The Palestinian conflict has been going on for many years. When, following Jewish immigration, the Palestinian land was split up into Palestine and Israel, the Palestinians were forced to give up parts of the country that were rightfully theirs. However, even since the separation was declared, the Israelis have continued to spread out and take over parts of Palestine that are not legally theirs. Moreover, the Israelis have blocked aid from getting to the Palestinians, resulting in a humanitarian crisis. The only method of solving the conflict is for the Israelis to give back the land that they do not own, and to abolish the oppressive checkpoints and blockades.
In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinians are forced to exist under Israel’s rule, which is littered with military checkpoints and blockades. In August of 2010, Israel declared that they would no longer allow mail to pass through into Gaza (Allard & Glynn, 2010). According to Allard and Glynn (2011) in the NB Media Co-Op, “Article 25 of the fourth Geneva Convention guarantees the right to personal correspondence with family members under occupation”. Therefore, stemming the flow of post and other aid is clearly an illegal action on the part of the Israelis. Clearly, these blockades must be stopped.
The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis dates back many years. In ancient times, Palestine was called Judea, but the Romans renamed it when they took the country over (Middle East Web, 2011). Later on, Arabs invaded and took over Palestine, and the Arabs resided there for more than a thousand years. Following this, a movement known as the Zionist formed with the aim of increasing the Jewish population inhabiting Israel. This movement took little account of the existing Arab population within the country, or what affects the changes may have on them. In 1917, Palestine was given to Great Britain to create a home for Jews. However, the Arabs were unhappy about the influx of Jewish people into the country and so, after much violence, Britain halted the initiative (Middle East Web, 2011). After the horrors of the Holocaust, Great Britain were encouraged by the world to once again allow Jews to inhabit Palestine. Much fighting erupted once again and, eventually, in 1947, the Jews won and Palestine was divided up into Arab territories and Jewish territories (Middle East Web, 2011).
According to the Network of Spiritual Progressives (2011):
“A humanitarian crisis is engulfing the occupied Palestinian territories, reflected by rising poverty rates, unemployment and malnutrition. To a large extent, this crisis is moderated by large amounts of foreign aid flowing into the territories that is going to subsidise basic daily needs. Without this aid, the crisis would be much more acute.”
Currently, many Palestinians are suffering needlessly. Hunger, unemployment and lack of medical supplies are just some examples of what the Palestinians are struggling to access due to the Israeli blockades and military checkpoints (Network of Spiritual Progressives, 2011). Palestinians have the right to free movement within the state and, therefore, should not be suffering in this degrading manner. When Palestine was split up, a very large proportion of its land was given to the Israelis. Since then, the Israelis have spread out and occupied terratories that were never awarded to them. Therefore, they have broken International Law in this respect as well. Not only have the Israelis taken over huge amounts of Palestine, but now they are preventing International aid from reaching the Palestinians who badly need it.
Several peace plans have been suggested. However, the only viable and fair one is the Geneva Accord, which suggests that Israelis give back the land that they have taken without authority (Middle East Web, 2011). This means any areas which are outside of the original security fence barriers. Palestinian refugees would, therefore, have their land back and would not be living under the brutal rule of the Israelis, and the country of Palestine would be free once more. The Israelis must move back into the areas which are legally theirs, or rather, than were named as theirs in 1947.
Ever since Palestine was split up, the Israelis have been encroaching on even more Palestinian land than what they were given. Furthermore, they have created a humanitarian crisis by blocking aid to Palestinians and therefore inflicting hunger, unemployment and disease upon them. The Geneva Accord states that Israel must give back the land that is not rightfully theirs, and allow Palestine to return to the peaceful, loving country that it once was.
References
Allard, M & Glynn, T. (2010). Postal Workers Solidarity with Palestine. NB Media Co-Op.
Retrieved from
http://www.nbmediacoop.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118
2:postal-workers-solidarity-with-palestine&catid=96:politics&Itemid=197
Ehrenfeld, S. (2011). The Israel-Palestinian Conflict: Each Side’s Contrasting Narratives. The
Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County. Retrieved from
http://www.ethicalfocus.org/platform/46-world-affairs/150-the-israel-palestinian-
conflict-each-sides-contrasting-narratives
Middle East Web. (2011). Israeli Palestinian Conflict. Retrieved from
http://www.mideastweb.org/nutshell.htm
Network of Spiritual Progressives. (2011). The Escalating Crisis of Palestinian Poverty.
Retrieved from http://gmpupdate.wordpress.com/the-escalating-crisis-of-palestinian-
poverty/
Palestine Versus Israel BlogSpot. (2009). What is Happening in Gaza… in Their View.
Retrieved from http://palestine-vs-israel.blogspot.com/
