War Conflict between Israel and Hamas - Essay Example

The War between Israel and Hamas Introduction Israel as a sovereign came into existence in 1948; however, the creation of the State of Israel was vehemently opposed by Arab states in the Middle East. This led to armies from some Arab states in the Middle East attacking Israel, but lost the war to the Israeli army. During the same period, Palestinians were driven out of the new State of Israel and became refugees in countries such as Egypt and Lebanon. Conversely, Jews were also evicted from the Arab countries. Many of the Jews population expelled from the Arab countries ended up moving to the new State of Israel. In 1967, Israel attacked three Arab states that included Jordan, Syria and Egypt. This led to Israel annexing more land that included the Golan Heights. Since this attack, there has been numerous negotiations for Israel to return back land annexed as mandated by the UN resolutions and international law. Israel was attacked again by Egypt and Syria in 1973 in an attempt to regain the land annexed by Israel, but they failed. However, after the Camp David Accord, Israel relinquished the Sinai back to Egypt, which, resulted in peace between the two states. The uprise by Palestinians began in the 80s and it was termed “intifada” (Robinson et al 22). At first, this movement was nonviolent; however, the dynamics of the conflict changed when Israeli troops shot young Palestine who confronted them with stones and slings. In reaction to the killings, Palestinian activists begun to kill Israelis using suicide bombers. Peace negotiations resumed in 1993, and Israel eventually accepted to recognize PLO. The Oslo Peace Accord has been viewed as one-sided since it only benefited Israel in terms of retaining control of the land and other resources. In the following year, Israel withdrew from Jericho and Gaza strip and control of the two territories was handed over to the Palestinian police (Robinson et al 24). The continued fight for the occupied territories has resulted in establishment of a number of militants that include the Hamas, which has both political and militarized factions. This has led to a continued attack on Israeli territory and in retaliation, Israel has used heavy artillery in Gaza strip that has led to many fatalities and leaving thousands homeless (Robinson et al 26). This paper explores the war between Israel and the Hamas faction. Hama’s ascendancy to power in Gaza Strip Over the years, Israel has continued to engage in peace negotiation with the Fatah government based in West Bank. However, the popularity of Hamas has also grown in Gaza and this led to the party gaining more legislative seats during the 2006 legislative elections. Hamas is viewed as a terrorist entity by Israel and the International community that include the United States. On the other hand, Hamas faction has refused to recognize the existence of the State of Israel, this is a sentiment shared by countries such as Iran and the Hezbollah militants. Hamas claims it is fighting for the liberation of the Palestinians from Israeli occupation and as such, their war against Israel is justified. On the other hand, Israel insists on its right of existence and this has led to the worsening of the conflict where both sides continue to attack each other using every means possible. After the legislative election in 2006, the conflict between the two sides intensified (Ghanem 198). Since Israel does not recognize the Hamas government, their ascendency to power led to Israel sealing its border with the Gaza strip. The sealing of the border with Gaza strip has minimized the movement of goods into the Gaza region; thus, weakening Hamas further. Hamas faction sustains its military activities through support from countries such as Iran and other militant groups that include Hezbollah. In a reaction against the closure of Hamas supply routes by Israel, Hamas militant faction has persistently launched Qassam rockets on Israeli territories close to the border and raids meant at killing or capturing Israeli soldiers. One such incident occurred in 2006 where, an Israeli soldier was captured which, led to a massive military offensive by Israel (Ghanem 205). After the 2006 legislative elections, Hamas seemed uncomfortable with the Fatah that still controlled most of the Palestinian controlled territories including Gaza Strip. This led to infighting between the two factions where Hamas gained full control of the Gaza Strip. Israel on their part, responded to the Hamas takeover by further restricting the movement of goods and people within the Gaza Strip. This led to many people in Gaza Strip losing their work and poverty levels also increased. The takeover of Gaza Strip by Hamas only increases the clash between Israeli army and the Palestinian militants supported by the Hamas faction. After the takeover, more militant groups in the Gaza Strip have continued to launch rockets into Israeli territory resulting in more fatalities and damage to infrastructure. As such, any time rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, the Israeli army has responded by shelling Gaza with heavy artillery killing both the militants and civilians (Solomon and Casey 2). While there are many militant factions in the Gaza Strip today, any attacked on Israeli territory has been associated with Hamas since they control the Gaza Strip, but has also failed or deliberately harbored militants attacking Israeli territories. The military superiority of Hamas has grown over the years as a result of support from other groups outside Palestinian controlled territories. This has