Israel-Palestine conflict: Balance sheet of gains and losses for close to a century

By Chaitanya Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*
In this article without taking sides we’ll present a balance sheet of gains and losses of both sides in close to century long Israel Palestine conflict and leave it to readers to assess for themselves which side is sufferer and which is the oppressor.
In 1948 during the creation of Israel, 15,000 Palestinians were killed by Zionist forces. In 1967 six-day war Isarel captured Gaza and West Bank along with territories of neighbouring nations. In 1972 Palestinian gunmen killed 17 Israeli atheletes at Munich Olympic. In 1982 in reponse to failed assasination attempt on Israeli Ambassador in Britain, Israel invaded southern Lebanon and allowed Christian militias to massacre thousands of Palestinain refugees in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut. In 1987 Intifada which continued till early 1990s about 2,000, mostly Palestinians, got killed.
In 1993 Oslo Accord it was agreed that Palestinian Authority would govern Gaza and West Bank, Israel agreed to withdraw forces from these areas and Palestine Liberation Organisation recognized Israel. Isarel did not withdraw the settlements. Israeli leader Ariel Sharon visited Al-Aqsa mosque with police provoking Palestinians to start second Intifada. Israel re-entered Gaza and West Bank. During 2000-2003, 4,300 people died, again mostly Palestinians. In 2005 Sharon government withdrew 8,500 Israelis from settlements and forces from Gaza and West Bank allowing President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestinian Authority to take control.
In 2006 Hamas won majority seats in council and after defeating Fatah in civil war took control of Gaza, while Palestinian Authority retained control of West Bank. Israel refused to recognize Hamas and started Gaza’s blockade which continues till today. In 2006, 1,150 Israeli and Lebanese civilians lost life in Israel-Hezbollah conflict on Israel-Lebanon border. In 2008 Israel attacked Gaza in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died. Israel used white phosphorus on civilian population. In 2012 in respose to rockets launched by Hamas, Israel attacked Gaza for 8 days in which 180, mostly civilian Palestinians, died. In 2014 Hamas kidnapped and killed 3 Israeli youth which provoked Israel to attack Gaza, this time for seven weeks, in which 2,310 Palestinians and 73 Israelis, including 67 sodiers, got killed. In 2021 when Israel threatened to evict Palestinians from neighbourhood of East Jerusalem and imposed restrictions around Al-Aqsa during Ramzan, Palestinians protested, Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem and Israel attacked Gaza for 11 days in which over 340 Palestinians and 11 Israelis got killed. In the present 2023 conflict, over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 25,000 injured in response to Hamas killing 1,400 Israelis.
Thus we see that the number of Palestinians killed is about 40,000 whereas Israeli lives lost are less than a tenth of that figure, in the process of creation and sustenance of Israel. In the last 15 years alone 6,407 Palestinians have been killed compared to 308 Israelis.
In 1917 when Balfour Declaration announced a home for Jewish people in Palestine, the Jewish population was less than 15% here. Today considering Israeli population to be 93.6 lakhs, of which 17 lakhs are Muslims and populations of West Bank and Gaza to be 30 and 23 lakhs, respectively, Jews comprise more than 53% of the total population of what was originally Palestine.
Between 1932 and 1935, facing Nazi persecution 1.6 lakh Jews immigrated to Palestine. In 1948 ‘Nakba’, 7 lakh Palestinians were forced to flee out of Palestine, most of whose families are still living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Since then there is a constant stream of Jews from all over the world coming into Israel and stream of Palestinians leaving their homeland. The present war has once again hastened the exit of Palestinians and the final figure, just like the death figure, may be close to 1948 Nakba figure. Gaza is in the danger of erasure. Israel first warned Palestinians to vacate North Gaza and move to South and now it has warned them to move out of South too.
Israel captured 77% of original Palestinian mandate territory in 1948 and presently Gaza and West Bank exist on less than 22% of total combined area of Israel and both parts of Palestine.
Hamas captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in 2011. Israel has doubled the number of Palestinian prisnors in its custody during the present war itself. About 6,000 Palestinians are languishing in Israeli jails and 4,000 Palestinians have been detained in a camp in Gaza. In any case, Gaza is described as the biggest open jail on earth considering that Israel has been blockading it since 2006. Compared to these figures presently about 200 Israelis are in Hamas custody who were kidnapped on 7 October.
A total of 51,49,742 Palestinian citizens are living in refugee camps spread across Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and West Bank. This is more than the population of Palestinians living in West Bank and Gaza together. Hence, more Palestinians are in refugee camps than are free to live on their own, their freedom itself hostage to Israel. On the other hand 7 lakh Israelis are living on occupied Palestinian land in West Bank and East Jerusalem as settlers.
Qatar, Iran and a few countries are left among supporters of Palestine whereas most of the powerful countries of the world are aligned with Israel. The U.S. provides $3,8 billion in military aid annually to Israel. Whatever help Palestine receives is irregular and mostly humanitairian and partly for running the government. The arms are smuggled into Gaza by Hamas through underground tunnels. Israeli Defense Forces comprises of 1,69,500 active personnel and 4,65,000 reserves. Hamas’s armed wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades has 30-40,000 fighters.
Israel has a flourishing economy with a GDP per capita of $58,273 whereas GDP of Gaza and West Bank are merely $876 and $1924, respectively. Most of Gaza’s economy has been bombed out of existence by Israel. During the current war Israel has choked Gaza of essential items like food and fuel.
Among the 193 member countries of United Nations in the world 163 recognise Israel as a state and 138 recognise Palestine, yet Palestine got an non-member Observer status only in 2012, whereas 1947 UN resolution clearly partitioned Palestine into two states – Palestine and Israel.
---
*Chaitanya is a lawyer and Sandeep Pandey is General Secretary, Socialist Party (India)

