Conflicts between Israel and Palestine have been fought since the 1940s and date back to the emergence of the Zionist movement, which defended the foundation of a Jewish state in Palestine. Throughout the 20th century, a series of conflicts, such as the Six Day War, were fought. Palestinians are currently forced to live in appalling conditions. Both sides claim their own sober space, although currently that right is fully exercised only by Israelis. As a result, wars are fought, groups considered to be terrorists rise, lives are lost and lasting peace is increasingly distant. It can be said that it all started with the emergence of the Zionist movement, in the late nineteenth century. During this period, a large number of bases began to migrate, in masses, towards the territories of Palestine, then inhabited by around 500,000 Arabs. This region was claimed by the protected for having been theirs until its expulsion by the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD, starting the Jewish diaspora, a dispersion of individuals around the world.

The Zionist movement was consolidated through the Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl. He defended the right of Jews to return to Palestine and form a Jewish national state there. This movement arose as a response by the Jewish community in Europe to the growing anti-Semitism on that continent. The founding of Israel started the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis in the region. Throughout the 20th century, the First Arab-Israeli War, the Suez War, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War were fought.

In the 1950s, Israelis took advantage of an Egyptian crisis with France and the United Kingdom to invade the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. The relationship between Israelis and Palestinians remained tense, which resulted in Palestinian resistance movements against Israeli occupation. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the PLO, was created, which sought to fight for the lost rights of Palestinians in the region with the then recent events.

The members of the PLO used armed struggle as a way to resist Israel, and one of their best known names was Yasser Arafat, leader of the organization from 1969. The main political group of the PLO is the Fatah, a moderate group that still exists . In 1967, the Six Day War was started after Israeli attacks on Syria. In just six days, the Israelis took over the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Even with the later UN resolution that Israel should return such territories, they remained under its rule for quite some time.

In the year 2000, the Second Intifada, led by Hamas, began. A Palestinian offensive was mounted against Israel, which again responded harshly, as well as demolishing Palestinian homes and starting the construction of the West Bank Wall or Israel Wall in 2002. Thousands of deaths took place on both sides of the war, which stretched until 2004, with the death of the Hamas leader. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, as we have noticed, has been going on for decades and its central issue is the dominance of Palestine. However, in recent years, many criticisms of Israel have occurred for the way this situation has been handled, especially for the disproportionate violence used against the Palestinian populations. The State of Israel defends itself arguing that its action takes place only as a way to guarantee the security of its own population and combat terrorist actions, such as those attributed to Hamas, the organization that commands Palestine since 2006 and that, as we have seen , is seen as a terrorist by Israel.

However, the disproportionate actions that many criticize are not just military, which, for the most part, result in the death of innocent civilians with no connection to groups like Fatah and Hamas. Many also point out that there is a segregationist regime similar to apartheid, which existed in South Africa, in the region.

Journalist Mohammed Omer points out the difficulties in the life of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. He says Palestinians often have their gas, drinking water and electricity supplies cut off. He also mentions the difficulty that Palestinians in the region have to obtain food, in addition to the frequent bombings that victimize innocent people and destroy schools and hospitals. Furthermore, many criticize the fact that Israel, even today, does not allow the return of the descendants of refugees who they left the region after the war in 1948. Finally, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the eviction of Palestinian residents from their homes to build these settlements have come in for recent criticism. What can be seen in this conflict is that its resolution is far from being reached, because, even with momentary peace agreements, a small spark is enough to rekindle the battles, raising the number of deaths again. At the same time, the creation of the Palestinian State has been difficult, as territorial disputes are still intense, although the State is internationally recognized by several countries.

#OpIsrael #FreePalestine

#OpIsrael is the name given to the operation that aims to bring light to the issues mentioned above, in an objective and clear way. This operation involves several collectives from around the world, some of which have been operating for many years. The main focus of the operation is to minimally bring justice and visibility to the oppression suffered by the Palestinians in relation to Israel. The focus is to expose information that reveal aggressive plans against the Palestinians and actions that come as a crime against humanity, in addition to taking systems off the air and affecting institutional websites.