balfour declaration. In 1948 when the Israel was formally established as an independent state and recognized by the UN, expulsion, massacre, rapes and land expropriation of the Palestinians took place on a large scale and the Palestinians were expelled and pushed out of their homes and land to become refugees in the neighboring countries. This is called Nakba (the catastrophe). The Arabs lost war against Israel and the Palestinians lost their homeland and identity.
In 1967 Israel defeated a combined military of Egypt, Syria and Jordan and occupied Gaza, West Bank, Golan Heights and southern Lebanon. The Arabs again attacked Israel in 1973 but were again defeated. With the US mediation there was a ceasefire and Egypt and later Jordon recognized Israel and had peace accord. These countries gave up the Palestinian cause and acknowledged the invincibility of Israel. The Palestinians had a sense of betrayal and continued their struggle for freedom and a homeland. The Palestinians took to Intifada (uprising) in occupied territories; the first was in Gaza in 1987. Then the acts of terrorism including suicide bombing continued for years. The resistance took many forms. In 1994 Palestinian Authority under Israel control was set up in the occupied territory without autonomy or freedom or sovereignty with agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization headed by Yasser Arafat. However, later no progress was made in final settlement and violence continued to erupt from time to time. In 2005 Israel evacuated from Gaza and in 2006 Hamas won elections and controlled Gaza and Mahmoud Abbas controlled the West Bank. All negotiations to have Palestine as a sovereign state over the West bank and Gaza free from Israel failed due to hardliners. Israel blockaded Gaza and made it an open prison since 2007. The resistance forces started building their capacity for an armed uprising to free Palestine. Their conviction has been that all diplomatic efforts spreads over 70 years have failed and there is no other solution than the use of force. What happened on October 7, 2023 and Israel invasion of Gaza on October 8, 2023 is part of the consequences of unending events and failure of the international community in supporting a just and lasting solution.
Although Israel claimed that its military action in Gaza and Lebanon had destroyed resistance. But the fact is that the resistance became more powerful and capable. Even in a nine months, military action involving air power, tanks and artillery, missiles and drones, Hamas has not been destroyed and the Isralu hostages have not been released which was the goal of Israel. Operations Hamas is continuing resulting in genocide, Yeman’s Houthies have disrupted 70 percent of commercial navigation in the Red sea. Hizbullah’s skirmishes in north Israel has resulted in evacuation of 60000 Israelites from their homes in north Israel and their relocation to central Israel. Similar is the situation in southern Israel. Resistance forces in Syria and Iraq are also carrying out drone and missile attacks on Israel. Israel has planned a full-fledged war against Hizbullah in Lebanon, which may erupt any time.
In a recent survey 95 percent Israelites support what is being done in Gaza by Israel armed forces resulting in massacre of civilians mostly children and women, destruction of their houses and land, their expulsion to live in tents, cutting off supplies of food, water, fuel and medicines, destruction of schools, hospitals and other facilities leading to starvation and deaths. They believe that Israel could be made secure only if all its enemies in the region are defeated and destroyed, a dangerous and destructive project.
This war has been there for more than a hundred years and will continue for another hundred years though its character and volatility will volatility with change with a probable changing world order and change in the balance of power in the region and in the World.
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