There is clear and present danger that the Israel-Palestine conflict may get out of hand
The Israel-Palestine conflict never ends; there are only interim periods of a lull while both sides think of fresh ways to inflict damage on the opponent. The Coronavirus and its repercussions notwithstanding, Israel and Palestine are engaged in a bloody conflict that has already taken several lives on either side. It all began on May 12 with Israeli rockets claiming the lives of several Palestinian civilians. In a quid pro quo, five Israelis died of Palestinian rocket attacks. It is difficult to say which party started the conflict. Anyway, as they say, truth is the first casualty in any war. Israel’s military campaign has been fierce, though there may have been Palestinian provocation. Its military offensive in the Gaza Strip killed 10 senior Hamas military officers. In the counteroffensive, the Islamic militant group fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities. Right now, it is an anarchic situation in Israel as the Jewish and Arab mobs are engaged in skirmishes on the streets. The Palestine conflict started with the birth of Israel and has continued ever since. The ‘Partition Plan’ of the UN created Arab and Israeli territories from the British territory. But it actually laid down the basis of an endless conflict.
All these years, their hate for each other has only grown. However, the current situation has a lot to do with Israel’s internal situation as well. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost credibility and the people want him to go. In such a situation, the Palestine issue comes in handy. This conflict was just waiting to happen. In mid-2020, the UAE and Bahrain agreed to normalise relations with Israel. They signed the Abraham Accords, which was summarily rejected by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas alike. The subsequent elections in Israel and Netanyahu’s loss of popularity laid the foundation of the new conflict. After three inconclusive elections, Netanyahu of the Likud party and Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party signed a pact creating a unity Government in April 2020. Despite the formation of the unity Government and promises from Netanyahu that he would step down after 18 months, he didn’t. But the average Israeli’s hate for Palestine can be easily mobilised which sweeps all wrongs under the carpet. But sometimes war creates its own dynamics and the genie would just not go back into the bottle. Now there are genuine fears that a third intifada could unleash.