contributed to the faction acquiring sophisticated weaponry to use against the State of Israel. On the other hand, Israel has also continued to upgrade its military capabilities that include the “Iron Dome” project that provides Israeli military with capabilities to shoot down rockets launched by Palestinian militants into Israeli territory (Solomon and Casey 2). The war dynamics between Israel and Hamas has also changed over the years because it seems Hamas is being used by other powers to fight a proxy war with Israel. This is evident from the support provided by countries such as Iran in terms of military capabilities to sustain Hamas’s attacks against Israel. As a result of support from other quarters, Palestinian militants have increased their attack on Israel and in particular, using the Qassam rockets. Previously, the rockets used by Palestinian militants had minimal impact in terms of causing damage on Israeli territory. However, the militants today have in possession, sophisticated rockets that can travel long distance into Israeli cities and cause collateral damage (Vick and Klein 8). Escalation of war between Hamas and Israel Since 2008, the war between Israel and Hamas has been on and off as a result of not being able to agree on a long-term truce. The wars that have been fought by the two sides since 2008 include the Gaza War, Operation returning echo, Pillar of defense, and lately, Operation protective edge. The wars that have taken place since 2008 have been intense resulting into loss of many innocent lives and in particular, in the Palestinian controlled territories. This on and off war between Israel and Hamas is mainly contributed the increased launch of rockets into southern Israel by Palestinian militants. While Israel deserves a right to defend itself against the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, there seems to be a disproportionate use of force by the Israel army. The destruction as a result of using disproportionate force is evident in the latest incursions by the Israeli military. In trying to weaken Hamas’s capabilities, Israel has over the years engaged in eliminating Hamas commanders. However, this tactic has been counterproductive because it has only served to increase attack on Israel territory by Palestinian militants (Vick and Klein 9). On the other hand, as a result of both sides taking a hardline approach in finding a long lasting truce to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, conflicts between Israel and Hamas will continue to happen. In addition, more youth in the Palestinian territory are joining militant groups who are bent on destroying the State of Israel. The anarchy that exists in Palestinian controlled territories has created an environment that harbors terrorists who continue to launch rockets into Israeli territory. The factions harbored by the Hamas authority are not interested in maintaining peace and are interested in escalating the conflict between Israeli and Palestine. The conflict cannot end if the Hamas are not taking responsibility to ensure there is law and order in particular, Gaza Strip. Israel on its part, also need to respect international laws by not targeting civilian areas in its military incursions. The loss of innocent lives on the Palestinian side contributes to affected families joining militant groups or enlisting themselves for suicide mission on Israeli land to avenge the death of their loved ones. In addition, Israel’s strategy of arresting Hamas’s officials is not yielding positive results, but only exacerbates the war situation on the ground. For instance, the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hamas is often used as a bargaining chip to release Hamas militants from Israeli prisons. Today, the conflict between Hamas and Israel has become a global issue with many countries calling for an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, the challenge lies on whether Israel can agree to give up the territory it annexed in 1967and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its administrative center (Palmer 29). Conclusion The war between Israel and Hamas has escalated over the years as a result of both side taking hardline positions. This has led to Hamas using other means to force Israel to give back territory seen to belong to the Palestinian people. Over the years, there has been many negotiations brokered by the international community to find solution to the conflict, but most of the times, both sides have failed to agree on a long-term truce to end the conflict. Foreign policy has also played a role in worsening the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is because the United States seen as a key player in finding a long lasting solution has done little in pressing Israel to agree on a two state solution. However, a long lasting solution is still possible if both sides agree to cede some ground with regard to their demands for a long-term truce. Works Cited Ghanem, As’ad. The Fallout from Israels War on Gaza: A Turning Point in the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict? Holy Land Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal 8.2 (2009): pp. 195-210. Print. Palmer, Alex. Trouble in Palestine. Harvard International Review 33.2 (2011): pp. 28-31.Print. Robinson, Simon; Hamad, Jamil; Klein, Aaron; Cooper, Matthew and Shannon, Elaine. Can militants make peace? Time 167.6 (2006): pp. 22-27.Print. Solomon, Jay and Casey, Nicholas. Hamas Divide Impedes Lasting Truce. Wall Street Journal 264.29 (2014): p. 2. Print. Vick, Karl and Klein, Aaron. Going to extremes. Time 184.3 (2014): pp. 8-9.Print. Read More