Comments

Towards 2024: Time for ‘We the People of India’ to wake up before it is too late

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* It is Constitution Day once again! We, the people of India, gratefully remember 26 November 1949 when the Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly comprised women and men of distinction, who were able to represent the heart and soul of the people of India without fear or favour. They gave of their best, so that we may a visionary Constitution, which would be the mainstay for and of democracy in India!

Eight years of empowering tribal communities through water initiatives in Chhattisgarh

By Gazala Paul* In the heart of Chhattisgarh, amidst the echoes of tribal life, a transformative journey has unfolded over the past eight years. The Samerth organization has diligently worked to elevate the lives of indigenous communities in the Kawardha district through the project, "Enabling Baiga Community to access safe drinking water."

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

Critical factors that determine, contribute to the success and effectiveness of NGOs

By Rohit Rakshit Over the last few years, I have been fortunate to work with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across various states in the country. This experience has allowed me to gain insights into their diverse areas of work while also enabling me to analyze the key attributes that contribute to the success of a good NGO. According to my observations, the following are the critical factors that determine the effectiveness of an NGO.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das* India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Raising temperature of frozen foods by 3 degrees from -18°C to -15°C can slash carbon emissions: Study

By Payel Sannigrahi Frozen food temperatures could be changed by just three degrees to save the carbon dioxide emissions of 3.8 million cars per year, research suggests.

Odisha leadership crisis deepens: CM engages retired babus to oversee depts' work

By Sudhansu R Das Over decades, Odisha has lost much of its crop diversity, fertile agriculture land, water bodies, employment potential, handicraft and handloom skills etc. The state has failed to strike a balance between the urban and rural sector growth; this leads to the migration of villagers to the urban areas leading to collapse of the urban infrastructures and an acute labor shortage in rural areas. A large number of educated, skilled and unskilled Odia people have migrated to other states for higher education, quality jobs and for earning livelihood which plummet the efficiency level of government departments. Utmost transparency in the recruitment and promotion in the state government departments will improve governance mechanisms in the state. "No near and dear one approach" in governance mechanisms can only achieve inclusive growth for the state on payment basis. This is a moral hazard. When so many educated young people seek employment outside the

1982-83 Bombay textile strike played major role in shaping working class movement

By Harsh Thakor On January 18th, 1982 the working class movement commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Textile Workers Strike that lasted for 18 months, till July 1983. It was landmark event that played a major role in shaping the working class movement. With more than 2.5 lakh workers from 65 textile mills joining in this strike for almost two years, this strike became one of the most significant strikes in terms of scale and duration All democrats should applaud the mill workers’ united battle, and their unflinching resilience an death defying courage continues to serve as a model for contemporary working-class movements. Many middle class persons harboured opinions that the Textile workers were pampered or were a labour aristocracy, ignorant of how they were denied wages to provide for basic necessities. The Great Bombay Textile Strike is notably one of the most defining movements in the working class struggles in Post-independent India. Bombay’s textile industry flourished in

20% of Indian businesses have no emission plan in place despite climate emergency: Report

By Jag Jivan New research underlines urgent need for strategies and transition plans to combat climate change, remain successful and meet stakeholder expectations.

TERI researchers outline ways for robust, equitable and flexible outcome at COP28

By Sanya Hans Researchers at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched two crucial policy briefs ahead of the much anticipated 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023 at Dubai, UAE. Former climate negotiator, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI emphasized, “Adaptation is an imperative and absolute must in present times for the Global South. COP28 needs to make the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) integral to climate commitments and action”. “Climate change demands that energy use must be sustainable; the development imperative of the Global South demands it to be inclusive, just and fair," Mr Puri added. Outcome on GGA will be a key determinant for the success of COP28 The policy brief titled ‘Road to Dubai and The Global Goal on Adaption’ reviewed the discussions around the GGA framework to provide perspectives on what could be a robust, equitable, and flexible outcome of the GGA process at CO

Search This Blog