EDITORIAL: The Danger of the Israel Palestine Conflict

The most recent outbreak of war between Israel and Palestine started in October 2023. It was triggered by the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza Strip killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 100 hostages. Israel responded with a similar military operation killing more than 1,100 Palestinians. The political history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict is a complex topic that spans over a century, and Biblical stories from the time of the prophet Abraham. Now it covers the competing claims of two national movements: Zionism and Arab nationalism.

This recent event will certainly affect global peace and economy. Here is a brief summary of some of the key actions and issues summarized from published articles and from the internet:

1. “The conflict has its origins in the late 19th century, when Zionists sought to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in Ottoman-controlled Palestine, which was inhabited predominantly by Arab Muslims, Christians and Jews.

2. In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, which endorsed the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leading to an influx of Jewish immigrants to the region.

3. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and Palestine came under British mandate. The British tried to balance the conflicting demands of the Jews and Arabs, but failed to satisfy either side.

4. In 1947, the United Nations proposed a plan to divide Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem as an international city. The Jews accepted the plan, but the Arabs rejected it. The resolution sparked a civil war between the two communities, which escalated into a regional war.

5. The 1948 war resulted in the creation of Israel, but also the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who became refugees in neighboring countries or within Israel itself. The war also left Israel in control of more territory than the UN partition plan.

6. The conflict continued in subsequent decades. These events reshaped the political map of the region, as Israel captured and annexed more lands, such as East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

7. The Palestinians also formed their own political organizations, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas. Both sought to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation by various means, including armed struggle and diplomacy.

8. Numerous peace negotiations have taken place over the years, but a lasting peace agreement has remained elusive. Some of the major obstacles include the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal by most of the international community; the status of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital; the fate of Palestinian refugees, who demand their right to return to their homes; and the security and recognition of Israel by its Arab neighbors”.

LET US PRAY THAT THIS ONGOING POLITICAL WAR WILL NOT ESCALATE INTO A REGIONAL, WORLD, RACIAL, AND GOD FORBIDS, A RELIGIOUS WAR.