By Hishaam Hussain – 

Introduction:

The events of October 7 are all too familiar to us. A catalyst for the destruction of a region that has only known war for the last 100 years. Contrary to widespread belief, this is not the start of the Israel-Palestine conflict but a ripple in a war of bloodshed that trails can be traced back to over a century ago.

I will attempt to shine a light on the history of the conflict. Breakdown theologies like Zionism, outline the events that extrapolated into the conflict that has engulfed the people of Palestine and the wider region into an endless plight. So, you can fully comprehend the ramifications if such an attempt at genocide continues.

Before I delve into the history, I must try and give you the baseline on what Zionism is, with its many layers it is crucial that you can understand the core principles. Which will help you look through one of the many scopes that explain why the conflict has persisted.

What is Zionism?

Zionism, at heart, is the belief that the Jewish community believe they are entitled to a Jewish state in Israel and Palestine, just like how the Chinese are entitled to China as their home state.

The phrase ‘Return to Zion’ is often found in biblical text that traces their nationhood and origin back to the Kingdoms of David and Solomon, what you might know today as Israel.

The Balfour Declaration 1917, the 67-word letter from Arthur Balfour, the UK’s Foreign Secretary to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a leader in the British Jewish community. This short letter has seismic implications that are still felt in Palestine today.

The issue often highlighted is that it was a European power that promised the Zionist movement a country that was already occupied by over 90% of Palestinian Arabs.

Zionism has occupied the Israeli government at different points in time in two camps; the Left who was willing to trade Israeli land for peace with Arab nations, Secular Government (do not mix religion in civil affairs). The Right were more comfortable with mixing religion with civil affairs and more skeptical of ‘land for peace’ deals with Arab nations.

Arabs and Palestinians have an adamant stance against Zionism as they see it as a specific Jewish character of the Israeli government. One instance of this is that any Jewish individual from outside the region has a right to become an Israeli citizen, a right not extended to any other class of person.

Zionism is viewed by most Arab communities as colonialism and racism aimed at seizing Palestinian land and systematically disenfranchising, the Palestinians that remain.

Additionally, it is paramount that you understand that most religious groups of Orthodox Jews are heavily anti-Zionist because they believe it is inherently evil to forcefully take the land from the Palestinian Arabs that already reside. The Orthodox Jews will only return to the land when God wills it, this refers to the Second Coming of Christ. The Neturei Karta, are the most renown anti-Zionist group of Orthodox Jews they are extreme in their hostility towards the State of Israel.

Arab states in 1975 attempted to push through a UN General Assembly to label Zionism as a form of “racism and racial discrimination’ though it was repealed 16 years later.

The 1930’s

Now that Zionism is fresh in your mind let’s track through the history of this deadlocked war.

Escalating tensions led to the Arab Revolt from 1936-1939, this was caused by a call for the Palestinians to launch a general strike by a newly designated Arab National Committee. Its main call was to protest British colonialism and growing Jewish immigration.

This was met with heavy resistance from the British, which consequently led to Israel adopting the punitive home demolitions employed during this revolt, a sight we all know too well.

The second phase of the revolt targeted British forces and colonialism. The retaliation was not equally weighted by the end of 1939, 30,000 British troops had rallied and had desolated the region with air bombings and summary killings which were widespread.

This response had sowed the seeds of war as it saw the birth of a Jewish paramilitary that was the inception of what we know today as the Israeli army.

In those years of revolt, 5,000 Palestinians were killed, 15,000 to 20,000 were wounded and 5,600 were imprisoned.

The UN Partition Plan:

In 1947, given that the Jewish population accounted for 30% of the region of Palestine, the UN suggested a partition (the splitting of land and government) given that they only owned 6%, this was done under Resolution 181.

However, this failed due to the Palestinians ‘rejecting’ the offer as it saw 55% of their most fertile coastal land being handed to the Jewish state. I say it loosely as there were circumstances out of their control that made it more complicated. At the time Palestinians owned 94% of its historic land and made up 67% of the population.

This would catalyze the events of 1948 where the Zionist paramilitary group would take matters of securing land into their own hands, a chain of catastrophic events that would destabilise the region further.

The Nakba (Catastrophe):

A forceful push from Zionist paramilitaries to expand the borders of their soon-to-be Zionist state.

A massacre of a village outside Jerusalem in 1948 would set the tone for the next two years which saw 15,000 killed, and 750,000 Palestinians forced out of their own homes. Their descendants live as 6 million refugees in 58 camps spread across the Arab nation like Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.

