Israel-Palestine Conflict Intensifies: No Peace In Sight
Israel-Palestine Conflict Intensifies: No Peace In Sight
With the escalation of tensions in Gaza and the conflict between Israel and Palestine intensifying during the holy month of Ramadan, innocent citizens of both states continue to die. Palestinians and their international supporters have put forth a UN draft resolution to condemn violence against civilians in the Israel-Palestine conflict and call for a fully respected and durable ceasefire that is immediate.
An initial draft for the proposed Security Council resolution which has been obtained by the Associated Press voices “grave concern” at the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the condition in Palestine territories as a result of Israeli military operations. Heavy civilian casualties including women and children have been the result of the latest clash between the 2 troubled states.
There is deep division within the council as well. Policy paralysis over the Israel-Palestine conflict has resulted even as US defends ally Israel whilst numerous council members back Palestine, according to media reports.
Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas in Gaza have hit a mosque said to be concealing the weapons of the militant group. The Palestinian death toll has reached 120 with there being no signs of any slowing down of the offensive.
Israel launched the campaign 5 days back to stop relentless rocket fires on its citizens. Hamas has indicated that this is the first time a pair of mosques have been hit by Israel during an offensive. The group wants this to be the reason for the galvanisation of support for Palestine in the Muslim world. Meanwhile, the Israeli military released an aerial photo of the destroyed mosque, holding that it concealed rockets right next to other religions sites and civilian homes.
Israel also said that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Gaza militant groups were using religious sites for the concealment of weapons and they have tunnel networks which threatened the well-being of their own citizens. It holds that Gaza militants have fired nearly 700 rockets of which around 130 have been intercepted by the Iron Dome, a US funded Israel-developed rocket system.
Israel's military has also struck 1,100 targets including rocket launchers to deliver a blow to the militants. This is one of the heaviest and most sustained fightings since an 8 day campaign in 2012 which was aimed to stop Gaza rocket fire.
With the kidnapping and killing of 3 Israeli teenagers in the West Bank and a revenge attack in which a Palestinian teenager was murdered triggering the latest set of conflicts, it is hard to see any peace in sight for the two warring states.
When it comes to peace, that is only possible if people are prepared to listen rather than fight. But so many painful memories and past conflicts on both sides have embittered Israel and Palestine, creating a web of hatred and anger that causes the fighting to persist. If peace is to be possible in the Holy Land, it is only if both sides put away their ammunition and use dialogue as a means of resolving conflicts.
