Peace Elusive In The Middle East: Funding Israel and Palestine Leads To Humanitarian Crisis
Peace Elusive In The Middle East: Funding Israel and Palestine Leads To Humanitarian Crisis
Israel and Palestine both have received the funding to carry out the current offensives and counter-offensives. The end result is horrific to observe. Israeli forces have battled Hamas for some weeks now and thousands of residents have fled in the wake of unprecedented violence and damage. Peace has been elusive in the Middle East for years now. Much blood has been shed over the Holy Land. Even as the US and UN try to prevent a further escalation, the violence continues unabated. Under massive international pressure, both sides are refusing to yield and peace becomes more distant with each air strike and each life lost. US and European air carried have halted flights to the country following a militant rocket landing on a house near Ben Gurion airport . Palestine is facing economic sanctions. What is dismal is the unceasing violence and bloodshed.
Israel commenced with an offensive beginning July 8 to stop the missile salvoes by Hamas. Ceasefires brokered by other nations between the two warring sides have now met with no concrete results. Palestine is further struggling because of an Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade. A crackdown on their supporters in the West Bank has also angered Hamas. Israel is now aiming to destroy the missile stores and massive network of underground tunnels used by Hamas.
The conflict has resulted in the loss of many lives. Media reports indicate that 643 Palestinians many of them being children and civilians are now dead following the violence. Israel's 29 soldiers have been killed along with two civilians. What is catastrophic is the amount of violence that has flared up between the two sides in a matter of days.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian decision making body led by Mahmoud Abbas has endorsed Hamas for the steps that need to be taken for hostilities to end in Israel. Egyptian mediated truce efforts and attempts are being made to overcome obstacles to the peace process . Egypt has been trying to get both sides to hold their fire and work towards peace instead. But violence in the Holy Land has become a common occurence and the latest escalation of conflict is hard to stop.
Hamas has refused to recognise the right of Israel to exist. It has indicated distrust of the al-Sisi led Egyptians who are trying to end the conflict. Efforts are on to further the peace process though. The Palestine Liberation Organisation is formally supporting the core conditions set forth by the Hamas led fighters.
The Egyptians are hopeful that a unified Palestinian position could help to secure peace. As the civilian death toll rises, it is clear that both sides need to be convinced of the urgent need for peace. Those who have funded both the sides should also be convinced about the peace process. Funding wars is not the solution to a dispute. In Gaza, 475 houses have been destroyed and 2,644 have been partially damaged. As per Reuters report , 46 schools and 56 mosques have been damaged apart from 7 hospitals as of this week.