The Zionist movement captured 78% of ancient Palestinian land, the 22% that remains is in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli state was established in May 1948, a day after the Arab-Israeli war started which stretched to January 1948. The UN General Assembly passed Resolution 191, which called for the right of return for all the displaced refugees.

In 1964 the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was formed and saw the Fatah political party established.

The Naksa (Setback):

After 20 years of brutal military occupation of historic Palestine, the six-day war with a coalition of Arab armies saw a second displacement for the Palestinian people.

To bring light to the endless struggle, in December 1967 the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was formed. Over the next ten years, they carried out attacks that would garner the attention of the world to the plight of the Palestinians.

Furthermore, the two-tier system in the settlement saw the civic and political exclusion of the Palestinian people topped with a heavy military occupation that discriminated against them, whilst the Jewish settlers were given the right to Israeli citizenship.

The First Intifada (Uprising):

This erupted in December 1987 when an Israeli truck rammed into two trucks that were carrying Palestinian workers. The protests rapidly spread to the West Bank, with young Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli tanks and soldiers.

This consequently led to the creation of Hamas, a Muslim Brotherhood that just like the ones of the past fought against Israeli occupation.

The Intifada was acted out by youth but directed by the United National Leadership of the Uprising, whose goal was to end Israeli occupation and achieve Palestinian independence.

According to B’Tselem 1070 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 237 children, and more than 175,000 were arrested.

The uprising pushed the international community to search for a permanent solution to end the conflict.

The Al-Aqsa Intifada:

Following the failure of the Oslo Accord, which was a promise for peace that was made on the lawn of the White House by Bill Clinton (US President), Yitzhak Rabin (Israeli Prime Minister), and Yasser Arafat (Chairman of the PLO) on September 13, 1993.

Following the assassination of Rabin by an Israeli political dissenter who opposed the Oslo Accords on religious grounds, Hamas also committed attacks that would undermine the Labour Party in Israel’s 1996 elections. Negotiations fell apart and the promise for peace has still yet to be fulfilled three decades later.

Binyamin Netanyahu and Ariel Sharon of the Likud party utilized this opportunity and seized power in the Israeli government. They heavily opposed Palestinian statehood and Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.

Consequently, Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque with an armed security detail on September 28 would ignite another Palestinian uprising that caused a death toll of 1,000 on the Israeli side and 3,000-5,000 on the Palestinian side.

The construction of the separation wall saw more destruction to Palestinian communities and livelihoods. And exclusion from the land that was expropriated from them.

The Gaza Blockade:

The death of Arafat in 2004, led to the end of the intifada. Israeli settlements were dismantled in the Gaza Strip which led to 9,000 settlers and soldiers leaving the enclave.

Hamas won the Majority in the first Palestinian General elections. That saw the Hamas-Fatah Civil War break out resulting in the death of hundreds of Palestinians over the following months.

Hamas expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip, they were the leading party for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was perceived by the people as a corrupt contractor that was established to combat political dissent against the Israeli government.

The consequences of this were felt in June 2007 when Israel imposed an air and naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of ‘terrorism’.

The Wars on the Gaza Strip:

Over the last three decades, Israel has launched four military assaults on Gaza, that have led to the desolation of infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and office buildings. Furthermore, reconstruction is difficult because the sieges prevent the delivery of building materials.

The 2008 ‘Operation ‘Cast Lead’ saw the use of internationally banned weaponry such as Phosphorous which causes asphyxiation in those exposed to it. The final death toll sat at 1,387.

In 2012 ‘Operation Pillar Of Defence‘ the Palestinian armed forces fired 1,500 projectiles; Israel fired 1,000 times more on the Gaza Strip which killed 167, 87 who were not involved and 32 of them were minors.

2014 a series of attacks more widely known as Operation Protective Edge wounded 11,231 and killed 2251.

Unlawful missile strikes as a part of ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls’, saw the devastation of high-rise buildings in 2021 causing 260 civilians in Gaza to be killed, 66 among them were children. 2,400 housing units became uninhabitable. Hamas and Jihadist rockets launched towards Israel misfired and fell short causing further Palestinian casualties.

Conclusion:

A trail of death and destruction that brings us to the events of today. My aim was to educate you on the strains of war that have plighted the people of the region for over 100 years.

The foundations of Zionism are easy to grasp but it has seen many mutations that have proven a great challenge to dissect. I hope you have achieved a greater understanding of it.

The war rages on, the solution is unclear. But with your newly acquired knowledge, you can now contribute to the discussion, and vocalise why such an attempt at genocide must be stopped. So, we can see a future where Palestine is free.

Thank you for your participation in this poll. Your input contributes to a better understanding of public opinion on this critical issue.