Most of the discussions lately concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict are confused, either through ignorance – most people don’t have the time to unravel this complex story – or by intentional dysinformation. I wanted to break it down.
- Gaza and the West Bank are not Isreal, legally.
Note: The adjective “Mandatory” indicates that the entity’s legal status derived from a League of Nations mandate; it is not related to the word’s more commonplace usage as a synonym for “compulsory” or “necessary”.[12]
The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that were part of Mandate Palestine and were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. There are over 5 million Palestinians combined living in the two territories.
In 1967, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria were involved in a military struggle most commonly known as the Six-Day War. Up until that point, the Gaza Strip had been under Egypt’s control and the West Bank under Jordan’s. However, after the Six-Day War, both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were seized by Israel.
There has been a conflict over the specific territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for over a hundred years, dating back even before Israel became a country. Since the Six-Day War, though, the tension between Israelis and Palestinians living in the territories has been constant, often ending in violence. Because Israel controls all access into the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Palestinians living there are under military occupation and are subject to Israeli restrictions, often depending on aid for food, water, and supplies.
https://www.pcrf.net/information-you-should-know/what-are-the-gaza-strip-and-the-west-bank.html
- Hamas is an Islamic resistance organization that does not represent Palestine. The US classifies it as a terrorist organization.
HAMAS–the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)—is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties.
https://www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/hamas_fto.html#:~:text=HAMAS%E2%80%93the%20acronym%20for%20Harakat,territories%27%20two%20major%20political%20parties.
- HAMAS is a separate from the Muslim Brotherhood, because of their stance on violence. It’s Charter is to establish an Islamic state (not a Palestinian State)
Creating Hamas as an entity distinct from the Muslim Brotherhood was a matter of practicality; the Muslim Brotherhood refused to engage in violence against Israel,[120] but without participating in the intifada, the Islamists tied to it feared they would lose support to their rivals the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PLO. They also hoped that by keeping its militant activities separate, Israel would not interfere with its social work.[i]
In August 1988, Hamas published the Hamas Charter, wherein it defined itself as a chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood and its desire to establish “an Islamic state throughout Palestine”.[123]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas
- The PLJ is also active in Gaza. They want the military destruction of Israel.
PIJ formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and was influenced ideologically in its formation by the Islamic regime in Iran. It is a member of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which rejects the Oslo Accords and whose objective is the establishment of a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state.[2] It calls for the military destruction of Israel and rejects a two-state solution.[3] The organization’s financial backing has historically come mainly from Syria and Hezbollah.[4][5] Since 2014, PIJ has seen its power steadily increase with the backing of funds from Iran.[6]
The armed wing of PIJ is Al-Quds Brigades (also known as “Saraya”), also formed in 1981, which is active in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with its main strongholds in the West Bank being the cities of Hebron and Jenin. Its operations have included suicide bombings, attacks on Israeli civilians, as well as the firing of rockets into Israel. PIJ has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States,[7] the European Union,[8] the United Kingdom,[9] Japan,[10] Canada,[11] Australia,[3] New Zealand[12][13] and Israel.[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Islamic_Jihad
- Religious Zionism believes that all non-Jews are evil, and will resort to violence to reclaim the land promised to them by God. Secular Zionism is a kind of Nationalism, based on the fear for survival.
Abstract
According to the first reading, Zionism represents the revival of violent tendencies in Judaism now that Jews once again have a state. In religious Zionism, the endorsement of violence is due to the belief that Jews are chosen, that God promised them the land of Israel, that the messianic period is approaching, and that non-Jews are evil. Secular Zionism does not subscribe to the literal meaning of these premises, but it has translated them into nationalist ideals that have also inspired violence. According to the second reading, the violence of Zionism has been inspired by factors having little to do with Judaism, such as secular nationalism, Jewish fears of Arabs engendered by centuries of persecution, and the desperation of Jews who believed that Zionism represented the only chance for Jews to survive. Furthermore, much of the violence by Zionists has been defensive in nature.
Eisen, Robert, ‘Modern Zionism’, The Peace and Violence of Judaism: From the Bible to Modern Zionism (2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 May 2011), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751471.003.0006, accessed 27 Oct. 2023.
Longhaired Lords 