On Israel and Palestine’s Conflict
Sugarcoating or defending either side in their quest for dominance is not appropriate. Both sides are equally responsible for the reckless attacks. Israel’s Netanyahu takes responsibility for glorifying violence as much as Palestine’s Hamas bears responsibility for unnecessarily launching attacks against Israel’s people. Taking one side, in this case, ignores the genuine concerns of the other side.
Israel holds some responsibility. Prime Minister Netanyahu has gotten away for years with violation of international laws. Not only has he forced Arabs to move out of Jerusalem, but Netanyahu has also encouraged Orthodox jews to settle in Palestine’s land east of Jerusalem. Israel, though, has gotten a pass for most of this because of the US and former President Trump.
The Palestinian government, meanwhile, should have better senses than to support a ground invasion against Israel. Some may say that sending troops is the only way to get attention. Palestine and the Hamas who control it, though, actively deter its cause by affirming Israel’s narrative that terrorists control Palestine. In addition, it makes Israel feel justified in launching a full-scale war against Palestine. This cycle has happened for decades because of Hamas’s interference.
Ultimately, it’s the people of the Middle East who suffer. Imagine trying to sleep and work knowing air sirens are constantly going off and thinking about the possibility that a drone could shoot your immediate family at any moment. Long-term, these battles and wars do nothing to enrich the lives of either nation and only serve as political “victories.”
The easiest and most straightforward solution is to have Israel’s opposition party (Yair Lapid) form a coalition in the Knesset (Israel’s US Capitol) with the Ra’ams and Shas, Arab-friendly parties. To give context, the Knesset has a rule saying that the party with the plurality of seats after an election has to make a new coalition within a month to have 61 seats (the majority). In this case, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party had to do that. Netanyahu failed to form one, transferring the responsibility to the second-best party, which also has one month.
All of this is to send a symbolic message to Israel and Palestine that the Israeli government is willing to work out differences in religious beliefs diplomatically. That message is crucial in such a fractured government like Israel’s and could serve as a pivotal moment. Obviously, though, the “easiest and simplest” solution is almost always never the solution that is carried out.
What should this mean to you, though? Honestly, not much. Unless you have connections to Israel or Palestine, religiously or physically, this conflict is indifferent to global voices. However, that does not refrain you from caring about this issue, or else we would not have written this statement. Even though this is our judgment, you should ultimately be the one who makes your own opinion, not a bunch of politicians. Knowing the facts and the full context of this story will make you more informed and capable of making your judgments on this complex issue.
- Partisan Irony Editorial Team