The Israel and Palestine conflict: The Sacred Land of Jerusalem

Israel and Palestine are engaged in a dogfight for a couple of days. Israeli defense has launched as many as 500 missiles in the areas of the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization, who attacked the Israeli city of Tel Aviv with 130 rockets. The catastrophe caused has lead to nothing but the loss of human lives on either side.

According to i24 news, the Israeli Premier has warned for the worst consequences and insisted that it will only increase the intensity and frequency of attacks against the Palestinian militia. Moreover, Hamas has also reiterated to engage in a fierce fashion of scrimmage. Israel owns one of the sophisticated Air Defense systems and martial strength, whereas Hamas has proved to be the earlier champion exhibiting enough expertise to counter-air defense. One of the energy pipelines crossing the Israeli city of Ashkelon was hit hard by rockets hailing from Gaza, past days, as the iron dome failed to intercept many missiles.

The Israeli authorities have vowed to escalate the military campaign against Hamas & its allies whereas firing 500+ missiles targeting infrastructure, allegedly being used by Hamas militants, including an eight-story apartment building reportedly killing dozens of men, women, and children.

The conflict between both the belligerents traces back to tens of centuries. It is challenging to declare the legitimate inheritor of the ‘Sacred land’ or, in other words, to find the victims of the historic tussle in its true essence. The Religious dilemma, holocaust, mass migrations, wars, and incompetent governing authorities in the area have bestowed to a de facto state of Palestine and the only ethnoreligious state of the world, Israel.

The creation of the Jewish State of Israel emerged out, in my opinion, because of a lesser or ill understanding of the British monarch towards the region and Palestine, categorically. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britishers took the reign of the colonies and enforced policies wiser enough for their own interests only. The British Mandate of Palestine (1918-47), acknowledged by the league of nations, adopted malicious attempts like the Balfour declaration and various official White Papers for their vested interests resulting in a violent and narrower polarized society. Unlike the conventional, it was a choice between ethnic and religious identity, Jews (religious) and Arabs (ethnicity), leaving no room for a mutual interest-based society.

The glorification of killing opponents and grabbing their land, resources, and strength became a religious liability for both. It was announced some ten years before the actual creation of Israel that the partition and 2-states are the only solutions. It was a common practice of the monarch for the colonies until the Second world war ended. For instance, it was Minto-Morley reforms in the case of British India. The responsibility for the devastating conditions of Palestine, Israel, and other past colonies lies upon the filthy and irresponsible attitude of the British monarch and the exploitative mindset. Even though the offense to ignite was committed by the British, what about current bloodshed?

The recent skirmish started when the Israeli Personnel tried to intrude on Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, last week. It erupted series of protests across Gaza and resulted in clashes which got a spark after the first of its kind at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a sacred site for Muslims. The Israeli police have fired live bullets, tear gas shells, and rubber bullets on protesters at Al-Aqsa mosque on the last Friday of the Holy month of Ramadan. The incident drew international attention and sympathies from Muslim countries. Furthermore, the UN also has condemned the attempts and urged to hand over evacuated houses to their owners. The clashes between the stone pelleting protesters and the firing policemen have left twelve civilians and two officers dead and numerous wounded, unfortunately.

Following Tuesday, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets towards Israel and called it a befitting response to the recent atrocities against Jerusalem and the Muslims worshipping there. Hamas and its allies have fired 1050 missiles targeting different cities of Israel and causing a lot of destruction for Israeli urban settlements and industrial hubs. Recently, its Lebanese counterpart has also indulged in aerial attacks against Israel. The countries globally have shown deep concerns, depending upon their diplomatic priorities, and had defined the poles. Turkey, Pakistan, KSA, UAE, and other Muslim countries are hailing for the Palestinian right to independence, while the western countries respect Israeli right to self-defense. Indeed, it is a trickier choice for the third side of the argument to pick up one righteous right among the two rights of two different populations.

Attacks by either side cause loss of human lives, chances of prosperity, stability, and religious practices. The Palestinian are deprived of fundamental human rights for years because of its conflict-driven areas and the apathy of generations. While the youth, comprising one-third of the population, is either displaced or engaged in an ethnoreligious war of freedom since early childhood. Palestine truly portrays the picture of victimization in the 21st century because the world claims to champion rights for everyone and condemns the war whereas, Palestinian people are restricted to access even the right to live, and a generation is nurturing under the shadows of guns and bullets.

On the other hand, Israel ranks 19th on the UN human development index. The financial stability, modernization, and arsenal strength made Israel the only country in middle-east standing shoulder to shoulder with developed western countries.

Despite the satisfying figures of the financial index, the problem lies in the social development of the population. The majority of the Jewish inhabitants have inclined to Ultra-orthodox laws discouraging democracy and creating religiously driven stiffness towards the non-rewarded (non-believers) people. The Israeli youth, 28% of the populace, is undoubtedly facilitated with modern learning material and techniques, accompanied by infamous Israeli upbringing traits. But it should be alarming for Israel and the world that they lack much-needed social conscience, access to history, the modernized system of thinking, and questioning the authorities about political and human rights, unlike their western counterparts.

The Hilltop Youth is one of the organizations working to radicalize Israeli youth and entice religious hatred. The group has settled tens of camps in bordering areas to Palestine and engage in attacks and intrude in houses of natives, thus creating chaos. The proceedings will lead to anarchy, religious misogynism, an intolerant society, and threaten the existence of Israel. Inevitably, the Israeli Intrusion of Palestine land, negligence to the increasing hatred specifically towards Arabs and Muslims in general, and excessive exercise of military power can lead Israel to turn into Palestine soon!

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