The Third Intifidah

A Short Introduction

  As we celebrate our nation's 49th anniversary, and appreciate everything that this country has bestowed upon us, there is a tendency to forget what is happening in an area 7,930 kilometres away from the little red dot. It's not something that's common in our daily lives, and we can barely empathise with it because all we've known about it is through the pages of history books and the words from our grandparents. It's a sinister concept, one that involves casualties and sacrifice. It is the phenomenon known as war. As of today, the outburst of comments and opinions have indeed somewhat been mollified to a certain degree, but in no way does it mean that the war has stopped. Not even close.

A Brief History

  Many would ask, what's so different about this conflict as compared to other uprisings? Well this difference in ideal and opinion has been deeply rooted since the existence of Israel as a country itself. After the Holocaust, the Jewish people's genuine wish for their liberation from discrimination and persecution culminated in the movement known as Zionism, referring to the belief of establishing a Jewish state within their ancestral homeland. They were given land in Palestine to form their own country, however the Arabs already inhabiting the area and neighbouring countries did not accept the establishment of the new country we know today (and since then) as Israel.

Conflict(s)

  Tensions has always been high since the establishment of the state, but two notable wars signalled the start of official aggression between the two parties. One occurred in 1948, and the other in 1967, known as the second Intifidah, after which Israeli troops occupied Gaza, only leaving in 2005. Shortly after the removal of the Israeli soldiers, the Palestinian side was fractured by conflict between Fatah, the dominant party, and it its electoral challenger Hamas, which has been since labelled as a terrorist organisation by many associations worldwide. The Hamas won the elections by a decent margin, but the US, EU and Israel still refuse to recognise its government. However, there was some reluctance in handing over full authority and this heightened the distrust between the two sides. The is resulted in the Battle of Gaza (2007) taking place as a climax in the Fatah-Hamas conflict, where Hamas fighters forcefully gained full control of the Gaza Strip through a violent uprising. 

Hamas

  As a governmental body, it strongly opposes recognition of Israel and is committed to its destruction. The military wing has since launched attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, using tactics from suicide bombings and missile attacks, many of which have been condemned as war crimes and crime against humanity by the UN. On the recent 8th of July 2014, Israel launched Operation: Protective Edge, (Direct translation refers to it as Solid Cliff) which was intended to stop the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. This was to an adverse effect, as the conflict escalated after an Israeli airstrike killed 7 Hamas members. 

Current Situation

  A continuous blockade of the Gaza Strip by the Egyptian and the Israeli governments. So far, over 1948 Palestinians have been killed (Gaza Health Ministry), and it is estimated that 72 percent of the casualties are civilians (1402 of the 1948). As of 5th August, 520,000 Palestinians have been displaced, with. 1.5 million civilians have limited excess to water supplies. Electricity is limited to 3 hours per household, as a result of the destruction of Gaza's only power plant. Thousands of citizens have also fled their homes due to the fear of rocket attacks. 

Living Conditions

  Even before this conflict, there has been tight control over all entires and exits into Gaza, with access being heavily restricted. Power cuts are frequent, and unemployment rates are high as few businesses are able to export their items for sale. The GDP per capita of the Gaza Strip is considerably low, at 6,100 USD, as compared to that of Israel, which stands at 32,567 USD. 

Conclusion and Considerations

  Seemingly, the media has some bias against Israel, making them out to be the aggressors and the Hamas being the victims. Even before I did research on this event, reading the various news articles have already imposed the perception that the Israelis are the ones at fault. Personally, I feel that this is a conflict that has many complex layers of clashes, and there isn't any right or wrong. Perhaps the ones whom we should really care about are the people whose daily lives are put in peril, and the innocents, who did not want any conflicts. I hoped this was insightful, a big thank you for reading, and have a nice day! (or night). Hope to see you soon :)