As this is being written, hundreds of men, women, and children have been shot, raped, captured, and slaughtered in Israel and the violence is far from over. Early on Saturday morning, on October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip. Later that day heavily armed gunmen penetrated the Israeli border and attacked towns and smaller communities. Fighting continued on Sunday, and was contained by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday. As of writing, 1100 have been killed by both sides, including 11 American citizens, and an unknown hundred more have been wounded during the attacks. The situation is best summed up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyu: “We are at war.”
This attack didn’t come out of nowhere. It is rooted in nearly 8 decades of conflict in the Middle East, and many more centuries of history. The history of the establishment of the modern state of Israel is complicated. However, in a few words, Israel began in the 1920s when Jews started to immigrate to what is now Israel and built communities. This territory was under British control until May 14th, 1948 when the British ceded control of their “Palestinian mandate,” on the same day Israel declared Independence.
Immediately after it was attacked by its Arab neighbors, in what would become known as Israel’s War of Independence. Israel won that war and through that victory its borders became defined. More wars, initiated by both sides, would continue to be fought throughout the back half of the 20th century. Luckily there hasn’t been an open conflict between fully fledged nations since the 1980s.
On the other side of the conflict lies Palestine. Palestinian Arabs lay claim to what is now Israel, saying that it is their proper home. The establishment of Israel forced them off their native soil and is the source of the antagonism between Israel and Palestine. It is to establish the state of Palestine that Arab nations went to war with Israel in the past, and it is for the same reason that terrorist groups like Hamas still attack Israel.
Today, there are extremists who believe that Israel should not exist, or that Palestine should never become a country. Israel isn’t going anywhere, and neither are the Palestinian Arabs. What has become generally agreed upon by most governments is that a two state solution be created. This solution proposes that the current Israeli territory is split in two, with Israel retaining parts of it and a new Palestinian state being created with the rest. This compromise has yet to become a reality but it continues to be the generally accepted solution of choice for peace in the middle east.
It is here that one must understand what exactly Palestine is today. Palestine is not yet a state. The Palestinian National Authority (PA), is a body that has civil control over parts of what is currently Israel. If a two state-solution were to be established, the PA will become a governing body. However there is a split in the PA legislature between those who believe in the two state solution, the Fatah, and those who do not, Hamas. Hamas is widely considered a terrorist group that operates mainly from the Gaza Strip. It is incredibly important to separate those two groups; one is not the other. Hamas is a terrorist organization, the rest of the PA is a proto-government. Israel hasn’t been attacked by the Palestinian government, it has been attacked by terrorists.
This brings us back to the modern day. As said earlier beginning on Saturday a massive spread of rocket strikes were launched from both the Gaza Strip and from the sea. These rocket attacks have continued since Saturday as of October 9. Immediately after, armed gunmen left the Gaza Strip and attacked several southern Israeli settlements. It is known that many Israelis were taken captive by Hamas forces and brought back to the Gaza Strip.
After two days of intense fighting, the IDF has cleaned up most of Hamas incursions. During this period the Israeli air force attacked several Hamas sites within the Gaza strip, striking at headquarters, and rocket launch sites. Because Hamas routinely sets up its headquarters in the middle of a highly populated area these airstrikes have killed many Palestinian civilians.
Over the weekend western governments continued to pledge their support for the Israeli cause. President Biden has said on the subject that “Terrorism is never justified, Israel has a right to defend itself and its people.” 11 Americans have been confirmed killed, and it is highly probable that others are amongst those captured and currently held within Gaza.
Now, the Israeli Army stands at the gates of the Gaza Strip. An all out siege has been declared. Most of the strip’s water, power, food, and fuel which comes from Israel has been cut off. It is the end goal of the Israeli government to use this opportunity to root out Hamas from the Gaza Strip, destroying its ability to attack Israel. Not once in the history of terrorism has it succeeded. This time will be no different. If an end to the conflict is reached it will come out of diplomacy, and statesmanship, not acts of terror.
