Palestine - Israel Ceasefire

Recently, there was a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine following three days of fighting that claimed the lives of hundreds of people in both nations.

Tensions between Palestinians and Israeli police erupted at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque earlier this year as well.

Recent conflict

• Since Israel and Hamas engaged in an 11-day conflict last year, the violence between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza has deteriorated significantly.
• As long as a cease-fire was not negotiated, there was still a chance that the border clashes may escalate into a full-fledged war.
• Conflict arose because Israeli aircraft attacked targets (leaders of the Islamic Jihad) in Gaza.
• The terrorist Palestinian Jihad group responded by launching many rockets toward Israel with support from Iran.
• Compared to Hamas, Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and supporters.

Israel's actions: Israel began its operation by attacking a major leader of the Islamic Jihad, and it then carried out a second targeted strike on a different leader.

• Israeli army reports that militants in Gaza launched roughly 580 missiles at Israel.
• Many of them were intercepted by Israel, and two of those that were shot down were aimed at Jerusalem.
• The U.N. Security Council has called an urgent meeting to discuss the bloodshed.
• The session was arranged in response to a request by the United Arab Emirates, which represents Arab countries on the council, as well as China, France, Ireland, and Norway. China will be the council's president for August 2022.

About Israel-Palestine Conflict

• The partition of Palestine between the old state of Palestine and the new state of Israel was suggested by the United Nations (UN).
• The Jewish-majority state of Israel was required to receive 53% of the land under this partition proposal, while the Palestinian-majority state of Palestine received 47%. (Palestine).
• The Arab nations of the Middle East did not accept this notion well.

First Israeli-Arab conflict:

• But in 1948, Jewish paramilitary organisations forcibly created the state of Israel. This led to a bloody war with its Arab neighbours in 1948, including Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. First Arab-Israeli conflict.
• Israel prevailed in this conflict and eventually occupied a larger area than was originally planned in the 1947 UN partition plan.
• When the State of Israel was established in historic Palestine in 1948, the Palestinians were driven from their homes. The Palestinians refer to these events as the "Nakba," or disaster.
• Of those 48 Palestinian families, 28 relocated to Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.

1967 Six-Day War:

• The Six-Day War broke out after the Arab nations once more refused to recognise Israel as a sovereign state in 1967.
• Israel gained even more territory in Palestine as a result of this victory.
• Israel gained control of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, which contains the revered Old City.
• It also occupied the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and the Syrian Golan Heights.
• Jewish organisations began requesting that families leave the country at the beginning of the 1970s.

Oslo Agreements

• The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Israeli government signed it in 1993, with the backing of the UN.
• As a result, the Palestinian Authority gained control of a portion of the West Bank.

Current Situation

• Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital as its whole, not simply a portion of it. However, the Palestinians disagree and want that it serves as the capital of a future independent Palestine.
• A judgement to evict four Palestinian families from their houses in Sheikh Jarrah in favour of Jewish settlers was upheld by the Central Court in East Jerusalem earlier this year.
• Israeli police recently installed barricades at Damascus Gate to coincide with the start of Ramadan, which caused a dilemma for Palestinians.
• Numerous individuals were hurt as Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On Jerusalem Day, this was accomplished.
• Hamas, the Islamist militant organisation in charge of Gaza, responded by launching a number of rockets.
• In retaliation, the Israelis attacked Gaza with an airstrike, killing at least 65 Palestinians, including 16 children

India’s Stand on Israel Palestine Conflict

• India has continuously voted in favour of Palestine at the UN and has remained "steadfast" in its support for Palestinian rights.
• India participated in the UN General Assembly and cast a vote against the US's 2017 decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
• India had supported a different UNGA resolution in 2018 that "deplored the use of excessive, disproportionate, and indiscriminate force by Israeli troops on Palestinian civilians."
• India has consistently supported resolutions that call for a two-state solution and acknowledge the Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem.
• At a recent emergency closed-door UN Security Council meeting, India particularly criticized rocket assaults from Gaza while denouncing "any acts of violence."

Way forward

With the aid of international organizations, a "two-state solution" based on peace can only be reached through negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

The Abraham Accords, which were negotiated by the United States and signed in 2020 by Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Israel, were a significant advance in fostering Arab-Israeli collaboration. Finding a peaceful and lasting resolution to the ongoing crisis is now urgently necessary.

India is committed to multilateralism, has positive relations with both Israel and Palestine, and may contribute "increased" efforts to finding a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine dispute.